Nightmare of New Hardshoes

Last year around September, my hard shoes broke! I mean they didn't just tear, they split on the bottoms and both heels came off. It was time for some new ones which I had to break in before Oireachtas: the absolute worse time for me.

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My mom and I Googled every possible way there was to break them in. We read about boiling them but there was a high risk that they could shrink to a point that they could be worn by a newborn baby. We didn't dare take that chance. Plus, there was no way my mom was going to put brand new leather shoes in water.

First, I wore the shoes at every dance practice as much I could stand it. I went through uncountable amounts of Band-Aids. If you get sores on your heels, put moleskin inside the hard shoe at the place of discomfort. This is will stop the blisters without going through a million Band-Aids. Sometimes I even white taped the mole skins in place.

Second, I walked around the house on toes as much as I could.  This made going on toes easier at dance. When it was time to go to bed, I folded the tip of my hard shoe over so that it was touching the heel and then placed it under my mattress. Then, when it's time to go to class your shoes are ready for toe stands and super arched clicks. Another way to get toe stands easier, is to wrap your shoes around a baseball and rubber band them over night.

Third, I bought leather stretcher called Stretch Genie, which loosened the leather.Then we bought tools that were made to stretch shoes and placed it inside the shoe every night until a competition. You have to be careful not to overdo this product.  There is no going back if it over stretches the leather.  I would definitely recommend this product but start out with the least amount.

Take every opportunity you get to wear your hard shoes so that they mold comfortably to your feet. When you are studying or watching TV wear them so that they stretch to your exact feet measure. With this process, I was able to break in my hard shoes in a matter of 6-8 weeks which allowed me to dance at my best without having to be in pain. Again, never procrastinate when breaking in new shoes. It may be a nightmare during practice but in the end it is all worth it not to have to think about painful feet during competition. 

If you want to read more about mole skin, go to http://www.drscholls.com/products/MoleskinPlusPadding . If you are interested in the Stretch Genie click the picture above.

"Pain is Temporary. It may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or even a year. But eventually it will subside and something else will take it's  place. If I quit however, 

it will last forever."

~Lance Armstrong