Oh.My.God. This post is oozing awesomeness, it's long but you won't want to miss it! I have a review, a recipe, awesome Alaskan pictures and the best giveaway yet! I'm excited! Are you excited?! Yes? I thought so. Today's post may be a little strange to some. However, this topic is very important and I think you should stay with me on this one, especially if you're a runner, golfer, athlete or even if you just travel a lot or are on your feet all day at work. Yes, I am talking about socks people, and I have to say I've never been more pumped...about socks.

So as you may know, I've been running a lot. Well, a lot for me. This happens to be twice a day for about an hour and half. I do a longer run mid-day, then a sprint workout at the end of the day. Suffice to say I get pretty weary and gosh darn it I need all the help I can get! So this my friends...this is where the Marathon Sock by PRO Compression comes in, but let me start at the beginning.

I received this pair of absolutely fabulous pink (they have other colors, chill boys) compression socks the other day and of course immediately put them on. I'm a mammographer and let me say I'm not doing any mammograms sitting down, so after a busy day at work my feet are beat. Especially with all my prior foot issues and surgeries! I'm going to wear the compression socks to work tomorrow and I'll update you all! I would not lie to you, as soon as I put them on I was all, "Oh my goodness...these feel amaaaazingggg!" Seriously. They are. Then I pranced around in utter delight and amazement while Todd laughed...at me.

Okay, wait, let me back up again. At work yesterday, instead of running during my hour lunch I spent that entire coveted hour on the phone with our health insurance company. Ugh, insurance companies...am I right? Yes. Anyways, my point being that I didn't get to run. No problem, I still had my sprint session to do after work. Erm, no. During the latter part of the day I got super nauseated. After work I rushed to the store, bought an enormous bag of crystallized ginger and Coke Zero, went home, and snuggled on the couch with Bob until the urge to spill my guts subsidized. It did, and that is where the socks come in.

Okay, so, after I wasn't sick anymore and trying them on and becoming drunk on sock love, I decided that I obviously had to test them right now. I hadn't ran at all that day and it was only 8:30 pm, never mind the fact that I didn't make dinner or anything. So I decided that yes, I would go for a quick run. Wait, quick? No, that simply wouldn't do. I had to properly test these socks...but it's not like I could go for a three hour run at 8:30 pm! So, I did eight miles. That's sufficient to test them right? I think it so. Check out my view on my run. Do your runs look like this? They could if you lived in Alaska! I would like to take this time to specifically direct my comments at our out-of-state friends and family...75 degrees at 9 pm and not a cloud in the sky...

But before I got to this beautiful run, I had to first get Todd to take off the socks! I let him try them on after I did and he loved them! Because of the arthritis, his joints swell and the compression socks help with circulation and subsequently painful swelling! I already bought him his own pair! You can bet he'll be wearing them during our 22 hour flight path to Turks and Caicos next week! I'll keep you posted on that.

Now that I've finished with my absurdly long-winded back story, here's my review on the PRO Compression Marathon Sock.

PRO Compression Marathon Socks

What: These beauties above are the Marathon Socks by Pro Compression. Don't want the full-calf look? They have different heights of ankle socks. Also, they offer calf sleeves. And boys, never fear, they have a full-lineup of rad colors other than pink! They're made of, "...a unique blend of high-performance materials including polypropylene and nylon." As a vegan, this is great because they aren't using wool. No sheepies have to be shaved! After many trials, PRO Compression found this combination to offer the, "...maximum comfort as well as the proper moisture control and durability." I have to agree!

They offer mmHg 22-26 of pressure, this quantity of pressure does not require a prescription and thus is suitable for most people. Is there any research to back up the use of compression socks during athletic endeavors? Well yes, actually! According to a German study in 2009 on the effects of compression socks on running performance in men runners concluded that, "...stockings with constant compression in the area of the calf muscle significantly improved running performance at different metabolic thresholds." If you don't rely on science as a main vessel of information you could always ask the many commercial pilots, endurance runners and/or diabetics, who are all frequent users of compression stockings. And of course, you can always take my word. I'm not paid to write these reviews!

Why: Athletes want to squeeze the most out their workouts and recover faster. Diabetics and individuals that suffer from arthritis want relief from the painful and damaging effects of inflammation. People that travel a lot want relief from that awful swelling that can occur during air travel and individuals who are on their feet all day want relief and maybe a little more endurance for those hard workdays. Compression socks can deliver on these wants. Knee-high compression socks are meant to increase circulation and reduce lactic acid build-up.

Where: PRO Compression socks can be purchased on their website at http://www.procompression.com/ Get 40% off by using the coupon code PCBLG when you make your purchase on their website! In addition, they have free shipping, even to Alaska! Which, obviously I was super excited about because everyone knows that I'm the shipping Nazi. I am...

How: All PRO Compression socks are designed and manufactured here in the good ol' USA. This gives, "...PRO Compression complete control over the quality...from design through manufacturing and distribution." Refreshing, no?

Recurrence: Absolutely. I purchased a pair for Todd yesterday, as he's takin' to thieving mine! At $50 they are kind of spendy for socks, even compression socks. However, they're well worth it and they offer free shipping! Just check out how happy I am after my eight miler...pretty happy! Maybe it's in part to the fact that I got 40% off and so can you by using the coupon code PCBLG when you make your purchase on their website.

So go get yourself some PRO Compression socks. Trust me. And what better way to do that by getting them for free! Woot, woot! PRO Compression has generously offered to giveaway a free pair of $50 PRO Compression Marathon socks! If you're the lucky winner I'll get your shoe size and they'll ship them right away to you! Don't worry boys, you won't get pink! There's a bazillion ways to enter below and be sure to like PRO Compression on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for extra entries!

*** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ***

Congratulations to Emily! We hope she loves her new socks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entered? Good! Now check out some cool Alaskan pics and one sweet post-workout shake. After my run, Todd, Bob and I took a dip in the lake near our house. Bailey was super excited about it! He loves to swim.

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Toe-lickings while swimming. He's so talented.

Alaskan lakes are uber cold, but we had fun at our late night dip!

When we got back home, I made my usual shake to help speed along my recovery. And lucky you, I'm going to share that favorite "post-exercise shake"! This is not a monster-oh-my-god-give-me-as-many-calories-as-possible-right-now shake, this is a light post-workout shake. Not too filling, extra cold and creamy and absolutely delicious.

Scrumptious Strawberry-Mint Shake

Inspired by myself

Serves 1 (large serving) or 2 (smaller servings)

1 cup of cold water
6 large frozen strawberries
small handful of fresh mint
1/2 Tbsp. creatine (learn more about creatine here)
1/2 serving of your favorite protein powder
1/2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds (or nuts)
1 Tbsp. whole flax seeds
1/2 Tbsp. loose-leaf green tea leaves
1/2 Tbsp. erythritol or other sweetener
dash of cinnamon
splash of vanilla extract
sprinkle of salt

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth! Super easy and quick.

A general rule regarding blenders is to add the liquid first, followed by the remaining ingredients. This will facilitate movement within the blender and help to get all the ingredients down to the blades. Serve cold. This is so delicious right after a workout!