This is a bad plan with shoes for a runner. Especially for distance.
While you should be able to take them out for a “maintenance” run immediately and comfortably, taking them on a long run of 10+ miles without a week or two of maintenance runs will probably tear up your feet. Part of that is the shoe and part is making sure you’ve got the lacing pattern and tightness correct.
This is not an evaluation of shoes being used to walk or wander in (or even hike) as it’s far easier to stop and adjust in mid stream on those activities. But for running shoes, there is absolutely a period when you don’t want to go too far.
Complely agree. I only ever wear Crocs sandals in WDW, unless DH and I have a posh night out somewhere. That said, everyone’s feet are different, so Crocs is obviously not everyone’s miracle cure…
I have four pairs of Crocs. One is a traditional pair, one is a pink pair w/ Mickey heads for holes, and two are Croc sandals (that you wouldn’t know were Crocs).
I swear by them at WDW. They are supportive, lightweight, and when the monsoon hits at 3pm I can keep going and the water isn’t an issue. It works best if I rotate them so I’m not wearing the same one for multiple days.
(I have flat feet and pronate which requires a specific type of sneaker…but the Crocs work great.)
I’m a runner. But you’re not talking about “breaking in” shoes, but “checking them out”. You are determining if they are correct or not. In theory, you should be able to tell this in the store (if you go to an actual running store) by running on a treadmill, etc. But in reality, you might not.
Once you get a run or two into them, you aren’t breaking them in but feeling them out. You’re right about the lacing, etc. Finding the right running shoe is a long battle!
For me, I found the PERFECT running show by New Balance a few years back. I used them for training as well as the 1/2 marathon I ran. LOVED those shoes. I went to buy a replacement, and New Balance stopped making them! I tried looking everywhere to find something similar, and even contacted New Balance directly to find out if they would bring the shoe back, or something similar. They made some recommendations, but nothing was the same.
I ultimately switched to a Mizuno. It was a good shoe, but just not the same. I put 500+ miles on that shoe. Then, several months ago I needed to replace them and found another New Balance shoe that is VERY SIMILAR to the ones I originally loved. I tried them on, and IMMEDIATELY knew these were the shoes for me. I’ve been running in them now for a few months. They are ALMOST perfect (except for the fact that the sole keeps holding onto stones in the road and I have to dig them out after my run), and I could tell within 2 minutes of putting them on. No breaking in necessary. It did take about 2 weeks for me to get the lacing just right.
I would substitute “feeling them out” for checking them out, and I would add “adjusting them for comfort” as well. And those statements are probably entirely correct. and I’m a runner too - currently Dopey 4 times over, among other things.
I would also submit that most people would call that “semantics” as they regard whatever early-wear period when searching for the best fit and feel as “breaking in” regardless of whether the point is to moderately break them or to wear-test and adjust them.
Mostly, though, I was trying to highlight your use of an absolute which, to most people, shouldn’t be regarded as absolute.
That may be true…but there is this idea that people hold/cling to that you have to “break in” shoes. That just isn’t true. ALMOST NEVER should be true. Birkenstocks are, perhaps, an exception, but it means going through the pain of breaking them in for (as was suggested) 2 years? That means for 2 years they aren’t the right shoe for you (in a sense)!
Perhaps not absolute, but I don’t leave much room for the exception because, well, there really should never be a time a shoe isn’t comfortable. You should know immediately. Over time, they might grow MORE comfortable, but I shouldn’t have to wait to wear a shoe. If I buy a shoe for walking 8+ hours a day at the parks, I should be able to buy them the day of my trip and I’ll be fine…IF they are the right shoe.
If I may make a gross over-generalization here…I notice that women tend to, more than men, be willing to allow some compromise in the comfort of a shoe for the sake of style. My wife does this, and now I kind of have to make her NOT. We just went shoe-shopping the other day for an event, and she found a couple possibilities. One was the cuter shoe, definitely, but she just “wasn’t sure” if it would be comfortable for prolonged standing. The other sure she LOVED how it felt, even though it wasn’t quite as cute. She was ready to buy the cuter shoe. I dissuaded her because in the past when she’s done that, she’s regretted it later.
If you LOVE the shoe in the store with NO RESERVATION whatsoever, then the 8+ hours generally won’t be an issue. (Having said that, if it is a shoe brand you have no prior experience with, or if the shoe is using memory foam to falsely convince you it is comfortable, I’d be more hesitant.)
In response to your gross over-generalization - women’s shoes also tend to have more spots which, while standing or short walking in store is not a problem, longer hours in them reveal those problem spots.
Having lived in both types of shoes, I have a bit of experience on this one. On the men’s side, shoes I was 100% on in store never needed more than test and adjust, while on the women’s side, the reality of longer standing or walking revealed spots that would never show up in store, because of the limited amount of time.
Granted, that applies more to shoes that are built for both fashion and style than for shoes that are purpose built for activity, as walking/running/athletic shoes are built mostly the same. Still, the reality of the many and varied styles in women’s non-athletic shoes means the possibility for discovery of spots later on is so much higher.
