Ok, so some of you requested yesterday said they would be interested in how I got on with my Gait Analysis today. This is my experience and this is an honest account of it.
After a VERY QUICK "consultation" the staff member asked me my shoe size and immediately put me into a (Neutral) £120 pair of Brooks, which were comfortable but not really noticeably different from my £30 pair of Karrimors I took along. Firstly I have never had this done before and only ran on a treadmill once previous so was a bit strange. For those (like me) that this is a new experience, they get you on the treadmill and film your foot strike, knee position and hips. Filmed from the rear and a 15 sec burst. The good thing is they play it back to you on a decent sized TV screen and describe the footage. So, what am I? The test showed I'm a "neutral" foot strike and that it showed I had no issues, which was reassuring. Nothing was mentioned about my hips or knees so assumed ok?????
Pros: Very pleasant helpful staff member. The actual Gait Analysis service I think is brilliant and does show your strike pattern/pronating position. It allows you to run a short distance in a pair of shoes before purchase. To her credit, she did say I could try another pair on the treadmill too. You could go to Sports Direct, pay £150 for the latest pair of fashion Nike's and the young assistant will just take your money!!!
Cons: I couldn't help feeling that whilst the actual Gait Analysis service was a good thing, it did leave my questioning the science behind it and the assistants explanation of my footage.
I did say the staff member was helpful above. However, when I asked her why I should pay £120 for the shoes she put me in comparison to a pair of Brooks on display at £75 she couldn't answer. Therfore my statement of the test above about the science was questionable.
Conclusion: Test is worth doing (certainly if you don't have to pay) so you at least know your strike pattern. I think staff training was needed on product. I could have just been unlucky and got someone who perhaps hasn't been with the company long?
Had I been more confident in the assistant I probably would have handed over my card!!
Sadly I came home, looked online and found some great deals on Asics Gel 7 & 11 under £50!!
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Rayblade900
Graduate10
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I have to say that doesn't sound a terribly good GA.... at my local store they would put you in neutral shoes to start with, and film you in those, unless they knew your gait already from previous visits. Last time I went to my local store they brought out 6 pairs and filmed me in all of them, despite the fact that they already know I over pronate. I narrowed it down to 2 pairs and I was told to run outside wearing one of each so I could decide which were best.
In the end I bought both pairs, and personally would not take advantage of free GA then come home and order online. Maybe that's just me, maybe it's because my local shop is a small independent where they will spend as much as two hours with you, checking your old shoes, making sure the shoes you buy are right for you, and advising on pre and post run stretching.
Hi Curlygurly. Firstly my intention was not there to have a FREEBIE G.A.I also stated that had I been more confident I would have bought. Not a time waster as hate that in my trade.
She did put me in a neutral shoe and will edit my post with this.
I had every intention to use my local store as I like to promote local businesses. However when they emailed me back with £120 for a G.A I thought... no way!!
I don't think that Curlygurly2 is suggesting you're a timewaster Rayblade900 , and it appears your experience of gait analysis wasn't great.
However, as I said in my reply to your original post, the advice and quality of service that I received from my local shop (in France) absolutely justified the price of my shoes. In fact, as the shop had 20% off for the sales it turned out I couldn't have got them cheaper elsewhere.
I could, of course, have bought different, much cheaper shoes, but (again as per my original reply) I prefer to save on running clothing. Also, I now run much further and on different terrain than I did during C25K, and I need shoes that will stand up to that. I'm not saying cheap shoes wouldn't, but I am saying that my non-cheap ones have got me through almost 800km over the past six months and are only now starting to show signs of wear.
I most certainly didn't say you intended to have a freebie, I said I wouldn't take a free one myself. My local shop charges £20 for GA, deducted from the price of your shoes should you decide to buy some on the day - seems very fair to me.
I suspect there is a wide range in the quality of these types of services. My local specialist independent running shop offers a bio-mechanical assessment, where they have you bare foot doing various things, and then eventually watch you walk and run in different shoes. It takes quite a long time and always feels thorough. Equally I have been in a shop where someone looked at a few seconds of video clip and I wasn’t at all sure they knew what they were doing.
Good luck with your newly ordered shoes. Great you’ve been through the experience and can now make a judgement knowing you are good with a neutral shoe. Happy running 🤗
When I was looking for gait analysis, I had the choice between a runners need or a non chain shop. I chose the latter partly because they offered 45 min appointments rather than 15 mins at runners need. The girl who helped me seemed very knowledgeable. Rather than rely on a treadmill and cameras, she mostly talked to me, finding out what I needed, any physical problems I had, looked at my old shoes etc while trying on lots of different pairs. And lots of tips on different ways of tying laces which sends trivial but really helped with one of the issues I was having! Anyway, I only got into the treadmill at the end to test my suggested new pair... And best of all I was told that I could take them back over the first month or so for a full refund if they didn't work for me as they didn't want to be recommending something that want right. However, they seem ideal and I've had them a couple of months, so I'm pleased.
I think the difference is how much confidence you have in the shop staff...I might have walked away in your situation too!
Hi Devon_straggler and thanks for your reply. The shop I went to had really great reviews so I think I was just unlucky? I would much prefer to deal with an independent as on the whole you do tend to get a better level of service/attention (broadly speaking). I also agree with what Curlygurly said about the personal 1-1 attention. Her shop spent 2 hrs and checking her existing shoes which Runners Need didn't. Ultimately it's about our health. Running in wrong shoes can lead to injury.
I went to runners need (in Camden) and had a really good experience, I think you may be right - its down to the staff member as to how knowledgeable they are, and therefore how much you get out of it.
I think I tried on about 5/6 different shoes and had all of them filmed - it was really cool to see how my pronate gradually became more supported with each pair!
£130 for the shoes, along with another £13 for a pair of socks 🤦♂️ was a lot, but I felt confident they were the right ones for me. 250Km later I know they were!
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