How often do you wear your running socks ...

pnw runner wrote:

In Africa, people can't afford to

Ah, the classic letsrun horseshit response of "In Africa" made by someone who thinks they know all about Africa because he can name a few runners from the continent.

Tell me, in Africa, people can't afford indoor plumbing and every time they shit, they do it in a bucket behind their hut. Doesn't that make you elitist snob for not shitting in a bucket like them?

In Africa, few can afford cars or houses, but you live indoors and make more money than that, right? Doesn't that make you an elitist snob?

hahahaha wrote:

Tell me, in Africa, people can't afford indoor plumbing and every time they shit, they do it in a bucket behind their hut. Doesn't that make you elitist snob for not shitting in a bucket like them?

I can one up that: my brother has an old house in the boonies of eastern VA with no running water or septic system. To skip a step in going to the bathroom outdoors, he just shits on a shovel then flings it into the woods. We were all very proud to learn about it this past Christmas.

How many of the people who have posted their extreme disgust towards those who wear socks more than once have had sex? Your reasoning seems to be that it's unhygienic. What do you think is more unhygienic, wearing your socks more than once or sharing bodily fluids with another person? I can understand the argument of washing your shirt and shorts once they start to smell if you're running with others as it's common decency, but nobody's going to sniff your socks. If you guys think that wearing socks more than once is so unhygienic, stop being hypocrites and quit having sex, otherwise stfu!

Wow. Between Masterbooner's shovel-shitting brother, and the "having sex is like not washing your sweaty socks" guy, I think I have seen and heard it all here on LR.

I don't know what to say about the shovel-shitting brother, except that a lot of things are starting to make sense now.

Regarding sex and socks, I don't know about you, 'what to do', but I don't see dirty sex and dirty socks in the same category. How can you even compare them? I just don't get the same kind of pleasure from socks, dirty or clean. There is no payoff with a dirty sock, but dirty, sweaty sex still feels good.

Socks: two or three runs

Sex: Not enough, I am unhygenic all around I s'pose

State: I am one of the 7 registered "R" in City of San Francisco. Exit Pollsters love me, "Hey George, we got one".

My point is that it seems rather hypocritical to look down upon people who expose themselves to some germs by wearing used socks when you're perfectly willing to expose yourself to even more harmful ones by having sex. I'm not saying don't have sex, I'm saying don't be labeling other people as unhygienic unless you can be sure that none of your behavior could be construed as such. You can still wash your socks every time you use them if that's what makes you happy and I'll do what works for me.

Payoffs for not washing socks until they're actually dirty are you don't have to wash them as often, meaning they last longer and you save water and electricity. I personally don't have dozens of socks lying around so I do what I can to make them last until the next wash. I've never known anybody who has gotten any kind of illness from wearing dirty socks unless they push it to the extreme like adventure racing and wear wet dirty socks for days on end without taking them off their feet. . . that's a different story.

I think you misunderstood the tone of my comment...it was completely tongue-in-cheek. I was simply trying to point out how silly this thread has gotten.

By the way, how do you know I don't shit in a bucket? Do you think you know all about shit because you've taken a few poos in the loo? Does that make you an elitist snob for assuming everyone in the world outside of Africa has a thunderbox like you?

what to do wrote:

My point is that it seems rather hypocritical to look down upon people who expose themselves to some germs by wearing used socks when you're perfectly willing to expose yourself to even more harmful ones by having sex.

Payoffs for not washing socks until they're actually dirty are you don't have to wash them as often, meaning they last longer and you save water and electricity.

Are you serious? Have you ever had sex?

what to do wrote:

Payoffs for not washing socks until they're actually dirty are you don't have to wash them as often, meaning they last longer and you save water and electricity.

I knew it was only a matter of time before someone brought up being "green" in regards to less frequent sock washing. This is not a judgment, just an observation - I've humorously considered it as an excuse for the multiple use of my socks!

every time I run. old timers will recall how it was 'cool' to run without socks in the late 60s, early 70s, despite the blisters. it made no sense, but you were a dork if you wore socks even with your training flats, let alone spikes in 1968-1970.

