A Tale of Two Feet

 

Over the past 10 years, I've written alot about walking and shoes.  I think I do a lot of walking.  And I've been seriously walking for  over 10 years.  (By "serious" I mean that I purposely go out in the morning and walk specifically to get exercise.  I do admit that I've been doing less over the past 6 months since I hurt my knee, I don't walk in the winter and this spring has been chilly and damp.)  Having walked so long, you'd think I would have learned what to do and what NOT to do when it comes to walking.  I haven't.

I had some free time Sunday morning for a walk.  It was early and I didn't want to wake my husband up so I didn't go into my sock drawer to get a pair of socks.  (It's an old bureau.  Three drawers are "hidden" which requires the turn of a key and pulling down the "cover" to expose the drawers in which I keep my undergarments.  It's NO loud, but it IS noisy especially if the rest of the house is quiet.)  I figured I'd thrown on my sneakers (which I've had since before the pandemic, but only started wearing towards the end of last year as my other pair finally bit the dust) and do a mile or two.  These are good quality (and in my opinion, expensive) sneakers.  I'd be fine, right?

WRONG!  I haven't learned from my past mistakes (and aching feet).  I SHOULD have put on socks (and woked my husband.)  I was fine for the first mile +, but then as I started to head home, I could feel blisters starting to form on the inside of my heels.  Not just on one foot, but on both.  There was nothing I could do but keep walking and head home.  Of course that portion of the walk seemed like an eternity and I was so glad when I could take off those sneakers.

My feet hurt for the rest of the day.  (I ended up wearing sandels to church.  Good thing it was a warm day!)  I didn't realize how bad the blisters were until I went to bed, turned on my side and my feet let me know that they weren't happy!  They seemed to be screaming "Bfth, WHEN are you going to learn your lesson?  Wear SOCKS!  WEAR SOCKS!"  Needless to say, I DIDN'T go out for a walk this morning.  (Opting for the indoor "routine" that I do when it rains or is cold.)  I'm giving my feet a shoe break, at least for today.

Tomorrow is another story.  I have to head into the office, which means walking to the bus stop and wearing shoes.  The good news is that I have found shoes that while are probably NOT what I need for my morning walks around town, but are comfortable and relatively stylish.  Big plus, I DID wear them last week when I went to the office and had no real problems walking to and from the bus.  (Although my "pinky" toe on my right foot did get a little sore, but that seems to be an issue I have a lot, even when I'm wearing broken in loafers.) So what are these shoes?

After this post from April, I started to really do some research.  None of the shoes were cheap, but I was willing to invest IF they really were comfortable.  Of course they all claimed they were and all had reviews that swore up and down how wonderful they were.  I did what I considered my due diligence.  I read a very interesting post by a fellow blogger:  My BRUTALLY Honest Vivaia Shoes Review: MUST-READ Before Buying.  The author had REALLY done her homework.  After I read this, I emailed her and asked her opinion on the shoes for walking long distances and she answered very quickly saying that they would be good, but of course sneakers (with socks) would probably be the best bet.  (Learn the lesson Bfth!)

I decided to take the plunge and purchase a paid, which were pricey for me.  I don't usually spend over $100 for a pair of shoes, but...I ordered a pair of wide width flats in almond, figuring that the neutral color would work well.  The shoes arrived in a timely manner.  (I believe it took a week to 10 days to arrive, which is what the site says you should expect.)  They felt comfortable and I walked around in them to test them out.  I was pleased enough to purchase 2 more pairs in different colors because there were on sale.  (They have limited colors when it comes to wide widths and I believe ONLY their Margot Square Toe V-Cut flats comes in wide).  The two new pairs came also came in a timely manner, but one pair was not wide.  I followed the website's directions and requested an exchange.  I was given a UPS return label, which I printed out.  I boxed up the shoes and dropped them off at my local UPS location last Monday.  The replacement shoes came on Saturday.  So I can say that the whole process was quick and easy.  And I KNOW that I will be wearing them again this week as I head into the office.

The only "downsides" to the Vivaia brand is that there currently are limited options for wide feet like mine and the cost.  (Remember, I'm the woman who mourns the loss of physical Payless Shoe stores.)  So while I have three pairs that I am very happy with, I don't know if I will be buying any more.  Do I really need more?  Heck no!

So what lessons has Bfth learned this week?  Stylish shoes that are comfortable for walking and getting to the office are possible to find (for a price) and WEAR SOCKS!  (If I neglect to do this again, you can all reach out and give me a virtual slap...I'll deserve it!)