We are happy to announce the Inaugural Scioto Mile(s) 5K, 10K, 15K Training Series: Presented by Fleet Feet Sports and OhioHealth.

A $75 entry fee gets you not one, but two races to help tune you up for your spring half and full marathons!

Plus, you get a FREE Brooks Utopia Jacket ($120 value) if you are one of the first 1,000 to sign up!

March 31st - Choose from a 5K or a 10K!
April 22nd - Choose from a 5K, 10K or 15K!

Race day headquarters for both events will be at COSI (Center of Science and Industry)! 

Both dates feature a 5K loop course through downtown Columbus and along the scenic Scioto Mile. The gun goes off at 9:00 a.m. on both event dates as you take off down Broad Street and head straight towards downtown! All races will finish in Genoa Park along the riverfront!

Registration for the series includes entry into both dates! You simply show up and run the distance you chose during registration.

Not sure that you can commit to both races? No worries, you can sign up for both dates individually. BUT, you don't get the jacket!

All participants will receive a short sleeve technical race shirt with their registration.

Not quite ready for the longer distances?   Check out our NO BOUNDARIES® program!     NO BOUNDARIES® is for beginner walkers and runners looking to change their life through fitness. This is a beginners program that offers intermediate drills for runners and walkers alike. Join us as you make the step to change your life. Let us help you learn the benefits of an active lifestyle. Along the way we will help with flexibility, endurance and proper nutrition.    We offer several 10-week sessions throughout the year. The next session with get you ready to take on the Commit to be Fit 5K  on May 5th, 2012!    The next session begins February 18th! Join us for no-obligation information sessions on February 15th and 16th at 7:30pm.     RSVP for the 15th here, or the 16th here!

Runners may feel the effects of the harsh winter weather more than anyone else. As runners, our faces especially take a beating during this season. Aquaphor does wonders, but can only do so much... As a dietitian, I know that "you are what you eat," meaning that your body on the outside can and will reflect what you put in it. So in addition to your topical skin treatment, eat up for healthier skin!  

Here are my top 6 foods for glowing and protected skin from the inside out!

Dr. Steven Devor

This time of year I know that many people become cautious and nervous about the cold air you breathe in while running outside, and that you are concerned your lungs were going to be exposed to very cold air and potentially damaged.  Many express specific concern about the "burning" sensation you feel "in your lungs".

2012 has officially arrived. Often times our motivations to complete resolutions come and go. We look forward to helping each of you keep your motivation high as we all set out to achieve our goals for 2012!   

The staff at Fleet Feet Sports Columbus would like to thank you for such a great 2011! We had a lot of fun with our active community! We had a blast with you all at the Mardi Gras Fun Run/Walk, dinner with Bart Yasso, Pub Runs,  Katherine Switzer joining us for a weekend, the  Ugly Sweater Scavenger Hunt, and many other events!  

Who knows what 2012 will bring! How do you want to live your life in 2012?! 

You are invited to check out Marathoners in Training (MIT) this Saturday!    MIT just got the year started off on the right foot as they are beginning the journey towards the spring half and full marathons!   It's not too late to learn how to change your life one mile at a time. We invite join to join us this Saturday at Thomas Worthington High School at 8:00 a.m.! C0me see for yourself what all the excitement is about!   Registration for the winter/spring session of MIT will officially close on Wednesday, January 25th! So, come check out the group, let us know what you think, then sign up to change your life!   www.TrainWithMIT.com  Not quite ready for the longer distances?   Check out our NO BOUNDARIES® program!     NO BOUNDARIES® is for beginner walkers and runners looking to change their life through fitness. This is a beginners program that offers intermediate drills for runners and walkers alike. Join us as you make the step to change your life. Let us help you learn the benefits of an active lifestyle. Along the way we will help with flexibility, endurance and proper nutrition.    We offer several 10-week sessions throughout the year. The next session will get you ready to take on the Commit to be Fit 5K  on May 5th, 2012!    The next session begins February 18th! Join us for no-obligation information sessions on February 14th and 16th at 7:30pm.     RSVP for the 14th here, or the 16th here!         Forget about resolutions. Set goals in 2012!   It's never to late to set goals. One of our MIT coaches, Amanda Mowry, has some great insight on goal setting. See what Amanda has to say here!

Get your holiday wish list in at Fleet Feet Sports

Ladies, does your man need a little help when it comes to picking out your running and walking gear? Yes?! Let us help you get him on the right track. Stop by anytime between now and December 7th to pick out some goodies. Then, send your man to Dude's Night on December 8th! We'll fill him up with free pizza, football and beer while we get you stocked up for 2012!

Hug A Runner/Walker Day Fun Run, Turkey Day Potluck and more!

Come join us for our celebration of Hug A Runner/Walker Day and a pre-Turkey Day Feast! We will be celebrating with a fun run/walk through the park followed by a potluck and lots and lots of hugs! We'll have a fire roaring and enough hot chocolate to keep the entire state of Alaska warm, and will have routes of varying distances laid out for you.

