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

Please tune in to see Spira^® as a featured shoe brand on QVC television!  I will be appearing on the QVC Morning Show on the following dates:

“QVC Morning Show”
Wednesday, February 23, 7 – 9 a.m. (EST)
(5 – 7 a.m. MST)

*Featuring the women’s Valencia Athletic Walking Shoe in 2 widths

“QVC Shoe Show”
Friday, February 25, 2 – 3 p.m. (EST)
(12 – 1 p.m. MST)

*Featuring the women’s WaveWalker in 2 widths

I will be introducing the Spira^® Valencia Athletic Walking shoe on the Morning Show and the Spira^® WaveWalker on the QVC Shoe Show.  As about 85% of the audience is female, only the women’s model for each will be available.

QVC is remarkably disciplined in their approach. Product is selected by QVC merchandisers after a vigorous screening process. That process took us almost a year. Every claim we make had to be substantiated with third party verification. I can honestly say that if a product makes it through QVC’s quality assurance evaluation, it is really good.  Thereafter, I was required to attend QVC school at the QVC campus in West Chester, PA. It took several hours of online testing, classroom and rehearsal time at the QVC studios. It is a pretty remarkable experience. One my QVC school classmate was Thom Filicia, a well known designer who got his start on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” reality television show.   He was launching a new line of linens.

I learned a lot during the class. First, QVC is largest direct response retailer in the world. They expect to sell $9 billion in product this year alone. Second, QVC is all about trust. Guests are not allowed to in anyway exaggerate the benefits of the products.  Third, success on QVC means support for the brand. The exposure is often so great, that all of the retailers carrying the product benefit.

One of the more interesting aspects of the class was learning how to sell the shoe to QVC customers. QVC trainers pointed out that focusing on the intricate features of the product is of little to no consequence to the audience. They want to know the benefits of your product. Some examples:  Why do I need a Spira shoe and what problems will it solve? What does wearing the shoe feel like?

I am expecting another show on the Spira^® Odyssey Running shoe very soon.  I look forward to hearing from you after the show runs!

Peter Kemboi

Spira shoes covered the podium at the Jacksonville Marathon this past weekend, as both the overall men’s and women’s champions were wearing Spira. Five of the top seven men’s finishers competed in Spira, along with two of the top three women. Spira also carried the men’s and women’s Masters Division champions to victory.

Kennedy Kemei of Chapel Hill, NC

Alena Vinitskaya

Anzhelika Averkova, age 41, won the women’s division in a remarkable time of 2:36:49. She was also the top Master’s finisher among the women. Alena Vinitskaya, who had just won the Miami ING Marathon two weeks ago, finished third in 2:40:42.

“It was a great day for our company,” said Spira CEO and founder Andy Krafsur. “We look forward to repeating this success in future competitions.”

Peter Kemboi of Kenya took the lead at the 24-mile mark and won the fourth Mississippi Blues Marathon today, edging fellow Kenyan Mark Chepses by four seconds.

Kemboi, 36, was timed in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 47 seconds — about a minute off the course record. Chepses finished in 2:19:51 over the hilly, challenging course that started and finished in downtown Jackson.

Kemboi won $4,000 from the $30,000 purse.

The women’s winner was Truphena Tarus, a 26-year-old Kenyan who trains in Marietta, Ga. Tarus, who also won $4,000, was timed in 2:40:18.

The top Mississippi finisher was Rob Oates of Brandon, 16th in 2:53:46.

Todd Hagadone of Fairfax, Va., a former Starkville resident, won the men’s half-marathon with a time of 1:12:46. Sara Phelps of Birmingham (1:35:45) was the top female finisher in the half.

Race organizers said nearly 2,300 runners registered for the marathon and half-marathon events.

Unlike last year, when the temperature was a frigid 17 degrees and there were snow flurries during parts of the race, the weather was much better for running today.

“Today was perfect weather,” said Brian Shelton of Cookeville, Tenn., who was ninth in the marathon.

Article from Clarion Ledger

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20110108/SPORTS/110108004/Kenyan-Peter-Kemboi-claims-Mississippi-Blues-Marathon

What are leg cramps? Leg cramps are muscle spasms anywhere in the leg. They usually occur at night and are sudden, painful, involuntary contractions of the muscles in your leg. In most cases, night leg cramps involve your calf muscles, but muscles in your feet or thighs may cramp as well.
Leg cramps can be caused by overexertion of the muscles, structural disorders (flat feet), standing on concrete, prolonged sitting, inappropriate leg positions while sedentary, or dehydration.

Doctors agree that wearing shoes that provide excellent support and do not put too much strain on any particular part of your legs, back or feet will help reduce the occurrence of leg cramps. People wearing the wrong shoes can end up experiencing these painful spasms know as night cramps.
One customer found out how important a supportive and comfortable shoe can be.

I just bought the Volare 3 sneakers from your store. I am 46 years old, and these are the best sneakers that I have ever owned. For the last few years I have had problems with night cramps in my legs and feet. They were so bad that it would wake me from a sound sleep, jumping out of bed. I tried many medications and saw various doctors. No one knew what to do. I bought your sneakers only because I am a nurse and spend hours on my feet on concrete floors. Well, the sneakers have made my job a lot easier, but my surprise was that since I started wearing the Spira sneakers, my leg cramps have gone away. I guess the cramps were being caused by my shoes. I am very satisfied with these sneakers, so much that I am now buying a second pair for the gym. I hope you guys are around for the rest of my life.

Make sure you have good athletic shoes that give you full support whether you are running, walking or standing for long periods of time. Spira’s Volare incorporates WaveSpringsTM in both the heel and forefoot for incomparable cushioning and energy return. The deflection nature of the WaveSpringTM maintains “like new” performance throughout the life of the product. The single density midsole combines with the plush but supportive upper to provide maximum comfort.

Fredison Costa crossing the finish line of the Disney Marathon. Photo by Tom Benitez, Orlando Sentinel / January 9, 2011

Fredison with his Disney winnings.

Spira got a piece of the magic at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in Orlando when Fredison Costa of Piedade, Brazil won the full marathon on Sunday in 2:21:14, coming in more than six minutes ahead of other runners.

On his feet – bright yellow Spira Singer Elite racing shoes.

After coming in second in 2010, Fredison’s win this year snapped a seven-year winning streak by fellow Brazilian Adrian Bustos, who beat Fredison last year by 33 seconds. Fredison took the lead 9 miles into the race, and never looked back.

Fredison said he hopes to qualify for the 2012 Olympic marathon in London, but he doesn’t qualify, he will try for the 2016 Games in his homeland.

More than 17,500 runners were registered for the annual 26.2-mile run through all four Disney theme parks. The race wound through four Disney theme parks, replete with musical entertainment and Disney characters cheering the runners on. It capped a weekend of running events, including a family 5K fun run, kids’ fest and half marathon that drew nearly 54,000 runners from 60 countries.

Andy with Fredison, winner of the 2011 Disney Marathon at the Spira booth.

Like all of our athletes, Fredison makes us so proud, and his victory is a wonderful start to a new and exciting year at Spira.

Also this weekend at Walt Disney World, we worked alongside Fit 2 Run, one of our retailers, to fit runners in Spira shoes at the Marathon Expo. With more than 50,000 athletes participating in the weekend events, we were extremely busy.

Congratulations to Fredison on his incredible victory, and to all the athletes who ran this weekend!