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Observation: dress shoes - office walking vs. real world

post #1 of 79
1/4/12 at 7:39am
Thread Starter 
My car being in the shop (new transmission, Merry Christmas!) and a Florida cold weather snap gave me the opportunity to try walking back and forth from work for a week. It's about 20 or so blocks on sidewalks for about a 25 minute trek.

I was really surprised at how many of my dress shoes (Aldens, Sutors, C&J for RL, etc.) were just horrible for real world walking. I'm talking shoes that are broken in and comfortable all day long for a commute + office work, but a walk to work on concrete beats my feet up. Interestingly, I noted that the biggest pain was mostly my middle toes taking a beating, not the side toes - I would have thought it would have been the toes against the shoes walls, but it's wasn't.

A couple of questions came to mind...

1. Dress shoes just aren't made for real "distance" walking? My experience is that leather soles with zero padding are horrible for walking on concrete.
2. Maybe my shoes I thought fit well really don't?
3. Maybe they aren't really broken in? Or, rather, distance walking will break them in more or differently?

I can now sympathize with people who walk back and forth from work every day. I'd be thinking twice about almost every single one of my shoe purchases if that was the case for me. I can now see where brands like ecco would be worth considering.
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post #2 of 79
1/4/12 at 7:48am
I walked about 20 minutes to and from my office for a few years in dress shoes and I found something similar. My most comfortable shoes were a pair of double soled Aldens with a 360 degree welt. For some reason having a closed heel made my shoes much much less comfortable for walking on pavement - it was just so jaring to my joints.
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post #3 of 79
1/4/12 at 7:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by razl View Post

A couple of questions came to mind...
1. Dress shoes just aren't made for real "distance" walking? My experience is that leather soles with zero padding are horrible for walking on concrete.
2. Maybe my shoes I thought fit well really don't?
3. Maybe they aren't really broken in? Or, rather, distance walking will break them in more or differently?
I can now sympathize with people who walk back and forth from work every day. I'd be thinking twice about almost every single one of my shoe purchases if that was the case for me. I can now see where brands like ecco would be worth considering.

I walk regularly in my best shoes, often long distance and on concrete and have not shared your experience. You certainly have greater feel for what you are walking on in leather soled shoes as opposed to rubber. However their maybe an economic reason for not walking long distances in fine shoes & that's the cost of sole repairs which are creeping up everywhere.
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post #4 of 79
1/4/12 at 8:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Northampton Novice View Post

I walk regularly in my best shoes, often long distance and on concrete and have not shared your experience. You certainly have greater feel for what you are walking on in leather soled shoes as opposed to rubber. However their maybe an economic reason for not walking long distances in fine shoes & that's the cost of sole repairs which are creeping up everywhere.

How can walking be more expensive than driving a car? My car cost me a new C&J shoe/month! ....wait a second... i need to sell my car biggrin.gif
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post #5 of 79
1/4/12 at 8:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by razl View Post

A couple of questions came to mind...
1. Dress shoes just aren't made for real "distance" walking? My experience is that leather soles with zero padding are horrible for walking on concrete.
2. Maybe my shoes I thought fit well really don't?
3. Maybe they aren't really broken in? Or, rather, distance walking will break them in more or differently?
I can now sympathize with people who walk back and forth from work every day. I'd be thinking twice about almost every single one of my shoe purchases if that was the case for me. I can now see where brands like ecco would be worth considering.

I don´t know you but another reason could be:

4. Maybe your feet isn´t used to walking?

I lived in Stockhom (sweden) for five years and that city is horrible to drive a car in. I´ve used the subway every day and that meant walking 6-8km every day (home-sub, sub-work, work-lunch and back, work-sub, sub-home) and i never had any problems.
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post #6 of 79
1/4/12 at 8:17am
It's more likely that your feet are simply not used to walking with minimal cushioning. I run in Vibram Fivefingers shoes (similar to barefoot running) and after a while my feet no longer hurt with them.

Most people are used to walking longer distances in more padded shoes so just leather soles might seem uncomfortable.
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post #7 of 79
1/4/12 at 8:20am
They're never comfortable for me because of the blisters. Always happens if I wear non-sneakers for long distance.
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post #8 of 79
1/4/12 at 8:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank the sheep View Post

How can walking be more expensive than driving a car? My car cost me a new C&J shoe/month! ....wait a second... i need to sell my car biggrin.gif

I didn't say that. Recrafting a pair of EGs as opposed to say a pair of Cheaney is a more suitable conclusion to draw.
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post #9 of 79
1/4/12 at 8:39am
I agree with the OP. Dress shoes are just not that great for long walks.

If I walked to work I'd definitely get a light pair of eccos, Rockports or whatever and then keep a few pairs of dress shoes at the office to change into.
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post #10 of 79
1/4/12 at 8:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank the sheep View Post

I don´t know you but another reason could be:
4. Maybe your feet isn´t used to walking?

This would be my bet as well.
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post #11 of 79
1/4/12 at 9:02am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joenobody0 View Post

I walked about 20 minutes to and from my office for a few years in dress shoes and I found something similar. My most comfortable shoes were a pair of double soled Aldens with a 360 degree welt. For some reason having a closed heel made my shoes much much less comfortable for walking on pavement - it was just so jaring to my joints.

You're right, I forgot to point that out - walking in them on concrete is practically -jarring- to my shins.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank the sheep View Post

4. Maybe your feet isn´t used to walking?

No, I do a lot of walking, but...
Quote:
Originally Posted by kasakka View Post

It's more likely that your feet are simply not used to walking with minimal cushioning. I run in Vibram Fivefingers shoes (similar to barefoot running) and after a while my feet no longer hurt with them.
Most people are used to walking longer distances in more padded shoes so just leather soles might seem uncomfortable.

This is probably it: I actually do a lot of walking, hiking, and running - but all in cushioned shoes (my running shoes are mid to plush cushioned). I think the whole problem for me gets back to being used to no/little padding. Which also explains the jarring effect on my shins. I've long since past shin splints from running, many years ago, but I almost feel like walking in dress shoes on concrete - at least initially - could almost cause something similar.
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post #12 of 79
1/4/12 at 9:11am
You could also have learned a bad gait from those rubber shoes with so much padding. If you try to walk without the padding, all of a sudden you're having pain because you're used to having a cushioned stride. If you walk in leather soled shoes often, or run in minimalist shoes (I use five fingers, used chucks before I finally got those), having in incorrect stride striking in the wrong places is going to be painful, and you're going to correct it or continue having pain.

I walk all over the place in leather soled shoes with no issues at all. Did a trip to ireland this summer almost entirely in penny loafers and a pair of bucks, traipsing all over cobblestone and cement in cities and uneven turf with absolutely no issues (apart from one turned ankle in Killarney that no shoe apart from a full on hiking boot could have done anything about). And I do a pretty good amount of real world walking in everyday life too, certainly more than most suburban office dwellers.
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post #13 of 79
1/4/12 at 9:12am
I walk up to 2 miles daily (and thats if I just go to work and back) in leather soled dress shoes and i find them quite comfortable.
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post #14 of 79
1/4/12 at 9:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Northampton Novice View Post

I didn't say that. Recrafting a pair of EGs as opposed to say a pair of Cheaney is a more suitable conclusion to draw.

Sorry, you didn´t. Just read that into your post b/c OP said he walked b/c his car being in the shop....
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post #15 of 79
1/4/12 at 9:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by razl View Post

2. Maybe my shoes I thought fit well really don't?

mostly this.
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