I remember my Mom in law taking my daughter and
I shopping for her first pair of real riding boots. Allison wanted some
Ariats so we went to a local tack store. I had no idea what size boot she
wore because she was always in flip-flops. She was probably about 11 or 12 years
old. Well, the sales lady sized her feet and found boots to fit her. She put
them on and came around the corner to show me and the first thing I thought was,
"My word, they are going to look like torpedoes on the sides of her horse!". Her
feet were almost as long as her legs!! Luckily, her feet stopped growing but her
legs didn't.
Anyhoo, I have the wide padded stirrups but my
feet have gone numb lots of times. While looking at the "latest and greatest" in
running shoes I came across these. http://www.newtonrunning.com/
I have run in Asics for years but I thought what
the heck, I'll try them. Well, turns out I am really a heal striker so this shoe
isn't the best for me. But, these shoes have been real comfy for riding. I
haven't experienced any numbness with them but I haven't done a 50 in them,
either. I did run in them on a 15 miler and they felt great.
At the time I bought them they were not available
in stores yet and were pretty pricey. I wrote the company and told them even
with the socks, the extra set of laces and the nifty bag they were nice, but not
worth the hefty price. However, I just saw in a running mag they are now in
stores so I hope the price has dropped. If it has, they might be worth a
try.
The money we spend on gear and "stuff" so that we
can be "comfortable" while we torture ourselves is kinda dumb :) We may
not be the smartest ones in the saddle, but we can stay in the saddle longer
than anyone else. Pppphhhhhpt! So there ;)
