Foot Fatigue

How many miles have you put in them?  It’s likely the cushion is compressed and you need a new pair of shoes.

Is this a new thing in that you used to be able to go 15 miles and be fine or are you just getting into hiking and these are your longest outings.

if it’s the first it’s a gear issue so try to insoles or other shoes.  If it’s the latter and these are your first hikes after a sedentary winter it could just be fitness.

I havent put that many miles into them no, about 100.

I work out regularly (bootcamp, pretty intense)….. but hiking not so much. Guess I have to compare with my Hedgehogs, or other insoles….

I find replacement insoles to be far worse for me. I get blisters from all the up and down movement from the cushion. I get achy feet at the end of the day.  Counter intuitive, but true for me.  I have found that low cut shoes with cushioning in the shoe, not the insole, work better for me. i use the insoles that come with the shoes.  I get new shoes after 300-400 miles which seems expensive until you look at the cost of fancy insole replacements.  There are 100’s of threads here on why high shoes and heavy boots are problematic.  It took me a while to believe and change over, but my feet are much happier. I also find working out and hiking are two totally different things. I love to mountain bike for my “workouts”. Even if I aggressively bike every day, if i do not get out at least once a week and do a long day hike with a full pack, my feet suffer on the trail the next time out. The bike and the gym to not help my feet. Feet are personal things, you have to keep experimenting till you find your own solution.

why did you buy insoles?

Foot comfort seems very individual. I think you need to try other insoles and other shoes.

Anecdotal but Superfeet in my Salomon Ultra Primes mean weird foot cramps for me but I love Superfeet in my Cadcadia 12s. Sole brand insoles are great in my Salomons.

YMMV!

I had one pair or Salomon shoes that despite being very similar to all my other Salomon shoes (Salomon told me they were based on the same mold as 2 of my other shoes) absolutely destroyed my feet for no reason I could discern. 3 hikes in them and haven’t worn them since as the toe pain was brutal. Really weird that they were completely comfortable and put no pressure on my toes! So maybe go out in a pair of shoes you know work and see how your feet feel on the same hike.

The other possible issue is probably that your feet are out of shape. All those weird little ligaments, tendons and foot muscles that need to be used to be strengthened after a long winter. Nothing, not even running (unless you are an ultra runner) substitutes for hour upon hour of plodding along. I’d lighten up the mileage, let them recover then slowly increase mileage again and see how they respond if the shoe switch test doesn’t show it’s the shoe.

Nothing… substitutes for hour upon hour of plodding along.

+1. As Colin said, it’s best to increase mileage slowly according to how your feet feel and experiment with different footwear choices if needed. After wearing high top hiking shoes and boots for decades it did take a few years to make the switch to trail runners (still getting used to off-trail with them). Reducing pack weight really helps with foot pain too – one of the key reasons I got into UL a few years ago.

YMMV, but replacing the stock insoles of trail runners with Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Work Insoles helps me with foot fatigue (much softer than Superfeet and less arch “support”). On long hikes, it also helps to stop every hour or so to briefly stretch the calves, quads and get off my feet for just a few minutes.

I’d bet it’s just gegetting your feet into shape.

good idea to try with the hedgehogs and see if there’s a difference.

Many years ago I kept hitting a wall of pain and tiredness around 13 miles per day of day hiking or backpacking. Here’s what I did to overcome that. YMMV.

• Slow down to about 2.5 mph hiking pace.
• Take a 10 minute, sit down, butt on the ground break every hour, with shoes off and (ideally) socks off to cool and dry. Your legs and feet need a real break. Standing around doesn’t count, sitting on a log doesn’t count. I don’t need that strict schedule any more, but it’s a good place to start.
• Hourly breaks plus 2.5 mph hiking pace yields 2 mph actual progress – not bad. Work on increasing your pace and changing your rest schedule after you get into shape. I’m happy at 2 mph actual.
• Switched from low boots to trail running shoes. Went through four pairs before I found the right make and model. Not a cheap process, but better than blisters and tired feet. I’ve sprained an ankle three times, twice in high-top shoes before I switched to trail runners. My last sprain was over a decade ago. The “support” myth is just that.
• NO GORETEX!!! I stupidly bought a pair of Goretex trail runners on sale, and threw them out a few months later. Overheated my feet, didn’t keep them drier in most conditions.
• Eventually switched to very thin toe socks (Injinji RUN 2.0 Lightweight Mini-Crew Socks), which I must pair with low gaiters (Dirty Girls) to keep twigs & stones out. My feet are much cooler with this setup.
• The best way to train for hiking is hiking. Build up gradually. Other exercises help, but not a substitute. Hike on dirt, not pavement!

My goal is a 6-10 mile day hike every weekend to maintain a base level of hiking fitness. As a higher-mileage, multi-day backpacking trip approaches, I gradually increase day hiking mileage to match my plans. Add full water bottles to the daypack for weight training.

Hope this helps.

— Rex

Rex says it perfectly. Amen on the Dirty Girls.   I would only add one thing. Good shoes do not need insoles.  The cushion is in the shoe.

Awesome info Rex, thank you so much!!

Lets see how I do with the North Face Hedgehogs. I have been using these Light Cushion Darn Tough socks, not sure if I should go thinner….? I do like them since I have stinky sweaty feet but I wonder what a thinner version may do for fatigue…

https://www.rei.com/product/858816/darn-tough-micro-crew-light-cushion-hiking-socks-mens

At the same time you can do some foot strengthening exercises.
Like grabbing towel, or ball of foot on small massage ball, and moving your toes up and down, etc.
This can strengthen and stretch your feet, and at the same time increase your balance.

Everybody is different, and your issues might too. But for me as well the bottoms of my feet used to be the main reason for me to not go much further than 50K in a day. With the above described exercises (and normal training of course) my feet are getting stronger and it feels great.

Good luck with it.

Try heat mouldable insoles (REI). After using them 8 years ago I have NEVER had a blister. Yeah, $40. but well worth it.

A few more tips:

• Stay away from painkillers – aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc. For me, no pain is no gain – seriously. All those drugs tell your body to stop building new muscle in response to stress. I’d rather suffer a little for a few hours during and after a hike, while building strength and resilience for the future. It does get easier as I get into shape.
• I need orthotics. Hope you don’t. Otherwise, I hike with the insoles that came with the shoes, or no insoles at all.
• All of the above means I like trail running shoes with a fair amount of cushion – ASICS GT 2000 Trail 4 currently. But shoes are so individual, doesn’t mean they’ll work for you.

The Darn Tough Light Cushion socks would be too thick for me – they’re about the thickness of the socks I dropped for the Injinji socks. The Darn Tough Ultra-Light series might work, but I haven’t seen them. Also toe socks prevent between-toe blisters for me – most of the time.

Probably most important – keep trying different shoes, socks, training, pace, whatever until you find something that works for you. A rockstar backpacker might yoyo the PCT barefoot in record time –  doesn’t mean that will work for you. But you could try it (on a shorter hike!) and see.

— Rex