my feet

My feet have changed with Olympic lifting. At my age, I'm not expecting to outgrow my shoes, but suddenly, last summer, I was on vacation and, trodding around on the West coast, found I could no longer wear my shoes! I had to go buy sandals on the spot, it was that extreme. In less than a year, my footplant has changed so that my size has gone from 8.5 to 9. I finally figured it wasn't going away, and recently bought a pair of New Balance 609. I love them! They're narrow width, feel great. BUT not suitable for O. lifting. My toes look like they're in the war - purple and red blotches, literally dings all over the front and outer sides. Doesn't hurt, tho. I thought maybe it was some kind of fungus (gross thought), but it's actually bruising from jamming my toes into the toebox of these shoes under heavy pressure. I consulted with my friend the brilliant Dr. Joe, and have just ordered a pair of shoes to use only for lifting. I sure hope they work out! I ordered Otomix power trainers. Marketers say "The Power Trainer Shoe is designed for the rigors of EXTREME SPORTS. Otomix incorporates extra protection and support in the Power Trainer for the most demanding workouts. A great cross training shoe for all sports. The best shoe for bodybuilding, weightlifting and intensive Karate/Martial Arts training." Meanwhile, I'm looking ruefully at the rest of the footwear in my wardrobe...

ETA
EXTREMELY PISSED OFF AT OTOMIX. Will not order from them again. Waiting for these shoes, finally called to see where they were, found out the order was never processed because I didn't include a phone #, which I don't do for merchants. Customer service my ass, all the automoton did was try to rebut me. How would I ever have known the order wasn't processed? Where was the policy on the phone # requirement? Yes, I did receive a confirmation that the order had been placed! Oh, so pissed. Ridiculous. They don't give a shit.

In my letter to Otomix, I wrote:
After receiving confirmation of my order, a week passed with no delivery. When I called to inquire, I was told the order had never been placed after all, because I did not include my phone number. HOW WOULD I EVER KNOW THIS? The girl on the phone demonstrated an utter lack of concern, and sought only to rebut my problems, not solve them or record my concerns. Her behavior makes me think your phone people have no training in basic customer service whatsoever.

If Otomix required my phone number, which is unacceptable to me as a privacy advocate, then I should have been notified during the ordering process and after I had placed the order, because my order should have been flagged. As it was, had I not taken initiative to inquire on my order, I would have been wating indefinately.
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Meanwhile, from Krista, webmistress of Stumptuous.com, this message with shoes advice and a great source for O-lifting shoes, which I'll definately try next time. Thanks Krista.
For O-lifting you need a rigid sole with a slight heel. Regular running shoes are totally useless because they are so squishy. Army boots are ideal (and cheap) but sometimes you get hassled in gyms with them, even if you protest that you never wear them outside. My old OL coach used to wear bowling shoes. Another option is http://www.weightliftingshoes.ca/.

Krista would have posted this here, but like many other complaints I'm getting, there are complications with posting to my blog, and she wasn't able to. :-(