August 12, 2009 - This wonderful life can turn south on a dime.
Yo run gang,
This wonderful life can turn south on a dime. One day you run a P.R., the next you can loose a job, be diagnosed with a wicked disease or get killed in an accident. No, I have not had anything tragic happen in my life lately but Im just throwing out a reminder of why every healthy day is a gift and should be cherished. Lace em up, get outside and live life to the max, when the bad days come, well be ready to rest. Amen.
Next Wednesday is the final Dinosaur Sprint Triathlon of summer, T-Rex. A perfect first time triathlon to enter, watch or volunteer at. If you have not seen a transition area in action, come join us. Live music and midweek fun at the beach. Island Lake Recreation Area. Go to www.runtrextri.com
Cross Country time! Bring your CC runner to a Running Fit Cross Country night! Big discounts, free stuff and a great motivational night to kick off the season. See stores, dates and times below.
Race pick of the weekend, Sunday, August 16, a heart warming 5K & 10K family event at Oakland Community College, on the corner of I-696 and Orchard Lake Rd. In memory of Mary Anglea DiGiovanni and her remarkable spirit. Enter at http://www.angelsplace.com/Mary%20Angela%20Run/Mary%20Angela%20Run%20Cover%20Page.htm
Live, love, run,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner heading outside
Cross Country Nights: For those of you with cross country runners in the family (You lucky dogs!): Running Fit has a couple of cross country open house nights coming up with extra discounts and fun give-a-way items to keep your runner fired up! Come any date at any time between 4 and 9 PM.
Monday August 17th in West Bloomfield, Wednesday August 19th in Northville, Tuesday August 25th in Novi and on Thursday August 27th in Ann Arbor, this may be at our new warehouse store on Jackson, call 734-929-9022 before you head out.
August 5, 2009 - Invite (Trick!) a non running friend to enter a 5K with you.
Yo run gang,
Last week on vacation I had one of those magic days where my family all ran together in a 5K from beginning to end. Running truly is a gift, and one that we can share. Invite (Trick!) a non running friend to enter a 5K with you. Enter a race that has walkers and promise you will stay with them from beginning to end, walking, running, whatever. Explain that the intimidation of entering an event is a huge obstacle. One that they will realize DOES NOT EXIST once they enter and see its just people of every shape and age, walking, running, plodding and having fun! A simple 5K can be a catalyst in creating a life long runner.
To continue on that thread, I have the perfect event for you to share, and a chance to wear that little back dress! Im always looking for an excuse to wear my tux, so join me Wednesday, September 9th at the Red Carpet Run, a dress up run with Glitz, Glamour, Paparazzi and Star Treatment! Starting with a pre race strut around the Red Carpet to check out your fellow dashing dashers before the run. Finish on the Red Carpet where you will receive a custom finishers Champagne flute and party and dance the night away! Check out: www.redcarpetrun.com and trick, talk, your friends into the fun!
For those of you in Travers City this Friday, check out the sidewalk sale at Running Fit on Front Street! For the rest of us stuck downstate Get out and run!
Randy Step, an obsessed runner Thinking bad thoughts about a wardrobe malfunction at the Red Carpet Run!
July 29, 2009 - Tomorrows run will rock!
Yo run gang,
I make a point of writing the midweek mail just after I run, with the rush of fresh endorphins sparking the creative juices it seems to make sense. So, I just finished a terrible run, 6 miles that turned into 3 miles with a bad stomach and feeling like I have cotton shoved in my lungs. A horrid run on a beautiful day in the woods, at least I had the day going for me As I write this I realize Im happy I got out the door and got this run out of the way. I have this feeling that we have bad runs planted in our bodies and they must come out, like evil spirits. Tomorrows run will rock!
Im into my summer multi-sport mode, throwing in a bike ride or swim each day. When in multi-sport mode I realize my run obsession is part of an aerobic activity obsession, I just love the feeling of any long workout that goes well. Yes I like the speed of the bike and the thrill of open water swimming but these sports make me realize why I have such a powerful love for the sport of running. No fancy equipment, no travel to get to water, any weather, any time, just lace em up and Im out the door, instant gratification.
Swim, Bike, Run,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, looking forward to tomorrow
7-22-09 - A chance to get in more running, reading and writing.
Yo run gang,
I'm headed off on vacation, a chance to get in more running, reading and writing. I leave you with some summer reading, a past account of my solo Alaska marathon that may inspire you to new goals and adventure. I hope to come back with a head full of fresh motivational thoughts to share with you down the road ahead.
Get out for a run,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner ... on holiday!
