Sunday, December 28, 2008

Warriors!


Today after our weekly Sunday morning run, Fleet Feet proudly presented three Winter Warriors with their official Winter Warrior shirts! These shirts cannot be purchased...you must earn them!

Since the WW program started in early December, Laura Kantor, Darla Askew, and Chris Askew have each attended 15 workout, and amassed 75 points, to earn their coveted shirts (Biener also now has 75 points, but he's shy and didn't want to be in the picture) . That's right, 15 Fleet Feet workouts in less than 4 weeks! In the dark, through the snow, in the slush, on the ice, doing their downward dog, push ups, sit ups, kettle belles, balance boards, and on and on and on they go.

Others approaching the magical 75 points needed to earn their limited edition Winter Warrior shirt are: Serena, Roger, Josh, Jody, Jenny, April, Chris W, Sean Mary David, Steve, Christy, and Chad. There are another 45 people with Warrior points who could all easily get to 75 points...you just need to show up for workouts. And of course, it's never too late to join us and start accruing your points. As you can see from Laura, Darla, and Chris, points add up fast.

Come on...be a Winter Warrior! You Can Do It!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

How the Grinch Got Fit

How the Grinch Got Fit

Every Who down in Whoville liked Running a lot...
But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did NOT!
The Grinch hated Running! The whole Running season!
Would you like to know why? Well, I might know the reason.
It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right,
But it could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
Yes, I think that the most likely reason of all
Is that his running shoes were two sizes too small.
Whatever the reason, his head or his shoes,
He stood there all brooding and hating the Whos,
Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown,
At the runners all running about in their town.
For he knew every Who down in Whoville below,
Was busy now, jogging around in the snow."
And they're running in comfort!" he snarled with a glare.
For the Whos shopped at FLEET FEET (and Fitlosophy's there).
Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find some way to stop Whoville from running!"
For tomorrow, he knew, all those ridiculous Whos
Would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their shoes!
And then! Oh, the fun! Oh, the fun!
Fun! Fun! Fun!
That's the one thing he hated! The FUN!
FUN! FUN! FUN!
Then the Whos, young and old, would go out for a run!
And they'd run! And they'd run! And they'd run!
RUN! RUN! RUN!
They would run down the road, they would run up the streets,
Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least!
And THEN they'd do something he liked least of all!
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Would all run together and all have a ball!
And they'd jog and they'd laugh and then run some more!"
It must be," he thought, "because of that store."
And the more the Grinch thought of the Fitlosophy bit,
The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop that FIT!
For fifteen years I've put up with this now!
I must stop Whoville from Running! But HOW?"
Then he got an idea! An awful idea!
THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!
"I know just what to do," the Grinch laughed as he grabbed
A white little label to use as a tag.
And he chuckled and clucked, "This will cause quite a stir!
I'll be Whoville's first phony Fitlosopher!
I'll provide the wrong fit! The Whos won't know
What caused the big blister on Whoville's big toe!
All I need is an S3..." The Grinch looked around,
But, since S3's were scarce, there were none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grinch? No! The Grinch simply said,
"If I can't find an S3, I'll make one instead!"
So he found an old calculator, some plastic and glue,
"It isn't quite right... but I suppose it'll do."
Then at night that old Grinch in disguise headed down
Toward the store while the Whos lay asnooze in their town.
The windows were dark, quiet snow filled the air,
When he came to the dear little store on the square.
He sneaked into the shop with a wink and a pinch,
For he was a sly one, that awful, sneaky Grinch.
He saw all the shoes on the wall in a row.
"These shoes," he grinned, "are the first things to go!"
And he mixed up the shoes-stability and style-
And then what he did, with a terrible smile,
Was fill all the FLEET FEET water bottles with rocks!
And replace the synthetic with all COTTON socks!
He created new flavors of Sport Beans and GU-
Like Monkey Brain Punch and Swamp Water Stew!
Then he snatched all the Garmins (and in this he found pleasure)
And replaced those devices with a simple tape measure!
He knocked down the books that were tidy and stacked
And took the reflective gear-and painted it black!
Then he viewed all the damage and cackled with glee,
"This will stop the Whos from running. I did it! ME!
PoohPooh to the Whos!" he was Grinchishly humming,
"They're finding out now there will be no more Running!
They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry BooHoo!
That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "That I simply MUST hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!
He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Fitlosopher was there, busily cleaning
And re-organizing the store-from the floor to the ceiling.
They were fitting for socks! They were fitting for shoes!
They were fitting for running! They were fitting the Whos!
The store was wide open! And the talk of the town
Was how even a Grinch couldn't keep FLEET FEET-ers down!
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling, "How could it be so?"
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe FLEET FEET," he thought, "is more than a store.
Maybe FLEET FEET... perhaps... means a little bit more!
"And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say
That the Grinch's small shoes grew three sizes that day!
He went to be fitted-yes, the Grinch! Got fitted! It's true!
The Grinch went to FLEET FEET to find the right shoe!
He sat on the bench and had his feet evaluated.
Then he ran on the sidewalk... and over-pronated!
He was given a shoe with the proper stability and fit
(And it's a good thing, too, for he hurt quite a bit).
Yes, the Grinch overcame his chronic Grinch-itis
And even bought inserts for his plantar fasciitis.
And the minute the old Grinch's feet stopped their aching,
Every Who in Whoville's hand the Grinch started shaking.
"Who would have thought I'd be FIT?" he asked. "Who would have thought I'd have fun?"
And then HE, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch went for a run!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Winter Wonderland!

