[pct-l] Trail Running Shoes so great?

[Stephen]

P.S, Sorry for all the errors in my messages.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen" <reddirt2 at earthlink.net>
To: "Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com" <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>; 
<pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 11:47 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Trail Running Shoes so great?


> Hi Diane,
> Ouch.  I don't know how far you all walked but with sorry feet after
> wearinga new pair of anything around the house, then the yard a little 
> bit,
> I'll then only go for a little eveing walk around the neigborhood.  Thus I
> keep the shoes in good enough shape to return if necessarry.  If those
> little tests don't hurt too bad and I like the feel, fit, and pronation,
> I'll then take on a couple miles walk to dinner or something and maybe 
> take
> a steep dirt trail through the park.  Then perhaps I'll take on a longer
> five to seven mile walk in them.  Sounds to me like the shoes just don't 
> fit
> you well, but you also probably overdid it taking them right out of the 
> box.
> I've noticed alot of trailrunners and light hikers sometimes have a high
> ankle, and sometimes not too soft.  I suggest either don't wear them or 
> take
> a knife and cut a split straight down about a half inch where the worst
> pressure point develops, like right in the middle of the underside of the
> ankle bones.  Among all my other pains I am suceptible to bone bruising
> under the ankle there and the only real solution I found is don't hike in
> those shoes very far (under five miles) or either make the split and see 
> if
> that helps, which really worked good for me once out in northern Yosemite,
> or as others suggest, completely cut away enough of the shoe so it doesn't
> rub there anymore.  This is one of the issues that makes me think the way 
> I
> do about mass produced market oriented gimicky stylish shoes. For the most
> part, most of the shoes they sell wont see the kind of use maybe 5 to 10% 
> of
> buyers will subject them to.
> Bike shops count on folks buying bikes, accesories and assembly service 
> etc,
> but youknow where most bikes end up, yeah hanging in a garage getting 
> rusty.
> Don't listen to or believe too much of all this hype.  You hiked a big
> section and walk a lot so you should have a pretty good idea what will and
> will not work for your specific needs.  You know if your feet tend to 
> swell
> like Monty's or do not like mine.  I can't have my foot moving around in 
> my
> shoes although I like a little extra room for my work shoes.  I have a big
> painful bunyon on my left foot which might prompt some folks to get wide
> shoes, which doesn't work for me.  I still have to use medium width and
> break them in until they shape to my foot, which takes quite a few miles.
> Like I've said, I like my shoes best when they are about half worn out.
> As far as getting your feet dirty, this suggests to me that you at least 
> got
> some nice breathing shoes.
> The other thing I noted in your list is the quick blistering.  I'm 
> thinking
> because the shoes were too allowing the bottom of your foot to swim around
> too much, maybe because they are too wide.  If when walking across a steep
> angled hillside you have the feeling that your shoes want to roll around
> your foot don't ya think this would be asking for discomfort?  It drives
> bonkers.  To be comfortable and walk trouble free I've always found a shoe
> that moves with my foot, that myfoot does not slip around inside, and only
> very little unlaced.  In other words I could walk pretty comfortably and
> reasonably safely with the laces undone.  Which when I am in camp this is
> what I do with the laces tied very loose just so I do not trip over them.
> I know there are folks like Monty who have swelling , Ray Jardine talks
> about it in his book, but I'm more inclined to think all these early trail
> blisters are from lack of training and experience, and improper shoe fit.
> You all are starting in generally hot weather and when the feet get all
> sweaty and start sliding around along the sole o fthe shoe look out.  This
> is when I've experienced blistering coming on, and this was the cause when 
> I
> realized Iwas going to get one of those deep ball blisters onthe bottom of
> my foot. Anyone ever think maybe these spongy soft running shoes are
> promoting this?  This was why I made the comment previously about liking a
> slightly heavier less spongy light hiking shoe. Asolo has made several 
> nice
> varieties over the last few years that breathe very well, but when I
> recently tried on of thier trail running lighter shoes it seemed like 
> making
> a shoe that is actually meant to be worn wa sout the window.
> Way too high ankles, over spongy midsole, way too much foot volume, no 
> arch
> support at all, junky poorly thought out lacing.  Look cool though. 
> Stylish
> even.  So I use them as casual wear after work.
> Useful for hiking?  Not even close.  I went tothe New Ballance store. What 
> a
> bunch of junk.  Just marketing crap.  It's about sales, not your feet.  If
> they do work then great, and they do for some people, the rest just don't
> know any better.  Look at all these heavy backpacking boots available, new
> styles every year, new soles treads my the dozens.  Used to be a couple
> types and companies and that was it.  There's been a huge industry develop
> in the U.S. for hiking gear over the last twenty years.  Poles, boots,
> tents, everything.  Trailrunning, Mtnbiking, it just exploded.  Every
> manufacturer jumped on the band wagon rather than fold up and new ones