Are you serious? Have you ever had sex?[/quote]

Yeah man, which is why I'm not overly concerned by the prospect of dirty socks. You're the one who's scared of used socks so maybe you're a germophobe who's also afraid of having sex. I've heard that gay men are very concerned about cleanliness. Maybe you haven't had sex because you're secretly gay and haven't yet come out of the closet. Am I being serious? This is turning into one of the strangest threads on an anonymous message board. You tell me? I will stand behind the statement that there are more important things to worry about in the world than whether your socks are fresh from the wash when you go for a run.

O.K., settle down...I concur that there are more important things to worry about than dirty socks, but if given a choice, I like mine clean.

What I took issue with was what looked like a proposed comparison between dirty sex and dirty socks. I will stand behind my statement that the two cannot be compared.

And just to be clear, I'm not a gay man (not that there's anything wrong with being gay).

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Masterbooner wrote:

...before you wash them? Just once? Until they stink or look dirty? Just your socks - undergear, shorts and shirts go by different rules, yes?

I use "running" socks for different sports. Most of my socks are Pearl Izumi or DeFeet, and I use them mostly for running, rowing, cycling, and weight training. For other sports I wear different ones.

I wear them JUST ONCE, because I am not a dirty hippie. This rule extends to my baselayers, underwear, cycling shorts and jerseys.

I like good socks. I'm not willing to wear cheap socks. I pay 8-12 dollars per pair of socks. Sometimes more, particularly for heavy, winter socks. I have socks for running and socks for everyday use; the two categories do not overlap. I run about 12 times a week, and of course I would need another 7 pairs of everyday socks for that week. So, now we're up to 19 pairs of socks per week. This without considering the extra pairs that I will need in order to colour coordinate my everyday socks, along with the inevitable match-less socks that one owns after one sock gets lost in the laundry...it is becoming clear that, in order to wear clean socks for every run, I would need to own an unthinkably large number of socks. The expense would be silly, for something as banal as socks. I don't even know how I would find storage space for all those socks. And we haven't even considered the issue of summer weight vs. winter weight socks. Please, people, be reasonable!

The above post brings up a good point, but it is for just this reason that I wear socks just once and then wash them.

The last two summers a typical (Satur)day went like this:

6:30 AM - row - 1:30-2:00 - in socks - drenched with sweat

9:00 AM - ride - usually 100 mi - in socks - drenched with sweat

3:30 PM - mow lawns - usually 4-5 - in socks - drenched with sweat

6:30 PM - eat dinner - want to wear clean, dry socks

So, for me, each activity meant I had to change clothes, and therefore it was easy and preferable to change socks. It may not have any health consequence at all, but I don't like the feeling of putting my feet into shoes (ready to ride for 5-6 hours) that are all sweaty and wet. Maybe they smell, maybe they don't, I don't smell them, but I do know that when I peel my socks off after riding in the heat they don't smell great.

Also, If I wore the same socks for the whole day (or worse - socks from the day before) I would be making the rowing shoes dirtier and smellier than they get already. Then I would be doing the same to my $250 cycling shoes (I want those to last) and then to my outdoor work shoes. It is also a fact that this will foster Athlete's foot.

I generally shower at least twice on a day like this (which my team calls Seven Hour Saturday). Sometimes if it is hot out - three times, so I don't see why you wouldn't reach for a fresh pair of socks when you bring out your rowing uni, or your bib shorts and jersey and helmet, or for most of you ... your running shorts.

So, yes I work out about 10 times a week and do yardwork twice a week, so I need about 20 pairs of socks each week. If you think it is onerous to launder 20 pair of socks each week - it is about the same as 2 shirts or a pair of pants. Not bad for being able to feel confident when you take off your shoes at a girl's house.

Also, I buy my socks at wholesale. They are 4.25 at my team's shop. Not expensive. Even if I couldn't do that you can always buy socks at a sale. If you needed 40 pair (which I do - just for summer) they would store in something just larger than a shoebox. Again, anyone can do this.

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Athletic Socks <a href="https://www.customsocks.io/custom-athletic-socks/">Go Here</a>

Same sock for 1 week.

Shorts , I wear 2 different ones for 1 week.

I'm doing the Sara M challenge to not use soap or shampoo july and Aug . So washing machine hot water , no soap.

Bath , no soap .