Walking Shoes

You are getting up to the bigger miles, kudos!

I get swelling from hiking and jogging sometimes, too. The best treatment is to elevate and ice your feet and ankles afterward. Compression during exercise can help as well. When I hike, I often wear thin ankle compression braces under my medium-rise Merrill hiking boots. I've also tried knee-height compression socks, but most of my issue is around the foot and ankle.

Champion Ankle Support, Figure-8 Style, Knit Elastic, Medium
by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D65Q62C/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_9AB2HV9STSE0QJRBY10M

Hiking boots work well for almost any hiking, even on roads. But, on flat pavement, running shoes are lighter alternative. On a flat trail, trail running shoes are a good compromise in terms of weight. But at 6-7 miles, and if you are on the heavier side, carrying anything, and/or plan to go on any significant trails, a good hiking shoe is probably what you want. The low-rise versions are lighter, but the medium-rise ones have better ankle support.

And, in the US, I would suggest buying it from either Dicks or REI, both of which will exchange it if it doesn't work for you. (Like everything these days, the selection is a bit limited.)

Story: I do some jogging and I bought Brooks running shoes at Dicks. There was a guy working there who was my age and had lots of good advice, leading to me trying these. They felt fine on the treadmill in the store. But, at longer distances they rubbed on my big toenails just enough to irritate them after a few miles. I took them back and traded for ASIC, which worked better for me.

As mentioned in a previous post.
Do you have a store named “The Running Room” or a “New Balance” store in your area?
The associates are trained in fitting, they check your gait ( how you walk)
DH shoes are Rockport. They are perfect for off on road. Uses them for mall walks etc.
Solomon are perfect (light hiking) for twigs, rocks trails. Uses them for river valley walks
Hoka are perfect for all other.
DH has these different type of shoes as his knees are bone on bone waiting for a replacements so comfort is everything when it comes to taking care of your feet.
Hope this info helps.

suzij27 wrote: »

You may also want to try inserts even with new shoes. When my mileage increased to 5-6 miles 6 days a week, my feet started bothering me. What you may also find is that you need a larger size.

I always thought that a running store wasn’t for walkers. The store near me said that at least 30% of their clients are walkers only.

Yeah, the running stores can feel super intimidating. I do run some now - or well, did, and will again, once my ankle gets over itself - but at the time it felt like a place designed for people running big mileage or doing races or something.

Nah.

Honestly I'd recommend ANYONE doing walking, hiking, working on their feet OR running/jogging go get properly fitted and a gait analysis. It makes a HUGE difference!

Absolutely get fitted properly for shoes.

But just wanted to add that socks can make a bigger difference than you might expect.
Get some nice cushiony running socks to go with your nice shiny new shoes. As with trainers you might have to go through a few to find ones that suit you, all are not created equal.

Merrell's have always worked for me.

https://www.merrell.com/US/en/home

Brooks all the way for me for walking and hiking. I ditto an earlier post about padded socks. I buy Thorlo brand; they refer to them as running maximum cushion socks. May be a tighter fit in the shoe, if thick socks weren’t planned before the purchase, though.

Brooks Adrenaline. I have more than one pair (never wear the same shoes back to back days) in different colors and I LOVE them. The Brooks really helped me with my feet and knee problems.

Sailor555 wrote: »

Also, I had an "aha" moment a few years back when someone pointed out to me that running shoes do very different things to your feet/back than walking or cross-track shoes do, because when you're running your whole foot hits the ground full-stop, so you need that special design and padding. With walking, you hit heel-first and then roll toward the toes. So sometimes a walking shoe will actually be best for your back and knees, due to that impact zone and action. Just wanted to share that, but it sounds like you're way out ahead on this one.
!

I completely agree! But I have had a hard time finding walking shoes the last few years in major retailers. And the only store devoted to walking in my metroplex closed during the pandemic.

Understanding your foot and stride can narrow down what you should order if you do have to place your order online.

After years of store try-ons I settled on a few brands that fit well, because manufacturers generally build and retain proprietary "lasts" for their main models. Nowadays they can be ordered online because of that consistency year in and out of the basic shoe pattern and sizing. OTOH, there are excellent athletic, casual and dress shoes I can't wear for the same reason, they're made for others. Only advice is thorough, fussy store try-ons, walking away from any that don't feel right, and remembering who's shoes fit and who's don't.