We invite you to bring a dish of your choice of dish. Could be a casserole, salad, dessert, or whatever you choose! Don't miss out on your chance to win fun prizes! We'll be playing "Pin the Feather on the Turkey," "Duck, Duck, Turkey" and more!

Additionally, Saucony will be there with try-ons of the new Saucony Triumph! Amphipod is porviding some giveaways of their reflective products, and Clif will be giving away samples of their nutrition products!

RSVP Here!

Flying Feather - Get a little wine with your run!

In just 6 years, The Flying Feather Four Miler has become the ULTIMATE Thanksgiving Day family tradition and has received national recognition.

A great course in Dublin that winds around the Glacier Ridge Metro Park, cool long sleeve shirts, finisher's medals, a bottle of wine for your Thanksgiving table and the celebration of a great cause The Second & Seven Foundation.  

Registration has sold out every year! This year registration is limited to 3500 participants and is filling fast.  Register Now for the best price and to save your spot.

Dude's night!

Calling all dudes! We won't have wine and cheese for this one, but we will have beer, pizza and football!  

Join us for Dude's Night as we show you all of the newest & coolest running gadgets, and watch the Cleveland Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. We will also have some of our friends from the area coming to talk to you about camping, golfing, climbing, strength training and all things MAN! We will also be holding a Wii bowling and track & field competitions!

Nike will be here with a gift for all attendees and door prizes for shoes & apparel! Come check out their new Nike Shield products while you're here!

We will also help you shop for your lady friend. All she needs to do is stop in between now and the 7th to fill out her wish list!  

RSVP here!

Change your life. One mile at a time.

The next season of Marathoners in Training (MIT) begins December 17th!   

MIT was created in 2000 by a group of like-minded individuals that wanted to pursue their passion of running. Born out of that passion was a group of runners and walkers that would gather weekly to train together to help one another reach their half or full marathon goal. From those humble beginnings MIT has grown to become one of America's foremost leaders in endurance training.   

MIT promises to deliver:

1. Training schedules specifically tailored to your background and goals.
2. A support network that encourages beginners to take the plunge but offers veterans programs to graduate into.
3. Educational support that is second to none.
4. The involvement of OhioHealth that provides participants access to the latest thinking and learning in the areas of sports nutrition, injury prevention, runners diagnostics, heart rate guided training and other relevant topics to enhance performance.

MIT'ers getting ready to head to the start of the 2011 Columbus Marathon!

Ask the doctor. Recovery runs.

Periodically, you may have a question about your training. Maybe you're looking for tips to help you stay injury free. Questions about hydration & nutrition? Whatever you're looking for we have the best resources in town to help you answer all of your training needs. You'll hear from the best of the best from OhioHealth and the Max Sports Academy, professors at The Ohio State University, dieticians, physiologists and more. Who knows... one of these days we may just have them in the store for you to speak with face to face on a regular basis.

For this round, we received a great question about recovery runs. Enjoy!

Q. I am very confused by what is meant by recovery runs.  Do they make me faster or help me get rid of lactic acid so I can be better the next day?  Should I be doing this type of run or taking the day off completely after I run hard?

A. This is a question I know runners wonder about, as I get asked similar things quite a lot.  A recovery run is a relatively short, slow run typically done the next day following a hard interval session or the day after a tough tempo run.  Many runners assume the purpose of this light workout is to allow recovery from those intense efforts the day before.  I have frequently heard coaches and trainers discuss how recovery runs will increase blood flow to the legs, and that this will flush all the lactic acid out of the fatigued muscles.  The plain truth and physiological fact is that muscle and blood lactic acid levels return to normal within 60 minutes after even the most intense physical efforts.  Additionally, there is no evidence that the sort of light activity a recovery run requires enhances damaged muscle repair, the rebuilding of glycogen storage, or any other physiological response that is relevant to muscle recovery.
 
Although it may seem counterintuitive, recovery runs do not enhance recovery. That being said nearly all elite endurance athletes practice this sort of training, and they would not do this if they did not believe there was some important training benefit to be gained.  Recovery runs actually increase your fitness, and they are very important for experienced runners, as they challenge you to run (although very slowly) in a so called pre-fatigued state (that is, a condition where fatigue is still present from the effort the day before).
 
Remember that fitness is an adaptation to a stimulus, and often the optimal stimulus for runners is pushing yourself and performing your workouts beyond the point of initial fatigue.  These hard workouts are often called the key workouts of the week, and they are challenging in pace, and perhaps also duration, and they take your body much further past the point of initial fatigue.  Conversely, recovery runs are typically done entirely in a fatigued state, and as such also serve to enhance your fitness even though the efforts are much slower in pace and typically much shorter in distance.
 
Let me be clear, I believe that the sort of training program with built in recovery runs should only be practiced by those that are experienced runners.  First timers in a marathoner-in-training program or half-marathoner-in-training programs should allow for a day of rest after an intense, key workout.
 
If you do choose to utilize recovery runs, here are some guidelines:
 
*If you choose to run again within 24 hours of completing a key workout, the next run should typically be a recovery run.
 
