Minimalism: A Re-discovery of the Proper Way to Run

By

-

July 18, 2011

By: Gwen Leron

Is the minimalist movement a trend? According to Peter Way, a minimalist enthusiast and customer service rep from specialty sports store Sports 4 in Ottawa, it is not.

“Minimalism is not a trend. It is more of a re-discovery of the proper way to run,” he says. “Minimalism may frighten people at first, but if they give it time, they will soon see that you will need to only give minimal effort for maximum return.”

With the minimalist movement gaining speed, many new customers come into the store inquiring about how to move to a minimalist shoe. So how does Way prepare a customer for the transition to minimalism?

“I empower each customer with the knowledge to make the decision. I encourage a gradual change, nothing too radical,” says Way. “Ultimately, which shoe they decide on is up to them, but I encourage them to use their gut feel and what feels best to them.”

Way and the rest of the Sports 4 staff will take the time to ensure customers are happy and comfortable with their choices. Staff will measure each customer’s feet and ask questions about the person’s running habits in order to come up with a few shoe suggestions. “We don’t push,” says Way. “We want everyone to feel comfortable. We are here to help.”

Mizuno shoes have been especially popular at the store. When asked why he thinks Mizuno has been able to corner the market with their minimalist shoes, Way quickly answers: “Mizuno shoes are a great choice because of their consistency. Each time a new shoe is introduced, the overall fit, feel and performance never varies. The only change is the look and material upgrades which continue to make this brand a top choice year after year. ”

Living the Dream at Sports 4

By

Ben Kaplan

-

July 18, 2011

By: Gwen Leron

For Jim Macfarlane, it all started in 1982 with a tiny sports store, four employees and a vision. Fast forward almost 30 years: Macfarlane now owns three thriving sports stores and is living his dream.

In the beginning it was all hands on for Macfarlane and his then-business partner. Nowadays, he oversees the operations in all locations, and running the stores has become a bit of a family affair with his 80-year old mother still doing the accounting and his wife taking care of community and corporate relations.

Macfarlane grew up in Montreal. His mother took care of the books for a chain of sports stores, and when he was 14, against his parents’ wishes, he decided that he would like to work at one of the sports stores as well. So he got a job and in time developed a great relationship with the owner of the stores who became a mentor of sorts to him. He came to idolize the owner because he enjoyed his job immensely and it showed. “I wanted a job like that so I too could have a fun, enjoyable life and make a living doing it,” he said.

Through a strange twist of events, Macfarlane moved to Ottawa and ended up working at the Ottawa Athletic Club stringing rackets alongside the store owner who would end up being his future business partner. For the next few years, he dabbled in the racket business, but wanted something more. In1986, Macfarlane bought out his partner’s Sports 4 shares to become sole owner of the store. He then decided to bring a new focus to Sports 4.

“I wanted to focus on shoes, so I decided to carve out a niche for the store and chose to focus on the medical community,” says Macfarlane. Sports 4 quickly became the best kept secret in Ottawa.

With no budget for advertising, Macfarlane decided to focus on stellar customer service and knowledgeable, highly trained staff. “We relied on word of mouth advertising and it worked for us,” he said. “It was only when we opened up our Kanata store in 1999 that we started to invest in advertising because we had more of a cash flow at that point.”

Sports 4 is not your typical sports store, each customer is treated like an individual. “We still always measure feet and we never rush customers. When people come into our store, they know that they may have to wait, but they wait. They know that if you want the right shoes, Sports 4 is where you go,” says Macfarlane.

And how does his staff know so much about the products in the store? “Each staff member is thoroughly trained before ever heading out on the floor,” says Macfarlane. “They shadow other staff members, and while many of our staff members are runners, not all of them are – but each and every one of them live and breathes athletics.”

Mizuno is a top brand at Sports 4, and like most Mizuno fans, Macfarlane loves the consistency that this line always delivers. “Mizuno never alienates the people who are using their shoes; the next version of a shoe is always slightly better than the other with the fit and feel always being the same,” says Macfarlane. “Once someone becomes a Mizuno customer, they tend to become loyal for life because they develop a trust for the brand.”