Winter hit Central Oregon with a vengance last Friday night and it's been coming straight at us ever since. We started with snow and slick roads, then rolled into less snow but very cold weather (even some negatives in there), had a sunny day - but cold, and now are warmer but it's snowing lots today.

All of the light snow we received last weekend and earlier this week was great for running and playing in. My dog Sascha is going absolutely crazy! This is definitely her favorite time of year...she would absolutely love to be running 100 mile weeks right now. Unfortunately for her (and fortunately for me), that's not happening.

If you're having trouble motivating yourself to get in a workout in these conditions, please join us for our weekly workouts. We have four:
Sundays, 8:30 a.m., 5-10 miles, varying paces
Mondays, 6 p.m., Strength Training, $5
Wednesdays, 6 p.m., Headlamp Run, 3-5 miles, varying paces
Wednesdays, 7 p.m., Yoga for Athletes, $5
All of the above workouts start at Fleet Feet.

Also, when you come to any of our workouts, you automatically get signed up for our Winter Warriors program. Winter Warriors is basically a program designed to keep you active in the winter months while providing you with rewards along the way, and even a little bit of competition for the Warrior with the most points.

In addition to the above 4 weekly workouts, we'll occasionally have special events where you can earn more points - and get in a great workout. A couple in the near future are:
Dec. 31, Bend's First 1000 Lights Community Walk
Jan. 3, BadAss

So far, we've had over 50 people sign up to be a warrior. Please come join the fun!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Weekend Skinny....



Another big week of activities and results over here at Fleet Feet. Here is the Weekly Update:
Kami Semick of Bend, Oregon won The North Face Trail Running championships in Marin this weekend. A tough trail 50 miler with over 10,000 feet of climbing. It assembled the deepest field in an ultramarathon race this year and Kami won, pursing the $10,000 winner's award. So, if you see her, make her buy you a drink or something!
Sean Meissner, manager of our Fleet Feet store, went down to California International Marathon and took care of business by running a 2:39 marathon (50th overall). Also, big congrats to Jeff Caba (35th overall) who posted a personal PR of 2:36, and Glenn Miller who ran a 3:26... not quite the time he was looking for but a solid result, nonetheless.
Fleet Feet also started our Sunday morning runs. We will meet every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and run approximately 5-10 miles (depending what group you are paired with). Lots of people and different paces so no one should feel intimidated! Come check it out. We'll reward you with some hot chocolate or a cup of coffee when you finish up!
On Monday nights at 6:00 PM, we'll continue our new strength program with Cynthia Ratzman. It is an amazing class. Lots of different stations and we have room to spread out in the shop and really get an amazing workout. Its only $5.00 and if you come once, I guarantee you will be hooked!
On Wednesday nights we have our "headlamp run" at 6:00 PM followed by yoga at 7 PM. Don't have a headlamp? Don't worry, we'll let you borrow one or we have them in stock to purchase!
For more info on our programs and runs, click here
If you come to any of these events, you are automatically entered in our Winter Warrior Program. This is where you get points for each workout and can earn gift certificates, T-Shirts, bags, etc. For more info, click here
Lastly, don't forget your friends and family members who are runners this Christmas. We are stocked with lots of fun goodies and ideas for the stocking and under the tree. Need some ideas? Click here.
All right, we've done our part. Lots of events and runs for you to stay in shape this winter. All you need to do is show up and join in on the fun.
See you soon!
Aloha,
Rod B.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Real Deal

Well, we just had our first session of strength training at Fleet Feet on Monday night. It was the real deal! You get who I consider the best personal trainer in Bend, Cynthia Ratzman of Accelerated Fitness, for $5.00! The workout was tough... no doubt about it. But Cynthia is such a great motivator that the hour session just flew by. The two comments I heard most often was "wow, that was tough" and "the hour is over already?"
We had a great initial turnout of more than a dozen and when word gets out, we are going to have to put a cap on how many people can attend. Our space is great for really spreading out and we had 13 different stations to work from. From Kettle ball lifts to jump ropes to reverse pull ups. This is a great workout whether you are a casual walker or an elite athlete. We had folks from all walks of life but one thing was for sure... several folks who work out with Cynthia regularly seriously kicked the rest of our butts!
Again, all ages and abilities are encouraged to come. For $5.00, it is the best deal in town. Give it a shot!
Monday nights at 6 PM!