The blog is back, baby!

Greetings blog followers!  After a long hiatus the Charles River Running blog is now pronounced living and breathing once again.  In the coming weeks we will have lots of great running info to share with you along with guest bloggers , gear reviews and fun race reports.  This summer will be jam packed but we also hope that our readers will be taking time to breathe, relax,  watch the weeds grow in the garden and most importantly, LOOK FOR TICKS (I just found one behind my knee)!

My incredible staff and I have had quite a first year at CRR.  While I could recite a laundry list of store events, new products, Twitter Followers and crumpled race bibs, I would rather tell you about all the amazing people, customers, runners and walkers who have come into our lives.  We’ve met so many people who shared their goals, accomplishments large and small, race stories, and sometimes even heartbreaking set backs.  We’ve fitted over a thousand pairs of shoes, looked at thousands of toes (you do the math), and rang up a lot of GU packets.  What has made a more lasting impression on us though, are the stories of our customers’ first mile of running without walking, shedding those first  5 pounds, the improved blood pressure numbers and cholesterol levels, and of course seeing the swagger of a repeat customer that now, finally begins to refer to him or herself as a “runner”.  Chances are, if you are reading this you are nodding your head and thinking back to a shared experience.  It is these intangible moments that have made Charles River Running’s first year so special.  These are the reasons I started the business.  These are the ideas I presented to the loan officers at countless lending institutions before Charles River Running opened its doors.   "Yes, lots of folks buy their running gear online", I would say to the banks, but lots want to shop in a real store, chat with a knowledgeable staff member, try on a nice selection of shoes and actually have their concerns addressed, questions answered and stories heard.  And here we are, one year later.  Let me tell you, we have some stories, but I will save those for later blogs!  So just for fun, I will just torture you with a Top Ten List from the store’s first 52 weeks of business.  

Charles River Running's 1st Year Numbers and Notables

Top GU flavor:   Vanilla Bean       
Outdoor temperature at the December Group Run with Darn Tough Socks:  15 F
Number of CRR-hosted Pub Runs:  12
Amount of swag given away at pub runs: $$$$$
Free hugs, fist bumps and high fives awarded to our groupies:  too many to count
Jen's favorite Tuesday evening runner’s yoga stretch:  the “side ass” foam roller move
Times we’ve heard the phrase “I’m not really a runner…”:  again too many to count
Largest shoe purchased by a customer:  Men’s size 15D
Dozens of CRR Hen’s eggs given away at the register to random shoppers:   6
Properly fitted shoe- induced endorphin hits received by happy CRR customers:  millions

Thanks to all of our customers for giving us these experiences.  We can’t wait to see what year 2 brings.  We love what we do and we hope that you do too!  Keep running, stay healthy and keep those endorphins flowing.

Charlotte, Melissa, Dave and Jim