Visit us at our Albany or Malta store

Running Rambles

The Run Commute: Making Your Run Even More Practical

Are you tired of sitting in a traffic jam on your way to and from work? Sick of waiting at the bus stop or train station or finding that work is intruding on the time you have for running? Looking for a low-cost way to reduce your personal carbon footprint, having just read about how increasing carbon emissions are going to make it impossible to accurately use carbon dating as a way to study the past? (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/ancient/fossil-fuels-are-destroying-our-ability-to-study-the-past/) Why not explore run commuting? Running to and/or from work is a great way to commute, beat transit stress, and get in some...

Read more →


“Vitamin I,” NSAIDS, and Soreness: The Latest Word for Runners

I’ve been keeping tabs on the use of ibuprofen –– known as “Vitamin I” among some runners –– since reading years ago that downing the popular painkiller before a run was hard on the kidneys. Do a Google search on over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and you’ll find that there is some consensus on the necessity of being very careful about which NSAIDS you use and to avoid taking them while running. If you feel a need to pop some ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) during the latter stages of your next marathon –– don’t. According to some recent studies, overusing ibuprofen...

Read more →


Why do they call it a singlet? Why should we care?

The other day, a friend asked me why we refer to the sleeveless tops in which we often run as “singlets.” A quick informal poll of fellow Fleet Feet employees revealed that we all had a clear and consistent understanding of the running singlet’s important attributes. The key is the width of the shoulder straps. They must be narrow, otherwise you merely have a sleeveless shirt –– fine for running, but it’s not a singlet.          Yes                                               ...

Read more →


Eating to Race: The Morning Meal

With racing season in full swing, it’s time to talk about nutrition –– specifically, finding the ideal pre-race breakfast. Before we get going, let’s underline two basic rules of race day nutrition: 1) NEVER TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY and 2) BE FLEXIBLE; STUFF HAPPENS. It’s tempting to conduct nutritional experiments on race day as you search for the perfect fuel boost, but do that on some other day when you can deal privately with the digestive repercussions of chugging a pint of olive oil, or eating five fiber bars. (For the record, I strongly advise against this.) Develop...

Read more →


When Running Becomes a Chore: How To Conquer the “Running Blahs”

If you run long enough, you will experience the “running blahs.” Symptoms include tiredness, irritability, under-motivation, an exaggerated need to find other things to do instead of running, and a general feeling of “no, not this again” every time you think about putting on your running shoes. If this sounds like you, you’re in a running rut and your task this week is to figure out how to climb out of it. There might be several reasons that you are just not feeling it. Perhaps you have just finished up a training cycle culminating in a big goal race. Now...

Read more →