I have to admit that I’m a dreadful shopper. Generally I’m rubbish at the whole girly shopping thing. I can never find what I’m looking for, they never, ever have my size and I trudge around aimlessly, infuriating everyone I meet!
Today was different. Today was lovely. I went shopping … at Advance Performance, a specialist shop for runners in Peterborough – you don’t have to only run in Peterborough obviously 
What an amazing place! Set in a business park, I have to admit I was slightly dubious about how good this place was going to be…but once through the doors … heaven! Clearly these guys know ‘running’.
Within moments of arriving, I was approached by Adam (sorry forgot to take a photo) who guided me through everything I needed..and he didn’t direct me to the really expensive stuff straight away either…I managed to find it all on my own! Adam is clearly very knowledgable about running and, bless him, didn’t even blush when I asked him about sports bras!…well only a little!
With an armful of new running clobber, tried and tested in the spacious and well lit changing rooms, Adam suggested we look at my running shoes. Advance Performance have a really neat facility – pop your shoes on, jump on the treadmill and cameras record your running style and gait. I was a little wary of simply rolling up my jeans and pulling on a pair of runners but it turned out to be an enlightening experience.
Running on a treadmill in a busy store is a little odd, I have to admit, even odder with rolled up jeans and I was a little worried as to just how bad my style was going to look. Adam’s diagnosis was clear for all to see – good heel-strike and landing position but quickly into over-pronation, (where the foot rolls inward after landing putting a strain on the achilles tendon) particularly on my left foot. So with that in mind, we checked out several pairs of shoes..each pair checked on the treadmill-cam..until finally a great pair of Saucony’s fit the bill. The footage (pun intended) showed a dramatic improvement – the over-pronation was gone!
So, Adam, if you’re reading this .. thank you .. the world’s worst shopper really enjoyed herself today!!…I’ll be back.
For the record, today’s shopping spree resulted in the purchase of: reflective kit for my scary night runs, spare set of shorts (lycra this time) and Ron Hill outer top, Falke warm tight-fit under layer, ..and yes, I even bought RunSpeedOne socks designed for women and specific running knickers!
All I hope for now is that performance equals appearance! 
Hi Joanna
It was a pleasure serving you at the weekend; I’m glad that I was able to spend the time with you to get all the right gear that you were looking for!
I shall keep checking this site to track your progress over the forthcoming months and will look forward to when Andrew comes into the store to check his shoes out – then the tables will have turned and you can watch him run on the treadmill!
Adam