On May 11, FLEET FEET Knoxville officially opened.  During the formal ribbon cutting ceremony, Farragut Mayor Eddy Ford and the members of the West Knoxville/Farragut Chamber of Commerce welcomed us as a new member. Sincerest thanks to our friends who were able to join Cheryl and I for the celebration. 

 

During the 3 day Grand Opening ceremony, we were able to introduce a large number of fitness enthusiasts to our Fitlosophy (TM).  Additionally, we were able to give away many door prizes to our valued customers, their list included below.

 

I would like to extend a special thanks to our vendors that supported our Grand Opening:  Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, Superfeet, Sugoi, Life Is Good, SweatGUTR, Hammer Gel, Jelly Belly Sport Beans, The Stick, Yankz, Fuel Belt, NipGuards, and Feetures.

 

Congratulations to the following door prize winners during our grand opening. If you have not had a chance to stop by and pick them up, no worries.  We'll keep them for you until you are able to come by:  Tim Berry, Ellen Berry, Callie Bracket, Lauren Cox, Scott Curtis, Lenzie Dixon, Rhonda Garrison, Ayse Grillot, Greg Jones, Krystal Kuhn, Susan Lambert, Justine Leehans, Russell Lowery, Jim Mead, Mike Metheny, Bob Polleck, Tracy Rafferty, David Smith, Stephanie Taylor, Jeff Taylor, Penny Thomas, Rod Thompson, and Edna Thompson

 

The June issue of Runner's World highlights the benefits of cross-training.  Many runners have transitioned to triathlons to improve their running.  Triathletes do it because it FITS in their life.

 

In response to the interest shown at the store, we are organizing a beginner training program: 

 

 

 

 

 

Memphis In May Triathlon

 

In May, the Knoxville chapter of Team In Training competed in Memphis In May Triathlon. I came to meet and train with this special group of athletes and their coach Patricia.  Congratulations to Lori, Michael, Jenny, Andi, Karen, and Will. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your accomplishment. Lori, you rock!! Checkout the results here.

O.K., so perhaps the word "cool" is a little misrepresentative, but there are things that you can do to make running in the summer a little easier.

1. Run in the early morning or early evening. Running at lunch might be a great way to relieve stress, but it is a bad thing to do when the temperature and humidity shoots up off the safe chart. For me, the best time to run is early morning, as I really enjoy getting up with the sun. If you choose to run early evening you should wait until at least 6:30 & later if possible, as the temperature is typically highest around 5 p.m.

2. One of the biggest battles that a runner wages during the hot months is against dehydration. Weighing yourself before and after your runs will help you understand your sweat rate. During a run the only weight that you are losing is water weight through sweating (or glistening for you ladies). So, you want to know how much you lose in order to get it back. I also recommend taking along water or an electrolyte replacement drink if you are running longer than an hour.

3. Run easy on your easy days. There are two ways to do this. One way is by not wearing a watch. This will truly make your easy day easy, as you won't have a gauge pushing through each little check point along your daily route. The other very effective way is to use a heart rate monitor. Doing this will allow you to stay in your easy training zone by closely monitoring your heart rate.

4. Wear moisture wicking clothing. Moisture wicking material will pull the sweat from your skin and help it to evaporate at a higher rate of speed than non- wicking materials (i.e. cotton). Wearing a wicking top will actually help your body regulate temperature better than going without a shirt. Socks are also important, because they will help keep your feet a little dryer eliminating hot spots and friction.

5. Last, but certainly not least. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!  Some days you just don't feel right. If that is that case switch up your training for the week and make that day an easy day and push a harder workout to a day that you feel better.