Need recommendations for trips that require lots of walking

[cataddict]

[QUOTE=KarenP;2826434]Exercise is so specific. So doing step workouts (fr. ex) gets you in great shape for doing step -- and gets you in good cardio shape -- but not for walking. Next time, train in advance by increasing the amount of walking you do. /QUOTE]

THIS!

Running is not training for walking either. They use muscles in a different way. I notice this since I'm a walker for the most part, and when I do run it feels very different. So yes, more walking will train you for more walking.

Good shoes can also make a difference too, at least IMHO. I am an underpronator, and I need my cushioning (and a wide toe box for my messed up looking feet)

[Mickey12]

I recently tried Hoka shoes. They are sort of funny looking but as another poster said, they are like walking on marshmallows. If you require a lot of cushioning, try them.

Kim

[SueT]

Cattaddict, i’m also an underpronator with wide feet. Which shoes do you have that work best for you for walking long distances? I used to love ASICS, but their newer models don’t seem to have the same kind of cushioning.

Thanks,
Sue

[wlorrie]

For long walks, my feet need cushioning. I l like the Altra paradigm. In my opinion, they are similar to Hokas, but feel a little springier and last longer.

[cataddict]

Originally Posted by SueT

Cattaddict, i’m also an underpronator with wide feet. Which shoes do you have that work best for you for walking long distances? I used to love ASICS, but their newer models don’t seem to have the same kind of cushioning.

Thanks,
Sue

Sue, I should clarify that I don't have wide feet, just hammertoes and bunions and wide toe boxes fit the best and feel good to me. I wear Altra shoes or Brooks almost exclusively. Any of the Brooks Glycerin shoes work well--15 or 16 (and there are some available for roughly $100--that's my bar for athletic shoes. The 17 is still a bit pricey). I also wear Revel or Revel 2, Launch 5 or 6. The ones that have a knit outer seem to feel most comfortable. I used to wear Saucony but the fit in the later models hasn't worked for me, nor has the cushioning.

[Exercise Diva]

We just got back from Italy and on most days we logged between 15,000 - 20,000 steps so a lot of walking - for us. I switched between three different shoes and avoided flat flats unless we were just going around the corner for dinner or something. Interestingly, I had a hip bursitis that started to act up right before we left and the pain disappeared while in Italy, so in my case, the walking was the cure. I could feel my hip completely loosen up - it did take a good week of consistent walking to do that, but the shoes made a huge difference as well.

[KarenP]

Originally Posted by Exercise Diva

I switched between three different shoes and avoided flat flats unless we were just going around the corner for dinner or something.

What was your rationale for avoiding flats?

Happy to hear that walking seems to have cured your bursitis. YAY!

[Exercise Diva]

The advice of other people who had gone to Italy specifically. We were in Rome and Florence, and many of the city streets are cobblestoned, and my flats (though I love them) do not have the support or cushioning needed to walk streets like that. I loved my FitFlops, Danskos and I even brought a pair of Tevo sneakers with me, and those are the shoes I pretty much lived in. I think it really depends on where you're going, even though I don't think my flats wouldn't have been all that comfortable even on London streets.

[Exercise Diva]

The bursitis going way really opened my eyes to the power of walking and moving in general. It was a really good test case. I honestly didn't even think about my hip until a week or so later when it dawned on me that I had no pain whatsoever.

[KarenP]

Originally Posted by Exercise Diva

… and my flats (though I love them) do not have the support or cushioning needed to walk streets like that. I

OOOOHHHHH … you mean, like, ballet flats with thin soles. Gotchya.