Nimbus & Cumulus Mania!

No, I ain't talking about clouds (although I am an avid cloud-watcher).

I think I see a bear, or a race car... no its Scott doing a yoga pose!

I am talking about the brand spanking new versions of Asics's wildly popular running shoes, the Nimbus 11 and the Cumulus 11. The delivery just arrived this past week and they've been selling like hot cakes. We are one of the only stores in the area to get them this early, so unless you want to wait until June (way too long), come grab yourself a pair (please pay for them before you leave!).

Both of these neutral shoes offer a great bang for your buck in terms of cushioning. The Cumulus has consistently been a great competitor to comparable models from other brands in the neutral category and the Nimbus has been the Rolls Royce of soft cushioned goodness for years. You gotta feel them for yourself. Come on down to the store, take in that new shoe smell (always perferrable to old shoe smell) and try on these brand new models.

Reminder!

Trail Night @ Foot Rx Asheville - Tomorrow!

Trail Night Info Session / Round Table Discussion / Open Forum
Thursday, April 23rd
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

We have also added a new speaker to our lineup, local favorite - Shiloh Mielke. Shiloh is a 2 time member of the US Mountain Running Team with a high finish of 37th at the World Mountain Championships. Mielke is also a 4-time winner and course record holder of the Shut-In Trail Run.

Shiloh reppin' the good ol' USA @ World Mountain Champs

With Mark & Anne Lundblad, Aaron Saft and Shiloh Mielke leading the forum, this is a great opportunity to ask some questions, get some info and hear some great stories of racing and training on trails and mountains in WNC, North America, and all across the world!

... and don't forget - we are holding a special sale (15 - 50% off store-wide) for participants from 7:00 - 7:30 pm.

See you tomorrow.

Trail Night

Get out your blackberry/iphone/ol' fashioned calendar and mark off the next Foot Rx Asheville event...

Trail Night
Thursday, April 23rd
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

This event will be an information session / work shop / open forum / round table discussion regarding all things trail running. We will discuss trail locations, races, apparel and gear, etc.

New to trail running? Interested in tackling your first trail race? Questions about technique, form, proper footwear, trail races, new training routes? Come on over to the store on April 23rd for answers, advice and helpful info.

Our workshop will be held from 6:30 - 7:00, then we will have a special sale (15 - 50% off store-wide) for participants from 7:00 - 7:30 pm. With 15% off footwear, what better time is there to try out those new Inov-8 X-Talons you've been reading about?

Mark and Ann Lundblad will be on hand along with a few other special guests TBA. Mark is the team manager for Team Inov-8, as well as one of the nation's top trail & ultra racers. Anne has consistently been one of the best, if not the best, ultra & trail racers in the country - she was named the USATF Female Ultrarunner of the Year in 2005! Check out more about Mark here and more about Anne here and here.

Mark overcoming the wind/rain/snow/freezing temps to grab the win at the Mount Mitchell Challenge

Anne on the way to her 2nd win at the Black Mountain Marathon

Contact us with any suggestions or questions about Trail Night.

Stay tuned for more info as this event draws closer.

Oh Yes, It's Ladies Night, And The Feeling's Right

Ladies - This Wednesday night, Foot Rx Asheville presents Ladies Night!



Grab your girlfriends and head over to the store for our special night... just for you, Sophisticated Mamas*.

Here are the details:

Wednesday, April 8th, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
20 % off all apparel
15% off all shoes
Wine Tasting by Erin from the Grove Corner Market

Please RSVP to moncia@footrx.com (limited to first 100 ladies)

*Note: This is a no dudes allowed event.

Running Nerds Rejoice!

"The only true way is to marshal the ferocity of your ambition over the course of many days, weeks, months, and (if you could finally come to accept it) years. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials"

Entertainment Weekly, of all places, has an interview up with John L. Parker Jr., author of the cult classic, Once a Runner. On April 7th, OAR, commonly referred to as "the runner's bible" (by me, at least) will be re-published after being out of print for years. Hooray!

It is also very exciting to hear that a prequel to OAR is in the works.

If you haven't already read and reread this story - stop what you are doing and go buy it (after you read the rest of this post, I mean).

You still aren't convinced that this is hard hitting news worth getting pumped about? Check out what Slate had to say about this work of genius. Then watch this sweet trailer for a fake movie that some other nerd (not me) made.

Ok - I'm off to go organize my race numbers chronologically. Keep running!

Volvo Wellness Warriors

If you did not already know, Volvo Construction here in Asheville has a phenomenal wellness and fitness program - the Wellness Warriors. Here at Foot Rx, we have a few great connections with this program and we love to see them out in races and events. Foot Rx staffer, Ellen, has played a pivotal in the program - acting as its wellness coordinator from the Reuter YMCA. Ellen is a supreme motivator... just being around her makes me want to bang out push-ups and go for a 10 miler. A few of the warriors themselves are staples on our Wednesday morning group run crew (6 AM @ Reuter YMCA - join us!) and we are lucky to call many more of these Volvo folks loyal customers.

Without further ado, here is a BIG shout out to the Volvo crew who braved the cold wind to put up some great performances at the Knoxville Half Marathon and Marathon.

Back row: Jennifer Culberson, Mona Saranathan, Steve Bratsch (all first-time half marathoners!) and Bill Sauber.
Front row: Todd Gothberg and Chris Clements.

Foot Rx favorite and Wednesday morning group run staple, "Hardcore" Bill Sauber summed up the races well:

Jennifer, Mona, Steve, and Chris all ran the half (Chris’s 2nd half, first for the others). Jennifer ran a 2:12, Mona ran a 2:40, Steve ran a 2:09 and Chris ran a 2:06

Todd and I ran the full marathon. Todd was 4th in his age group (7 seconds from 3rd) at 3:15. I ran a 3:38 for 1st in the Veterans (over 60) division which goes to show if you keep running long enough all your tough competition eventually gives up and lets you get an age group win. I think everyone was shod with FootRx shoes and at least 3 of us wore our FootRx shirts in the race.

Congrats to all who stepped on the line! (Thanks for reppin' Foot Rx!)

*For more info on the Wellness Warriors , check out this excellent article from the Citizen-Times (featuring another Wednesday morning group run regular, Chris Clements).

Until next time - keep logging the miles and staying fit.

Spring!

Spring has arrived and it is glorious! (I am choosing to ignore the cold rain outside...)

With Spring comes blossoming flowers, chirping birds and new arrivals of short sleeve technical tees @ Foot Rx Asheville. I know I am not the only one sick of layering up to brave the elements. Be sure to stop by soon to check out the new gear from some great brands like GoLite, Brooks, Mizuno, Adidas, and Sugoi.

Fresh threads for the guys

Only the finest pieces for the ladies















You want to know what else is so great about the arrival of fresh Springtime swag? The 50% off rack is now stacked with everything that used to be on the walls. There are some serious deals over there... and we aren't talking just winter clothes, either. Right this minute I am looking over at a few Brooks & Mizuno vests - perfect for the unpredictable Spring weather.

Raise your hand if you like saving money!



















OK - all this salesman talk is making me feel like I need to take a shower...