Get Your Shoes Right

Awesome,  you found your perfect pair of runners online, at a super cheap price with free delivery. You just saved yourself $50 (well back in the day when the AUD was competitive).  Sure, you trawled through countless sites to find the best price, but hey, a saving is a saving right?

There’s nothing quite like a new pair of runners.  I still remember my first pair of Nike’s I got when at school, a pair of Air Pegasis.  Yep, no online shopping, it was a trip to the local sportspower. I wasn’t big on brand loyalty though, so Adidas, New Balance and Brooks all got a look in during my school/uni days.

After my first Ironman (Ironman New Zealand), I developed a bit of pain in my achilles, this subsequently diagnosed as achilles tenosinovitis.  This hasn’t stopped me training and thankfully has been manageable through a range of exercises and self massage.  I can’t be sure exactly what caused it, but I think my adoption of an Ironman Shuffle was the trigger.  Subsequently, thanks to my Coach (Mark @ intellitri), my running has progressed significantly, to the point that I feel like a runner again.  This does however mean I am a little more cautious in my shoe selection than I use to be.

Up until New Zealand, I was very happy with my Asics  GT 2100’s series. I had been using them for many years, riding the 2100′ range through until the introduction of  the GT 2000 range. Now, I can’t blame Asics exactly, but I found my achilles tenosinovitis (tenosino) flared when I started to wear the new GT 2000.  This was frustrating, compounded by the fact that I just bought 2 pairs of GT 2000 online at a bargain price a few weeks earlier.  I persevered with the GT 2000’s for a few months but I found the new models just weren’t the same as the 2100’s.

I had heard some good reports on various running forums about Activefeet, and as I had a store relatively close to home, I decided to give them a go.  I was prepared for the price to be more than online (obviously), but equally they would be providing a thorough service, this including an assessment, discussion about my requirements and some running on a treadmill.   Did I mention they offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.  I was of the view that I could get the right shoe at Activefeet and when I needed a further pair, I would just by them online, reducing my chance of getting a pair that were no good or the wrong size.

So my Experience.

As soon as I walked into Activefeet, the 2 treadmills were getting a workout by a couple of customers, being monitored by staff with iPads filming their walking and running.  I then noticed a bunch of shoes they had obviously been trying out to determine the most comfortable and best fitting shoe. I came on a Saturday afternoon so it was pretty busy, but I was happy to wait and clearly others were also.

I have been running in Brooks Defyance7 for around 6 months.  They have been an excellent shoe, offering good lateral support and helped me manage my tenosino.  I ran my best Ironman Run split (3:29) earlier in the year and then set a new PB half marathon of 1:28 in them so they were doing the job.  But, the time had come for a refresh.

To continue to push and get closer to myproject40 goal, I was keen to explore a lighter shoe as the Defyance7 tended to get a little heavy on longer runs due to sweat and water from the aid stations being absorbed in the shoe. The inner sole was also hoopeless as it was prone to bunching/folding up on long runs, certainly a design/material fault as I have never encountered this with any other shoes.  My only option has been to use my Asics insert.

 

Initial Fitting

After around 15 minutes, Joel from Activefeet introduced himself and we discussed  my current training, my tenosino and what I was looking for in a shoe.  Joel was a runner himself, doing upwards of 80km per week, so he was well placed to offer advice on shoes.  As I wanted to look at a lighter shoe, we discussed some options, I certainly wasn’t after a pair of racing flats but equally if there was some gains to be made, I was interested.

Joel re-checked my size, then selected several shoes in which to try.  A pair of Asics DS Trainer 20, New Balance Vazee and some Brooks Launch.  On appearance, the New Balance Vazee looked the part, the Brooks were certainly bright and the Asics, well my previous GT2000 experience left me cautious.  I tried the Asics first, they were fairly tight across my mid foot, the New Balance felt pretty good and the Brooks were similiar to the Asics, a bit tight and also stiff across the toes.

Based on this initial fitting, we eliminated the Asics DS Trainers, so we were down to the Brooks and the New Balance.  The Defyance8 were still an option, but I wanted to try the lighter shoes first.

Treadmill Test

So how did they go. I am pretty neutral in my foot strike, and don’t over or under pronate.  So I was keen to get a shoe that provided the support I needed, minimising the medial roll, this being a neutral shoe.

Brooks Launch – After a few strides, they just didn’t feel right, the stiffness across the toes was really noticeable when I was running so very quickly we ruled them out.

New Balance Vazee – I did like the look of these and whilst running, they felt pretty good.  I could see myself buying a pair of these.  As you can see in the video below, my right foot tends to roll inwards slightly. But funny enough, I have had issues with my left achillies as well so I think the medial roll is negligible in the scheme of things. But I am not prepared to risk further aggrevation of my tenosino.

 

Brooks Defyance8 – these were just like my Defyance7 (expected), comfortable straight away and offered great support.  In looking in the video, my inward roll was minimal, slightly less than the New Balance which is a shame as I did like the Vazee.

Conclusion

My experience with Activefeet has been a positive one.  I probably paid $20 more than what I could have purchased the shoes for online, but I had the peace of mind that the shoes I had were right and wouldn’t present any problems.  I’m glad I gave the Vazee and Launch a try and in the future I still may go for a pair of New Balance.  As Joel mentioned, I could use the Defyance for my longer runs and the Vazee for shorter sessions and race day.

I am not sponsored by Activefeet or Brooks for that matter and so my review is independent and unbiased.  What I can say is that the extra cost is certainly worth it given the feedback you get.  So if you are after a pair of shoes, or just want to check that you have the right shoe, give Activefeet a try.