Feature: Keith O'Neill, Fleet Feet Oak Park's New Manager on Why He Started Running, How That's Different from Why He Runs Now, and One Word He Would Use to Describe Fleet Feet

In addition to Angela, our new store manager at Fleet Feet South Loop and Michael, our new store manager at Fleet Feet Lincoln Square, Keith O'Neill rounds out the last of our latest managerial promotions.

Keith entered the Fleet Feet universe by joining No Boundaries, a beginner-to-5K program powered by our training arm Chicago Endurance Sports. He enjoyed the suffering so much he progressed right into the Winter Warriors training program and then, naturally, he dove straight into the Spring Training program. Looking for a new job after finishing grad school, Keith applied to a job at Fleet Feet Elmhurst and fast forward to 2020, that manager who first introduced Keith to the Fleet Feet world as a first-time customer - is now his boss.

We chatted with Keith a bit about why he started running, how that's different from why he runs now, and one word he would use to describe Fleet Feet. Read the interview below and schedule an in-store shopping reservation at Fleet Feet Oak Park.

Q: Why did you start running?

A: I was never athletic, even though I come from a family of football players and football fans. I myself could never see a ball coming my way, so athletics (as I knew them) weren't my thing. However, when I was finishing up my Ph.D. program, a few friends asked what would be the next "chapter" in my life, after grad school. At the same time, I went to the doctor for a check-up and he challenged me to take up some form of exercise so that I'd lose weight, regulate my cholesterol, and lower my blood pressure. I never knew exercise would play such a role in doing those things. My doctor is a runner, and he challenged me to start a rigorous, several-year weight-loss "project" by starting to run. He wanted me to run my first 5K race before I'd see him the following year for another check-up. So I joined the No Boundaries beginner-to-5K program at Fleet Feet Elmhurst, and what I loved most were the people I learned to run with -- if I didn't like running itself, at least I enjoyed being with those who were suffering through it with me. I met a whole new community of friends who shared similar health goals as I did, and the program ended in time for Winter Warriors to start. That ended, and I continued onto Spring Training, and then into Summer. By the end of my first year of running, I completed my first Chicago Marathon (2015). My doctor was impressed, but told me to "keep on going."

Q: Why do you run now?

A: Now I run because I'm used to the routine. I know its positive effects on my health, as I've seen those happen first-hand over the past 6 years. Part of me is afraid to stop running, because at my age it may be easy to fall out of the routine and start to gain weight or develop other unhealthy habits that come with a more sedentary lifestyle. Overall, though, I enjoy the peace and progress I experience when running, and when I choose to view the process of running, literally, as a means to an end. Whether in a race or in a simple weekly workout, it's the 'movement forward' that encourages me to keep it up.

Q: What is your favorite part about running?

A: My favorite part about running is that it is so healthily accessible, and accessibly healthy. I am grateful to have the ability to run, and see it as a definite privilege that my body is able to exercise in this way. It's something that is so good for you, to get the heart rate up for just a little while each day, and it pays dividends in the literal "long run." I love that I can drop everything and just go out for a half-hour, or, take a day to really plan what a workout or long-run will look like later in the week. I can run around my neighborhood or I can plan a weekend visit to a trail I've never run before. There's excitement in routine, and in exploring new places.

Q: How has living during a pandemic affected your life?

A: We have never lived during something like this before. As a runner, I am grateful that I'm able to continue my regular routine -- it's something that is easily done while social-distancing and practicing all the recommended ways to keep healthy during this time. During the initial weeks of the pandemic, when much of our world's commerce was shutting down, I was also grateful to be part of an essential staff at Fleet Feet that kept homebound folks active: we were able to work largely behind-the-scenes to fulfill online orders for shoes, apparel, and equipment that were ordered by people who were working from home, caring for family at home, or otherwise suddenly homebound. When that happens, people still need to get out, and it seems that so many people found new routines of running and/or walking, even if just to get fresh air and clear their minds, and many of those people asked Fleet Feet for help in equipping them. It's been an education to learn how businesses can pivot and adapt to accommodate where the greatest needs are at any given time, and it's also been a way to continue to educate customers and clients on the importance of good equipment to maintain their health and routines, keeping injury-free. As for me, I'm very careful to respect social-distancing environments, as I share space with others, at both home and work, who I wouldn't want to put any more at-risk than we all need to be.

Q: Have you picked up any new hobbies or revisited any past hobbies lately?

A: I'd say that, for anyone, the transition into a new work role can be a hobby of sorts, for the first several weeks anyway. Other than work, and of course other than running, I continue to workout when I can at my gym, CrossFit Warehouse (in Alsip, IL). CrossFit has been a fantastic complement to my running training, and when I started that in 2017, it really helped to make me feel healthier and build endurance. Any good running training program will recommend a balance of speed and distance work, but cross-training is also essential, especially to build core strength. For me, CrossFit has been key in moving in that direction. When not working or exercising, I enjoy hanging out with family, friends, and my new pup, Guinness. He's a Borador (cross between a Border Collie and Labrador), and he's starting his own Pooch-to-5K program in a few weeks -- with me as his coach.

Q: If there is one shoe you can resurrect or keep the same, what would it be?

A: I've run 6 marathons: 5 Chicagos, and 1 in Dublin, Ireland. I made a point to use a different shoe for each of them, and my favorites have been my 2 most recent: the Karhu Ikoni (2018), and the Hoka Rincon (2019). Both gave me the good cushion I knew I needed, while keeping the overall weight down on my feet. I continue to switch between these 2 models today.

Q: How were you introduced to Fleet Feet?

A: I had a friend from grad school in Ohio who moved here to Chicago with her husband at about the same time I was also returning home here. Her husband worked at Fleet Feet, and they both knew I was finishing up my degree, and would be looking for a new challenge. I don't think they knew my doctor agreed with them in recommending I take up running, so they recommended I get fitted for shoes and see what Fleet Feet had to offer. I looked on the Fleet Feet website, found the Elmhurst location was nearest to me at the time, and sent the store manager an email. He replied with a full explanation of the fit process, as well as how running helped to change his own life. I visited the store and the manager fit me for my first pair of Adidas, and I signed up for their beginner-to-5K program the same day. Fast forward to today, I'm managing one of their stores -- and that manager who first introduced me to the Fleet Feet fit process as a first-time customer -- is now my boss!

Q: Do you have any philosophies or quotes you tell yourself when it comes to management?

A: During grad school, I co-taught a graduate course in administrative leadership (in higher education administration, my particular discipline). We explored a variety of theories and issues that highlighted how management is distinct from leadership. One quote that I try to remember, offered by Peter Drucker, is that "management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." I'm coming into a new role, and am challenged to think about it and "do" it creatively and innovatively, and am blessed with a staff team who are excited to join me in "expressing" the mission, vision, and values of Fleet Feet Chicago locally to the Oak Park and surrounding communities. Also, I don't believe in asking a team member to do any task or take on any responsibility that I wouldn't do or haven't done myself. I'm eager to partner with staff members to help them learn about Fleet Feet, the importance of our approach to educating runners and those who want to get moving, and to present a common belief of what outstanding customer service should be, in a premiere, specialty shopping environment.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Hard work and attention to detail inspires me. It reminds me that to work is a privilege, and that one's interest and attention to detail indicates one's true commitment to a job well-done. When I see either brand-new or seasoned staff members giving so much of themselves to making a customer happy and educated about running, it reminds me how special this opportunity has been, and continues to be, for all of us who work here.

In one word, describe Fleet Feet.

"Opportunity." For me, for others, to learn, to work. To be healthy, to build community. To run.