Shoe shopping!
I went shoe shopping last Saturday with my wife. We went to Shoe Science in Newmarket. I normally buy my shoes from Runningwarehouse.com as they are a lot cheaper than buying locally in New Zealand. However, it is hard to get properly fitted etc. via an online store so I decided to go to a speciality running store that does all the testing etc.
The testing process was quite cool. The store has a short running track which they get you to run up and down on while they film your gait. They then replay it and determine what kind of shoe you need. My wife is an overpronator and I’m more of a neutral runner. My last pair of shoes were designed for overpronators so they were definitely wrong for me.
The salesperson pulled out a few different brands of shoes and insisted we try running around with them all to find out which felt best. He also filmed us in each pair to check if they were suitable. It was quite cool as you could immediately see which shoes helped your gait and which didn’t.
I ended up with a pair of Brookes Defyance 2 shoes which I really like:
One tip the guy gave us was to always get your running shoes 1 size bigger than your normal shoes as your feet swell when running.
I’ve done just over 40 km in these shoes since Saturday and I must admit I really like them. They definitely suit me better than my previous pair of Adidas shoes. My wife got some nice Mizuno’s – I forget which exactly. 
It is funny that the most expensive items of clothing that I have are my shoes. Well, except for my suit.
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August 26th, 2009 12:31
I had my gait evaluated at a running store several years ago. They picked up on the fact that I had gone through knee surgery, which impressed the heck out of me. It was well worth the expense though.
Greg at Live Fit´s last blog ..Vitamin D And The Immune System
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August 26th, 2009 13:59
Nice!
I did a similar assesment at Shoe Science a few years ago. It is excellent as you say – Smith Sports Shoes also offer something similar.
Have had a couple of pairs of Brooks and quite like them as a brand.
One small downside of marathon training is the number of km’s you put on them in a short space of time. Means a higher rate of shoe turnover.
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August 26th, 2009 15:17
Love the new kicks! I haven’t tried Brooks, but I’ve heard good things about them. I like the Mizuno’s I have, but my faves are Asics.
I agree, shoes are definitely the most expensive part of the wardrobe now.
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August 26th, 2009 21:48
Sounds very much like ActiveFeet in Melbourne. Well worth it!
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August 26th, 2009 23:55
I like getting new shoes…. but am always worried about getting the right shoes. I have been fitted a couple times and have to say when I do get fitted I always am happy with the shoes I get.
Enjoy!
Tim Wilson´s last blog ..The Long Run – Marathon Training
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August 28th, 2009 05:03
You didn’t get the Vibram Five Fingers or the Newton? Just kidding. I have heard of Brooks Defyiance. Heard it a terrific kicks with terrific stability. I know its addicting to smell the new kicks, huh?
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August 30th, 2009 13:11
Very cool looking store!
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August 30th, 2009 19:21
Good to see how others buy shoes. They are doubly expensive if you get them wrong! (speaking from experience!)
My Brooks GTS Adrenalines were my first pair that were not “bought off a shelf” and they remain my favourite, safe shoe.
I got some new Brooks Dyads too but don’t feel safe wearing them yet.
Good to hear the first 40km have been good, Andrew. What did you do to break them in? Or did you just set off for your usual 20km before brekky?
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September 1st, 2009 04:57
I am a big fan of Brooks.
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