It's all about de shoes!

What's the most important item on the trail?  Shoes, shoes, and shoes.  Oh ya, did I say... SHOES!?!?

After a bajillionish miles on the trail I get a little twitch in my eye when I walk into shoe stores now and talk to the sales associates.  You hear all kinds of nonsense like stabilization, arch support, ankle support, pronation, etc.  Its nonsense because most of the people don't have a clue what they're talking about.  In fact, I've only talked to one guy at a store that knew what he was talking about and that was about 800 miles ago. He used to make orthotics for people.  Furthermore, he hit the nail on the head with regards to my foot problems. However, the solution was much simpler than both of us suspected.

I started out with Brooks Cascade shoes.  They worked great the first week and a half but then the balls of my feet started killing me.  Being the ignorant shoe person I was I thought, "Must be the lack of padding and all the rocks I've been stepping on."  So I did what any hiker would do... I got new shoes in Franklin, NC.

I picked up a pair of Vasques that had ankle support, Gortex (waterproofing), and a stiff sole.  They ran about 200 dollars if I remember right.  I remember telling the sales guy, "I need something with stiff soles because the rocks are killing the balls of my feet!"  I walked out of that store thinking my problems were solved.  Well it didn't take long for me to realize they weren't.  By the time I walked another 100 miles or more to the Nantahala Outdoor Center I was in pain once again.  This time my fellow hikers had convinced me to get some insoles called Super Feet.  I was told they were expensive but, they would surely fix my problem.

With a potential solution in mind I walked into the outfitter the next day.  This was my lucky day because the guy working the shoe section was a retired foot orthotics specialist.  I told him what I was looking for and he pulled out my shoe insoles to take a look.  After looking at the insoles that came with my Vasques he asked me if I was having ball of foot pain.  Surprised that he knew, I responded with an inquisitive, "Yes...".  He showed me that within a few days I had smashed that part of the insole to nothing.  He told me Super Feet would help but what I also needed was metatarsal pads. The pads are suppose to reposition the balls of your feet so that your toes do more work.  Unfortunately, they didn't sell metatarsal pads. However, I did find a Walgreens with something similar and he helped me rig them up with my duct tape (it was the best we could do).  Unfortunately, within hours of walking that duct tape came off and turned into a mess so I had to chunk the pads.  But, they did seem to be working.

I spent the next billion miles trying different insoles and placing my own pads but nothing seemed to work all that great.  No insoles offer pads because everyone's foot is different.  Furthermore, placing pads yourself is next to impossible because your own feet are different.  You pretty much need a specialist to help get it right.

It wasn't until I walked into a shoe store midway through my river float and saw a pair of 4-Finger Filas Barefoot shoes on clearance that I had an epiphany.  I thought I was just going to use them as camp shoes and/or strolling around but i began to notice that my toes were being engaged in my foot movement a lot more.  Curiously, I tried my Vasques for a few days and noticed that my toes did little work and that the balls of my feet did all the work.  Therefore, I hatched a plan.  I decided to wear the barefoot shoes through 20 miles of the rockiest part of the trail.

As my test began I started getting interesting results.  I thought because these shoes had so little padding that I was going to feel every rock.  I was wrong.  I noticed my foot curving to fit multiple rocks, fitting between gaps that my shoes couldn't, gripping to rocks that normal shoes can't, and allowing my toes to function properly.  After 20 miles my feet were tired but, they weren't sore and painful to walk on.  The irony of the barefoot shoes is that walking on concrete is painful after a while unless you're slightly jogging or running.

I eventually traded my Vasques and Filas for Nike Free's and Vibram 5-Fingers.  I chose the Free's because they were really flexible like the barefoot shoes and they had little heel support.  I didn't want heel support because I think it raises the heel up thereby putting more pressure on the ball of the foot.  The other plus with the Free's is they're light weight.  After wearing both shoes the last 30 miles I can honestly say my feet feel better than ever.

Here is my cliff notes on shoes:

1. They aren't a big deal unless you're standing all day, walking/running all day, an athlete, or supporting a specific task.

2. Shoes with a lot of heel support (which are almost all shoes) raise your heel up forcing pressure at the balls of your feet.

3. Shoes with stiff soles disengage your toes forcing you to push off with the balls of your feet.

4. Shoes with thick soles make rolling your ankle more likely uneven terrain.

5. Shoes with thick soles and ankle support lessen the risk of rolling your ankle but increase the risk of hurting your knees.

6. Waterproof shoes just make your feet sweat and become wet anyways.

Finally, I realized how ridiculous the situation was.  I buy shoes to protect my feet.  They almost all come with crappy insoles therefore I buy new insoles.  The shoes prevent my feet from working naturally (ball of foot pain) so I have to get pads to correct it.  Its a fix for a fix for a fix.  What else could be wrong?  Inner & outer knee pain because my stance is all jacked up?  Maybe lower back pain too? How would you know without going to a specialist?  Or you could buy into the shoe nonsense... "You need this one because it has great heel and arch support!"