Multi sport punters get your goodies at Wiggle

Multi sport past times such as triathlon require all manner of exciting products that your standard high street sports shop may struggle to supply. Where to go for a pair of pro jammers and similar daily challenges. There are a number of specialist shops dotted about the country but if a trip to one of these isn't likely to get a pass from home then you are left with online suppliers for your sport addictions. Wiggle are just a supplier (www.wiggle.co.uk) who offer everything from socks to time trial bikes. In addition to a mobile optimised site that supports its shopping basket with a favourites and wish list function it also has customer reviews directly referenced per product which can be a life saver for buying a new item that you have not seen in the flesh before. This customer reive system also suppliers customer profiling so you can relate your own needs and experience levels against those providing your review. Great range of products but even more valuable epic review information available. 

The customer experience of entering a half ironman

January brings a flood of good intentions as people give up booze and chocolate and embark upon fitness regimes that from the outset are doomed to fail. It also sparks interest in what can be achieved in the forthcoming new year full of hope and ambition. Endurance athletes look upon the new year as a chance to set some new targets and select which events will shape their year picking off their "A" race. The "A" race is the big one, the one that you build towards with all the others ne'er stepping stones to this pinnacle of effort. For those looking at triathlons the ironman and half ironman events (such as www.cotswold113.com) tempt year after year. Stepping up to these distances brings most out in a sweat at the mere thought of it.  With half ironman faced with a 1.9km swim followed by 90km bike and finished off with a 20km run simple maths leads you to what the full ironman entails by doubling these scary numbers. Entering the event for the first time involved extensive procrastination as you try to get your head around how exercising for 6 or 14 hours respectively might feel?   Nothing helps give you a frame of reference even of having lesser distances in the same field. As a customer you ponder the checkout page and the point of no return for entering knowing that this will start a road of pain and commitment straining work and personal relationships along the way not to mention financial drain to equip you for this. The result could be epic but at the point of entering the feeling is anything but. 

The customer experience of new running trainers

As we work our way into January the New Years resolutions come alive or quickly are forgotten as the alcohol and chocolate return. Many New Years resolutions would have set ambition health and fitness regimes with gym memberships committed to and personal trainers rubbing their hands with glee as fresh meat sign up for a fitness programme they will not maintain. For some this new found motivation will mean an excuse to buy some new kit and throw money at the problem of getting healthy. The shiny new trainers are extracted from their box looking resplendent with garish colour schemes and branded logos covering square inch of material. These new trainers give you the belief you could run that marathon and maybe a four minute mile is possible. As you run in them your feet realise just how poor your old running shoes were and these are like running on fluffy protective clouds making running a joy. Five miles in and that is soon forgotten as all you can feel is pain and discomfort as sweat cakes your entire body and you long to be home and out of your trainers doing anything but exercise. New trainers. Epic for all beginning their run and soon loathed along with everything else in your gym locker. 

Feel the burn - The customer experience of a sports massage

Middle Aged Men In Lycra (M.A.M.I.L) are a growing phenomenon in the UK following our recent dominance in cycling. But this exercise boom in those over 30 isn't limited to just cycling with a number of other sports also seeing a huge rise in membership numbers and participation in organised events.  Taken seriously this often results in months of training, investing more than 10 hours a week juggled alongside busy family and working life. Indeed many using their daily commute as the bulk of their training be it running or cycling. Squeezing more and more into our busy lives does not come without its difficulties as life can be stressful enough without having to consider the best approach to an intensive training session before 6am so you can still make the office for 9. The result is sports physiotherapy is also seeing an increase as these more mature athletes batter their bodies and need all the help they can get to get back from an injury or sometimes simply back from a heavy training session that has broken them. The customer experience for this is an awkward one with most of us not regular visitors to a masseuse, indeed most of us hiding from the prospect of going to the doctor unless something is actually falling off.  The experience is worth it though as more often than not a single visit can bring immediate relief and often more advise and tips on avoiding injury than you would glean from a years sports magazine reading. We aren't ready for it to be epic but seeing documentaries where the likes of Andy Murray have a sports physio as part of their permanent team is beginning to make it all feel more normal and helping us to feel epic once more.