Agreed. I find it humorous to walk into DSW. 70% of the floor space is taken up with women’s shoes. And in the men’s section, 50% are athletics. Of the “dress/casual shoes” for men, they pretty much all look the same, just in either brown or black.
Of course, I’ve now veered off topic almost entirely. Um. Where were we?
I will say that one thing you can do with Birks that I’ve never heard of with other shoes is that they will replace the soles for you. So once the bed is broken in and molded to your foot you can keep it, oh, forever, and just continue to replace the soles as they wear out every 5-10 years.
And no, you don’t have to wear a pair for two years to get them comfortable enough to wear. But to get them comfortable for 8-10 miles in WDW? Yeah, I’d recommend them being that broken in.
The cost to replace the soles is more than the cost of new shoes/sandals. Anyhow, after 6 months of wearing my Birks (which I actually went to a Birkenstock store and was measured/fitted by the saleperson), they never got any more comfortable. They actually just hurt my feet. The supposed arch support just felt like a constant lump, and the little toe support thingies just dug into my toes. The “cup” shape along the outside edge would sporadically rub against my toes.
I’m not saying Birks aren’t fine for many people. But I now know that if they aren’t absolutely PERFECTLY comfortable from the start, you shouldn’t buy them. Their return policy is kind of a joke. 30 days, full refund as long as you don’t wear them outdoors. Um. But they also told me they take several months to break in. So, what this means is I pay you $125 for a pair of sandals that I can only return if I don’t like them BEFORE the time period you claim I need to wear them to determine if I’ll like them. And I have to “break them in” in 30 days ONLY inside my house.
But I love my Reefs. Loved them on day 1, and I love them 2 years later. (They have almost no sign of wear, either.)
I used to prefer sandals. After plantar faciitis, I won’t attempt a long day of walking in anything but good quality sneakers (I’m really liking Asics Nimbus). Not as fashionable, but at the end of the day I’m not at a near tears level of pain.
ETA: I own a pair of Tevas - good for the pool but walking around a water park hurt my feet. Crocs hurt my feet. Keens hurt my feet just trying them on in the store…
Lol. Yeah, not everyone likes them. I will say that one time I accidentally got the ones for narrow feet instead of regular and I never did like those much. They never felt quite right. And in their defense, most shoe companies have pretty strict return policies. They can’t really re-sell a pair that’s been worn outside, ya know?
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. I love my Birks. But I wouldn’t wear them at WDW unless it was 80 degrees or less because I like the 100% leather straps and they do rub after awhile if you’re sweating. Not sure how the Nubuk ones would do. I also have Keens that I really like but I’m newer to them and haven’t done many long days on my feet in them, so not sure if I’d recommend or not.
I recently heard of someone wearing the same pair of SAS shoes for over 20 years before she replaced them. I’m very very interested in buying a pair of these. we have a retail outlet store about 1 hour away.
I have very high arches, too. Athletic shoes that have good arch support really help or buying orthotic inserts (not custom ones). Look for shoes that are made for supination (or under pronation). Also crocs makes some really cute ladies sandals that don’t look like the traditional crocs that we know and love…or know and hate, take your pick.
I have Plantar Fasciitis. My biggest suggestion would be to have more than one pair and change it up daily or if you have a midday break change after your break.
I have great luck with Skechers sandals and flip flops with the Reggae sole, it’s firmer support (not memory foam/go walk). ABEO sandals from the Walking Company are good, but pricier. Unfortunately, there was a lot of trial and error til I found what works for me. I also will be taking a pull on “wrap” that offers extra arch support if I feel uncomfortable, they are toeless so I can wear it with flip flops.
As for breaking them in, I do think you need to break flip flops and sandals in, not so much for the sole of the shoe, but for the straps rubbing.
I do not know how old some of my SAS sandles are, but they have been great for me at WDW. One day it rained so very hard while we were in AK, I was wearing an older pair of SASs. We walked thru water at least 3 inches deep on the side walks, and ate at a picnic table in this rain wearing our Walmart ponchos, while everyone else was trying to hide out in the restrooms. I thought my shoes would have to be trashed, but I let them dry out for two days, and they were the same as before their “washing”, only much cleaner.
However, I will say that the new pairs are softer to walk in because they are still squishy and probably give better support to my feet.
As they age, I have had to tighten the straps by moving the buckles in a notch, but I wear each pair a good long time.
I had a similar rain experience in EPCOT w/ my dd. Thankfully we were both wearing Crocs so there was no drying period needed! We slogged through water that was halfway up our calves in France, the UK, and Canada and were able to keep going. I almost never wear socks & sneakers in the parks anymore.
Though 8+ hours of walking right away, without thinking about whether you need to adjust them still makes me cringe a bit.
We slogged through water that was halfway up our calves in France, the UK, and Canada and were able to keep going. I almost never wear socks & sneakers in the parks anymore.