Best trainers for walking?

[sahs1969]

Hi,
I have been doing on average 16-20 miles a week walking for the past 4 months all wearing my sketcher shape ups.
Last Fri at the end of my walk I had a blister the size of a 50p under my foot-on the ball by the toes-really painful.
Not sure why all of a sudden this has happened as the shoes have not caused any probs in the past.
Can anyone recommend me some good walking trainers-or suggest anything else I could try to prevent this from happening again-have had to have a week off walking due to the pain.
Thanks

I think you'd be best going to an outdoor shop, an independent one if possible, and get fitted with some walking shoes/trainers. They are also called "approach shoes". They will get you support and impact protection. They are several reputable brands, which all fit slightly differently in terms of width, foot shape etc. These include Salomon, Merrell, Brasher, Scarpa The North Face. Go and try a few pairs on, but be prepared to spend around £50 +. Definitely worth investing in decent shoes if you are doing all that walking. Some brands do women specific versions, which are also worth trying - they generally has a different pivot point (as women have a lower centre of gravity than men of the same height) and are cut lower at the back to prevent rubbing (women have lower Achilles tendons than men).

I like Asics running shoes - I find them much more comfortable than any 'walking' shoes. If you look inside your sketchers you will probably find you have rubbed a smooth patch or worn through the lining OR you wore a pair of socks that were too loose on your foot and they were moving 'against' you shoe.

Well done for walking so much :) I definitely feel better when I do my 4 miles everymorning.

i couldn't recommend going to your nearest SWEATSHOP (google them they have loads of stores). I always get my trainers from there and they are fantastic. All the staff are trained to do gait analysis and they will spend as much time with you until you get the perfect fit trainers for what you need them for. They have wide range of stock and as i found out as i apparantly have low arches they had some brands in 3 different widths. Yey.AND you get a 30 day guaruntee on all trainers regardless of if you've used them or not if they aren't comfy etc