Snow "Shoes"

We got to Saturday and I'm due to run in the Box Hill Fell race, a 7.5 mile run up one of the steepest hills in the south. The knee was still troubling me and it wasn't the climb that worried me but the downhill as this is always harder on the legs. Because of this I decided to give it a miss and instead the next day went for a short run in the Luna's.

Well Sunday morning and outside was a white out! The snow that was forecast had now started and it was going to a little chilly. This was going to be a perfect opportunity to test the combination of Luna sandals with the Toe Grip Sox recently purchased from Tracey at Barefoot Britain (sorry I might have got your company name wrong in the video review).

Straight off the Toe Sox felt good. I'd worn them a few times around the house and I can see why these are so popular in the U.S. for indoor activities such as Yoga etc. as they offer warmth and comfort but with the added benefit of barefoot feel.

The Sox with the sandals sounds like an odd combination but they actually work well together. The Luna's don't really rub at any point if broke in correctly and over time but with these offered improved protection against possible blisters over distance.
But are these any different to other toe socks such as Injini's? Well the main difference is the sole. On the Toe Sox they have a rubber grip pattern similar to what you'd see on some types of gloves. These really do work on surfaces such as wood and vinyl flooring as they hold grip well even when at speed or changing direction fast.

In the the snow they offered a level of warmth and protection in extreme conditions. We started to warm up by jogging around the park on the grass that was now hard as concrete due the the previous week of hard frost. Even though it was still very cold on the feet these stopped them getting numb which is the key to minimal running in the low temperatures.

After a couple of laps I tested the grip of the Toe Sox with the Luna's on a steep incline to see how they would perform as previously movement was a slight issue. This time the movement is limited and I could easily climb and decend the steep slope even in the snow and ice.

Finally, I removed the sandals and ran the same section of path as normal barefoot which is some of the hardest I've experienced on the soles. This time the sox made the uneven ride feel ok and this time I actually increased the pace with the improved confidence.

All in all a great run out and can't wait to see what the sox are like on a longer run.