Running Changes Everything®: Getting Started with the Fleet Feet Experience

Adina Crawford knows one of the most beautiful things about running is how simple it is.

“You’ve just got to lace up your running shoes and head out the door and go,” she says.

But she also knows that getting started as a new runner — specifically finding that first pair of shoes, the right pair of shoes — takes some help.

Crawford got that help when she walked into her local Fleet Feet store for the very first time.

“I wanted to start running, but I didn’t know anything about how to get started or what shoes to buy,” Crawford says. “I’m so grateful for Fleet Feet. That’s where my journey began. That’s when I became a runner. The first visit to the store offered me the complete package of expertise and understanding that I needed.”

Crawford was a late-bloomer who began running later in life. As a woman of color in her 40s, she was admittedly anxious and self-conscious when she walked into Fleet Feet for the first time 13 years ago. But all of that melted away the moment she was greeted by Robyn Gault, who owned the Fleet Feet store in Gaithersburg, Maryland at the time.

The warm, welcoming interaction Crawford experienced at Fleet Feet became a key pillar of her running journey.

“A lot of it was understanding the basic information and feeling comfortable about it,” Crawford says. “If you’ve never run before, you want to know, ‘What kind of shoes do I need?’ and ‘How do I find the right sports bra?’ and small things that you don’t know, like, understanding chafing issues that can occur if you’re not wearing the right kind of materials or if something doesn’t fit you well. All of that was taken care of during my first visit.”

Adina’s positive energy and willingness to immerse in the running community have become part of her foundation of fitness that has led her to continued 5Ks, half marathons and marathons.

Want to know what Adina’s running in? Stay tuned for next week, when we’ll highlight her favorite gear.