I have a shoe fetish. I realized today as I purchased yet another pair of sole mates. I don’t mean the normal shoe fetish we usually imagine whenever we discuss a shoe fetish. I am a functional shoe fetishist as opposed to the customary aesthetic shoe consumer. In other words, I’m not seeking those brown Kenneth Cole’s that are SO HOT, or those red and cream chucks that will, no doubt, define a period of my life. No. Instead, I’m looking for the most comfortable… ehem:
Rock Climbing shoe – better for them small ledges and smearing.
Skateboarding/clipless (truly clipless) mountain biking rubber sole shoes – the wide ride of these puppy’s give stability and larger surface area of contact
Clipless (meaning clip in) mountain bike shoes – give me the life saving ability to push & pull at all points of the bike crank on those nasty long range bike hikes.
Trail running shoes – lightweight terrain gripers.
Asphalt Running shoes – lightweight impact absorbers.
Cross Training shoes – well rounded wide flexible shoes for speed and stability.
Olympic Weightlifting shoes – hard sole, raised heal, and wide for impact and, again, stability.
Capoeira shoes – super slimlined, flexible, circular tread. Feels as if I’m not wearing shoes.
There you have it. And do I need these all? No. Of course not. As you can see, I’m a jack of all trades and master of none. So I’m at a point in all these sports where I’m not really good enough to have a pair of shoes make a difference in my performance (except for the clipless shoes… oh thank doG for those things). I didn’t include snowboading boots, since they’re not really “optional” gear. I’m also on the verge of converting a pair of old running shoes into beach runners for an upcoming sand/water 5k run. I lined up the shoes today and sighed to myself. I’m a nerd amongst jocks, and a jock amongst nerds.
Help me.
Written by Mauricio Balvanera
Topics: projects