My Poor Feets

First of all, Stef and I had an amazing ride yesterday.  We broke 14 mph average speed over a 30 mile ride which just seems amazing to me.  I rode an additional 15 miles on my own bike.  I picked it up from Quad yesterday.  They put new handlebars on it for me so that the reach is just a bit shorter.  So far, I'm really pleased with the result.  I still have to go for a longer ride but I can get my hands onto the hoods without stretching my back out of position.
So, my feet.  My blankity, blank, double E Fred Flintstone feet have been giving me a lot of trouble this season.  Now that I'm riding so much with clipless pedals, I've been having a lot of trouble with my toes falling asleep when I ride.  I tried getting new shoes and having the cleats moved but that only improved things a little.  It can get very uncomfortable and sometimes I actually have to stop and get off the bike for a few minutes to let the blood run back into my toes.  I have a podiatrist appointment on Monday and, meanwhile, have been looking into getting road cycling shoes.  Ben (my favorite Quad Cycle guy) recommended them because the sole is stiffer and the cleat bigger than the mountain bike shoes I've been using up to this point.  The problem is that the tongue and straps of road shoes come up too high and dig me in my giant ankles.  I went over to Belmont Wheelworks (I felt so disloyal but they have an entire cycling shoe department) and talked to their shoe expert Elena.  We tried on all kinds of shoes and found one that might actually work.  She also recommended that I look into having custom shoes made.  If you think this is starting to sound expensive, it is.  This little venture may end up costing $300 just for the shoes, never mind the new pedals and cleats.  Oh, well, I learned a long time ago that with these feet, if the shoe fits, buy it.
I'm going to see what the podiatrist says before I do anything but if having the right shoes means I can pedal pain free, I'm going to do it.