Full Time Position: Shoe Fitting & Run Retail Specialist

We’re Hiring!

Position: Shoe Fitting & Run Retail Specialist

Type: Full Time (or a minimum of 30 hours/week)

Description:

As a member of our team, you will be reporting to our Store Manager and be expected to fulfill the following responsibilites:

• Effectively communicate with and assist guests who engage with us online, over the phone, and in-store.

• Assist in creating a welcoming environment for our community of guests.

• Fulfill online orders from start to finish.

• Retail maintenance tasks including cleaning, merchandising, unpacking, and re-stocking.

• Promote and support our running and walking community.

Qualities we’re looking for:

• A passion for running and/or an active lifestyle.

• Ability to listen to others’ needs, communicate solutions, and be a trusted resource for recommendations.

• Knowledge about running, shoes, apparel and/or an eagerness to learn.

• Interest and knowledge about the human body and how shoes can apply to keeping runners healthy.

• A solid team member who is able to effectively work with others while contributing to the culture of the team.

• Willingness to learn and grow.

Benefits:

• Healthy discount on products from the vendors we carry.

• Schedule flexibility.

• Free gym membership to the Christine Sinclair Centre (where we’re located!).

• Ability to grow within the company.

• A supportive community who will treat you like a family member!

If you’re interested in joining our team, please email Evan @ evan@fitfirst.ca with a description of yourself, your resume, and your availability and desired hours per week! Look forward to hearing from you!

"Race" week

Friday is half day and my taper tantrum is in full effect, despite the fact that I haven’t really tapered: I’ve got aches and pains I can’t entirely put a cause to (although my fall down a hill into a stream last week might explain most of it), I’m grumpy and I just want to eat everything in sight.

Being heavy and slow isn’t exactly giving me the motivation to really go for it on Friday. I actually decided to tone my training down a bit several weeks ago to take a more enjoyable approach to it all, if that’s even a thing. The winter blues hit me hard this year and, frankly, de-stressing with my cat on the couch became a priority over running more times than I care to admit.

The good news is I felt great on a 12mi long run a couple weeks ago that I definitely could have extended to 13.1 (part of me wishes I had) and recovered really well from so I know that the distance is very doable without wrecking myself.

Now that I’ve settled with myself that this is just a glorified long run, the internal debate is what course should I run? I have my usual loop de loops around New West, but an old friend gave me the map and details for The Fierce Half Marathon she ran in November. It’s two loops of an out and back course that’s flat, fast and certified. New West is none of those things. Not to mention, my Garmin has shown itself to be anything but accurate. Nothing really beats the ease of walking out the door to start a run and finishing back at my door, though, so I’m heavily leaning to that plan.

All of this being said, if it’s monsooning on Friday, I can pretty much guarantee that the run distance will be significantly reduced. I have a 90min hike to do in the morning and I know how I feel about long(er) runs after I’ve already been in the cold rain for an extended period of time earlier in the day.

So cheers to Friday’s Half and starting the new year on a long run note! (hopefully)

Shoes glorious shoes!

When I walked into FitFirst six years ago, I was wearing a stability shoe in a brand I had been wearing for years. Little did I know that I would leave that day wearing a neutral shoe in a brand I had never even considered before. Although I did eventually switch back to my first choice brand (I’ve stuck to neutral - magically in my old age I don’t overpronate anymore), they’ve changed that shoe so drastically this year that it just isn’t an option for me anymore so it was back to the drawing board.

Even when I was loyal to one specific shoe, I always kept at least two pairs on hand so that I could rotate them. Although this is an investment up front, rotating does extend the lifespan of the shoes well beyond what would be normal if pounding the pavement daily with just one pair. What I was missing was variety! Beyond it just being fun to have different shoes, there are actual benefits to it like improving muscle imbalances and preventing injury. So what comprises my fleet?

HOKA ONE ONE - Clifton

Nothing beats a lightweight, cushy shoe for those long runs. The soft cushion has been a total shin saver for me - shin splints are a very normal part of my running life, but I haven’t had so much as a hint of them since bringing the Clifton’s into my life. Unlike most people, I’m completely oblivious to how stiff the shoe is or the rocker motion, but it can take some getting used to if you’re not already wearing a stiff rocker shoe.

BROOKS - Glycerin

Their top end cushion shoe, the Glycerin is a great recovery/easy run shoe with just enough responsiveness to get me through some post-run strides without feeling like I’m sinking. I also love the upper of the Glycerin - the material is flexible and soft making it feel super cozy.

MIZUNO - Wave Sky Waveknit

My second pair of recovery/easy day + strides shoes. Another high cushion shoe with just enough responsiveness. Mizuno had never been on my radar before because they tended to run pretty narrow, but they’ve widened the forefoot just enough that they are an absolute fit win for me now.

HOKA ONE ONE - Carbon X

Admittedly I haven’t dropped the hammer on purchasing this shoe just yet, but I’ve tried it on a few times and it feels good. I would use it as a racing shoe and for the occasional speed workout. Worth keeping in mind with all carbon shoes is that their lifespan is shorter than a regular running shoe.

