2015-04-15 - Run ruined by routine
Routine is a two edged sword, on one side it reduces the stress associated with the unknown and keeps us on the roads we know, allowing for a meditative run and a training experience we understand. On the flip side we mentally block our spirit of adventure and often end up with a ho hum middle of the road experience that leaves us wondering what we missed, a wicked stress of its own, one that can make us feel ... old. Bilbo Baggins comes to mind.
Are you squandering one of the precious days of your life on a run that will not be memorable, a run that keeps you from discovering who you are and who you might be? Or, are you heading out for an adventure, perhaps on a run that you might tell stories about until the end of your days! Yes, it might be awful but yes, it might be great but yes, it won't be blah.
Run off on a wild adventure,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who can't wait to see where, when and how I will run tomorrow!
P.S. This weekend over 2500 kids will toe the line at the Martian Marathon to finish the last 1.2 miles of their Marathon! Blue Care Network made this amazing Kids' Marathon possible, just like they make families and individuals confidence in their insurance plans possible.
P.S. Join us for a romp in the woods April 25 and 26 in Pinckney, MI at Trail Weekend! 5 Mile, Half Marathon, Full Marathon and 50K options!
2015-04-08 - Run to run
The main goal of my weekly rant is to motivate us out the door for the daily run, our daily bread. There is no better motivation than to have an event goal on our horizon. I'm so very proud of Running Fit Events and what this crew does to create events that you can trust your many hard miles of training to, not to mention, your hard earned event entry money.
I was reminded of this while running the Detroit River front today and passed by the Hightail To Ale 5K bench. A bench made possible from a $5,000 donation to the Riverfront Conservancy. This year's run is Friday evening, May 15th. Join us and you'll not only enjoy a run on the riverfront, Atwater brews and tunes by Thornetta Davis and her band but you will also make the next bench possible... and will be able to sit on it with pride!
As far as goals on the horizon, yikes, in just over a week, Saturday April 18th, is the Martian Invasion of Races with 5K, 10K, 13.1 and 26.2 miles to choose from! Stick around for the party and to cheer on 2,800 kids who will have logged 26.2 miles for the year as they cross the finish line, a serious commitment to fitness and a hope for our future!
My last plug, It's a ways off but it's time to enter and book your walk-in tent site for Run Woodstock. Join us as we camp out on the land and set our souls free! Trail runs, races, hikes, yoga, peace, love, a weekend of great bands and time together around the fire. We need this annual weekend escape from the complexity and routine of our lives. Dig? Use the discount code HIPPIE for $5 off your entry, code expires at midnight, this Sunday, April 12th.
Peace, love and running,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who loves any opportunity to run... and to release our inner hippie!
2015-04-01 - Run smart or don't run
50 degrees and sunny, a tempting day for a run, especially for those of us who are putting in a few too many miles too soon, and perhaps are dealing with a twinge of training pain besides. Dang. The hardest but smartest part of our sport is to not run a planned workout, especially when we are obsessed with weekly mileage targets and especially when the run you should skip is your long run. "But I am following a schedule and have a race coming up in 3 weeks!" You can't race at all if you are injured or sick but you can race rested and perhaps a bit under trained. Skip the run, work on the core, get a massage, ice any suspicious feeling parts of the body and come back with only a short easy run when it seems safe, maybe in a day, maybe in a few days.
Get out for a ... walk,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who is taking a second day off, icing my shin, and will be back out there tomorrow, smarter yet, the day after tomorrow ... Dang.
PS: If you have any connection with anyone with Autism/Asperger Syndrome, might I suggest a book by Tracey Cohen, a runner, writer, long time Running Fit Crew member and an aspie herself. Tracey's insightful, entertaining and easy to read book can help us better understand the complexities of this syndrome. Six-Word Lessons on Females with Asperger Syndrome. If you have any questions feel free to contact tracey, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
PS: Yoga for Runners is back!! with a twist.... We will now start the workout with a 30 minute Run! Classes begin April 9.
2015-03-25 - Light a fire
Today I was the speaker for a lunch series on fitness at the Toyota Tech Center in Saline. I was reminded that when people give running a try, as one woman put it, "it just sucks". It struck me that the truth is, when we try a new physical activity that our bodies and minds don't have a feel for, this makes sense. Nothing good comes easy, especially in running. The benefits come slow but continue to grow as we stick with it. Personal records, increased self-esteem and the pure joy of the runs that are effortless can't be experienced without putting in some hard time at the beginning. For sure this needs to be stressed to the new runner. I think minimally, we should ask them to commit to 3 days a week for 4 weeks while keeping a log that tracks pace, distance and weekly total. This might get them over the first hurdle. The motivational thought of knowing they have a 4 week streak of runs, that will end if they give it up, might be just what they need to keep the fragile little flame lit long enough to get to the blazes of personal glory.
Help someone start a fire,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who's kind of like a running arsonist!
PS: It took the Mars rover robot 11 years and two months to complete its very own Martian Marathon! Come see how you match up at THE Martian Marathon and Invasion of Races on April 18, 2015 in Dearborn, MI, Earth!
2015-3-18 - Get your groove on
Variety is the spice of running, I try to get in 3 types of runs each week, one hard paced difficult run, perhaps on hills and one very long run that takes me near my physical limits. The rest are comfortable runs where I can enjoy all the sights and sounds of the world around me while still getting the work done and putting miles in the log. Each run seems to compliment the others, the long run takes the stress out of getting out the door for any shorter distance and the hard runs make me feel like I earned the comfortable runs. Mix it up, keep if fresh and fun so you can run, run, run. That said, as spring unfolds, it is easy to do too much too soon, do not increase your mileage by more than 10% each week. I repeat the important stuff!
