Shoes – it’s the foundation that counts

Shoes have been my focus for the last few weeks. After a heart attack a year ago walking has been a daily event – walking to the drug store, walking to get groceries, walking to have dinner with friends, walking the lake or the neighborhood. This summer I also added in a one mile speed walk each morning (unless it is raining).  I wake up throw jeans on put shoes on and am out the door for 20 minutes or less. I am working to bring that time down to one mile in about 15 minutes. I am not there yet.

So what does this have to do with shoes?  It was about 3 weeks ago I discovered that I was basically walking with little to no sole on my shoes. My legs and hips were starting to hurt and I kept getting mad at myself for being old. The old lady who can’t even walk a mile??!!

It was then that I looked at the bottom of my shoes – the foundation on which I was depending on was shot. An easy fix I thought. Off to the Sports Mart to replace my shoes to find it had been replace by a baby store. Off to REI camping store to discover they did not carry the shoe I knew fit my thin, high arched foot. I talked with the sales person and we found a new shoe I was sure would be great. It felt wonderful on my feet. It was just right – so I thought.

I headed home, wore the shoe around to break it in and the next morning was out walking my walk.  About half way through my one mile my calfs were hurting but I kept going.  Day two new shoes I walk to find my heel sore and my calf  now burning as I climb the hills at my mid walk. Day three I stretched more after day two walking, I stretched more to begin day three and yet there I was mid way around the park when I had to slow down and walk gently home. I was depressed and upset about my old lady legs and pondered the problem. 

Foundation matters I told myself. I have new shoes but …   As I looked at the shoes and my feet I began to realize that these shoes were great for a runner. They were water proof, flexible in the toe box, light weight and snug on my feet. I am not a runner. I am a walker and how my foot hits the ground and how it moves from heal to toe as a walker (not toe to heal as a runner) was throwing off my gait. It was causing sore calfs, off balanced hips, a sore back and a bad mood on my half. I did not have a foundation that would work for me.

This time I connected with a friend who works at a running store and yelled for help. I needed a good walking shoe – I needed the right foundation. We meet at this small shop filled with runners and running gear.  Argh!!!  I am not a runner but there was my friend. We looked at my feet, my needs for the shoe and he brought me boxes – stacks of boxes with shoes to try.  I walked the store, I walk up and down the block, I put extra supports in and took them out and finally came up with a shoe that fits for my feet.

Heading home I worried – I had now dropped another chunk of money on shoes and still wondered if it was just old lady legs and hips. Am I too old for this speed walking business? I had the added worry that I knew I need this speed walk to keep my cholesterol down – I need to work my heart daily! I needed to work this muscle, all my muscles. These shoes needed to work!

I wore them around the house, I wore them for a slow walk to the store – breaking them in. The next day the speed walk test began. I started in the crisp early fall morning and mid way through my walk I was still moving. My legs were fine. My heel was not hurting and my speed was back up. I sighed relief in that indeed it was the foundation that made a difference. (Both bad and good)

A week later still speed walking, still wearing the second pair of shoes, still feeling good about what I can do – I thought more generally about foundations. The floor that we lay down for our children, students or ourselves as learners. I thought about what it takes to build a solid footing to grow, to walk on solid ground without a great deal of pain and struggle. There will always some aches, some issues – it takes work to grow new muscles and to keep them in shape (brain and heart muscles included).

It is a team that needs to be there with a variety of information and support. Learning, and growing new or stronger muscles takes a community.  The community can be people, books, the internet but we need others to provide support. We all need a good foundation on which to grow and strengthen. It takes awhile to sort out what that foundation should be. It takes exploration, conversation and learning to know how to shore up the bottom so the rest can stand tall or walk fast.

I now know more that I think I needed to about shoes, walking and running (Thank you Bill N) but I also know that seeking support can help us keep going!

Who do you turn to to help keep your foundation strong?

 

PS: A good adult read about family and the lack of and need for a good foundation in our lives is The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  Sorry – the gardener in my couldn’t help but add this in.  A story of foster care, family loss, resilience and flowers. A story of a child without a foundation, no roots and how she struggles to find her footing in life.