New shoes.

So I promised a future of shoe shopping. I'm not a fan of shopping in general. In, buy, done, home. Or if I'm feeling really lazy, online, receive parcel, realise it's wrong, lose it, find it, send it back, receive refund, go to store.

The recent change in my foot size, due to the orthotics, has meant that I've needed both new work and casual shoes. Previously, shoes have lasted about a month, as I toe strike rather than heel strike, taking the toe out and letting everything in. This has meant that cheap, non brand running shoes where my best buy, meaning that my outgoing on shoes was balanced with how often I had to replace shoes.

So on Thursday I went decent shoe shopping. My manager recommended Dr Martens for work. I duly went to my local outlet and got some of the best customer service. The sales assistant was patient, understanding, sympathetic and sensitive. She got me four or five pairs of shoes and boots. Due to my Poland syndrome (and I'm using my common sense and experience here because it hasn't been said by a health care professional) my right foot is slightly smaller than my left (my Polands manifests on my right), thus adding to my shoe difficultly. The sales assistant picked the perfect shoes, and they fit excellently. They came today and I'm going to start wearing them tomorrow, with my orthotics.

For years I've had my eye on a pair of crimson runners. I found them in a local shoe shop and they too fit perfectly. I've avoided buying these shoes because of the expense and the longevity I would have with them. I decided to treat myself, hoping my new corrected walk would tackle my toe strike (it is) and therefore I might get more out of them.

I have a thing for boots (who's giggling?). I have a favourite pair of oxblood boots, pictured below, and I'm going to hope they fit with orthotics. I've had them repaired with expensive carbon rubber toes to try and get more out of them. Here's hoping the orthotics do that job. In my misguided youth I wore shin high boots (rocky type ones), and I did wonder out loud during my shopping spree (it counts as a spree, I bought a suit too) if my boots had helped either hide or support my tone less muscles.

Meanwhile, boot shopping may be off the menu.