This section of my website used to be dedicated to triathlon training, personal race results and certification reviews, like Turbo Kick. I am expanding it to include more generic health & fitness topics. Also, I talk a lot about "D" -- he's my husband (Dave Liu)!

Thursday, March 20, 2003

RYKÄ shoe purchase

I've been an avid Nike shoe fan for years. Now that I am certified and teaching, I've been scouring the various instructor alliance programs to see what's available at discount prices. Naturally, I first went to Nike's Instructor Network Program. I was disappointed with the selection and also the generic usability of the site. I was looking for a very specific shoe, and went to several of their websites/subdomains to track it down. Nike.com is their main site, but did you know they subdivide that into Niketown (online store), Nike ID (custom shoe site), and Nike Goddess (women only)? Each has a different look and feel complete with whiz bang flash and cool effects, but for all their neat features, I found the sites frustrating and difficult to navigate. I tried contacting them via their live chat function but the connection was terminated partway through the discussion both times. And to add insult to injury, I just got a letter saying that they're canceling the Instructor Network Program. So that's it. I tried really hard to buy from Nike. Really.

After my dismal experience, I looked at other programs including RYKÄ since they are well known for making aerobic shoes for women. I was originally put off by the fact that the smallest size they carried was a US 5.5, but I called customer service to register for their program anyway. The lady I spoke to was incredibly helpful. She instructed me on how I could register online through their website (when you get to their main site, click on the tab at the top that says RITA (RYKÄ Instructor and Trainer Alliance). Since I have tiny feet, she said the only pair she could only recommend was the RYKÄ Supra. Apparently, the black ones run a little smaller than the white, so I bought the smallest size in both to see which will fit better. There's even free shipping since this is my first order as a new alliance member!

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