March 27, 2008


Newsletter

 

When I went out this morning at 7 am, it was 50 degrees. For
exercise, it doesn't get any better than that. If you are still
inside the gym, SPRING is here. Time to go out and enjoy the
weather, the flowers, the animals and especially, the fresh air.

 

 

New Running Club

 

Those of you living or working in the Falls Church area will be
happy to know that Vantage-Fitness will hold the kick off of the
Falls Church Running Club on Saturday, April 5 at 8 am. Walkers
are welcome too!

 

Vantage Fitness is located at 402 W. Broad Street in Falls
Church. For more information you can call 703-241-0565 or email
Glenn@vantage-fitness.com.

 

 

Spring Apparel Special

 

To get you a jump start on a great new spring wardrobe, we are
offering 20% off all new spring apparel.

 

This is only good through Sunday, March 30 so hurry in. This
special cannot be used in conjunction with any other specials or
discounts and is not good on previously purchased
merchandise.   We have a great selection of all the latest
styles and sizes.

 

Like a 2short? a 4short? 6 inch? 7 inch? 9 inch? Capri? Skirt?
 We've got them all because we are all different and we
recognize that.

 

You will not see prices like this again until the end of the
season.

  

Who is the guy in my shoe?

 

       Occasionally, when trying on a pair of one of the
Nike shoes, a customer asks,  who is this guy whose picture is in
these shoes?

 

That guy is Bill Bowerman, an American track and field coach and
co-founder of Nike, Inc. (In addition to naming a line of shoes
after him, Nike headquarters in Eugene, Oregon is on Bowerman
Drive, in honor of his contributions to the company.)

 

       After starting his career as a high school teacher
and coach (and serving two years in the Army elite 10^th
Mountain Division during World War II), Bowerman spent 24 years
as the head coach at the University of Oregon. During his
tenure, his teams enjoyed unprecedented success, and he trained
many NCAA champions, All-Americans, American record holders, and
sub-4 minute milers. In 1972, Bowerman was named the head coach
of the Munich Olympic track and field team, and he worked with
athletes from Norway, Canada, Australia, and the United States,
including the legendary Steve Prefontaine, who was also a member
of his Oregon squad.

 

       In 1964, Bowerman entered into a handshake agreement
with Phil Knight, who had been one of his milers in the 1950s,
to start an athletic footwear distribution company called Blue
Ribbon Sports. The company was the exclusive U.S. distributor
for Onitsuka Tiger (later Asics), a giant then as now in the
industry. Knight handled the business side, while Bowerman
focused on improving shoe design and function, often using
unconventional methods. He infamously ruined several of his
wife's waffle irons while trying to create a prototype for a
racing shoe outersole that, while lightweight, would also
provide superior traction. The Waffle Trainer,which debuted in
1974, was a direct result of  the Bowerman experiments, and it
remains an iconic running shoe. By this time, Blue Ribbon had
already branched off from its parent company to become Nike,
Inc., and was in the early stages of a phenomenally successful
business run that continues to this day.

 

       It appears that Bill Bowerman was a remarkable man,
but aside from a brand of good running shoes, what if any
lasting impact did he have on the majority of us middle- to back
of the packers? The answer is, more than you might think. In
1966, influenced by his friend and colleague, Arthur Lydiard,
Bowerman co-authored a 90-page book simply called Jogging. This
slim volume, along with Dr. Kenneth Cooper's Aerobics, and Jim
Fixx's The Complete Book of Running, are on the short list of
books credited with igniting the first running boom in the U.S.,
in the 1970s.

 

       Moreover, Bowerman was an early proponent of a less
is more approach when it came to training and racing. He
alternated hard and easy days, and according to his biographer,
Kenny Moore, he exhorted his runners to finish workouts
exhilarated, not exhausted. His credo was that it was better to
under do than overdo.  Yes,  Believe it
or not, in an age when piling up the miles was almost a moral
imperative, this approach was nothing short of radical. Today,
Bowerman philosophy is considered gospel in many training
programs, particularly those aimed at non-elite
runners. Although it would not have been nearly as catchy,
Bowerman may very well have been tempted to add two words to
Nike's now famous slogan: Just Do It in Moderation.

 

Editors note: Thank you to Joe from our Rockville store for
putting together this information about the man in the shoes.

 

 

Racing season began in earnest a few weeks ago with the classic
St. Patricks Day event in downtown Washington.  The Credit Union
Cherry Blossom Ten Miler will take place on a fabulous, new
course on Sunday April 6, and from now until November, there
will be events every weekend in every corner of the metropolitan
area. For complete information visit www.RunWashington.com.

 

Walkers -  many events welcome walkers also.  Check the race
information to see what if any limit they put on the amount of
time given to finish the course.  It's not that the event
managers don't like walkers,  but most times they are given a
limit as to the amount of time they can actually keep the course
open for participants.

 

 

Metro Run & Walk is looking for a few good people in Virginia.
If you are interested in full or part time work, please forward
your resume to RunWalkLive@aol.com.

 

Save the date -  May 9 for Ladies Night.  More information to
follow.

 

That is it for today.

 

RunWalkLive,

 

Lea Gallardo and the staff of Metro Run & Walk

Falls Church, Springfield, Rockville and Mishawaka (South Bend)