The fancy-pants shoes didn't live up to my expectations on the inaugural walk, but I'm not one to give up after a single issue.
Now it's time to get into problem-solving mode. Let's find the easiest, and most cost-effective way, to remedy the cushioning situation. Sounds simple, until I did a Google search of "cushioning shoe inserts." I expected to find a couple of entries for memory foam inserts. Instead, what I found were pages upon pages, upon pages, of sites selling inserts, sites with videos explaining inserts, sites with photos and illustrations, sites with experts explaining the foot, and sites with all sorts of testimonials. This was about to be no small feat ... no pun intended.
I needed a new game plan. I decided to go to a single store, try on as many types of inserts as necessary inside my fancy new shoes, and finally buy the one that felt best - while providing some stability - and wouldn't break the bank.
The next decision was to select the type of store; whether to step inside a shoe store, or a sporting goods store. It was finally time for brain to meet bank account. With that said, it became a relatively easy choice to steer the car in the direction of the nearest sporting goods store. Considering that a few days earlier the shoe store had made a hard pitch to have me spend $99 for a pair of half shoe orthotics, sporting goods store was the choice. Dick's was the winner by ... I can't insert any pun or inference here. Dick's .. it's just Dick's ... that's the long and the short of it.
I walked into the store with my brand new shoes in hand. Sixty minutes later - or there about - I walked out with two pair of shoe inserts, three pairs of socks, and one set of pink fuzzy earmuffs through which I can place my earbuds. I suppose I should explain the contents of my bag. One pair of inserts is for the new walking shoes, as is one pair of socks. The pink fuzzy earmuffs are for walking in cold weather. There are several slits in the ear pieces so that I can insert my headphones. That's important because my mother calls every 30-minutes to make sure someone hasn't slashed my throat and dumped my lifeless body into the clean suburban gutter.
The remaining inserts and socks are for my new hiking boots. I met up with the Orleans Audubon group to go hiking/birding today on the Northshore of Lake Pontchatrain. With my formerly ragged knees, it had been quite some time between my hiking excursions. During that time I seem to have forgotten how heavy hiking boots are, and - like my new walking shoes - have come supplied with a flimsy "sock liner." Lordy, I thought my feet hurt from my two mile walk yesterday wearing the fancy new shoes. But there is no comparison to the pain elicited by my foot resting on this paper-thin sock liner. And since the sock liner is anexoric-thin, I now have purchased obesity-thick socks to cushion the load.
As with the walking, my new knees performed beautifully on my two mile hike. However, the jury is still out on the rest of my body. Wearing my new hiking boots, I took a "tumble" in a wide-open field. My clumsy maneuver significantly jarred my body which, I feel certain, will leave it "all stove up" tomorrow. And in case you are wondering, "all stove up" is South Mississippi language for stiff and sore. I will neither begin to explain the various ways in which one can become "all stove up," nor describe the breath-taking elixirs used to treat the condition. It's just safe to say I won't be walking tomorrow.
So, it’s one foot in front of the other to the finish line!
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