Find Your Perfect fit

What to Expect

Visiting a running store for your first shoe fitting can be intimidating. In fact, all of us at Runners’ Retreat know what it feels like. We’ve all been there when we first began our running journey.

A shoe fitting can be intimidating, but it’s well worth it. It’ll help you be successful and make running more enjoyable than it can be otherwise. Each shoe in our store is a quality running shoe, but we make sure you walk out with the right shoe – possibly insert as well – by evaluating your walk and run. 

And with this helpful guide, you’ll have an even more successful fitting experience by avoiding common blunders. You may even walk out with tips for injury prevention and treatment, strength training, or nutrition!

If you have them, bring your old running shoes for us to examine if you have them. We’ll check for things like wear patterns to help us figure out what your gate is like. (If you’re new to running just bring your bare feet so we can watch you walk.)

Be prepared to answer questions! We’ll ask you lots of questions like “how much do you run a week?” or “do you have or have you had any running related injuries?” And please don’t answer with “Well, I’m not a real runner.” Are you getting off the couch, putting your shoes on, and hitting the treadmill or road on a regular basis? Have you ever run in a race? Then you’re a runner. It’s a lifestyle, not a number of miles run in your lifetime.

Finally, be prepared to ask questions! No stupid questions exist. Here’s some great ones to ask us:

• How’s my gait? Anything I can do to improve it?
• Do you recommend a second pair of shoes?
• Would I benefit from inserts in my shoes?
• What does [fill in the blank] mean?
• Do you have any shoes on clearance?
• Is it normal for this shoe to feel like [fill in the blank]?

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list. We love answering your questions, so throw ’em at us!