Where: Fleet Feet Sports

Come by the store for early packet pickup for the Foothills Sprint Triathlon held on Monday May 25th. If you haven't already regsitered, no worries you can register at the store.  The race benefits the Blount County Toys for Tots.

Bring in a new toy for Toys for Tots and we will enter you for a drawing for a pair of shoes.

Note: USAT rules state each athlete must be present to pick up their race packet and provide a photo ID and a USAT membership card if they are an annual member. The only exception where a person may pick up another athlete's packet is a legal guardian picking up a packet for a minor.

  What:   Foothills Sprint Triathlon Clinic
  When:  Sun May 24th, 1:00pm
  Where: Fleet Feet Sports

Have questions about the Foothills Sprint Triathlon? . . .
Need help with transitions? . . .
Wondering what your nutrition needs are pre/during/post race?

Join the Triathlon Clinic to get answers to all your questions. The clinic will be hosted by Shahin Hadian, USA Triathlon certified coach. Topics covered: race course information, transition set-up, gear requirements, nutritional needs and training goals.

  Where: Fleet Feet Sports

  What:   Triathlon Test Swim
  When:  May 25th

Zoot Sports line a wetsuits provide a great range of motion and fit for triathletes. Our Zoot Rep will be on hand to fit you with a wetsuit to take out for a test swim.  Also take a pair of Zoot's Energy Shoes out for a trial run.  The Energy shoe is constructed for sockless wear, and quick single-handed entry. Our Zoot Rep will be available to answer any questions about Zoot products.

Have questions about open water swimming, transitions, triathlon training?  Shahin Hadian, USA Triathlon certified coach, will be available to answer questions and give out training tips.

Rest of the Month Promotion:
Purchase any 3 pairs of Balega socks,
get the 4th pair for FREE !!

For that special friend or loved one who you would like to buy a great gift, but don't know their size or what color to choose? A Fleet Feet Sports Gift Card is the perfect FIT.

Breakthrough Run for Autism 5K (April 18, 2009) -

The Breakthrough Run for Autism benefits the Breakthrough Corp whose mission is to improve the lives of adults with autism.  Fleet Feet Sports was once again proud to sponsor the race.  We were on the course at the water stop encouraging everyone as they came by.  Congratulations to all participants.

Although the weather was not the most cooperative; everyone in our training program came with a mission.  For some in our training group this would be their first triathlon and for others it would be a test of improved skills. Everyone realized their goals by completing the race.  Inspiring to see the athletes' undaunted spirit even as it rained the entire race. Congratulations to everyone!

Race results can be found here.  Check out pictures from the race and our training program in the photo gallery.

Dogwood Mile (April 24, 2009) -

We often get asked - can you really run in a skort?  The answer is an absolute yes.

The running skort is a spandex compression shorts with a modest yet stylish skirt cover and is one of our most popular athletic pieces for women. The running skort is not just for running or walking!  Women are enjoying the comfort of a skort in the gym, on the tennis courts, and running quick errands.

Why is it so popular?  Some women experience chaffing between their thighs with traditional running shorts, but the running skort reduce the amount of chaffing.  Some women feel much more comfortable with the coverage a skort provides.  A skort allows you to benefit from comfort without sacrificing style.

Do you have to run errands after a run?  The running skirt is a perfect solution to avoiding the uncomfortable feeling a lot of women get while wearing their running shorts in public after a workout. The skort is a stylish and modest solution to your every day fitness and lifestyle needs.

Depicted is our most popular the Brooks Motion II Skort and SkirtSports GymGirl Skort. But we also have skorts from New Balance, Saucony, Mizuno, and Nike. Each has a different look and fashion appeal. The skort is an ideal athletic fashion piece for all women. Stop in to check them out at Fleet Feet.

What is a tempo run?

A tempo run, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (see tempo and pace), is "a rate of performance at a steady pace."  Tempo runs are workouts where you run at a steady pace that is around 70% to 80% of your max aerobic capacity. Tempo runs are just past the point where you begin to build up waste product in your legs at a rapid rate during a run, which is called the lactate-threshold velocity.

How do tempo runs help you?
Tempo runs are thought to have an influence on lactate threshold running speed. By training with tempo runs, your body gets used to moving at a constant rate for a period of time which can help you during a race. Tempo runs are also one of the best ways to train your mind to accept the fact that you are going to run at a steady effort over a specified distance during a race.

How do you integrate tempo runs into your training plan?
The performance benefit of running tempo runs far outstrips running at an easy pace all the time, but does not have quite as much bang for the buck as interval training. The closer to race pace that you can run without over training, the more pronounced the benefits of any specific workout. Mixing up your training is important to prevent injury, and tempo runs are a great way to get some fast leg work in without doing an interval workout or running a race.

As with any speed work, always be sure to add an adequate warm up and cool down before and after a tempo run. You will not be running as fast as you would during an interval workout or a race, but you will be running at a pace quick enough to warrant the extra care. Warming up will help prevent you from hurting yourself, and cooling down will help stretch out your legs after the run and help prevent soreness the next day.

What is the optimum distance for a tempo run?
Tempo runs tend to be middle to long distance days once you have figured in time for a warm up. You will probably want to allot at least a half hour at tempo pace to make the run worthwhile, and may even want to consider extending that depending upon your goal race distances. 

 

You may find that mixing your tempo runs with your distance runs will work best. Rather than always running long slow distance, mix it up by running at or near your race pace on some of your long runs to better simulate race conditions and to force your body to make the adaptations that are necessary for you to be successful at that distance.