Asics outlet, Kildare village

MarcusP12

Hi folks,

I'm in the market for a new pair of midrange runners, preferably asics. Budgeting up to 100 quid. I'm not a serious operator. I'm in the 5 to 10 km bracket but not exactly gunning it yet!

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of buying asics runners in Kildare village?i browsed there before and they seem well discounted if you are to believe their quoted rrp.do the staff know their stuff?i know serious runners say to go to specialist shops for the advice but for a novice like me, I'd be happy with a decent steer from the staff and good value. Would I get that there?heading there anyway so would be good to sort out new runners there. What about the Nike store either? What's their range like?

Cheers in advance for the tips...

Finnt

I was only in there once and to be honest, I'd sooner buy shoes in a specialized running shop mightn't be as cheap but at least you'll know they're right for you. Nothing worse than running in the wrong running shoes.

Reg'stoy

As above you are much better off going to a specialist store like amphibian king. If like me you are mainly doing 5k and 10k runs then you are spending up to an hour a time running. Running for that amount of time in the wrong runners will probably be uncomfortable and could well lead to an injury.

Have been back to them a good few times now for new runners and they always do gait analysis and based on this they have given me at least three options in runners to try. They have always given me a discount as a repeat customer and last time threw in a pair of Hilly's.

Cheap runners are cheap, but proper advise and proper fitting are well worth the extra you might pay. I paid about €4 more for mine than on amazon. Not bad for proper advice and piece of mind knowing if anything was wrong I wouldn't be posting runners back to god knows where.

MarcusP12

Thanks for the replies guys....I hear ye on the whole getting checked out for the right runners but surely the asics store, all be it an outlet, would provide that service if I wanted?

Reg'stoy

MarcusP12 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys....I hear ye on the whole getting checked out for the right runners but surely the asics store, all be it an outlet, would provide that service if I wanted?

I understand where you're coming from, but in fairness all they can show you are asics runners and bar they've had any proper training in gait analysis you could end up with a runner for an over pronator when you need a neutral one.

Until the first time I saw myself over pronate on video and then saw the correction and felt the difference when trying on a proper runner suited to my gait, I would have said the same.

When I first started running seriously and by seriously I don't mean long distance, just running to de-stress (ended up doing a couple of full and half marathons) , I went into a 'sports' store asked a young fella about running shoes, he pointed out some runners and I ended up walking out with a pair of trail runners, horrible uncomfortable yokes.

Until I asked a workmate who ran a lot, about advise on runners and he sent me over to the lads in Bray, I too would have went for the cheapest pair.

They'll check your arches, check your gait, ask you about distance, surface you'll run on and offer you choices based on their experience. They'll even let you go for a run around the carpark to check them out.

At least if you do get checked out you can get your next pair from a discount store or on-line knowing what type of runner that would suit you.

By the way I don't work for amphibian king, I just liked the personal touch. The lads on this forum will be able to tell you about other specialist stores that can do what they do. You've thought about your choices and asked here so why not drop in to any of the stores and ask them.

MarcusP12

Thanks for the extra feedback Reg'stoy....for the record, i don't intend to get a cheap pair of runners. I was attracted by the price of the more expensive ones which, as i said, if you believe the RRP, represent good value, e.g. 90 yo yos down from 150 or something like that...so a better runner for my decent, i think, budget....

I think my plan will be to call into the asics store with the above advice in mind and see how i get on. we're going there anyway so may as well see what they offer. I know what service i should be getting so if they do a thorough assessment of me along the lines of what you've advised, then i might give them a go if there's a pair that takes my fancy. If not, i'll certainly check out the more bespoke stores closer to home.

So ye know, my current plodders are Asics Gel 1150. Probably a budget pair by higher standard but they've served me well so happy to stick with Asics. They don't seem to have much of a "spring" in them any more and i've had them maybe 3 or 4 years now with intermittent use so it has me thinking its time for a change.....

