For the past fourteen years plus, I have walked about five miles a day, sometimes more. It was the first form of exercise I seriously engaged in after my heart surgery back in 2000; I began walking once a day, a couple of miles, but by mid-summer of 2000, I expanded that to twice a day walking. Sometimes I walk a third time late at night, after most everyone has gone to bed, just to enjoy the quiet.
As a result, I wear out a lot of shoes. A pair of Rockports is usually good for about 2000 miles. That means that I wear out a pair about once a year, more or less. My shoes have a great way of informing me that they're ready to be retired: when I step into a minor puddle and my socks get wet because the water is forced through the holes in the shoes, then I know that it's time to move on to the next pair.
I usually keep two or three pair of size 11 Pro Walkers in reserve--some in white, some in white, some in wheat. Color really doesn't matter that much (even though white always looks extremely bright when I first put them on, it dulls somewhat after I put a little wear and tear on the shoes), but comfort does. I've tried other shoes, and the Pro Walkers are right for me--no pain, no blisters, no discomfort. That's all I can ask for in a shoe, I guess.
Each time I retire a pair of shoes, I think of it as a sort of accomplishment: another 2000 miles walked, another year of life enjoyed. When you've died once, you tend to appreciate each extra year, I guess. These worn-out shoes are mundane proof of extra life well-lived, and I am thankful for the chance to wear out another pair.
(And yes, I do wear through the outer edge of each heel more than any other part of the shoe. One site tells me I'm an over-pronator, hitting hard on the outer heel before I roll my foot inward; another tells me I'm a supinator, rolling my foot outward. I don't know for sure which is correct, since they both indicate this wear pattern as proof of their diagnosis. All I know is this is the way I wear out shoes, and this is the way I've always worn out shoes. I'm not looking to change now, so I refuse to try to modify my gait.)
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