November 11, 2009 - My partner Steve and I are in Austin, Texas.

Yo run gang,

My partner Steve and I are in Austin, Texas today at The Running Event, the convention for running specialty stores. A convention unlike any other. Picture a convention that includes daily runs and a Shoe and sock bar, a place where you can stop in anytime and grab any shoe and socks by any manufacturer and go out and run in them. This morning we raced 5K, the field included several Olympians and a whos who of sponsored athletes and running celebrities, perhaps one of the fastest races in the country on a Wednesday morning! Yes our jobs can be a lot of fun and yes, were lucky to live and love what we do. That said, our goal here is to return to Michigan with the latest and greatest running products and information to share with you and make your running life the best it can be. Tonight we are off to the awards banquet where last year we won the Umbuntu Award, an award many of you have seen as it toured the stores. We were just informed that we were again voted one of the top 50 running stores in the US (Out of around 500 stores). I think they told us just in case we decided to skip the dinner and go out for a run Would we do that?

Our lifestyle and these awards would not be available without you, our loyal customers and friends. A following note from the shoe donation program, Soles 4 Souls about last Fridays visit to our Ann Arbor Store, is a perfect example of how cool you, the runners in Michigan, all are!

Thank you so much for allowing us to visit your store and your continued support of Soles4Souls! Hope you enjoyed Allan and Sylvania they loved you all! See report below!

Hello: Michigan runners are great! We were swamped with people bringing shoes while we were at Running Fit. Everyone was super friendly and so enthusiastic about S4S. So many said I checked you out on the web before bringing these shoes. So evidently the web site is doing a good job conveying our message. We collected about 350 pairs of shoes. A steady stream of customers to a fairly small store. They just kept on coming! The Running Fit staff was so professional and willing to help us in any way. Theyve donated thousands of shoes in the past and hope to continue. A great group of people. Wish every retailer could be like this. Silvana

Run forever,

Randy Step, an obsessed runner who ran 5K in a cowboy hat today, because I did not want to look like a tourist!