BROOKS - Ghost GTX

I’ve never been a fan of running in Gore-Tex shoes, but I picked these guys up to wear for walking to Safeway, etc. My feet deserve to stay dry in these rainy Vancouver months and rubber boots just don’t do it for me for my delicate feet.

SAUCONY - Peregrine GTX

The Peregrines are the nicest trail shoe I’ve worn. Again I don’t use these for running, but they are my daily dog hiking shoe so see a lot of use. They are reasonably firm to counteract the softness of trails, but still cushioned enough to be comfortable if you hit concrete. And I can tell you from direct experience that the grip of the sole is top notch - on a spot I slipped and fell a couple of weeks ago in my old trail shoes, I couldn’t even force my Peregrines to slide.

HOKA ONE ONE - Bondi

The Bondi is a stiffer shoe than the Clifton, but the reason I don’t run in it is that it has a notably wider last. While the midfoot feels great, the forefoot is a little sloppy and the heel slips even with the heel lock lacing. I was due for a new work shoe, though, and given how many hours a day we can end up being on our feet in the store, the cushion of the Bondi is saving my old lady body.

The one shoe missing from my running rotation arsenal that I wish I wasn’t is the New Balance 1080. I love this shoe! But it’s just slightly too narrow in the midfoot and doesn’t have enough give in the upper to make it work for me.

Starting over. Again.

This isn’t the first time I’ve started running from scratch - I’ve had a few ons and offs over the years. Unfortunately, this time I restarted at my heaviest weight ever (hello early COVID Pizza Hut $10 medium pizza special), but I’m back! I’ve been consistently getting out the door for several weeks now and am down about 25lbs of pizza with another 15(ish) to go.

The good thing about not having any races to look toward is that it’s a great time to really focus on building aerobic volume, keeping those easy runs EASY and doing a bit of polarized training to keep some memory of speed in my legs. Although I’m not certain what my running future looks like (a BQ sounds nice, but so does running a sub-20 minute 5k again), the half marathon distance has always been a very manageable distance for me in training so I’ve decided to focus on that. For now. The hard part is finding the motivation to get out the door, especially going into the dark, cold, wet months.

About a month ago I found the Zap Endurance Half Marathon Training Plan and was sold - just what I needed to keep some focus! It has 3 different plans to follow depending on one’s current fitness level and it’s easy to blend two groups to adjust mileage. I chose to start with Group A since I’m really putting in my best effort to build mileage slowly and lose some more weight before looking too seriously at any running goals. Now mid-way through week 4, I’ve decided to try increasing my number of runs/week as well as my mileage ever so slightly so I’m combining Groups A & B. I’ll start doing some of the strides that Group B prescribes next week, too.

Since my work schedule isn’t the standard M-F 9-5, I’m doing my long runs on Fridays which will make “race day” land on January 1st. While I won’t be racing it per se, starting a new year with 13 miles under the belt seems like a good place to move forward from. Maybe by then we’ll have a little more hope for racing in 2021 (fingers crossed!).

Despite being a solo runner for many years now, I know how demotivating it can be to go solo when you’re used to having groups to run with. FitFirst has an amazing community of runners who’ve come together over the years and we can’t wait for you all to be reunited! In the meantime, join the FitFirst Run Club facebook group if you haven’t already and never hesitate to pop by the store to chat all things running. A new pair of shoes never hurts to bring some fun back into the sport, too ;)

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Deirdre has been running on and off (more on than off) since she was 9 years old when she came home from school and announced to her parents that she had joined cross country. After many years of competitive running and then dabbling with long distance triathlon, she has found her “comfortable” place back in the recreational single sport world. Deirdre, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Feline Behaviour Specialist, has owned/operated Sassi Pet Services for more than a decade and is thrilled to have jumped back to her running roots by joining the FitFirst family on a part-time basis. You can follow her on strava & instagram and check back weekly for updates on her training!

Staff Training Diary

As a Biomedical Physiology student at Simon Fraser University, working at FitFirst Footwear was a great hands-on opportunity to gain more knowledge on proper shoe fittings and lower limb pathologies. Starting off with a minimal background in the shoe industry, I found the job quite intimidating since I was not sure what to expect. The vast amount of product knowledge the staff had obtained through observing/performing shoe fittings, in terms of the diverse amounts of shoes and their different features, was astonishing. Yes, having a background in kinesiology did help, however, learning concepts in lecture versus having to apply those theories to real life situations was challenging. At FitFirst, I was put through the New Balance Dynamix training program that tested my anatomy, footwear, running and walking knowledge. Before fitting shoes I had to study and earn at least 80% (I got 94% yay!) on the exam before proceeding to helping customers on the floor.

The New Balance Dynamix Training Program was a useful tool to familiarize myself in the areas of foot health and footwear selection. It went into great depths about foot function, lower limb anatomy and the biomechanics of both walking and running. The combination of observing fittings and the use of the New Balance handbook aided in becoming synonymous with care, professionalism and consistency as it relates to footwear specialization. Using the help of the staff and the assistance of the New Balance Training manual, I gradually acquired skills used to identify specific footwear as it relates to common foot conditions.

With every staff member certified as fitting specialists, you will be able to trust us to help you find a pair of shoes specific to your needs!