My last post talked about the Mizuno “Run With Us” tour, and today, I got my feet analyzed. I was super glad I got there a little early, because there were already 5 or 6 people in line and more were showing up quickly. Although the analysis only took 10 minutes or so, you still had to wait in line a bit. Luckily, it was set up for groups of two, so the wait wasn’t too bad overall.
Once it was my turn, I went up to the mobile van. They ask you take off your socks and shoes and place your feet on the “precision fit” scanner. It’s like a photo scanner but for your feet. It first scans the general shape of your feet, telling if your feet are normal, have high or low arches, etc. Then, the technician guy asked me a few questions like how many miles I run a week, what pace, and whether I was a heel striker or midfoot striker. Then he asked me to walk barefoot so he could get an idea of my foot rotation.
After that, I hopped back on the scanner and did several different exercises. One was squatting as deeply as possible keeping the heels on the ground. This measured flexibility in the upper ankles joints. The measurement for static leg axis was to stand with your feet together. This test mainly looked at whether you were bow-legged, normal/neutral, or turned inward. The dynamic leg axis exercise consisted of squatting consecutively a few times on one foot. This tested for knee kinematics. There was also a finger test which tested for hypermobility. That test was just raising your pinky with your other hand as far as it could go. Once all the tests were done, the precision fit scanner computes which Mizuno shoe is best for you. Then, you get to try on the shoes and test them out. At the very end, you get a print out of your analysis and a Mizuno running shirt.
So, here was how I fared on the tests:
My feet are normal but have a wide width which I already knew. My right foot has a slightly lower arch than my left. That foot is also longer by a few hundredths of a centimeter and wider by a good 0.46 cm. My right foot also has a slight external rotation which causes the heel to pronate when standing. Gosh, my right foot is really messed up! 
The flexibility in the ankle joint and finger test were all normal. My static leg axis showed a normal/neutral axis and the same with the dynamic leg axis for knee kinematics.
According to this analysis, the two best Mizuno shoes for me are the Wave Inspire 4 and Wave Nirvana.
These shoes acutally fit a similar profile to the ones I’ve been training in–Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8. I tried both shoes and actually liked them. I preferred the Mizuno Wave Inspire 4 better. I was incredibly surprised by the lightness of the shoe. 8.9 oz makes a big difference compared to the 11.0 oz I’m currently running in. Unfortunately, they didn’t havea 6.5 Wide for me to try on, but I got a good enough feel for how I liked them.
Afterwards, I went into the running shop to browse and see if they had the shoes. They didn’t have the shoes and wouldn’t order it for me. That kind of sucked, but I found a pair online for a great price. I decided to go ahead and buy them since my shoes are apparently getting worn. I really thought they would last longer than 3 months! But then again, my mileage has increased.
Anyway, that is how the analysis went. Overall, I thought it was informative and well done. The people were super nice too! I recommend going if you get the chance. Sometimes, even though most of us already know about our feet, it’s nice to get a second opinion.
