I walk for a living. On the golf course I log at least 7 miles a day as a caddy and I’m happy to share some professional advice on walking shoes.
I can attest to one thing: a good pair of walking shoes means the difference between comfort and pain.
I learned the hard way.
When I first started looping I was wearing super light running shoes. They were soft and comfy, but they provided no real support.
After the first week my knees started aching, big time! Lots of ice and Advil were required just to stay on the job.
Even though I was walking on a soft surface, my shoes were not cutting it. I was literally limping along because of the wrong shoes.
So I decided to switch to my Oboz Men’s Sawtooth hiking shoes. (To hell with the dress code… my feet and knees are more important.)
None of my golf shoes or running shoes worked as well for walking as my Oboz light hiking shoes.
So my best professional advice on walking shoes is simple: Don’t use ultra light weight running shoes for walking long distances. They simply don’t have the structural support your body needs.
Once I switched to a more substantial, structurally sound shoe, my knee pain went away. Simple as that.