BeepBeep67

MarcusP12 wrote: »

Thanks for the extra feedback Reg'stoy....for the record, i don't intend to get a cheap pair of runners. I was attracted by the price of the more expensive ones which, as i said, if you believe the RRP, represent good value, e.g. 90 yo yos down from 150 or something like that...so a better runner for my decent, i think, budget....

I think my plan will be to call into the asics store with the above advice in mind and see how i get on. we're going there anyway so may as well see what they offer. I know what service i should be getting so if they do a thorough assessment of me along the lines of what you've advised, then i might give them a go if there's a pair that takes my fancy. If not, i'll certainly check out the more bespoke stores closer to home.

So ye know, my current plodders are Asics Gel 1150. Probably a budget pair by higher standard but they've served me well so happy to stick with Asics. They don't seem to have much of a "spring" in them any more and i've had them maybe 3 or 4 years now with intermittent use so it has me thinking its time for a change.....

Spending more doesn't equate to getting a better runner, as above it's about getting the right runner for you.
I could spend €150 on a pair of motion control shoes, but I would end up getting injured, most of my running shoes are bought for €50 - €80.

sconhome

MarcusP12 wrote: »

. I was attracted by the price of the more expensive ones which, as i said, if you believe the RRP, represent good value, e.g. 90 yo yos down from 150 or something like that...so a better runner for my decent, i think, budget....

In my experience this thinking is the biggest cause of injury in new to the sport runners.

You might be surprised at the value you can find in the AK stores, its not about the most expensive shoe, it's the one that's right. I'd rather justify the price of the correct shoe than the cost of the wrong ones.

MarcusP12

No offence AKW but the paragraph after the one you quote does imply that I intend to get assessed before deciding to purchase...thanks for the contribution though!

On an aside,a buddy of mine who's a lot more into the running than I'll ever be says that he rotates shoes depending on distance and speed of the session.he says he never spends mor than 50 to 80 on shoes that would be on offer.he also reckons asics are overpriced and that Nike and Adidas are just as good for the average punter...any thoughts on this guys?

rainbow kirby

MarcusP12 wrote: »

he also reckons asics are overpriced and that Nike and Adidas are just as good for the average punter...any thoughts on this guys?

Very individual thing. I tend to run mostly in Asics shoes, but I need a lot of support and I find some other brands that do very supportive shoes are an awkward fit on me (7 is too small and 7.5 is too big in Brooks :mad: ). Other people will find that they absolutely swear by a Nike shoe, an Adidas shoe, a Saucony shoe - the only real way to find out is to try a lot of shoes!

Asics are expensive, but the cost can be mitigated somewhat by looking out for deals and older models. I still don't have a pair of current season Kayanos and it won't be that long until the newest model is released in the autumn! Start Fitness tend to have deals quite frequently. Paid £80 for my last pair and intend to pay something similar for my next ones.

sconhome

MarcusP12 wrote: »

No offence AKW but the paragraph after the one you quote does imply that I intend to get assessed before deciding to purchase...thanks for the contribution though!

On an aside,a buddy of mine who's a lot more into the running than I'll ever be says that he rotates shoes depending on distance and speed of the session.he says he never spends mor than 50 to 80 on shoes that would be on offer.he also reckons asics are overpriced and that Nike and Adidas are just as good for the average punter...any thoughts on this guys?

No offence taken. I did note that you intended a thorough assessment, as a previous poster said you won't get a choice so it will just be whatever ASICS they have there that is closest in both size and function.

Some ASICS shoes are expensive as are the other brands. All I'm suggesting is that the right ASICS / Nike / Adidas / Puma any other brand will be better for you than an expensive shoe.

Best of luck with the search.

wrstan

MarcusP12 wrote: »

he also reckons asics are overpriced ...

From a long time Asics user: I think it would be very hard for anyone to argue against the fact that Asics are over priced. In fact in some cases their prices border on taking the proverbial!

