Custom Fit by Kindrunner

Woo-hoo and happy Thursday! I hope you are all having an amazing day and with all the great stuff in the world, I wanted to tell you about an AWESOME experience I had this week!
Recently I blogged about Kindrunner (and you can read more about them HERE). I can honestly say, I am still super excited about what they have to offer their customers and when I saw they could do a virtual custom fitting, I took the bait and gave it a try.
I have always dreamed of going into a running store and getting personalized advice, input on my running form, and shoe recommendations. But I must say, it is easier said then done here on Maui. I am sure for some of you, this service is easy to get but guess what, it gets easier and available to those who don't have access to a full service running store.
Just last Friday I filled out their online form. It is easy. Take some pictures of your shoes, they tell you what and how, upload the images, answer a few questions and voila! You are done. The best part is you can to pick when they should call you back. Pick a single day of the week and a time frame and you are done. In all reality, the hardest part was me doing the conversion between the Eastern and Hawaiian time zones. Yes guys, I realize it is just math but there is a catch. We don't do daylight savings here and I never can remember where the rest of you guys are. Trust me, I am sure I have woken up my poor sister many times because I think it is an hour earlier than reality. Sorry sis!
But don't fret. If by chance you forget Kindrunner will be calling you, or on the phone with your darling daughter and give her priority, they will be kind enough to leave you a call back number. Two in fact. They provide an 800 number as well. Yep, I was talking to darling daugher when they called. It was our daily morning chat on her way to school. She calls me at work while daddy takes her. Can't miss that.
So I called Joe (a very cool Kindrunner dude) back and we started talking. Well, he did a lot of the talking providing information and I took notes. He asked questions to clarify things, got to know my running a bit more, why I made the shoe choices I did, what ails my body, and what I do about it. And then, he gave me his two cents, which was right on target to my thoughts in many areas. And don't worry, if you don't want to take notes, or can't keep up, they send you a follow-up email with all the details plus links to suggested shoes/items. Gotta love that!
Now for those of you who caught my statement that his advice was on target to my thoughts let me explain. I felt the Saucony Hurricanes didn't work with my body. I am pretty in tune to things and I felt odd in them. Confirmed - DON'T RUN IN HURRICANES! Not everyone, just me. And some others of course. They are the absolute wrong shoe for me.
I LOVE my Saucony Virrata and Saucony Kinvara4. YAY! Confirmed to be good running shoes for me. And he supported my gut that Virrata was good for my short runs and Kinvara4 was good for my medium runs. That leaves a long run gap. Those Saucony Cohesions that I went through three pairs last year with my two marathons? Okay shoes, good for my running style, but are an athletic vs. technical shoe. Stick with that type of shoe with cushioning but up to the technical line and voila! I have my long run shoe. Joe was kind enough to give me two choices in Saucony (my love), two choices in Brooks, and two choices in Asics. Gotta love choices, right?
Was it worth it? YES! He also provided further insight on how to keep my IT band quiet and taught me that foam rollers don't last forever. Well, some may depending on what they are made from and how. Kinda makes sense. I mean, my bed pillows are less fluffy over time so why wouldn't I break down my standard foam roller after years of intense rolling and applying almost full body weight?
So there you go, in a nutshell, what you can expect from a virtual custom fit via Kindrunner!
I am eager to hear what others think of the virtual custom fit service by Kindrunner. Have you done it? Did you like it? If you haven't done it, what are you waiting for? It is free, takes just minutes, and hey, you might learn something really cool and useful! I did! Now, when do I order my new long run shoes without dear hubby getting concerned about my running shoe collection????
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the opportunity to get a custom fit in the comfort of my home on my schedule.
Daily Affirmation: I know my body.