my feet hurt, and I’ve been instructed by a professional to throw away my crappy old trainers and get some ones with decent arch support. They should be a fairly wide fit and reasonably cushioned. Due to my good old friend Long Covid, they won’t be used for anything more challenging than a trudge round the local parks.

Unfortunately, if you google for that sort of thing, you end up with loads of running trainers that cost £120 and look like they were designed by a colourblind spaniel that was having an off day.

What do others wear?

A podiatrist should be able to provide you with good quality insoles for a few quid.

Replace (if you can) your current insoles with some insoles with arch support. That’s what I do. This has reminded me to purchase some new insoles.

Interested in this, Mrs.Marone has plantar fascitis and am wondering if anyone has any experience of arch support insoles relieving this problem?

A podiatrist should be able to provide you with good quality insoles for a few hundred quid.

😉

Tbf, I used two different podiatrists. The better (by some margin) of the two ended up with the “few quid” option. The other one never made a successful diagnosis so no idea what I’d have ended up with. But you can definitely spend a fair whack on custom insoles.

It was literally just some Podiatry foam I cut to shape and stick to the insole and it’s perfect. Was actually told not to buy shoes with lots of support as they stopped my feet working properly and inhibited injury recovery. That was specific to my feet obviously.

@johnnymarone I’ve also had PF, podiatry and rest got me through it. I ran 25m with 7500ft of ascent on Monday, so she can definitely get past it.

I’ve used fitflop and my latest are tropic feel all bought when the offers are on. I’ve flat feet and incorrect footwear choice can be a bit grim.

Vans do actually do trainers which aren’t totally flat,although can’t remember the name of them.

The usual big names are also workable as long as they have some support and you don’t always need the best version for pootling around.

The helpful NHS podiatrist I saw a couple or three years ago, gave me a pair of Slimflex Berry insoles. To make the support softer, she’d taken part of the insole instep “corner” off. I’ve bought a few pairs since, grinding their instep away with the Dremel.

https://www.shoeinsoles.co.uk/slimflex-berry-insoles.html

@johnnymarone I’m another one suffering from really quite bad Pf. I’ve been struggling with it since around Christmas when I started getting active again after a long illness (nearly fell down the stairs in the morning a couple of times the pain was so bad). A month or so ago I bought insoles from Amazon, essentially the best recommended ones for Pf, and alongside stretching, I’ve started to see a slow but definite improvement over the last couple of weeks.

@Doris5000 Never mind what the Spaniels think. Get thee down to Takky Maxx and buy those 80s hip-hop inspired guttys. You’ll look awesome!

Beagy

Brooks Adrenaline GTS in wide fit are a revelation for me (not just the price which is eye-watering unfortunately), however, is the first pair of shoes I have ever tried on and just fitted.

I also wear OOFOS OOah sliders around the house and they are great for my sore heels and achy feet. (I confess I still wear slippers and they most definitely do not help)

I’ve got high arches and have always (since the late 90’s) used custom moulded insoles by sidas (formally conform-able). Use them all the time and just swap them between trainers, walking boots, work shoes etc. I use backcountryUK in Otley and they cost £80 to be moulded the service is first class and I’ve found they last many years of constant / daily use (I don’t use them in running shoes).

Interested in this, Mrs.Marone has plantar fascitis and am wondering if anyone has any experience of arch support insoles relieving this problem?

Yes, cured it for me, and I much prefer the feeling of them anyway – with my flat feet.

Buy a few different pairs of PF insoles online and try them out (you too OP).

I have wide feet and have a high arch. I have been wearing keen targhee trainers which come with excellent supportive insoles. No breaking in. I also wear many of their other shoes too(approach and boot). V selective of their styles as some look terrible!

People with feet issues tend to sway towards Hoke or Altra shoes. The latter are quite minimal with zero drop, the former much more cushioned. Both suit wide feet and have wide fit options. Those and a good pair of insoles will help I’d suggest.
Don’t expect them to be cheap mind you.

“What do others wear?”

Personally I get my colourblind spaniel to choose them for me, but only when he’s having an off day.

He picked out a pair of Adidas terrex skychaser 2 walking trainers from sports shoes.com. (Rex is pretty handy on the old interweb). £75 reduced from £130 and they’re the most comfortable trainers I’ve ever worn and they have a good arch. I know the prices can sound ridiculous but the construction and quality is so much better, (continental soles etc.)

I saw a similar all black pair in TK the other day for £60, always worth checking there if you’ve got the time. Seeing as I already had a pair, I pumped (pun intended) for another pair of fancy Adidas they had there for £39.99, looked up online when I got home and they retailed for £270.00!

I’ve only bought one item of clothing at full retail price in the last 5 years, there’s so many bargains out there if you’ve got the time/patience to look for them.

My Kalenji Kiprun Longs have arch support. Never had an issue with them and they’re a sensible price.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/kiprun-long-men-s-running-shoes/_/R-p-165452

A bit about Arkstab – https://www.pressreader.com/uk/runners-world-uk/20210801/282729114868123

I had PF pretty badly and now wear high arch support footbeds from Sidas in my running shoes (3feet active high).

Also 20 mins of walking around bare foot on a hard floor would have me crippled! Birkenstocks around the house help massively for me.

Arch support comes from the muscles in your foot and legs, rather than propping them up with insoles which will only lead to them getting even weaker, work on the muscles by spending more time barefoot.

Keen Targhees are made for this reason.
i use them for everything, even got some smart leather ones for the pub.

New Balance 8 series all have arch support. 840, 860, 880, etc. I’ve used them for this very reason.

Arch support comes from the muscles in your foot and legs, rather than propping them up with insoles which will only lead to them getting even weaker, work on the muscles by spending more time barefoot.

This is bollox IME. I spend all my time barefoot and even walk most of the time in VFFs when outdoors. When I started running in normal shoes I needed arch support to stop plantar fasciitis. I can now run in any shoes, but during the first few months, they needed assistance. It’s not a replacement – it’s a scaffold.

I keep hearing adverts with Jamie Redknapp banging on about Skechers arch support.

Skechers aren’t particularly trendy, but depends what you want

+1 for Skechers. The have a range called “arch fit” which are supposed to offer better arch support. Looking on their website they’re in the £80 range, but if you can get to one of their outlet shops then it’s more in the £40-50 price range. Not the trendiest of shoes, but also not 90’s neon bright.
Also, When if had some PF issues a couple of years back I found that Aldi did some arch support insoles for about £3 a pair. Bought a load and put them in all my shoes.