The New Balance sandals that I ended up buying in Itaewon on Saturday (you'll recall that I'm brand-loyal to New Balance) have proven to be quite comfortable, although I'm still learning how to put them on and take them off fluidly. The toes on my right foot (except for the pinky toe, which gets covered by a soft sandal strap) have all breathed a sigh of relief, now that they can stretch and expand to their hearts' content. I'm going to try some distance walking tonight—probably my fourteen-staircase creek walk—just to give these sandals a good test run. I haven't yet had a problem with grit and pebbles getting underfoot, but I suspect that that might happen tonight along the creekside bike path. We'll see. I'm also fasting through Wednesday, and on Thursday morning, I'll try putting my regular shoes back on to see whether the swelling has gone down. That ought to be interesting.
Walking has been an ability I've taken for granted, but the relationship between walking and footwear is something that's always on my mind. For distance walkers, footwear is absolutely crucial; the gear must match the feet. Even a slight irritation can be a bad thing because it worsens mightily over several tens of thousands of steps, resulting in blisters or chafing or other problems. Multiply that number by 23 (the number of days my Seoul-Busan walk took*), and you're looking at bloody feet if you're not careful.
Expect an update later this week.
*The walk took 26 calendar days, but I rested for three of those days, so it actually took me 23 active days to walk from Seoul to Busan.
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