Dubious Quality

My feet felt like hamburger on the third day. We walked over 10 miles the day before, it was hot, and I already had foot problems before we left. I told Eli 22.5 we needed to shop for shoes. It was a desperate move.

We wound up in the Asics store and I bought a pair of Asics Nimbus 25s. They felt like clouds. Normally, the first thing I do with a new pair of shoes is take out the insole and put in a Superfeet insole (on advice from my orthopedist), but I didn't do that this time. 

Very quickly, the pain in my feet went away. I haven't used any "specialized" insoles yet, and I've had almost no foot problems the last four months. I'm still using the Japan shoes, and we walked a ton in Mexico. No problems. 

I started putting orthotics in my shoes in the early 80s, believe it or not, and over the years (decades, centuries) I'd come to think of shoes not units, but pieces. The shoe was a piece. The insole was a separate piece. 

Now I realize I wasn't thinking correctly. Maybe it was true in the dark ages, but high-end running shoes are units now. The after-market insoles I used were always hard, to provide support, but they felt like boards. I blindly worn them because of the recommendation from my orthopedist. In retrospect, though, I think I've had many injuries that could have been avoided over the years. 

My experience isn't indicative of anyone else's, of course. If you're having foot problems related to exercise, though, and you're using custom insoles, it might be worth going back to the originals and see if it helps.