> popped up.  I imaginethere are acouple people outthere working in
> theindustry that actually are trying to care for your feet and comfort, 
> but
> the bottom line is dollars, and big dollars. Don't even hesitate to return
> or send shoes back.
> Oh boy, I went off the deep end, sorry.
>
> But hey,if you got through that,
> You must have a place there in Santa Barbara where you can torture the
> store clerks stacking up shoe boxes trying on tendifferent types and twoor
> three sizes of each, and when youfind something you like, try on three
> different pairs in that size and keep the ones that fit best.  I've had
> irritating store clerks hoovering over me making sure I don't cherry pick
> and mix and match.  It might be worth a drive one Sunday to the closest 
> REI
> or some big outfitter.  REI is still pretty good about returns so long as
> you don't let them change your mind.  Depends on who you talk to.   I 
> don't
> like going there unless I a lot of time, and try to do so when they are 
> not
> busy like when they open on Sundays.  I warn the clerk I have hard to fit
> feet and that I'll be making a big pile so be patient with me.  I don't 
> tell
> them the "or else" part.  It ussually goes well.  At the local store here
> for a while the shoe folks were also tending to the map table and this one
> guy got an attitude so after piling up a bunch of shoe boxes I really 
> wasn't
> interested in I said I liked this one pair and watned to look at some maps
> while I see how they feel.  I had a quite an impressive assortment of maps
> stroon all about the map table when he said the magic words, "Are you 
> going
> to buy any of those?"  "Naw, just thought you needed something to keep you
> busy while you think about your attititude."
> Anyways, I think the point of this is get something that works well, and
> don't think you need to box yourself in to anyone's ideas like "light
> running shoes are the only way to go these days."  If it works then all 
> the
> more weight off the tootsies, but I don't put much faith in ideas that are
> not working for me.
> Monty's hiking with a few pounds wearing shoes two times normal.  I haul
> thirty or more on camera trips for days and my feet do not swell, and if I
> had oversize shoes I'd have problems that would prevent being able to 
> walk.
> So there we have one extreme to the other. My main concern is folks just
> don't know what to expect, and I've been suggesting for while now that 
> those
> that don't know what works in hot, warm, cold wet etc, are theones who 
> will
> suffer a painfullearning curve.  For these folks I'd suggest maybe have 
> some
> alternative contigency plan like finding out where to buy shoes enroute,
> having some dependable hikers ready to ship at home or a friend's house 
> with
> a list of supply addresses.
> And good for Diane going out and getting her feet dirty, wet, and sore.
> That's exactly what I've been all fired up about.  She learned a lot. 
> What
> I like is for my feet to get drity, thus the shoes breathe freely.  My 
> best
> light hikers ever my feet got filthy everyday for two seasons I used those
> shoes and was never so comfortable and never hiked so far in comfort in 
> hot
> weather.  They were also quite nice when wet.  But the fit was snug 
> always.
> My concern as I keep noting is starting out with too loose of a shoe and
> developing blisters before your feet either swell, or the shoes can be
> replaced with some thing more appropriate.  Imagine walking in soft sandy
> trail with loose shoes sliding all around on your feet when they are hot 
> and
> sweaty.  And sand gets hot!
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com" <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 7:56 PM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Trail Running Shoes so great?
>
>
>>
>> On Feb 21, 2009, at 7:49 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>>
>>> Trail Running Shoes so great?
>> Ok, so I got a brand new pair of New Balance 811s in the mail the
>> other day. I have never worn these shoes before. They are an EE
>> width, which I've also never tried. I like the width. Feels good. I
>> took out the insoles that came with them and put in the cushy old
>> lady insoles I like so much.
>>
>> I decided to wear them on a hike today. I thought we were going on
>> just a nice little hike, but it turned out to be an off-trail
>> adventure instead. Here are all the things wrong with trail runners.
>>
>> 1. These are the ugliest shoes I've ever seen. Ok, not all trail
>> runners are ugly.
>> 2. I stepped in quicksand and immediately my left foot was wet.
>> 3. Walking off-trail on a perpetual slope down to my left, my left
>> foot was in danger of getting a blister under the big bone where your
>> big toe connects. After several miles of this, my left inner ankle
>> was starting to hurt where the edge of the shoe rubs against it.
>> 4. While hiking off trail I got tangled in a bush and when I stepped
>> down on a branch with my left foot I crushed my right foot. That hurt.
>> 5. There were these white plants that stuck annoyingly to my clothes.
>> These things stuck to my shoe laces and to my socks around the ankles
>> and even fell down inside the shoes.
>> 6. We hiked in a lot of soft, silty sand in our off-trail adventure,
>> sometimes sinking in pretty far as we went down impossible canyons. I
>> had to stop a few times and shake the dirt out of my shoes.
>> 7. I stopped to take off my shoes to cross a creek. My feet and socks
>> were incredibly dirty, especially my toes.
>> 8. I didn't find them as soft and cushy as I'd like. I guess I'll add
>> another old lady insole to them.
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