Latest News
Last Call! Turkey Trot Shirts
If you haven't picked up your Turkey Trot shirt from the 2011 Ridgewood Turkey Trot you will need to do so by Sunday February 5th. We will be sending them back after that date so grab your bib number and swing by Fleet Feet Raleigh and grab yours today.
Fleet Feet Raleigh wins 2011 Best Specialty Running Store Award from Endurance Magazine
We are excited and very humbled to announce that Fleet Feet Sports Raleigh as well as Fleet Feet Sports Carrboro have been awarded 2011 Best Specialty Running Store and Best Place to Buy Running Shoes + Men's + Women's Apparel in the Triangle by Endurance Magazine.
The magazine can be picked up for free at Fleet Feet Raleigh + viewed online @ www.endurancemag.com.
We would like to thank you, our dedicated customers, for this award. You are the ones that inspire us each day to do what we do. Thanks so much and remember YOU are the movement!
Winter 8K Training now OPEN
We are excited for the return of our Winter 8K Training program: "Get Lucky and Train with Us!" Designed for anyone who can comfortably complete 2 miles (or who just finished a fall 5K training), Fleet Feet coaches will train you to complete an 8K (~5 miles) in time for the St. Paddy's Run Green 8K race on March 3rd.
Training in the cold, dreary winter months can be a challenge for the beginner and the experienced runner. What to wear... lack of motivation... and uncertainty of where to begin are all common sentiments after the holidays. Over the past 5 years of offering training programs, we have found the motivation of a group setting to be a key inspiration!
This 8K training begins just after the new year on January 3rd, the perfect time to delve into your resolutions.
GIFT THE PROGRAM: This year, we are offering the 8K training as a gift item for the holidays! For the $80 program registration fee, you can purchase the program for a friend or family member and get a gift box, program certificate, FREE pair of socks, and other goodies! Additional details at Fleet Feet Sports.
ALREADY AN EXPERIENCED RUNNER OR RUN/WALKER? Our program's success hinges on the participation of volunteer mentors who already have the experience and capability of completing an 8K. You don't have to be fast -- we need runners and run/walkers of ALL paces to motivate and encourage participants.
Teaming up with Girls on the Run
THE GOTR CONNECTION
Every spring and fall, hundreds of girls age 8 to 12 participate in a local Girls on the Run training program. Not only does the program teach valuable lessons about positive self-image, it also encourages fitness by training the girls to complete a 5K. As one who has coached in the past for the program, I can vouch for the playful tactics that encourage running. Games and fun incentives are the way to go, and nothing compares with the smiles on girls faces when they reach a new milestone for how far or long they ran at practice.
When Juliellen, Executive Director of the Triangle Chapter, approached us last winter about working with Fleet Feet, it was a definite "yes!" While hundreds of girls prepare for their first 5K event, parents are often left on the sideline wishing there was a way they could participate alongside their daughters but lacking the tools to do so. Some would try couch-to-5K, but with lower success rates. So we thought, why not invite them to join with Fleet Feet Sports and New Balance for our fall No Boundaries training program?
NO BOUNDARIES COUCH-TO-5K TRAINING
This fall our No Boundaries program has a new goal race: the Reindeer Romp on December 5th. It also happens to be the Girls on the Run end of season event, making it ideal for parents of GOTR participants. Why No Boundaries and does it work? Absolutely! We think the gold mine is the interactive component: the expectation that your fellow teammates are counting on you to attend that Tuesday workout that creates accountability and a much higher success rate. Combine that with top-notch coaches and a team of motivational mentors, many of whom have completed the program in a previous season, and you have a recipe for success.
The No Boundaries program is a nationally-acclaimed program between New Balance and Fleet Feet Sports. Every year over 10,000 people nationwide complete a 5K (for many their first) through the program. The best thing about No Boundaries is that it is geared to the true beginner. Whether you're a beginner walker or jogger, there is a group for you! The fall program begins September 13th and will add some new components including a practice 5K that will be open to participants of both No Boundaries and Girls on the Run later in the season. Space is still available for those who are interested.
Why We Don't Use a Foot Scanner
Written by: Stephanie Blozey, Fleet Feet Sports West Hartford, CT
Many people wonder why we don't use a "foot scanner" that you can step on to determine what shoe or insole is right for you. These computerized scanners, which are being installed in drug stores and superstores, show your foot's pressure points and arch type. It's a fancy way of doing the "Wet Test": wet your feet and stand on a surface, like a brown paper bag, that leaves a visible footprint. The wider the band that connects your heel and ball, the lower the arch you have.
Your arch type effects your biomechanics and is an important component of choosing the right shoe for your foot, but it is only part of the FIT story since at least 20% of people's arches act differently than they "should". Here at Fleet Feet Sports, our FIT Process has three main components that help us define your foot and make the best shoe recommendations for you: foot morphology, biomechanical assessment and "other".
Foot morphology is a fancy way of saying that we analyze your foot size, shape and arch type. This is done by visually looking at the foot statically and dynamically (important since you are in motion when you run!) and taking multiple measurements with an old-fashioned Brannock device. This helps us to choose the right size shoe and shoe brand since each shoe company fits a certain shaped foot better. That is why your friend may swear by his Asics shoes, but they cause you pain.
Next, we examine your biomechanics by determining your arch flexibility and doing a gait analysis (either watching you walk barefoot or with our video gait analysis software). This tells us if you overpronate, supinate or are naturally efficient which in turn, governs what type of shoe (neutral, stability or motion control) you need, as well as the curvature of your shoe's last. Key here is arch flexibility since a rigid arch needs extra cushioning to help attenuate the shock produced when the foot hits the ground at forces of 2-4 times body weight. Whereas, a flexible arch disperses shock better, but all that flexibility in the mid and fore foot can cause overpronation which stresses and torques your feet, shins, knees, hips and back causing its own host of problems.
Finally, we take other special considerations into account like your gender, weight, training surface, weekly mileage, injury status, orthotics and structural deviations in the foot like bunions and extra bones. We put all this data together and bring out 2-3 pairs of shoes that we think will fit you best. Don't be surprised if one of those first shoes feels amazing - it means that we did our job right!
When you think about it, the foot is a marvelous structure. It has 28 bones (including the sesmoids), 33 joints, 112 ligaments, plus tendons, nerves and blood vessels that work in unison to support, balance and propel your body. No two feet are exactly the same nor do they always fit into a specific category. Don't cheat your feet and let a computer scan recommend an orthotic or running shoe for you. An injury is going to cost you a lot more, monetarily and mentally, than a good pair of shoes. Invest in your feet. Let our Fit Professionals teach you about your feet and help you find the perfect fit. We guaranteed it!
Tom Raynor Inducted Into NSGA Hall Of Fame
The CEO of Fleet Feet, Incorporated, Tom Raynor, will be inducted into the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) Hall of Fame at a ceremony tomorrow, during the 47th Annual NSGA Management Conference. The NSGA has honored Sporting Goods leaders since 1956 but this year’s inductees bring the total number of Hall of Famers to only 150.