Big Dog

This morning I was scheduled to run an easy three but due to some soreness I decided to hit up Pilates and call it a day. I will get in an extra three miles tomorrow morning so am not overly worried about it. Better to feel good for speed work than run just because the schedule says. Foam rolling will be happening today.

Cathryn over at My Heart's Content asked about working at Big Dog so I thought I would share what it is like to work at a running store. Big Dog Running Company has four locations in the area. One in Uptown, one in Columbus Crossing, one on Fort Benning and one in Auburn. One big plus about Big Dog is they are willing to hire military spouses. People can be hesitant to do that because inevitably we will be moving on but Big Dog hires a lot of us. The other great thing is that everyone who works there is a runner. Some are new to running some have been running for awhile but everyone is pretty much a run nerd.

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The owners are runners and are very concerned with having a strong running community and making sure people are getting the gear and shoes they need to be successful. Big Dog sponsors lots of races and is a big part of Columbus Road Runners. There are free fun runs several times a week, plus free form, injury and mental skills clinics.

I work anywhere from 25 to 30 hours a week. Most days are a mix of stocking the store and helping customers. To be honest the worst day is when we get a huge shipment of socks. So many socks!!!! For some reason pricing and displaying socks is not my favorite.

Twice a week I also get to run with runners preparing for a 5K. Since starting there I have learned so much about shoes and gear along with form and gait analysis. My favorite part is helping customers find the right shoes. The fact that I have had a lot of injuries is finally paying off in a positive way with helping other runners with concerns or issues they are having. There is nothing better than helping a customer find the best shoes for them and seeing them be successful. My favorite so far has been helping a lady find the right shoes that helped eliminate some pain in her knee that she had been having and allowed her to run a 5K which she loved so much she immediately signed up for another one in a week. Runners we be crazy!

Another thing I love is learning about all the products we carry. We have brand reps come in about once every other week. They usually go for a run with us and then spend an hour teaching us about the product. Often they are nice enough to give us samples to try. This comes in handy when customers ask about the stuff we carry. And you all know I love samples!

Overall I am loving working at Big Dog (sure some days I would rather be laying around on the couch all day watching HGTV, did you all know that there are a million seasons on Amazon Prime!!!, but it is good to get out of the house;)). I get to work with great people and nerd out all day. Win!