Run smart, run forever,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who just finished one of those hard paced runs leaving me trashed and happy ... Where I vaguely remember where I ran and if I'm not mistaken, the sun was out.
PS - Spring is upon us and soon we will be hitting the trails! Join us for any one of the following: Trail weekend, Flirt with Dirt, The Legend or Run Woodstock for a great BOGO deal! Buy one entry, get a free entry into our Kegs, Eggs and Scrambled Legs trail celebration!
PS - The Thirsty 3 is BACK in 2015 and better than ever. Be sure to sign up early as all races and distances have limits and will sell out! CHEERS!
2015-03-11 - Free runs!
I'm sure you can relate: I put off the a morning run at 20 degrees opting for the day end run with a predicted high of 40. The morning was still, clear and the sun rise was beautiful. I ran that night in the dark, pouring rain and perhaps mid 30s. Each foot fall was a cold wet shock, you get the picture.
The rule: Never let the weather affect your planned run, when race day dawns, you have no choice in the matter and you better be ready and know how to dress and run in all conditions. Not to mention, there are a ton of things that will come along to thwart the days run, weather should never be one of them. If the rain had been in the AM, should I have still headed out? Didn't I just answer that?
Get out and run, even if it's perfect,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner ... who does admit to digging glorious running days, dang.
PS: Get the spring season started with a couple of FREE RUNS!
- The free Fit 5K! Back by popular demand, Wednesday, March 18th.
- NEW!!! Kegs, Eggs and SCRAMBLED LEGS! Join us April 11th, 2015 for a fun day on the trails with beer and an EGGcelent breakfast!
2015-03-04 - Run, live, smile, die
The next time someone tells you that running might not make you live longer, just tell them that's OK, I'm just hoping for some compression of morbidity, they will then slink off to google it. The theory, would you rather be living it up and running every day until you are 80 and then just drop dead or would you rather live a sedentary life, develop congestive heart failure at 80, spend 10 years in a nursing home with multiple disease factors, perhaps Alzheimer's and no quality of life, then die at 90?
Get out the door and compress that dang morbidity,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, who runs many miles each week with my nurse practitioner wife, Dr. Kathy (Doctorate in nursing practice) who specializes in geriatric medicine. Enough said.
P.S. - Have you heard? Registration for the Canton Liberty Run is now open! Join us June 20, 2015 for a 5K, 10K or 1 mile! NEW theme for 2015; Red, white, blue and don't forget your TUTU!
2015-02-25 - Winter Rave Run
Today's run, sunny, 10 degrees, no wind, on the well packed, snow covered, hilly trails at Bird Hills Park in Ann Arbor. A glorious run with breathtaking winter views and sounds, including the mountain of ice that formed on Barton Dam, a rave run indeed. Yes we've had some wicked winter days where venturing out for the run has been a risky proposition but days like today, as Jimmy Buffet would say, "It was a beautiful day, the kind you want to toast." Don't let the temperature fool you, get out the door each day and experience all the natural world has to offer.
Dig the run,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, and will be until they throw the dirt on.
PS: Because of the below freezing temps and no fresh snow in a while, most trails are packed flat and have very little ice, as runnable as summer! We can get a jump on training for the trail races this year! Join us for: Trail weekend, Flirt, The Legend, Run Woodstock and more!
2015-02-15 - N=1, go run!
I repeat the important stuff ... Don't let Ego get in the way of your complete enjoyment of this running life! EVER! Even as an obsessed, life-long runner, when I read a FB posting by someone who just ran a fast 15 mile training run at zero degrees, or any run longer, faster or in conditions that I am currently not capable of running in, I can't help but start to compare myself and get my envy up. Worse yet is to get caught up running with a friend or group at a pace or distance that I should not be running, risking injury. We can NEVER compare ourselves to others, we have different genetics and different life experiences that include past injuries, time restraints, responsibilities and countless variables that play a part in the unique person we are.. We are a study of one (N=1) We need to remember how cool that is as we continue to learn who we are and where we fit into this world. We are each a unique puzzle piece needed to complete history.
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who runs pretty well in the heat, just sayin'...
PS: Add some spontaneity to your life and join me in Dade City, Florida on March 7th for a bit of trail running. Dances With Dirt is a full moon weekend mid-winter escape. Fly to Tampa, a 50 minute drive Dirt Quarters!
PS: LADIES ONLY: Starting next Wednesday the 25th, Join us every Wednesday morning at 8am from Running Fit Northville for "Coffee and Sneakers" a women's only group run followed by coffee and conversation.
2015-02-11 - Trust Reality: Run!
"Why intensive jogging is just as unhealthy as being a couch potato". This makes headlines? An article from Evoke.ie throws out a few sound bites from several studies and comes up with this headline, but absolutely no data or facts are presented. You've got to laugh at the term "Intensive jogging", whatever that may be. So again I ask, why does the media give attention to crap like this while diseases of an unhealthy lifestyle place a huge burden on our healthcare resources, not to mention, represent the major cause of death? Do you think they are pandering to the majority? Yikes!
We don't run to escape death, we run to move, to enjoy the natural world and to have the energy necessary for a rich and wonderful life.
Only trust reality, get out an run,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is living life in full color because of it!
PS: Join Running Fit's Downtown Ann Arbor Group run along with Brooks for a Shamrocks and Shenanigans course preview run on Monday February 16. Group meets at the downtown Ann Arbor Running Fit location at 123 E. Liberty. Run starts at 6:30pm. Join us post-run at Connor Oneils for food and drinks.
PS: Let's get SHAMROCKIN'! Join us in Ann Arbor on March 8 for the annual Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5K, Kids' K and Kids' Dash! A great way to start the spring running season!
