Capital RunWalk

I went into the store last week to buy running shoes. The sales associate, Bobby, was great. He asked questions to find out exactly what I was looking for and he measured my feet (of course). He watched me walk and determined how I run and how high my arches are. Using that info, he picked out a few pairs of shoes to try and I found some that fit perfectly and felt great! The store has a large selection of shoes for any activity, as well as other running gear like socks, headphones, compression sleeves, energy gels/​chews, and apparel. They also have training programs for every fitness level. These guys are experts and it shows. The customer service was excellent and I will definitely return!

Capital RunWalk is my favorite running store in Raleigh. I buy all my running gear here. The staff are great at fitting you for shoes, answering any questions you may have and recommending products that would be a good fit for you.

Fit-​tastic is FANTASTIC!
My New Year’s resolution was to do a triathlon in 2013. However, I wasn’t a runner. Actually I had an intense dislike for running and every time I tried to add running to my exercise routine I developed shin splits and my knees ached. BUT I really wanted to do a tri. So I spoke with many friends who are runners about getting started and they advised me to start with a walk-​run program. So on Jan. 1^st, I ran for 1 minute and walked for 4 minutes and repeated the interval 6 times. That’s how I got started but it wasn’t any fun, I didn’t know how fast to increase the running portion, and it was difficult to stay motivated even with my husband working with me. He doesn’t like running either.
Then I found Fit-​tastic. This is a 12-​week training program to help you reach your running goals with the assistance of certified coaches and a whole group of fun and warm participants working together. The program ended last week and it helped me prepare for the running leg of my first triathlon. NOW I can say I am a runner, as well as a triathlete. I have remained injury free over the last 3 months. I still don’t love running but it’s growing on me and I’ve already signed up for another tri. My husband and I plan to run a few 5K races too. Fit-​tastic is a great program, a great value, and I will participate in the next program this fall. I highly recommend it.
Here are a few more details. Fit-​tastic is divided into 3 groups depending on your fitness level and goals: Walk, Walk/​Run, and Time Improvement. My husband and I joined the Walk/​Run group but you can move to any group at any time. A certified coach leads each group. Dawn was the coach for our group. She has an inspiring story of how she became a runner racing in 5K’s to marathons. There were regularly about 30 – 40 people in our group so you didn’t get a lot of individual attention but Dawn was always willing to work with you before or after ‘practice’ if you couldn’t speak with her while running. She answered emails quickly and provided a lot of info about proper techniques during training and online through our private group Facebook page. Dawn was also a great cheerleader encouraging every one to achieve their individual goals. Each group had several ‘mentors’ to assist the coaches and providing info, details, and motivation. Each group has a specific calendar and training program. The Walk/​Run group started with Run 1 minute/​Walk 1 minute culminating with Run 15 minutes/​Walk 1 minute. When I first saw the schedule, I was completely intimidated and frankly didn’t believe I could do it. But we slowly worked up to the longer runs. I was exceedingly happy with my progress over the course of the program. I never developed any injuries. Of course I had sore muscles and sometimes my knees ached. I mentioned this to Dawn and Mike, the owner of Capital Runwalk, and they recommended using heat before practice and then icing after the run, which significantly reduced my minor aches.
The Alexander Family YMCA on Hillsborough Street was a co-​sponsor for this training program. We met several times at the Y and received 5 free guest passes and several classes including SPIN and Abs/​core strengthening. Andy and I used our passes to swim in the 6-​lane pool.
The program meets twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 pm, which provides a lot of ‘accountability’. We met at the shop, the Y, and various other parks/​greenways to introduce us to different locations and terrains.
The program is $ 75. Initially I wasn’t sure it would be worth it but I can attest to that it is well worth it. In addition to all the benefits, we received a really cool t-​shirt, 2 potluck dinners, and several educational seminars focusing on nutrition, foam rolling, and self-​defense.
I greatly enjoyed this program. My ‘teammates’ were friendly and always provided an encouraging word to keep me going and coming back. Become a runner, like me, with Fit-​tastic.

I’m on their email list and when they renamed the store, it looked pretty cool to me. I found myself in Cameron Village this morning before lunch and wandered in. Yes, it was a Saturday. Yes, things were busy. But when I wander around a ‘local running store’ for a while and no one greets me or even acknowledges my presence, it’s a little disconcerting. Did I mention I was in full workout gear? Obviously their target demographic… but no. Decent supply of Nike clothing. Large selection of shoes. Wasn’t thrilled with their selection of women’s apparel with the exception of the super cool Lucy shirt I drooled over a bit. Sorry guys, Fleet Feet and Lululemon have you beat in the selection and customer service department.

Not much selection, but what they do have is good.
I’ve ventured in a couple of times. Both happened to be race bib pickup times, so I will give them a little slack (and credit) for that not being the best shopping time but there was not enough staff to assist, even though one of the two was not crowded at all. Both times I shopped around quite a bit and even bought some things and never had anyone ask to help me.
They do have a good general selection of running gear, good shoes, apparel, etc. They are a small store physically, so they are not going to have a lot of choice in apparel, but they do have a few interesting things. They have a good selection of hydration solutions, socks, flash wear.
They’ve been generous with coupons in the mail lately, be warned that socks are not considered apparel and therefore not eligible for 20% apparel. Odd I think.