However, they work well with my feet, and despite a number of attempts to move to other brands, I end up back with the same Asics shoe for my bread and butter steady and long runs. Apart from the price, I have never regretted a pair - I just know these shoes work for me. I do keep an eye out for reduced prices, offers, last year's model etc. This may mean me picking up a pair in Kildare village when I am passing. But I know exactly what I'm looking for, if they're on the shelf in my size, with a decent discount, I pick them up and throw them in the boot until they're needed, I don't need to talk to anyone or try them on.

Incidentally it was AK who first recommended the particular shoe to me when I started to get back into running about 6 years ago - a solid recommendation, to a highly satisfied customer.

MarcusP12 wrote: »

... and that Nike and Adidas are just as good for the average punter...any thoughts on this guys?

This part of your buddy's opinion makes no sense IMHO. It may be correct, however it may not be, so it is a very risky assumption to make, it all depends on the runner. I have experimented with other shoes, unadvised, largely driven by discounts and I can say that I have never had a happy experience. It has ranged from at best, a shoe that I just couldn't fall in love with, to a shoe that I believed contributed to injury.

I agree with other posters that it is a highly risky strategy to experiment with different shoes* without decent advice. For now I'm sticking to my bread and butter shoe for bread and butter running and will seek AK advice before I change or for anything else such as a racer or tempo shoe - heck I may even buy a pair of shoes there ;);).



* unless you're like Imelda "BeepBeep" Marcos and Xhave a pair for each day of the year and and extra pair on Olympic years, then you clearly know what you're doing

MarcusP12

Thanks for all the advise folks....i guess when i referred to my buddy and his opinion that Adidas and nike were as good, I should have have qualified that it was based on his wide range of experience. Its fair to say that it might not be the case for me. I popped into Elvery's yesterday and they put me on the threadmill and check out my stride and they said i'd a slight over-pronation. I'm told this is pretty common? Means i'm best suited to a stability type shoe.....nike lunarglide was recommended to me and they felt nice...asics GT1000 was also recommended but i'd be happy to give Nike a go....i've never really experienced any specific pain or discomfort as a result of the type of runner i'm using so is it a case that it isn't "critical" to me? Will see what advice i get in Kildare village Asics and Nike Store but if its half baked, i'll hold off....i might try and pick up another pair and rotate to see which brand suit me best for when i go again maybe.....

Beef

MarcusP12 wrote: »

.i might try and pick up another pair and rotate to see which brand suit me best for when i go again maybe.....

Just a thought on this, if you end up getting injured after a month, which pair of shoes did it to you?

BeepBeep67

wrstan wrote: »

* unless you're like Imelda "BeepBeep" Marcos and Xhave a pair for each day of the year and and extra pair on Olympic years, then you clearly know what you're doing

That's a gross exaggeration - did get me thinking it was time for a group photo though

ooter

shoe porn.

wrstan

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

That's a gross exaggeration - did get me thinking it was time for a group photo though

Ha ha. That's brilliant.

What about last months group though. :pac: :pac: :pac:

Bahanaman

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

That's a gross exaggeration - did get me thinking it was time for a group photo though

How many pairs of St5s does a fella need?!!

BeepBeep67

Bahanaman wrote: »

How many pairs of St5s does a fella need?!!

That's my 'go to' shoe > 50% mileage = 4 pairs per year :P

Bahanaman

Have only one pair meself! Love them. Only use them for races and the faster stuff in training. Need a bit more shoe for the higher mieage stuff. You'll surely be getting the new mad blue ones?!

BeepBeep67

Bahanaman wrote: »

Have only one pair meself! Love them. Only use them for races and the faster stuff in training. Need a bit more shoe for the higher mieage stuff. You'll surely be getting the new mad blue ones?!

Just checking I've 1400 across the 4 of those, so I'll be due a pair when the autumn / winter mileage starts. A bit disappointed they didn't move to an ST6, they could shave a bit of weight and a few mms off the heel to toe. But I guess they're chucking all their R&D $'s at the 'pure' and 'transcend' projects.