Almost 30 years later, Macfarlane still loves what he is doing. He says, “I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. It is always a new challenge every day and it is not a typical 9-5 job, and that’s what I love about it.”

***

Visit Sports 4 online or in store:

149 Bank Street
(between Slater and Laurier)
K1P 5N7
Phone: 613.234.6562

Kanata Centrum (near Chapters)
400 Earl Grey Dr.
K2T 1B6
Phone: 613.271.7597

Follow Sports 4 on Twitter

Stop Pounding the Pavement with ECCO BIOM Walk Shoes

By

BuzzonGear

-

July 15, 2011

Autumn Gardner is a marathon runner who loves to walk. Here are her thoughts on ECCO’s BIOM Walk shoes

The BIOM Walk shoes have become that shoe I never knew I needed! I have had the privilege to test these shoes over the past couple of months, and have been impressed with so many aspects of the shoe – the appearance, the care, the support. There is some maintenance required with the Yak leather uppers (cream wash, spray etc.), which I do treat other shoes with, though not necessarily my runners. However, the Yak uppers have made the BIOM Walk the most versatile to wear outside of exercising. The low profile keeps them from looking bulky, and I’ve worn them on “casual” work days without worry. The more I wear the Walks, the more comfortable I feel with my slightly altered gait (I find I’m not “pounding the pavement”). I do believe this has attributed to feeling less fatigued on rest days, and most importantly, before/after races. I was able to complete my first marathon one weekend, and do a triathlon the next without any fatigue or injury, while only walking in the BIOM’s between each race. Did I know that I needed a walking shoe prior to this test? No. But, after having tried the BIOM Walks, I know that I won’t do without again! I would definitely give the other shoes in the ECCO performance line a try after having such a positive experience with the walking shoes.

Foodie Friday: Strawberry scone-cakes

By

WhatsCookin

-

July 15, 2011

In certain circles, I’m best-known for my homemade scones. It’s gotten to the point that whenever we get together and for whatever reason, I get asked to bring scones. This makes sense when the occasion is brunch but a bit less when it’s wine-and-pizza night. A few weeks ago, we all assembled on Elbows’ deck for dinner. I brought my scones and made these strawberry scone-cakes for dessert.

Scones (from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter, cut into pieces

2 beaten eggs

¾ cup whipping cream

½ cup dried currants or snipped raisins (I left these out this time)

milk

sugar

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, the 2 Tbsp sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in centre of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, whipping cream, and currants. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges.

4. Place wedges 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush wedges with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake in a 400° oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove scones from baking sheet; serve warm. Makes 8 scones.

Lemon cream sauce (inspired by Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted Everyday Cooking)

2 cups natural Greek yogurt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Grated rind of 1 lemon

In bowl, stir together yogurt, sugar, lemon juice and rind. Makes 2 cups.

Assembly

Clean, dry and hull 1 pound of strawberries. Chop into quarters and sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of sugar. Split scones in half and place in bowl. Top with yogurt cream sauce and strawberries. Enjoy!

Tomorrow is my 7th runnerversary

By

Karen Karnis

-

July 13, 2011

Dear Running,

I always feel sentimental at this time of year. Tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of the day we got together. We had met a few times in passing, but those first few times, as you know, I didn’t really like you. I wanted to, though. Luckily, you didn’t judge, and weren’t offended by my initial reactions to you.

As with most relationships, we had to work at it – but when we finally did get together, we really clicked, didn’t we? Even now, 7 years later, I am every bit as twitter-pated as I was then – but it’s even better because now we’re so comfortable together. You don’t make me nervous like you did then. Yes, it’s true; when we first got together I was nervous –downright scared, actually. I worried: what if you aren’t right for me? What if the relationship is a complete failure? What if I get hurt? But you were very understanding – you were fine with taking it slow at first, moving at my pace and seeing where things would go. We took it easy through the summer and fall, even took a bit of a break that first winter, and picked up again in spring as though we’d never been apart.

