Cruel Shoes

When I was a kid my parents would buy comedy albums and we would sit around and listen to them together. My favorite was Steve Martin and his best bit is Cruel Shoes. A woman tries on every pair of shoes in the store – except for the Cruel Shoes. Well, you just have to listen to it to see what I mean: https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+martin+cruel+shoes&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

I thought I was doing a smart thing by ordering a new pair of Altras and I was so excited when I picked them up after the Whanganui River section. They were a shiny bright red and looked so promising. I’ve been using Superfeet inserts for the last fifteen or so years and I wasn’t able to find them in New Zealand so I figured I would be okay without them. Altras are great hiking shoes but they don’t have any arch support. They are “zero drop” – meaning that they are pretty much flat. The Superfeet inserts are hard plastic insoles that provide high arch support and a strong heel cushion. My current pair of inserts were cracked and went into the trash with my destroyed pair of Altras that I started the trail with 900 miles ago.

I set off from Whanganui and knew immediately that something was wrong. My left toes started to ache about a mile into the hike but I figured that was just a normal adjustment after the canoe trip. As my feet started to warm up, I started to feel more intense pains in my left arch. By midday I was in a world of hurt. It felt like I had broken everything from my heel to my toes in my left foot. I loosened my laces and tried to stretch my foot but everything was cramping up and nearly impossible to walk on. I reached out to Bryan to see if he could find Superfeet anywhere in New Zealand. He tried several running stores and researched everything for me but they just weren’t available. He did find something similar in Christchurch and had those shipped to Fielding where I will be tomorrow. He also went out and bought a pair for me and is going to have them sent to Wellington. Thank you Bryan!!!

Today was a rough hike. I got up early and wrapped my left arch tightly with an Israeli compression bandage and tied it around my calf. Twenty seven miles of road and beach ahead of me and my foot was really hurting. As soon as I got off the beach section, it started to feel better and I was able to hike with just a steady ache. The sharp stabbing pains came and went throughout the day but I think my feet are just going through a serious adjustment. By the end of the day, I felt pretty good and was just dealing with normal sore heels and tight ankles.

I was pretty down for the last few miles but found the old Steve Martin recordings online and they got me through to camp. My feet are amazing. They have been through so much with me but I think pulling the inserts from them was just too much. I have the temporary ones waiting for me in Fielding and crossing my fingers that they will get me over the next mountain section and into Wellington.