SportsShoes Blog

Hey how about this for a dandy shoe and sock combo…..

Pretty ghastly huh?

Well yes I’d agree but never mind what they look like, they both work a treat.

The shoes are Nike’s new Zoom Skylon and I had second thoughts about buying them, not just because I thought everyone would take the p*** out of me because of the colour but also as they hardly have any rubber on the outsole and I thought they’d wear out in a flash. However I’ve had them a couple of months now and done quite a few road miles in them and I have to say nobody has laughed at them - in fact I’ve had some admiring glances from my running pals!! More importantly, my worry about wear appears to be unfounded. The rubber that does exist on the outsole is perfectly positioned to take all the major impact so where the spongy phylon hits the floor it’s only acting as a support rather than having to resist abrasion.

I use neutral shoes so these have no medial support. They feel very well cushioned without being at all squidgy. I reckon the best thing you can say about a shoe is that you never think about it when you wear it - they just do what they’re supposed to do.

The real reason I bought them was because they’re so light - I wanted to elliminate any excuses so when I come home last I know it’s all down to me and not my equipment!!!

So far these shoes have been perfect - perhaps the best road shoes I’ve ever had.

As for the socks - wow they’re crazy aren’t they? I think the designers at Thorlo must have been having a laugh. Either that or their purchasing people got a great deal on some hideous coloured cloth!!! These are their brand new Experia running socks designed to offer protection exactly where it’s needed and very little in between.

I’ve used them on a good few road runs now and think they’re fine. They fit very well and again you don’t notice them when you’re running. I’ve not done long distance in them (only up to 10 miles) but I’ve not had a hint of a blister or any rubbing. As you may know I’m a bit of a Thorlo fan but my summary of these is that whilst they are as good as other running socks I’ve used they’re not really any better. I’d still use Thorlo Trail for anything extreme but will continue to use these for road training and dog jogging.