Re: What foot gear do you ride in?

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

At 06:19 AM 6/6/00 -0700, you wrote:
>Thanks to everyone who responded to the back therapy question. The 
>overwhelming response convinced us to do a series of articles on differrent 
>approaches to dealing with  chronic pain. I think it'll be helpful to many 
>in the sport...
>Got another question: What kind of footwear do you ride in? What works and 
>what absolutely does not? Okay to name names, brand-wise.

After my flying episode into the tree last year (and then getting my first
ever ride in an aid car <g>), I've had be especially considerate of foot
gear...first for stability while the tendons and ligaments in my left leg
were healing, then for the plantar fasciitis I got as a secondary problem.
:-P  I've spent a lot of money on shoes and boots trying to find something
that I could ride in, walk in, and work all day in.  The most important
aspects that were considered were the quality of the footbed and stability.  

For casual wear I like Havana Joes...clog type shoes and sandals...stable
and with an excellent footbed.  For riding (and working...and I work 12
hour shifts on my feet and going continuously) I can only wear Ariats.
I've tried several others but I end up limping terribly after just a few
hours.  

I really didn't want to end up wearing paddock boots to work in the
operating room every day...but, they work the best!  I get jokes about my
Army boots...and it's quite the look with blue fluffy booties over the top
with blue scrubs and my wild colored hats ;-)...they keep me going up and
down the halls (I work charge frequently and that involves miles of walking
in a day.)  For the riding end of it -- I've worn only Ariats now for about
5 or 6 years.  I will probably buy nothing else since they work for me and
I'm not limping.  

Now...if Ariat would make a cross-training type of shoe, I'd be the first
one at the door!!  I've had ankle injuries (with subsequent chronically
painful ankles) so, while I need the stability of a higher shoe, the
wrinkling leather of the boots at my ankles is a bit bothersome.  I've
tried several different "riding tennies" but none of them worked for me at
all.  Along with the plantar fasciitis, I've also got numb toes from where
a very large TB mare stopped and stood (*on my foot*) while we were stuck
in a doorway.  (Same mare was responsible for my bad shoulder...but I still
loved her with a passion!  She's the one I lost to EPM and a viral
encephalitis.)  

Back to the shoe stuff...I also have a high instep so I don't tolerate
tight stuff over the top of my foot -- my toes (the ones that aren't yet
permanently numb <g>) will go numb, but only after a brief bout of intense
pain!  (Sheesh...it's sounds dreadful.  But I've had fussy feet my whole
life.)  This means that whatever I wear has to be laced (or velcro-ed) over
the instep so that I can adjust them as needed.  My feet are doing pretty
good considering what they've had to deal with...they just don't tolerate
poor shoes.  My main complaint about the boots is  this: they are just not
that great for walking or jogging in, especially down the logging
roads...(heaven knows I'm TRYING to get my leg to remember how to
jog!)...nor climbing in and around all of the forest debris we have here in
the PNW.

Come on, Ariat!!!  Give us a good cross-trainer with the famous Ariat
construction! ;-)

Sue


sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.