Before you find your perfect pair of running shoes, check out these tools to help you better understand the process and products.
The quick version:
- Come into the shop (if you can't you can also chat with us online).
- We'll ask you a few questions on your current shoes, what you're looking for, your goals, any injuries and more.
- We'll pick out a few shoes to get started with. Sometimes we find the right one almost right away and sometimes it takes a bit longer.
- Throughout this process we're going to get feedback from you, see what's working and what you may want to change.
Our goal is for you to be happy with your purchase and love the run. If you find you've made a mistake after purchasing your shoes, we've got you covered with our return policy and the simple fact we really care if your shoes work for you. Never hesitate to talk to us - whether you love your shoes or not, we want to know.
The full version
First things first when it comes to purchasing new running shoes: don’t pigeonhole yourself. Just because you have flat feet and overpronate a little, doesn’t mean you automatically need a shoe with a lot of stability or support. And just because ‘that guy at work’ told you his are the best shoes on the planet to run a marathon PB in, doesn’t mean they’ll be the best for your feet.
Once you’ve decided to take the plunge, let us get acquainted with you and your feet. Come dressed to do a little bit of running, and a lunge or two. Be honest; tell us what you like and what you don't like from your running shoes. Give us some background - what are your goals, how much do you run, tell us about that broken ankle ten years ago that still bothers you every now and then.
Everyone is different, and whether you feel confident selecting shoes yourself, or need our guidance to figure out what will work for you, we’ll spend as long as it takes to make sure you’re happy. Once we’ve had a chat, taken a look at your feet, and assessed any amber flags (imbalances, weaknesses, special requests), we’ll talk you through your options and get you some shoes to try for fit.
We’re big believers in not letting a shoe fix temporarily what a good physio and solid, consistent strength training can fix for life. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for a stability shoe, we just don’t like to rely on them when a footbed can provide temporary support while you work on those weaknesses/imbalances. Trust us, you’ll make an even stronger runner in the long term.
Simply walking up and down the store for a couple of minutes isn’t always the best gauge of how a shoe is going to feel when you’re running in it for an hour or more. While we can’t let you go and run your goal marathon in them before you make your mind up, we strongly encourage everyone who is trying on new shoes to take them out for a spin around the block before they commit - when you're in the shop we highly encourage it. Go uphill, downhill, fast, slow, and steady, and most of all try not to overthink things - your first instinct is usually right, and if the shoe feels good on the first try, there’s a strong chance you’ve found your perfect match.
We might come and watch you run in the shoes - don’t be shy, we only want to check the shoe is going to help you become the best running version of yourself. Along with checking the shoe for length, width and general fit to your foot, watching you run helps us assure you your shoe decision is the right one.
We are well aware that some people need a little longer than others to make decisions in life, and that’s fine - take your time. Ask us questions, go for another run, try one shoe on one foot, another on the other, just don’t feel pressured. We never claim to have the perfect shoe for everyone, so if you haven’t found yours with us, we won’t get upset if you go elsewhere - just make sure you send all your friends to us instead.
Buying running shoes is different for everyone, but we try not to overcomplicate things; like many things in life, simple is often best. Whether you’re looking for a change or want to buy the 10th iteration of your lifetime partner shoe, we’ll try to make the experience as straightforward as possible, so you can get back to loving the run.
TOOLS
How we describe our shoes
