My Shoe Buying Experience – Shelley Hanna

 

Yesterday I went to Shoe Clinic in Napier to get properly fitted out with running shoes. 
 
I have a perfectly good pair of Asics but they have been giving me stiff calves so I decided to relegate them to ‘gym shoes’ and upgrade.  Matt at Shoe Clinic got me to run over a flat pad thingee that told him how I placed my feet, and then said that I had good arches ‘for my age’ (no he didn’t really, that’s just what I was thinking).   Then he brought out the first pair of shoes with modest support and got me to jog on the treadmill while the cameras rolled….boy I had to concentrate so as not to go flying off the back, how embarrassing would that be! 

Looking at my running feet on the computer screen I could see my left ankle rolling in a bit, oh dear!  But I think Matt has seen much worse as he didn’t seem too concerned.  But the next pair of shoes he brought out did have a bit more support and they felt amazing.  Back on the treadmill for more filming, and I could see straight away that these Adidas shoes were doing what they should and my leg was much straighter.  We tried two more pairs for good measure but came back to the Adidas pair.  I asked if they came in any other colour than PINK but the answer was no, so pink it is. 

I got round to asking about the price ($250!) but lucky me, I got 10% off for being a member of the Hawkes Bay Multi Sport Club, another 8% off as they happened to be running a special, PLUS an Adidas running top worth $5 million (well, maybe $50).   I can see myself running faster already!  Matt tells me the shoes will be good for 800 – 1000km so that will get me through to the marathon especially if I use the Asics from time to time or even my old Ryka trainers that are oh so comfortable but minus a layer of rubber on the soles. 
 
Yes thanks for asking, the training has been going well. I’ve been doing 3 to 4 runs a week from 6 – 12km each time.  Last week Bruce & I spent 3 days tramping in the Kaweka ranges which proved to be excellent cross training.  Instead of running 8km/7km/8km we tramped UPHILL the first day for 3 hours with 16kg packs (actually his was heavier); downhill the next day for 3 hours; and then up and down for 3 hours on the last day.  OMG were my quads stiff!   But the next run I went on was soooo much easier and I felt much stronger.  So when they talk about the value of ‘weight bearing exercise’ believe me, it does work!  
 
I’ve joined Peak Fitness Gym in Havelock North and they kindly waived the joining fee to help me on my way with my marathon challenge.  What nice people they are.  Peak Fitness has all the Les Mills BodyBalance, BodyStep, BodyPump & Spin classes as well as a big gym with great equipment so I’ve got no excuse not to do lots of cross training.
 
A couple of weeks ago I met Brad Clark the GM Fundraising for CanTeen in Auckland.  What a nice guy and typical I think of the people who work for CanTeen and do so much to help their young members, and get so much back from them as well.
 
A big thank you to my sponsors to date – I’ve raised $184 already.   I’m hoping to reach my $3700 target by the end of February (with the marathon on 6 March) – that’s 100 people sponsoring me $37 OR 185 people sponsoring me $20.   Every bit will help to get a lucky CanTeen member to Outward Bound!
 
To see how the fundraising is going go to:
 
http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/ShelleyHanna/
 
Thanks for your support!
 
Cheers
Shelley