It's been awhile since I've been fit for shoes, and never at RR. They have a "perfect fit" program in which they evaluate your arch type, how you distribute your weight, and how you run barefoot on a treadmill. The treadmill running they video so they can examine your gait, how you point your toes, and how flexible your Achilles is. For me, it was quite the practice in getting past my self consciousness. First of all, I was not dressed for this activity, coming straight from work. I was in a skirt, a cami with a breezy top over it...my mom picked it out for me for my birthday :)... and flip flops I keep in the car. I was probably quite the sight running around the store in what I had worn to work. Then there was my laundry list of all my current aches and pains, including said callous, which the guy who evaluated me (Fit Test Guy) brought up and examined before he showed it to a different guy who fit me with the shoes (Shoe Test Guy). Hello! Did I mention I was self conscious? Fit Test Guy also had to touch my feet to mold custom inserts. I don't have a problem with my feet being touched, but I'm not sure I would want to do that with someone I didn't know. Also, running barefoot on a treadmill when I'm not in running clothes, hearing the loud pounding of my feet on the tread had me cringing. But not as much as when he showed me the playback on a huge flat screen monitor. Panic! There were my legs and feet on display for everyone in the store to see! No one seem to be pointing and laughing though...
Anywho, Fit Test Guy would show me examples of the different categories and ask me which one I thought I was. For the arch evaluation and pressure test, I went in assuming they would come back and tell me I had high arches. When I was in College Part 1, I worked in our black box theatre. One summer, I spent an entire day painting sets. I was barefoot and in overalls, my work pant of choice as a 19-year old. Since we would paint the floor after the set pieces were done, I wasn't exactly careful about paint on the floor or my feet. Toward the end of the day, one of my bosses, Jeff, came to check my progress. When he saw my footprints he was surprised at how little of a print my arch made. He regaled me with stories of his mother who also had high arches resulting in easily broken feet in her old, frail age. Wonderful! Something to look forward to! At any rate, I wasn't surprised when Fit Test Guy showed me my arch evaluation. For this portion of the test, I had to stand on a gel mat that was linked to the computer. I was asked to stand evenly with my hands at my side. The computer showed a topographical rending of my step. Fit Test Guy asked me what kind of arch I had. I responded that I had no arch because that's what it looked like. My step didn't look like a footprint at all, it was literally just the ball of my foot and my heel. There wasn't any imprint from the side of my mid foot. So he decided on a supportive shoe. I also am a bit unbalanced (in how I stand, wiseguys...). I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with that information, but it could be why my IT band gives me problems. Fit Test Guy iterated the importance of rollering and stretching my IT.
The treadmill running showed that I turn the toes on my right foot out just a little bit, and I have flexibility in my Achilles. Is the flexibility good or bad, I have no idea. After Fit Test Guy molded the inserts, he handed me off to Shoe Test Guy, who chose shoes based off of the recommendations of Fit Test Guy. (Size 8-wide, in case you wanted to know.) Shoe Test Guy brought me four shoes to try:
Anywho, Fit Test Guy would show me examples of the different categories and ask me which one I thought I was. For the arch evaluation and pressure test, I went in assuming they would come back and tell me I had high arches. When I was in College Part 1, I worked in our black box theatre. One summer, I spent an entire day painting sets. I was barefoot and in overalls, my work pant of choice as a 19-year old. Since we would paint the floor after the set pieces were done, I wasn't exactly careful about paint on the floor or my feet. Toward the end of the day, one of my bosses, Jeff, came to check my progress. When he saw my footprints he was surprised at how little of a print my arch made. He regaled me with stories of his mother who also had high arches resulting in easily broken feet in her old, frail age. Wonderful! Something to look forward to! At any rate, I wasn't surprised when Fit Test Guy showed me my arch evaluation. For this portion of the test, I had to stand on a gel mat that was linked to the computer. I was asked to stand evenly with my hands at my side. The computer showed a topographical rending of my step. Fit Test Guy asked me what kind of arch I had. I responded that I had no arch because that's what it looked like. My step didn't look like a footprint at all, it was literally just the ball of my foot and my heel. There wasn't any imprint from the side of my mid foot. So he decided on a supportive shoe. I also am a bit unbalanced (in how I stand, wiseguys...). I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with that information, but it could be why my IT band gives me problems. Fit Test Guy iterated the importance of rollering and stretching my IT.
The treadmill running showed that I turn the toes on my right foot out just a little bit, and I have flexibility in my Achilles. Is the flexibility good or bad, I have no idea. After Fit Test Guy molded the inserts, he handed me off to Shoe Test Guy, who chose shoes based off of the recommendations of Fit Test Guy. (Size 8-wide, in case you wanted to know.) Shoe Test Guy brought me four shoes to try:
Brooks Ravenna 4 (Which I loved! And bought!)The Brooks were the first pair I tried on and they felt great. Shoe Test Guy helped me with the lacing since he was flabbergasted that I slipped in and out of my (now) previous running shoes without lacing. Shoe and Fit Test Guys were bother flabbergasted that I was still running in the Mizuno Wave Nirvana. "They don't even MAKE that shoe anymore!" I bought the molded inserts too, but need to get the right one adjusted. It feels like it's pressing into my arch too much. Overall, I had a positive experience at Road Runner Sports and would recommend them to others. Since my purchase, I've had a couple chances to run and I'm SO happy with my new shoes! They don't rub wrong on my callous and my legs have been much happier. Now I know, no more waiting on a maybe! Replace the shoes! Happy Feet and Legs, happy running! :)
An Asics model (Which I traditionally don't care for)
A Nike model (Which I've never run in and would feel like a sell-out...don't ask me why...which is ironic because I like their running clothes)
A Saucony model (Again, never run in, but don't have a problem with the brand, just didn't care for the fit)
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