Sunday, June 4, 2017

Old Shoe, New Shoe

Two summers ago I found a pair of New Balance flip flops at a discount shoe store. They had the best arch support of any summer shoes I've ever worn, and I slid them on whenever the weather was warm enough to go sockless.

This spring I noticed that the flip flops weren't as comfortable as they used to be. When I took a good look at them, I realized that the soles had deep foot indentations and the outside edges of the heels were showing a lot of wear.  It was time to find another pair.

I browsed at all the big box shoe stores around my house looked for  pair of comfortable flip flops or sandals, but couldn't find anything just right.  Last Friday I found myself within five miles of a dedicated New Balance store.  It was worth a slight detour to see if they had what I was looking for.

I walked into the store, briefly pursued their selection of warm-weather shoes, and selected a Renew Thong to try on.  Except for a couple of cosmetic differences they looked just like the ones I was replacing. The clerk brought out my size, along with a pair of sanitary socks.  I tried them on (a little difficult, because the socks didn't have a toe split), and ten minutes later I left the store with my new summer house shoes.

When I opened up the box at home I noticed a tag hanging from the right shoe strap that touted all the benefits of this style-good arch support, a flexible forefoot, heel cup, and gender specific foot bed.  The tag also said that since the foot bed fit like an orthotic there should be a break-in period. (It suggested two hours the first day, and then 1-2 additional hours each day.)  I figured that since I was used to the shoe I could ignore their suggestion.

I thought wrong.

I had greatly underestimated just how much the old pair had lost their support. At the end of two hours the both the ball and arch of my feet ached and I couldn't wait to take the new shoes off. But the instructions were spot on. Yesterday I wore the shoes all morning. Today the only time I took them off was when I put on shoes to go for a walk.  They were that comfortable

Based on my past experience, I'm looking forward to a long period of happy feet.

11 comments:

  1. New Balance, heh? I don't think we have a New Balance store in Fresno, just a Skechers. I'll have to look into this as they sound like a great shoe.

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    1. I wonder if you could find the shoes on a store's website and have it ordered in? I'd highly recommend them.

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  2. I love New Balance. Found a dedicated store near me, and will live happily every after.

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    1. It's SO important to have comfortable shoes!

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    1. They are. And every day they get more comfortable :-)

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  4. I used to have high arches, and now I don't. ;)

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    1. My feet have changed over the years, too. If anything, my arches are more sensitive than they used to be.

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  5. I know we can get these in England, but I've always been a bit wary of them. They have such high, thick soles, and my ankles are stupid things that sometimes forget which way is 'up'. I feel happiest barefoot, and prefer flat, 'barefoot' type shoes - I've always had high arches, too, but as Silver Willow says, your feet do change over the years. Maybe I should go and try a pair of these? Do they come in wide fit?

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    1. I don't enjoy going barefoot in the house. No matter how often I sweep the kitchen floor there's always SOME crumb lurking for me to step on.

      (I don't know if these shoes come in wide.)

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