Kate gives me some exercises to do at home and then she writes me out a 'shoe prescription' for trainers that will better support my feet when I'm jogging than the ones I'm currently wearing.
I take that along to Shoe Clinic on Victoria Street where director Andrew Sheath reckons he can sort me out a new pair of running shoes.
Andrew gets me to roll my feet in and out then gets me to stand on tippy toes, then balance on each foot.
Next up, he puts an sensor pad on the floor and gets me to run over it several times, each time striking one foot on the pad which registers my stride. By running across the sensor pad a digital print is produced of your foot as it lands, which indicates the anatomy of your foot, the pressure points and your biomechanical running style.
The stride patterns from the pad are relayed to a nearby computer where Andrew shows me the patterns on screen.
"Hmmm, the entire left foot touches the pad ... it's really flat ... I'd probably only see one or two in every hundred like that."
Why am I not surprised?
With that in mind, Andrew set about figuring which shoes would be appropriate for me to try; something that would help support the flat part of my feet and which would be wide enough to comfortably accommodate the width.
Feeling a bit like an extra from Cinderella, Andrew tried several shoes before we found the pair that were perfect for me: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16, which are billed as a "go-to shoe for over pronators".
I could feel the extra support beneath the middle of my feet which I'm told is thanks to Brooks' BioMoGo DNA midsole - it provides adaptive cushioning while a progressive diagonal rollbar provides added support.
Along with deep V grooves for a smooth transition and no sew upper, the Adrenaline 16 is ready to take on the miles.
The following day I took them for a blat around Lake Ngaroto's newly upgraded 6km track. A mix of metal trails and boardwalks, it's a picturesque jaunt.
The middle of my feet felt a little achy to begin with, perhaps because they weren't used to having the extra support beneath them but that soon eased. Not yet fit enough to jog the whole 6kms, I mixed it up with some walks in between. By the time I got back to the car my legs felt like sufficiently worn out, but my feet felt like they could keep going if they had to.
I think my flipper feet and the Brooks are going to be very good friends.
Hamilton's Shoe Clinic is at 437 Victoria St. Phone 839 7100 or visit www.shoeclinic.co.nz.
Advance Wellness Centre is at 711 Victoria St. For more information see www.advancewellness.nz.
