[pct-l] Shoe Inserts

[Eric Lee]

Steven wrote:
>
I've been day hiking in Brooks Cacadias.  At the end of a long day, the
bottom of my feet are very sore.
>

Does the pain you feel seem like a skin-deep thing (like blisters are
imminent) or is it more of a deep-inside muscle/bone/tendon thing?  How do
your feet feel the next morning after your long day-hike?  Are they really
sore when you get out of bed or are they better?

I don't know your current level of experience and training but I agree with
Steel-Eye that more training will probably help.  It just takes time for
your feet to adjust to that kind of punishment, regardless of what kind of
shoes or inserts you're wearing.

It bears repeating that everyone's feet are different and a brand of shoe
that works well for many people might not work well for you.  I know shoes
aren't cheap but you might consider experimenting with another brand just to
compare.

Some people (like me) really like strong arch-supporting inserts like
Superfeet (green or orange) or Sole (Signature DK Response or Signature EV
Ultra).  Other people hate them.  They're not cheap either at $40 - $45 a
pop but they're worth a try.  These kind of inserts tend to take up a fair
amount of volume in your shoe so you might find yourself needing to go up
half a shoe size to accommodate them without risk of blisters.

Most people generally recommend staying away from inserts that are supposed
to be extremely soft and cushiony (Spenco and the like).  They might feel
good at first but most people find that the lack of firm support causes
bone/tendon issues after a while.  But if you're desperate you could
experiment with them - they tend to be cheaper than the ones above anyway.

REI carries all of the insole models I listed above so that's a good place
to go and try out different types of insoles.  Walking around the store
won't tell you much about solving your problem but you could at least
eliminate ones that you hate.

Eric