That’s when things really started to heat up. It was just you and me, seeing how far we would go – it was a whirlwind, a really exciting time. Then I met Tanya and we became a threesome – and I was surprised at how much I liked it. We even tried the group thing from time to time, but it never got weird – not even when we went back to just us.

We spend a lot of time alone, actually – it’s funny, I never seem to get bored. You challenge me, push me, encourage me to test my limits. It’s exhilarating and exhausting and you often leave me spent – and even if I am satisfied in the moment, I always want more, always wonder, what’s next?

Our relationship has been nothing short of transformative for me. I know I couldn’t possibly have the same impact on you as you have on me, but that’s okay – I’ll happily settle with introducing you to as many people as I can – there’s more than enough of you to go around, and I am not the jealous type.

So for this, our 7^th anniversary, I will tell you that I am still so very happy to have found you. Even though it still feels brand new, I can’t imagine life without you. I am grateful for every day that we spend together, and even on the one or two days per week that we’re apart, you never really leave me, because now you’re a part of me, and I am a better person for having found you.

Love,

Karen
xoxo

Cold cantaloupe soup

By

WhatsCookin

-

July 12, 2011

It’s been ridiculously hot in Ottawa the last few weeks (think 35-40C) so Mr. Shuffler and I have been putting our heads together coming with ways not to cook. This week, I’ll showcase some of our efforts, starting with this delicious cold soup. I found the recipe by googling “cantaloupe soup”; it came from a food blog called “Half Baked.”

Cantaloupe soupe

1 large, ripe, cantaloupe

1 c. fresh orange juice (I used orange/grapefruit juice)

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp. lime zest (I didn’t have this so I left it out)

2 Tbs. lime juice.

1 Tbs. mint, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

1 Tbs. honey (optional if you’d like your soup a little sweeter)

Cut the cantaloupe in half , remove seeds, scoop out the flesh and place in a blender along with the orange juice, yogurt, lime zest, lime, and honey if using. Blend until smooth. Chill well. Stir in sliced mint leaves and serve. Garnish with additional mint leaves if desired.

**Do you know any good hot weather recipes? Don’t hesitate – send in your recipes to webeditor@irun.ca. Friends don’t let friends slave over a hot stove in July!**

**Follow me on Twitter @Shufflersunite.**

Spicy Red Beans, Indian Style

By

WhatsCookin

-

July 6, 2011

I’m developing a mental collection of recipes that are easy, quick, cheap and call for ingredients that I usually have on hand. That way, when I’m feeling tired and lazy and am tempted to order in, I have options. If I decide to cook, I feel like a total hero. Today’s recipe fits the bill perfectly. It came from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Spicy Red Beans, Indian Style

– 1 pound dried red beans, washed, picked over and soaked (we used a 19oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed)

– ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

– 2 tbsp neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn (we used olive oil)

– 1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

– 1 tbsp minced garlic

– 1 tsp fennel seeds (these got left out because I don’t like fennel)

– 1 tsp ground cinnamon

– Pinch ground cloves

– 1 tbsp ground cardamom

– 1 bay leaf

– 1 tsp ground turmeric

– 2 cups chopped tomato (we used a 28oz can)

– 1 tbsp garam masala or curry power

Cook the beans in water to cover with the cayenne until they are just about tender; this will take 1 to 2 hours, depending on their freshness and whether you soaked them. (I will freely admit at this juncture that I have never cooked dried beans before in my life. I’m sure they probably taste better and they’re cheaper and more environmental and bla, bla, bla. If I had to do this every time I ate beans, I would probably never eat beans.)
Meanwhile, put the oil in deep skillet or large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and turmeric and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until it breaks up a bit, 5 minutes or so.
Drain the beans, reserving a little of their cooking liquid, and add them to the tomato sauce along with a large pinch of salt (I never do this). Continue to cook until the beans are fully tender, adding a little of the bean cooking liquid if necessary. When the beans are done, add the garam masala, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Serves 8

