Wendy’s Picks

Walking Socks
Socks are your first line of defense against blisters. If you are getting blisters on your toes or feet from walking, look first at your socks for solutions.

No More Cotton Socks
Cotton is a natural fiber, but it holds sweat and moisture against your foot. This softens your skin, making it more susceptible to friction and tearing, which creates blisters. It is wise to save your cotton socks for other activities, and switch to socks made of wool or of modern wicking fibers such as CoolMax or Ultimax.

Socks that Fit Your Feet
Tube socks fit tubes, not feet. You may develop blisters if your socks bunch up in the wrong places. Walking socks are designed to fit the foot correctly, with a heel cup and woven-in arch support.

Padding
Walking socks can be light, padded, thin, or thick. It is important to try the socks with your walking shoes to ensure that they are not overly padded. Remember that your feet will swell when you walk, and you want to make sure that your sock doesn’t take up all of the available space. Some people will prefer a thin sock, others a thicker sock or double layer sock.

Interesting Socks

Injinji Tetratsok
Many walkers realize they have problems because their toes rub together. They may end up using toe separators, toe caps, or various taping attempts. The Injinji Tetratsok has anatomical toes built in, separating your toes and keeping them from rubbing together. It is seamless so there is nothing to rub you the wrong way. The thin sock is made from CoolMax and Lycra to wick away sweat. The socks are very comfortable on and may be the perfect solution for many walkers, preventing toe blisters and helping separate their toes.

SmartWool
They took the itch out of wool and made it machine-washable and dryable. SmartWool provides natural moisture management from nature’s best sock fabric — real wool. The SmartWool Light Mini-Crew has light padding and compression zones to provide support. Unlike wool socks of old, you don’t need a liner sock with SmartWool. It is comfortable and cool next to the skin in all temperatures.

WrightSock Double Layer Socks
Another system to prevent the friction that causes blisters is to wear two pairs of socks. With WrightSocks, both layers are combined into one sock. The inner sock is CoolMax, which wicks moisture away from the skin. The inner sock also stays next to the skin, while the outer sock takes the rubbing from your shoe. This protects your feet from the friction that causes blisters. WrightSocks come in many styles, including a walking crew sock and walking quarter crew sock.

Thor-los
Walking Socks
Thor-lo engineers its socks for specific sports and outdoor activities. Its walking models have medium density padding in the heel and ball where walkers put the most impact. They have less padding in the arch and lace pad so the sock fits better in your shoe. Thor-lo uses CoolMax to wick moisture away and prevent blisters. These socks last year after year, even with heavy use.
— Wendy Bumgardner

LEKI USA to Sponsor Portland Marathon
First Nordic Walking Category in a U.S. Marathon

Nordic walking will make its marathon debut October 9, 2005 at the Portland Marathon in Portland, OR, with LEKI USA an official sponsor of this new category. The Portland Marathon already ranks among the most walker-friendly marathons in the U.S. with 28% of last year's finishers being walkers.

The 7am starting gun of the 34th running of the Portland Marathon will kick off the first event in the country to support walkers using Nordic walking poles. “Our company is honored to partner with a high-profile event like the Portland Marathon, which attracts a high concentration of dedicated walkers,” said LEKI USA vice president Greg Wozer. “This is the perfect venue to introduce Nordic walking to a large number of people.”

Nordic walking started in the early 1990s as a summer training exercise for Finnish cross-country skiers, then was adopted by European fitness walkers as a time-efficient, low-impact, total body workout. From its roots in Europe, Nordic walking has spread to the U.S., with instructors now leading classes across the country.

The Portland Marathon, consistently ranked among the country's top marathons, prides itself on being a people's event, which does not pay prize or appearance money to elite competitors. Last year, the Portland Marathon raised more then $2 million for charity.

Walkers make up a growing segment of the Portland entrants. In 1989, only about 5% of participants — 300 of 5,700 — were walkers. Last year, 2,412 of 8,530 finishers were walkers. “Walkers are the future,” Les Smith, race director of the Portland Marathon, told Runner's World magazine in November 2004. “It's not a marathon anymore; it's a multifaceted event. And the people who do our races are not just runners. They're participants. We welcome them.”

LEKI is the world's leading maker of skiing, hiking and Nordic walking poles. Nordic walkers use poles to engage the upper body and redistribute weight bearing to the lower extremity, which increases the cardiovascular benefits and the caloric demands of walking.

For more information on LEKI poles, call 800-255-9982 or visit www.leki.com. Logon to www.portlandmarathon.org for information on this walking friendly event.

BOOK REVIEW
A Hike for Mike

World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10, 2005 and Jeff and Beth Alt will release A Hike for Mike by kicking off “A Hike for Mike to the Hill” in Washington D.C. in conjunction with the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA's www.SPANUSA.org annual convention.

After losing his brother-in-law to suicide, Jeff and his wife Beth embarked on an adventure that would not only lead to a book but change their lives. The couple left their lives on hold in Cincinnati to hike the 200+ mile John Muir Trail in late July 2003. The John Muir Trail begins in the Yosemite Valley and goes up Mt. Whitney, at 14,494 feet, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. Mike had planned to hike it by himself, but with the tragic death of Beth's brother, Mike Richards gave them the idea to dedicate the trek to him and raise awareness about the illness that depression is. Mike suffered from untreated depression.

And so A Hike for Mike was created.“Research shows that walking and hiking are actually beneficial to people, not just for the obvious reasons, but for fighting depression,” Jeff explains. “It actually increases the antidepressant chemicals in the brain, and so does being out in the sunshine and fresh air.”

Readers walk vicariously alongside Jeff and Beth, through Yosemite, Kings County, and Sequoia national parks, ending atop Mt. Whitney. There are encounters with bears, lightning bolts, scary hikes, fascinating people, and beautifully rugged scenery. In addition to sharing their adventure in A Hike for Mike, Jeff includes a chapter with basic facts about depression.

A Hike for Mike: An Uplifting Adventure Across the Sierra Nevada Mountains will be released in September 2005, $14.95 paperback.