How Many Shoes Does It Take?

I am on my third pair of shoes. Breaking Trikke shoes in is a bitch, especially if I am in the middle of trikking and my feet start to hurt. Not only am I far from home when the pain starts, but I don't want to go home either.

My ugly shoes (previous post) are hopeless, being made with a mixture of rubber and suede. They are too tight at the side of my toe, and the material won't budge, not even 1/4 inch.

My second pair (above), are like deck shoes that were said to be like crocs, but aren't. The only thing croc-like about them is that they are anti-bacterial. I finally broke down and got a conventional pair of shoes, Danskins, (below). They are ugly only because they aren't Sketchers. They don't give me the closeness to the foot deck that I like while trikking. And the bottoms of my feet still hurt.

It is probably because I hold onto the handlebars with a death grip that only my feet can compete with. For some reason I don't relax my feet while trikking. I thought at first I was trying to go faster than my fitness level permits, but it might be the shoes. Or so the lady at Payless suggested. She said it had something to do with support.

I have noticed that when I start the kick-off with the right foot, (while traveling), if I don't stay flat-footed there, my foot stays relaxed. I have also noticed if I just take it easy and stop trying to go as fast as a bike, I don't handle the bars with the aforementioned death-grip. Maybe if I take it easier I'll be able to trikke longer. After all, what is my hurry? I live in urban heaven here in Downtown Long Beach, CA. And Summer is coming...



And so my quest for the perfect shoe continues...



Nike -- any ideas?