These Shoes Were Made for Walking

You know you have  really worn down your shoes when your husband randomly says to you,
"do you need new shoes? Maybe we should go look at some."
These are the words that came out of Mr. K's mouth Friday morning when we were at the mall waiting to meet a potential guide runner. I knew my shoes were bad, but I didn't know they were that bad.
Back in June, Mr. K and I both got new shoes because of how much walking we do. Since moving to Edinburgh, our main mode of transportation is our own two feet. So, it was no surprise that we wore out our shoes pretty quickly. This time though, it was just my shoes that needed replacing.
On top of the regular walking I would normally do-going to the grocery store, meeting friends for breakfast Etc-my amount of walking has increased exponentially since moving into our new flat. With having kilometres and kilometres of cycling paths just right outside my door, Hermione and I walk a lot. Not only do we stick to our normal routes, but as soon as I get comfortable with one path, I get brave and we go exploring new ones. Just today, for example, we walked for over an hour, navigating a few paths we already were familiar with  and then wandering down a branch we've never walked before. Yesterday our adventures took over two hours because Carmen came with us and having her sighted navigating abilities drastically increases the places we could potentially go. In the course of two days, my new shoes have already accumulated over four hours' worth of walking, if you include my trip to the local cafe and out to dinner Friday night. So, I suppose I shouldn't have been  surprised when Mr. K asked me if I needed new shoes.
I had known for a while that I needed new ones. My heels had begun to hurt when out for walks wearing my old pair, a tell tale sign that your shoes need to be replaced, but I felt bad saying I needed new ones so soon after purchasing the last pair. However, Mr. K had been investigating the state of my shoes the day before, which he told me later, and realised that I was in desperate need of a replacement pair. The backs are all broken down, with the plastic showing through on the inside and even the insides of the soles are worn down. The funny thing is that even though I knew I needed new shoes, I had no idea just how badly I did.
I had gotten used to my feet hurting when I got home that I was shocked when I went out for the first time in the new shoes and was pain free upon arrival back at home. My heels didn't hurt, the balls of my feet weren't aching and my arches didn't feel like they had been over stretched. Realistically, I should know better. as an athlete I've always been aware of feet health and in massage college the idea of good shoes/healthy feet was really driven home. But, as I said above, it was almost like I got used to it and completely missed the signs that my shoes were on the fritz.
I guess the point of my giant ramble about getting new shoes is that it's probably more important than we think to have good shoes and to replace them when they are in need of retirement. For people who have occupations where they stand or walk all of the time, or even just for people who recreationally walk a lot, foot care is so important. If you have foot, leg or even back pain, try getting a new pair of shoes. Pain in your knees/ankles/hips or any of the previously mentioned areas, is an indication that your shoes have reached the end of their life. I certainly was reminded of that when my husband so kindly suggested I get new shoes.