A few weeks ago, Maggie (who organizes Chicago Running Bloggers) coordinated with Road Runner Sports who put together an event at a local Chicago store (1435 N Kingsbury St.) inviting all of the Chicago Running Bloggers. We met up for a fun run to test out some new Mizunos. Apparently we all (with the exception of Lauren) need a stability shoe and are wearing the jazzy blue Inspire 9s. (I have a pair of Inspire 8s that I really like.)
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| Thanks for the pic Amanda! |
As I am moving slower than the rest of the group these days, Amanda and Maggie volunteered to run with me at my current "pregnancy pace." As I haven't been to the area in a long time, I was thankful to have some buddies with me! Little nugget felt great on the run and I did a total of 2 miles (although the rest of the group went out for 3 miles). We took a group photo upon returning, while waiting for more bloggers to arrive. There was water, beer, and pizza waiting for us to enjoy.
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| L to R: Lauren, Erin, me, Amanda, Maggie, Sierra Photo courtesy of Amanda |
The local store manager went through the ShoeDog process that Road Runner Sports offers, including gait analysis, custom orthotics, along with shoes and socks to match your foot. It sounded quite interesting and I would have loved to try it... However, I'm sure my gait will change as I grow in the next few months and it might change completely after giving birth. Either way, I think I would like to come back after Baby Wilson for the total set up.
They also had a local chiropractic company offering up free massages. The masseuse I had was certified in prenatal so he did some simple "shake out" moves on my legs. After our long drive home from New Orleans over the weekend, the massage felt amazing! They do offer prenatal massages so I may be back, we'll see. :)
They also had a few raffle prizes including free entry to a local 5k as well as a free massage. I won free entry to the 5k but it is the same day as Ragnar. However, there may be a giveaway for said 5k in the future for all of you!... I'll keep you posted, of course. There were talks of a bigger raffle but it never ended up taking place. I'm not sure what happened there, but since I won free entry to the 5k, I was unable to win anything else anyways.
A nice perk was that VIP members were given 20% off any purchase made in the store (instead of the usual 10%) and I believe that included shoes too. I ended up purchasing a Honey Stinger Waffle (I've never had one before) and a new Nuun flavor I've been eyeing (cherry limeade).
All in all, I had a fun time hanging out and chatting with some other local bloggers. I got to meet some new faces (and pass out handy dandy fancy blogger business cards). I think Road Runner Sports is a nice store in the city and a better alternative than the big box all-sports retailers with a friendly staff and better customer service. I've always favored my local running store but I like the idea of the extensive ShoeDog gait analysis. Have you ever been to Road Runner Sports before? I know they have locations all over the US. What was your experience? Did you like the ShoeDog program?
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