People start running for all kinds of different reasons. Some get into it to lose weight, some want to improve their cardiovascular fitness to improve another sport, and others simply enjoy the rhythm and movement.
Kevin Ridley, owner of the Run Inn in Tsawwassen and Vancouver, has been running for 40 years and helping people train for almost as long. When he opened his Kerrisdale location about 25 years ago he began running clinics to help educate the public on proper technique and training.
“We found that’s the way you engage with the community and/or customers,” says Kevin. “So we started a clinic where you can learn everything from walking right up to competitive runners.”
There are thousands of sports out there but the one constant seems to be running. That’s because Kevin says there are so many sports where running is a perfect cross-training activity, whether it be running, pilates, yoga or lifting weights in the gym, they all contribute to health and well-being.
Even though the Run Inn is primarily a running and walking specialty store, Kevin finds that increasingly their customers are asking about crossover sports. And for good reason.
“People find that they can maintain their fitness into their sixties and seventies working out pretty competitively still,” he says.
That’s where a good training clinic can make a world of difference. People of all ages, abilities and walks of life are welcome to sign up for the Run Inn Club.
These clinics give beginners the right information when they start out so that they pick the proper running or walking shoe, but perhaps more importantly, pick the right pace to prevent injury.
“Probably eighty percent of people who get injured when they’re starting a new program is because they’re trying to do too much, too fast.”
The other, and arguably more popular, reason to join the Run Inn Club is for the social aspect of being part of a team. Most runners in the clinics will set goals to participate in races, so the team will help that runner prepare for a 5 km or 10 km or half marathon over a period of 12 to 14 weeks.
But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
“Then we’ll do a club night where we’ll do a social and we’ll have some wine and beer and appetizers that bring people together and get to know people in the group they may not be training with,” says Kevin. “When you do a lot of training you want to have some reward at the end of it.”
You can learn more about the Run Inn Club and upcoming marathons at runinn.com, or by dropping by the Delta location at 125-1315 56th Street.
