As a runner, I love daylight savings time. There’s something about leaving the office late in the evening on a spring night and still have the luxury to run before the sun sets. This year was particularly gratifying because the time change came so early. It’s well worth the loss of an hour of sleep.

This is when my annual New Year’s resolution to run daily kicks in. As much as I enjoy an early morning run, getting up at 5 a.m. everyday to run on a cold, dark morning gets old really fast.

So if you’re up for an evening run in El Paso, Texas or wherever I might be traveling, drop me a line on our Spira Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/spirafootwear.

Keep on springin’!

We always hold our breath every time we launch a new shoe. Given the time and effort we place into each new introduction, it is invariably a nervous time. Last month, we introduced the Stinger XLT, a lightweight Performance running and racing shoe. The first shipment of the shoe sold out in less than 2 weeks, and virtually everyone who has tried it is raving about it. It appears we can now exhale!

The Spira Stinger XLT was the first of several new introductions we have planned for our running line over the course of the next year. Our next introduction is the Genesis X, a stability shoe, which is scheduled for introduction in mid August. The arrival of the Genesis X has been highly anticipated. Initially, it will be made available in two widths, medium and wide.

Another shipment of the XLT is set to arrive next week. Here’s to hoping that we have enough shoes for everyone who would like a pair!

Introducing the Spira Stinger XLT Lightweight Performance Runner

You asked for it, we made it.  About three years ago, based on runners’ feedback, we began to develop a lightweight and durable running shoe that could be used both for training and racing. Oh yeah, and it had to be really cool looking!  I am pleased to announce the arrival of the new Stinger XLT.

This shoe is patterned after our original Stinger Racing Flat with its distinctive 2 pod design. The Stinger has been worn by Elite athletes in over 100 major race and marathon victories since 2006. Despite this success, the original Stinger did have some limitations. It was not very durable or supportive. It was a race day only shoe, lasting less than 100 miles. The Stinger garnered remarkable attention for Spira®, but we felt we could improve it.

• The first thing we did was redesign the springs to make them both lighter and more responsive. The new spring design is actually half the weight of previous version, yet still won’t breakdown over the life of the shoe.
• The second task was to make the shoe more supportive. We stiffened up the midsole shank and worked on the upper so that it cradled foot and provided more support.
• The third item we addressed was to make the shoe soft, yet responsive. We accomplished this by using a softer durometer foam or EVA in the midsole. This allows the WaveSprings to do more of the work.
• Finally, we made the outsole far more durable by using carbon rubber strike pads on both the heel and forefoot.

The result is a remarkably responsive performance shoe that should last at least a couple hundred miles, weighs only 9.2 ounces in a men’s size 9 and 7.6 oz in a women’s size 7, and is one of the more unique looking shoes on the market.  I ran a race in the Stinger XLT last weekend and I took off over two minutes from my time in the same race last year!  I expect others will have similar results.

The Stinger XLT will be available June 1.  Please use my discount code, “friendsofandy” to get 20% off your purchase from the Spira online store:  www.spirastore.com.  Thanks for your patience. If you end up with a pair, please let me know what you think!

Best regards,

Andy

The launch of the Spira women’s Valencia on QVC was a huge success.  We sold almost 500 pairs of shoes in 8 minutes, WOW!

We are excited to announce that next week we will be featured on QVC again.  Tune in on Tuesday, March 15 at 7 am to see the segment on the Sprira women’s WaveWalker and again at 12 noon the same day for the segment on the Spira Odyssey.

If you missed the launch of the women’s Valencia segment and want to see me in action here is the link: http://powerelpaso.com/spira/video4

Please tune in to see Spira^® as a featured shoe brand on QVC television!   Thanks again all of the kind words of support!

I can’t recall a time in my adult life that I have not been hungry. The evening hours are particularly challenging. There have been many nights; particularly during periods of stress that I was a non-stop binge eater from the time I got home from the office until I fell asleep. Most of the time it was subconscious: I was unaware of the volume of food I was eating. Even during those periods when I could maintain some discipline in my diet, I couldn’t seem to shake the hunger pangs. Running and exercise are probably the only things that kept me from becoming morbidly obese.

I was recently introduced by a friend to Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Dr. Fuhrman has written a series of books called Eat to Live. His premise is that most of our hunger pangs are not true hunger, but rather “toxic” hunger created by our craving for nutrients. These nutrients are virtually eliminated through the processed foods that comprise more and more of our diets. Because we’re not getting the nutrients we need, we keep eating.

Dr Fuhrman advocates that 70% of our diets should be comprised of fresh fruits, legumes and vegetables. These foods tend to pack the most nutrition per calorie. He doesn’t believe it is necessary to eat much, if any, dairy, breads, grains or meat. While initially difficult to follow, over the course of a few months this “toxic” hunger will disappear. He also contends that most of the illness and disease we suffer from are directly related to our diets.

Below is a contrast between the USDA food pyramid and Dr Fuhrman’s food pyramid.

Dr. Fuhrman’s chart list specific recommendations on foods we should be eating.  Below are the top  “Super Foods” and their nutrient score:

I have been following Dr. Fuhrman’s program for about 5 months. It was difficult at first, but I have found that I am not nearly as hungry, particularly at night. I also have more energy and have managed to lose weight without much conscious effort.

For those interested in learning more, here is a link to his website, www.drfuhrman.com.

Here’s to your good health!

Andy