Where to start?
Some background. Frugal me, has never run, except from fear or the one time I earned a third place medal for being on the HS track team, and coming in third in the half mile relay... There were only three teams entered.
Since retiring 25 years ago, the only "shoes" I have ever worn, have been Walmart white or black Velcro sneakers. Never paying more than $13.99.
Two years ago year they discontinued my favorites, but I bought four pair @ $6.99, the prepper mentality. In the meantime, DW says "Why don't you buy some better 'athletic shoes'... you can afford them?". Me... "Fancy schmancy... sneakers!... Besides... Who would pay $29.95 for sneakers?"
Well, anyway... Salvation... Our local resale store , where you can buy any clothing that will fit in a walmart-type wire basket for $5. Sooo... I look in the shoe section, and find two pair of (ahem)... 'athletic-type' shoes... hardly any wear, and my exact size 10 1/2 EEE... What do I know? So I put them in a basket along with a sweater, two shirts, and a hunting vest... pay my $5, and go home to check my buys.
Turns out these velcros are called "walking shoes". One pair is an SAS which prices out @ $99.95, and the other is NB... which I find out means New balance... available on Amazon @104.95.
Patience... I'm coming to the "orthotics" (orthosis).
So I clo a quick clean up with magic eraser, and go to the mall to check out the 'feel', which turns out to be pretty good. An instep that feels pretty good, but my toes feel little stretched out. Checked out the other pair, and very nice but just a bit different from my walmartees. Checking further, found these "inserts"... AHA... ORTHOTICs. Which are supposed to adjust to your feet.
I guess the guy who owned them had differently shaped feet, so the solution comes to mind... I'll just buy some new inserts. Definitely worth $5. WHOA!!!. Back to Amazon... Inserts... (Orthotics) $25 to $65... OMG...
Well, here's the good news... I pull the orthotics out of the walking shoes and put them in hot water, wring them out... squish and squash for about 15 minutes, and they kinda bounce back. Problem solved. I am happy.
...............................................................................
But you looked here because you wanted to give your opinion on orthotics. I too wondered... and came across this 4 year old article from the NYT...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/health/nutrition/18best.html?pagewanted=all
Don't know if the info is dated, or discredited, but since the running shoe business has become so big... about 3000 s.f. in our local Dunhams, it must be important.
There have been a number of posts here on ER that deal with jogging and running. Would like to hear opinions and thoughts, and maybe some recommendations on how to max the life of these shoes. My education on athletic clothing stopped at the end of the last century.
Oh... one last thing... on pronation... my kids say I walk like a duck.
Some background. Frugal me, has never run, except from fear or the one time I earned a third place medal for being on the HS track team, and coming in third in the half mile relay... There were only three teams entered.
Since retiring 25 years ago, the only "shoes" I have ever worn, have been Walmart white or black Velcro sneakers. Never paying more than $13.99.
Two years ago year they discontinued my favorites, but I bought four pair @ $6.99, the prepper mentality. In the meantime, DW says "Why don't you buy some better 'athletic shoes'... you can afford them?". Me... "Fancy schmancy... sneakers!... Besides... Who would pay $29.95 for sneakers?"
Well, anyway... Salvation... Our local resale store , where you can buy any clothing that will fit in a walmart-type wire basket for $5. Sooo... I look in the shoe section, and find two pair of (ahem)... 'athletic-type' shoes... hardly any wear, and my exact size 10 1/2 EEE... What do I know? So I put them in a basket along with a sweater, two shirts, and a hunting vest... pay my $5, and go home to check my buys.
Turns out these velcros are called "walking shoes". One pair is an SAS which prices out @ $99.95, and the other is NB... which I find out means New balance... available on Amazon @104.95.
Patience... I'm coming to the "orthotics" (orthosis).
So I clo a quick clean up with magic eraser, and go to the mall to check out the 'feel', which turns out to be pretty good. An instep that feels pretty good, but my toes feel little stretched out. Checked out the other pair, and very nice but just a bit different from my walmartees. Checking further, found these "inserts"... AHA... ORTHOTICs. Which are supposed to adjust to your feet.
I guess the guy who owned them had differently shaped feet, so the solution comes to mind... I'll just buy some new inserts. Definitely worth $5. WHOA!!!. Back to Amazon... Inserts... (Orthotics) $25 to $65... OMG...
Well, here's the good news... I pull the orthotics out of the walking shoes and put them in hot water, wring them out... squish and squash for about 15 minutes, and they kinda bounce back. Problem solved. I am happy.
...............................................................................
But you looked here because you wanted to give your opinion on orthotics. I too wondered... and came across this 4 year old article from the NYT...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/health/nutrition/18best.html?pagewanted=all
Don't know if the info is dated, or discredited, but since the running shoe business has become so big... about 3000 s.f. in our local Dunhams, it must be important.
There have been a number of posts here on ER that deal with jogging and running. Would like to hear opinions and thoughts, and maybe some recommendations on how to max the life of these shoes. My education on athletic clothing stopped at the end of the last century.
Oh... one last thing... on pronation... my kids say I walk like a duck.
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