[pct-l] Superfeet and Ponchos

[Jim Bravo]

Shroomer, Diane, et all:

I got severe PF in April last year and could only hike a short distance
on the PCT. Not whining, just a fact. About 2 months ago I got tired of the
injury not healing and got rid of the store-bought arch supports the doctor
had recommended (sorry, they were Superfeet) and put in a flat Spenco, plus
the factory insert....thought I needed a lot of cushioning. Some improvement
was noted, albeit minor.

Recently I started using just the Spenco and the arch wasn't as sore after
hikes. Well.....I just read "Born to Run", based on Shroomer's review, and
I'm a convert...to what I don't know...but I took the Spenco out. Now I'm
just using the shoe with no lining. It's a solid stability model with little
motion control. Essentially flat. Today I hiked 10+ hilly miles in the CA
foothills with an 18 lb pack in a cold rain/snow storm and my foot is no
worse for the wear. I am kind of surprised, but happy! There may be
something to this....I think I've been babying (and weakening) my feet for
years with deluxe footwear! BTW, Born to Run is a great, great read for a
hiker, runner,or someone who just likes a crazy, well-scribed adventure. For
many there may be an educational aspect there also.

I'll report back later with more feedback on this experiment.

Jim
Somerset, CA

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 3:04 PM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

> I tried superfeet and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was
> about. They appear to be nothing more than a piece of hard plastic
> and some very thin foam. And they charge how much for it? I thought I
> could do as well or better to protect my feet from rocks by just
> cutting a section of plastic out of a milk jug and sticking that in
> my shoe.
>
> I've gone more minimal since my hike, making my own shoes that have
> no molded foot-bed, no inches of EVA foam, no raised heel or arch
> support, no tapered shape at the toebox to blister my outer toes and
> deform my feet. I can hike just fine in simple footwear.
>
> Diane
>
> On Feb 17, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> > I should have mentioned in my post that many folks love superfeet,
> > and swear
> > by them.  It was late when I finally got to email.  For me however,
> > after
> > years of hard training and lots of pack trips and no PF, it was
> > clear that
> > putting them in my shoes caused an injury, as they were the only thing
> > different in my routine.  The stretching is very important, and calf
> > machines that allow you to really strengthen the foot.  Once they
> > had flared
> > up however, I think the distances and the mileage on trail would
> > not let
> > them really heal properly.  It was still worth hiking the trail
> > anyway.  The
> > real surprise has been the almost instant relief I got from taking
> > out all
> > the pads and arch support from my shoe two weeks ago.  We'll see if it
> > lasts, but I sure hope so.  I'm running and hiking on flat shoes
> > and it
> > feels great.
> >
> > Shroomer
>
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