Jean-Luc LaRouche Rediscovers His Love of Running with the BIOM A

By

BuzzonGear

-

July 5, 2011

When I opened the box, I thought Wow! Those shoes look very fast. Indeed, light, flexible and low to the ground, they are really meant for fast running like they say. With minimal motion control and cushioning, the BIOM A was still very easy on my joints. The Yak leather is a nice touch and different, in a good way, from what I have used before. The leather is supple, hug your feet, breathable and a lot easier to clean than textile, especially with the cleaning kit I had coming with the shoes. Because I wear light stability shoes and land slightly on the heels, I could run their recommended times with no pain and up to an hour three times a week with a little pain in my calves the next day. It still took me four weeks to fully adjust to the natural motion system. So I would highly recommend that you stay as close as possible to the 4 to 6 week transition plan they suggest and also check their size chart as they fit a little bigger than standard. And Oh yeah! Be prepared to rediscover the love of running.

Inspiration in Friendship

By

KSkinner

-

June 28, 2011

I headed to the Halifax Running Room on Sunday morning, to meet up with my clinic for our run.

The store was full of the usual buzz of voices and energy and excitement of a Sunday morning and I saw, from across the room, a woman I had coached last spring and summer in a Learn to Run clinic and then a 10k clinic.

This is no ordinary woman, and I knew that last summer. She is motivated and determined and friendly and sweet. She completely inspired me last summer and though we lost touch (aside from one brief moment at the Hypothermic Half), we picked up on Sunday morning like no time had passed.

We ran different distances, but arrived back at the store at the same time. I sat and stretched with her and her running buddy (she has since run two half marathons and is talking about her third!) (you go on with your bad self, Diane!) and we got to talking.

About everything. About kids and husbands and life and being older than 22. About running and stress and it just… it was so good. We talked about how it all gets better as you get older. About how women become more supportive of each other, more confident in ourselves. About how we finally realize that the time to make time for ourselves is now and how we start to declare our independence through running.

That’s what it’s all about, you know? This whole journey. It’s about finding yourself and the things that you love. It’s about realizing that you are wonderful and special and bursting with potential. It’s about accepting yourself and finding people who accept you, too. It’s about taking time, making time away from your kids or your spouse or your parents or whoever. Time that’s yours. It’s about owning it. Taking your dreams and grabbing them and holding on and not letting go.

It’s not always about the running, not for everyone. But it’s about finding something that makes you feel ferocious and strong and brave and wonderful. It’s about finding something that makes you realize, in the middle of all this mixed up and confusing world, how utterly wonderful you truly are.

Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives. ~Louise L. Hay

Betty Fox: an amazing mother

By

Karen Karnis

-

June 24, 2011

When it comes to mothers, Betty Fox is among the most incredible I have ever heard of.

I can remember seeing an interview with her a few years ago – I can’t remember where I saw it or the exact conversation, but the gist was that she felt guilty for her initial reaction to Terry Fox’s idea to run across the country to raise funds for cancer research. She said she felt bad that just when he needed support the most, she failed to provide it. But really, can you blame her? She just found out her son was very sick – I think it was perfectly natural to feel protective.

She more than made up for her “lack of support,” if you want to call it that – and quickly. When she realized that Terry was not to be dissuaded, she did a complete 180, throwing her support behind her son, selflessly sacrificing the unknown amount of time that was left for them to be together. She fiercely protected him from anyone trying to get close for opportunistic reasons, found people who could help him, and facilitated his journey the best she could.

When Terry died, she was asked to step forward as the public face of the Terry Fox Foundation. With nowhere near adequate time to grieve privately, she was thrust into the public eye, stating that she believed her son had a higher purpose. She graciously gave Terry over to a nation that was hungry for a hero. Then she continued to protect him fiercely – his image, his values, everything he stood for – and made sure that he wouldn’t disappear into obscurity.

Terry Fox had a dream that captivated a nation. That dream became Betty Fox’s entire life. She constructively threw her anger and grief and whole being into it. Along with other family members and people involved with the Terry Fox Foundation, she made sure the dream stayed alive not only within the nation, but in countries all over the world.

That’s a pretty incredible mom.