Flat feet and footbeds
My flat feet's best friend
I was born with flat feet. My father and eldest brother has it. My feet hurt after a whole day of walking on flip flops or flats. My mom used to say I have the Chua feet and could not have been mistakenly exchanged in the hospital nursery.
I’ve taken up running for a year now and I found that i would form blisters at the base of my big toe on both feet and my bunions have grown crazy big. That’s when i had to seriously consider thinking of going to a podiatrist. It just so happened that there is only one podiatrist in the whole country and she resides here seasonally (she is U.S. based) plus her clinic is so far away from Makati. I instead considered getting insoles. After a lot of googling i settled for Sole insoles. The testimonies were glowing and i figured it wouldn’t hurt to try them since some users from the U.S. military actually raved about it.
After a year of use here’s what i think about Sole(s):
1.) It’s expensive – I ordered it online last May and spent about 2k Philippine pesos after conversion (USD 46). I say expensive in comparison to New Balance (NB) insoles that i spent around Php 1,500 for
2.) It is well made and sturdy – okay here comes the caveat to my statement above regarding the price. It is more expensive than NB (it’s the only other insole i tried have no other brands to compare it to) BUT it gives you bang for your buck as they say. The top sheet material has little sign of wear and tear i can still see the Dean Karnazes design and signature is still clearly printed (see pic) - this even if i’ve been using the insole in running for the past year. Including 2 trail runs that has seen it muddy and
The sole has retained its shape and has not given in to the force of my feet a big feat considering the amount and length of abuse i’ve given it these 12 months. In fact i think it has changed my gait – more about this later.
It’s actually a moldable sole – meaning you can stick it in the oven and step into it while in a neutral positon to mold to your feet. But i’ve opted not to do that instead relying on the natural arch shape of the product – i needed it after all.
3.) Provides just the right amount of volume to function as an effective insole – it’s not overly thick like the NB insoles and so i wouldn’t have to buy larger size shoes just to accomodate it. It’s just about the same volume as the insoles of your running shoes. A little thicker perhaps but it is mostly due to the stiff arch support.
4.) Arch support hits the sweet spot – it’s rock steady and supports your arch just like your Birkenstocks but with a bit more flexibility so as not to make your arches sore when running. It has banished my blisters completely and has changed the way i run to some extent. The balls of my feet don’t hurt as much because it has supported my feet so it does not roll in as much as it used to.
There really are no motion control running shoes available in the stores here. So a stability shoe plus Sole can be a good substitute for flat footed running fiends like me.
5.) Trains your feet to run more efficiently – running with these insoles for a year has trained my feet to roll in less prominently. I’ve just recently taken out the soles using my new New Balance Shoes and have found that the wear and tear on my running shoes are now happening on the outer side instead of the inner side typical of people with flat feet.
The good news is it’s now available locally – i’ve seen it in Powerbikes Rockwell. Although they carry a few models and are selling the Dean Karnazes insoles for 4,500 Php.
If you can, it may still be more economical to order it online and have a friend in the U.S. hand-carry it back for you.
Check out www.yoursole.com
I want this Bookworm on my wall!
- Bookworm by Ron Arad
I’ve moved to my new place in Polaris St. since March of this year but my walls remain bare. I’ve been trying to figure out (i know analysis paralysis) if i will be putting up my own pictures or some of my travel souvenirs or my paintings on the wall. The walls are so clean, white and bare that the possibilities are endless.
Moving from a house in Bangkal to an itty-bitty condo pad was a challenge for me as i had to let go of a lot of my books and clothes – now have a tiny closet as well. Yes, had to ask my mom if i can move my stuff back to my old room in her house.
I was fortunate that my landlady already installed a lot of built-in shelves but i still could use some more.
I saw these shelves in Dexterton (Greenbelt 5 mall) a store carrying stuff from Kartell, the italian furniture company.
Isn’t it a beauty? I had to look up Ron Arad on the net and found he had other brilliant designs (chairs mostly) but this by far, for me at least, is the most functional especially for a condo-dweller with limited space and limited budget for art. This thing marries style, storage and practicality in one bundle.
I admit i’ve been salivating over this and have been looking at amazon and e-bay trying to figure out if this was overpriced locally. Well, if i consider shipping or the hassle of convincing a friend to hand-carry this for me (hahaha!) i might as well walk in the store and buy this. The second consideration is, how do you exactly install this thing and how long does it take to drill everything so the books and the shelf stay on the wall.
October 25: Adidas KOTR vs. Subic Marathon
Now it can be told, October 25 is officially marathon day this year – with not just one but two of the most exciting running events scheduled on the same day!
I’d still go for Subic though a little birdie told me the running is scheduled to happen at midnight so that’s one less hardship factor to think about
If “looks” can kill…and how a blind date turned fatal
You know the saying about a person having a face only a mother could love? I wish this article came with a picture so i can empathize on why this person’s looks can drive someone to despair.
Lady GaGa in the House
Lady GaGa
With a name like that, her over the top outfits and platinum blond hair fits the bill. Her song Poker Face (Po-po-po-po ker Face….) is now on heavy rotation in my iPod – the beat is infectious and will just help you along that last kilometer of your run.
Check out her video and you’ll see what i mean. Love this girl
Beady Eyes!
it looks kind of cute
Is this macro photography or what. Spidey almost looks like a toy or a cartoon – a very amiable spider. I can almost see the smile. Swiped this off of cuteoverload.com
Shaun the Sheep
Shaun doing another stunt
One of my guilty pleasures is watching Shaun the Sheep on late night Disney channel. It’s a brilliant clay animation series involving a farmer, his dog, and a flock of sheep led by a cute and wily black faced sheep named Shaun. No dialogue at all but the simple plot and funny clay facial expressions make the story. It’s 30 minutes of mindless fun.
New Year Get-together
Scenes from Friday's Dinner
Get together last Friday was great. Everyone actually showed up. Even Cheryl was able to make it. Aggie and Lanny brought their adorable kids. The newly wed Nicole arrived with Madagascar movie themed gifts (I actually fit in the shirt – Thanks Nicole!)
We exchanged Christmas gifts finally – did not have time to do that last month. Everyone went home early at 10pm. Guess no one really stays up late anymore.
As Fresh As It Gets
big ass juicer
I went to Rustan’s Grocery at the Shang last Saturday after watching a movie with Bitoy and Cristy. Wandering to the fruits and vegetables section i saw this big shiny juicer and went over.
A bottle of fresh juice costs 299.95 (14 oranges squeezed) and is good for 3 days according the package. Quite expensive but the next best thing would be do the juicing myself or eating a fresh orange.
I’m halfway down the bottle now I think I’ll be getting another one tomorrow. I have to check out if Rustan’s Makati has a juicer too.
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