*Recovery runs are really only necessary if you run four or more times a week.  If you are on a four day per week training program, your first three workouts should be key workouts and your fourth run of the week only needs to be a recovery run if it is done the day after a key workout, instead of the day after a rest day.  If you run five times a week, at least one run should be a recovery run, and if you run six or more times a week at least two runs should be recovery runs.
 
*The trick is to balance this sort of training appropriately.  To much fatigue leads to overuse injuries so it not advised to complete two consecutive hard workouts.  Similarly it is not advised or typically necessary for experienced runners to insert two recovery runs between hard efforts.  What you are aiming for is the optimal training stimulus to promote the best fitness adaptation; therefore some patience and experimentation will likely be required to find the best recovery run balance for you.
 
*The optimal length and pace of recovery runs is not fixed.  Your goal is to run in the pre-fatigued state not to negatively influence your training performance in your next key workout. Generally, your recovery runs should not be particularly long or fast or you will diminish your abilities in your next key workout.
 
*We know the champion runners from Kenya are notorious for running very slowly in their recovery runs, so do not be too proud to follow their lead.  Remember that even very slow running in the pre-fatigued state will yield improvements in your overall running fitness, which will ultimately enhance your performance in races.
 
Dr. Devor

Steven T. Devor, Ph.D., FACSM
Head Exercise Physiologist

OhioHealth

Columbus has a lot of great things going for it; a revitalized downtown, a solid economy in a state that is otherwise floundering, an ever-growing system of trails and shared-use lanes throughout the streets and neighborhoods of the Columbus, and a community that was once rated as the second fattest city in the nation is slowly but surely falling off that list as Columbus becomes a more FIT city. With the arrival of October comes the gradual changing of leaves creating a brilliant display of nature’s beauty, relief from the heat and humidity of summer, and the Columbus Marathon!

For months runners and walkers across the state and from various other points across the country have been preparing for what is becoming one of the finest marathons in the country. As the weeks have past more and more people are hitting the trails logging mile after mile. Some might see is as congestion and overcrowding of our lovely trails. In reality is a phenomenal movement that is gaining more momentum each and every day in Columbus.

The running, walking and cycling community in Columbus is booming. It is truly inspiring to head out to the trails any day of the week to see thousands of people heading in all directions. It wasn’t all that long ago that you would see only a handful of runners, walkers and cyclists utilizing the paths. Many of those were your hardcore, seven-day-a-week types who would scoff at the idea of the “casual” runner, walker or cyclist taking over the miles of trails in Columbus. With time more and more “casual” patrons of the paths have developed a passion for their new healthy lifestyles and are now every bit as hardcore as fitness enthusiasts of old!

In thirty-two years the Columbus Marathon has grown along with the changing landscape of fitness in Columbus. The excitement, if not obsession, with logging miles in preparation for the Columbus Marathon is contagious. The courage and motivation required to complete such a journey is moving those who were previously less inclined to get off their couches to not only cheer on the hordes of runners and walkers, but they are now joining in on the movement!

Next Sunday, October 16^th, will be a great day for Columbus. The greatest display of ambition will take part on the streets as barriers will be broken down, goals conquered, aspirations achieved, and new visions for the future will take hold. On October 16^th nothing can stop the movement. We are the movement. And so are you. Be the movement.

Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant in 1967, five years before women were officially granted entry to the event. She was able to finish the race despite attempts by race officials to remove her from the course. Challenging what was at that time a male dominated sport, Kathrine became an inspiration to many woman looking to bridge the gender barrier.

Equal opportunities for women around the world have presented themselves with the help of Kathrine's work. Since Boston, Kathrine has gone one to run numerous marathons including a personal best of 2:51.33! She has gone on to be the driving force behind the first women's Olympic marathon, has been a television broadcaster and now an author and public speaker. Her books, 26.2 Marathon Stories, Running and Walking for Women Over 40, and Marathon Woman have sold millions of copies worldwide.

On Friday, September 2nd, we will be taking Kathrine and two lucky winners out to dinner. To win dinner with Kathrine visit our Facebook page and share your story of overcoming adversity in your running and walking. Then, get your friends to "like" your response. The two responses with the most votes will join Kathrine for dinner!

On Saturday, September 3rd, Kathrine will be joining us at Fleet Feet between 9:00am and 1:00pm for a book singing of Marathon Woman and a meet & greet!

See you there!

We are proud to announce that with the launch of our new high school team program this past spring we are donating over $4,000 to local high school track teams! Over 20 local school will be receiving donations from us in the coming weeks. Teams earned as much as $1,050 dollars that gets donated directly to their program!

We are continuing the same program this fall to benefit local cross country teams:  

• All training shoes and spikes are 20% off retail!
• For every training shoe purchased $15 is donated to the booster group for the respective team! So, for 20 athletes a team will earn $300, 40 athletes earn $600, 50 athletes earn $750, and so on... the sky is the limit!

The team program is offered any day of the week throughout August and September!

BUT, if you want something extra special join us in the next couple weeks for special spike nights! Our brand partners will be joining us to provide FREE food, beverages and FREE branded gear from New Balance, Brooks, Saucony, Asics and Nike.