My Walk Club

My walk Club is growing and Maryann visited us several months ago.  She walked the streets of Edinburg.  She was excited because she was looking forward to her adventures in Peru.  Here is an excerpt from Maryann's email:
Its been an incredible day.  we took the train to machu picchu, got there at 9am and the entire valley was completely fogged in!!  i thought i´d come a long way to see all this fog but it started clearing up.  it lifted as we were taking our guided tour around the entire site.  it is incredible, we saw it appear gradually before our eyes as the fog lifted.  we had a very good guide who escorted us through all the areas and explained about the history of the incas, hiriam bingham´s discovery in 1911, found it was covered with vegetation.  a local farmer and young boy took brought him here.   it is stunning to see all these ruins surrounded by incredibly high green mountains, the andes, shaped like bullets.  we hiked all over the ruins, big rocks, steep stairs,  after the tour yolanda and i decided to continue to trek up the inca trail that the trekkers still  take when they hike in, there are many trails around, 2 or 4 day trips..  that would be too long and rough for me.  i´m glad i did this now, some of the tour people had trouble going up and down all the rocks steps.   we hiked  another hour up to the porta del sol (gate of the sun).  <it was an incredible view from there, the classic post card of machu picchu.  i have lots of stories to tell, can´t wait to talk with  you.   it was about 5 hours of hiking, it rained on our way down, slippery rocks but we made it and loved every minute of it.  weather has been perfect.   <i will sleep good tonight.
i am in an internet cafe in the city of machu picchu, we´ll leave tomorrow after seeing some other things around town back to Cuzco which we really enjoyed too.

I hope you enjoyed Maryann's adventure.  Go have your own adventure walking today.

Keep walkin,

Ron

I had been asked about shoes again and here was an article that looked fairly inclusive.  Personally if you read this and go into a store, try on all the shoes they have for walking.  That's what I did and am enjoying the brand I picked.  They are very comfortable.  Also I have not tried one of the athletic stores where they actually have a machine to measure how you walk (It sounds good, but also expensive).  But if you live close to one, try it and see what they say.

Keep walkin,

Ron

New Balance 825

Wendy Bumgardner © 2007

Walking shoes are your most important item of gear. Our walking shoe gear guide will help you decide which to buy, where to buy, and reader reviews of shoes.

The Best Shoe

There is no one best shoe. The best shoe for you is the the one that fits you best, the one that gives you the proper support, flexibility, cushioning, and compensates for any stride problems you may have, such as overpronation. Each person's feet are different. Take all advice with a grain of salt and find a shoe fitting expert to help you find the shoe that is best for your walking distance, speed, style, and surface as well as your weight and stride.

Walking or Running Shoes?

Shoe manufacturers are putting the best design and technology into running shoe styles, while walking shoe styles are being designed primarily for market appeal rather than performance. Follow the tips on the upcoming pages to see whether that walking shoe you are interested really meets your needs, or if you should go with a running shoe design.

Essential Walking Shoe Qualities:

• Flexible: You must be able to bend and twist the shoes. When you take a walking step, your foot will flex as you roll through a step from heel to toe. If the shoe is too stiff, your foot will fight it with each step.
• Flat: Walking shoes should have a relatively flat heel.
• Heel Not Flared: Since walkers strike with the heel first, you do not want a big flared heel. In fact, a slightly undercut heel is preferred.

For more information go to the website:

http://walking.about.com/cs/shoes/a/shoeguide.htm

The right shoes are important.  Years ago it was a rainy Sunday and I was showing a farm to a couple.  No problem except when they wanted to walk off the boundaries.   Here I was "dressed for success" not a 5 mile hike!  Well leather loafers aren't even an option.  I slipped and slid across 15 acres of wet pasture.  It was like your first time skating.  I made a mental note:  keep an extra pair of shoes in the car.

Shoes are important for walking but don't think you need to spend lots of money.  A physical therapist that I know, showed me to look for 3 things?

1. Shoes should be sturdy and if you can turn or bend them easily then they may be too soft.

2. Support in the shoe should feel comfortable. (when you walk try gliding like skating avoid putting all your weight on the heel)

3. Lace up shoes no velcro  or slip ons (it doesn't give your foot enough support)

So how much did I pay for my last shoes?  $40.

Mark had mentioned he really liked a certain brand so in the shoe store I tried about a dozen shoes of different brands including his.  If a shoe twisted too easily I put it back on the shelf.  I looked for a good "soul"and Mark was right about his brand.  One with lots of rubber, plastic or whatever.  The heal of the shoe was also of interest and I wanted a large, thick heal to distribute each step like a foot shock absorber.

The shoes I chose, met most of the criteria.  The one place they lacked was the softness.  They may be too soft.  But boy are they comfortable.  The heal is fairly large and they still are one of the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn.

So why didn't I mention the name?  Because you need to do your own due diligence.  The next time you are shopping for shoes, check them out.  And don't do the eye tests where you don't even try them on.  Slap those sneakers on and walk around the store.  I mean walk.  One pair that I liked after walking in them for just a moment went from a 10 to a zero.

My shoes are great, but I still had a problem.  Noel's pace and mine are different but in keeping up with her (but get this she is petite and short legs but they go about 60 mph).  This caused my left heal to hit harder in keeping up and bruised it.  You couldn't tell from the outside though, but it was tender inside.  A heal cushion resolved that and again trying to glide and not pound on that heal.

Until tomorrow, keep walkin,

Ron