SIGVARIS Athletic Sock Review And Giveaway...My First One!!!

I have been wanting to get some recovery socks for awhile now. With me not running as much in between races due to my knee issues, I have been feeling a real need for them lately. Recovery is taking me a little longer these days. As I have been reading about the great results other runners have had with compression socks, it has made me want them even more. So when SIGVARIS contacted me with a free pair of their Athletic Recovery Socks to try, I jumped at the chance!

You know that feeling your legs get after a long, hard run? A little bit Jello, a little bit sore, a little bit twitchy... Well, after the half marathon on Saturday I didn't have any of that. The reason..Recovery Socks! The idea behind recovery socks is that by lightly compressing your lower legs, they improve circulation and prevent blood pooling and swelling in the legs, thus reducing that after race feeling and speeding up recovery time.

When I got home from the race, my quads and calves were already starting to feel a little tight. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. Knee-high socks are going to help my recovery? But WOW! When I put them on they felt fantastic! Like a warm, cozy blanket...I didn't want to take them off. In fact, I wore them all day. They made my day (and the moving house) more enjoyable. But the most important question is: "How did my legs feel the next day?" The answer..They felt great. My calves haven't been sore.

There doesn't seem to be a set 'prescription' about when and how long to wear the socks. I know a lot of people wear them during runs and races, with great results. I wasn't sure I wanted to try that for the first time on a race day. But I will definitely try it in the future. As I said, I wore the socks for most of the day after my run. Some people say they wear them for an hour, some say for a few hours, some say they live in them. If you have any experience with compression socks, how long do you usually wear them? Do you race in them? And if you have never tried them, you need to.

So here's the deal with SIGVARIS: They are the global leader in medical compression therapy. And they are giving one of you a unique opportunity to win a free pair of their sports compression socks!

SIGVARIS Athletic Recovery Socks' slogan is "Because not all compression socks are created equal," and their reasoning is that most compression socks don't feature true graduated compression. Looking at the sock, the fact that these truly are graduated is obvious; you can clearly see that it's very narrow around the ankle, and GRADUALLY widens as it goes up the calf. Theoretically, this is conducive to good blood flow and faster recovery. You can read more SIGVARIS features here.

The SIGVARIS Active Therapy Socks provide:

~Increased circulation

~Improved blood flow through the veins

~Increased oxygen to the muscle tissue

~less lactic acid build up in the legs during exercise

~reduced exercise-induced muscle soreness in the legs 

There are two socks in the SIGVARIS Active Therapy Line. The Athletic Recovery Sock and the Performance Sock. These two socks are designed to work together to peak your performance and enhance your recovery time.

The Athletic Recovery Sock:
~Promotes lactic acid flush-out and relieves delayed onset leg muscle soreness
~Features a patented Drirelease and embedded Fresh-guard that eliminates odors
~Features true graduated compression

The Performance Sock Features
~Achilles Tendon Protectors, reduces vibration on vulnerable ligaments
~Footbed cushioned Zone and To Protectors keep feet blister free
~Latex-free High Tech Fibers provide odor and thermal control
~Extra-wide Comfort Top Band keeps sock comfortably in place
~Features true graduated compression

Here's how to enter (comment for each):

1. Become a fan of SIGVARIS Active Therapy on Facebook and/or follow on Twitter (1 entry)
2. Write about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. (1 entry)
3. Follow this blog or let me know if you already do (1 entry)
4. Leave a comment stating your shoe size, the measurement of your ankle circumference, if you prefer black or white and which social networking site you joined. By doing this, you are agreeing to the terms of the contest. (1 entry)
The winner must agree to write a review about the socks on the SIGVARIS website. (Writing a review on the site will automatically enter you to win socks for all of 2011)
This giveaway will end on November 15th.

**SIGVARIS is providing the giveaway item. They also gave me a pair. I did not pay anything for this.
The winner will be chosen at random by Random.org. Check back on November 16th to see if you won! If I don't hear back from the winner within 2 days after posting that they have won, I'll random.org another name.

Good luck! Keep running!