I have pretty high arches that have this annoying tendency to collapse on me at inopportune times (is there ever an opportune time?)…like in Paris, after a night of clubbing, on our way back to the hotel. Or, on our week-long trek in Yosemite and the High Sierras last fall. It's fairly well crippling, actually. And when your feet are your transportation…well, you get the picture!
When I set out to buy new hiking boots last summer, I told the guys at REI that I have high arches. They put me in the Montrail Blue Ridge boots, with the advice to sub out the inserts with SuperFeet Greens, and sent me on my way. I broke them in as much as I could before our trek out West, and figured they were holding up pretty well, so off I went.
After a few days of trekking with a full pack, with full days of climbing up and down that wonderfully rugged landscape, my arches started to rebel and crash like an unstable operating system. Not really a good thing when you've got many more miles to go, but not a whole lot you can do about it in the backcountry.
Fast forward to training for my first half marathon, and I found myself getting properly fitted for running shoes at Big Peach. You see, they have this nifty device you step on that *shows* you your arch profile. As I suspected, my arches are pretty darned high. So high that the left one doesn't touch the ground. At all.
Shortly thereafter I had an a-ha! moment and asked Big Peach if they had anything better than the Greens, since they'd fairly well failed my delicate feet so far. They recommended the Lynco L400 Sports Orthotic - Neutral Heel, Aetrex Insoles for being higher, stable, and super wonderful. Boy were they right.
I popped those suckers into my Montrails and *immediately* felt the difference in the support. I mean, clichéd night and day difference! Yowzas. The Amazon description sure isn't kidding:
Designed to provide maximum foot comfort and protection…cushions the foot and absorbs shock forces…anti-odor and anti-bacterial to help keep your feet in a healthy, clean environment. Lynco casual orthotics are light-weight, resilient and provide unmatched support and stability. These unique orthotics cushion the foot, absorb shock and fit comfortably in most footwear styles.
So guys and gals, if you likewise have high arches, I suggest these as a nice alternative to the costly option of custom orthotics. There are exercises I continue to do to strengthen my arches, but in the meantime I'm pretty pleased with my Lyncos.
Those crutches known as "arch support" actually weaken your foot muscles due to lack of use. That's what causes arch problems. Walk barefoot more and build up your feet.
ReplyDeleteAs I said: There are exercises I continue to do to strengthen my arches, but in the meantime I'm pretty pleased with my Lyncos.
ReplyDeleteI do walk barefoot, or in minimal flipflops, as often as I can. Sometimes, some of us just need a little extra help when we've got the max % we can carry on our backs :-) (the suggestion is appreciated though)
Fair enough. You could lighten your pack load too. I carry about 12 lbs total these days unless it's an extended trip.
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