Going Solo - An Alaska Running Adventure
Life is not meant to be lived in moderation. With a middle of the road life comes a middle of the road existence. Stress is in the eyes of the stressed. What could be more stressful than to look back at the years and wonder ... what could I have done? Peace comes to those that already know that answer; they've done it! I believe life is meant to be lived out toward the edge. The proverbial edge is a personal point that is arrived at by means of your comfort zone. For some it might be an hour hike alone on trails in a state park, for others it might be a solo climb of a 20,000+ ft. peak in the Himalayans.
Without goals, my life seems to wander aimlessly. To stay fit and focused I need to be training for something. To keep my interest these goals must be out near the edge. Once the goal is set, all in life seems to fall in place. I eat, sleep, work, train and seem to be more organized when focused on a long-term goal.
Click here to read the rest of the story...
July 15, 2009 - Are you looking for some words of wisdom?
If you are looking for the Obsessed Runners words of wisdom, I apologize. He is still picking burrs out of his socks and laying on the calamine lotion from last weekends Dances With Dirt: Devils Lake in Baraboo Wisconsin. In the mean time I took the liberty of hacking into his laptop to bring you some real information from the other side of the Running Fit fence. Thats right were not just races, trails, mud, long runs, triathlons, beer relays, and aid stations. We still have to sell some shoes too. So the Head Goats partner formerly known as the Shoe Doctor (only our long time customers know that one) has some important news that will help everyone and get our economy back in the lead pack.
Read on:
Asics, Brooks, New Balance, Nike, Mizuno, Saucony, Puma, Adidas, and the rest of our vendors would call their legal department if we advertised the low prices we put on their products at our Ann Arbor Annual Art Fair Sale. We cant blame them, but this only happens once a year and when else could you find a $125.00 trainer for $49.99. We have over 500 pair of running shoes starting at $29.99. And if that isnt enough to get you to downtown Ann Arbor we also have our entire spring /summer apparel at 20% off and the winter apparel at 50% off! But wait theres more our entire regular stock of shoes are also marked 10 to 40 % off. It is a store wide sale starting Wednesday, but yep people come Tuesday and what are we going to do say no? We also hear there is some great art mixed in with all this retail.
Note: Running Fit West Bloomfield has moved! Come check out the new digs at 6623 Orchard Lake Road, on the SE corner of Maple and Orchard Lake, next to Plum Market.
Run Shop Run,
The Shoe Doctor
July 7, 2009 - Time to shake things up!
Yo Run Gang,
As the racing season slows down and the long summer days add up, I hear fellow runners talking about feeling burned out by the daily running grind. I usually give my normal calm response, NO WAY! How can anyone burn out on running, the perfect activity for mind, body and life itself? Time to shake things up!
If you normally run in the morning, plan tomorrow's run for 10 PM and put on a headlamp. Run in the woods, if you normally run on the road. Start and finish your run at a lake and dive in ... Naked if its private! Yikes! Try some GU, new shoes, new route, new run partner, run with a group ... like 6:30 PM Tuesday at Ann Arbor Running Fit or Thursdays 5:30 PM from Running Fit Northville, where they give you a hot dog when you finish! Go to an outdoor track and put some beer along the track. Do a few easy, or hard, miles. Finish with a cool down walk with beer in hand, seeing the beer on each lap will inspire you (I use beer as an example; just make it something that will fire you up). Run a race, don't even make plans, just find one online (www.runningfit.com, www.runmichigan.com,) and go! Take on a challenge like the one at www.half2run.com. Get someone to drop you off a long way from home with no way to get back but to run! Drive to a spot some evening then run home, in the morning, run back and get your car
Run forever,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, keeping the fire lit
Cross Country Nights: For those of you with cross country runners in the family (You lucky dogs!): Running Fit has a couple of cross country open house nights coming up with extra discounts and fun give-a-way items to keep your runner fired up! Come any date at any time between 4 and 9 PM. Monday August 17th in West Bloomfield, Wednesday August 19th in Northville, Tuesday August 25th in Novi and on Thursday August 27th in Ann Arbor, this may be at our new warehouse store on Jackson, check www.runningfit.com before you head out.
Run 'n' Grill in the 'ville!
Why eat and run when you can run and eat!?! Come on out to Northville Running Fit Thursday nights @ 6:30pm for our weekly Run 'n' Grill! That's right each Thursday night beginning July 16th we'll be out grillin' while you're out runnin'. We'll have Burgers, Dogs and all the fixin's ready for you as you finish up!
What's the catch??? There isn't one except no run, no eat! That's right ya gotta earn those calories!
The group heads out around 6:30pm (which, for some reason beyond explanation, is actually around 6:40pm here in Northville). Mileage for the run varies (between 4 and around 8 miles) and paces vary.
So show up and RUN and EAT with the crew at the Northville Running Fit starting July 16th! We'll leave the grill on for ya!
July 1, 2009 - I am "high" on mileage!
Yo Run Gang,
Its the 40th anniversary of Woodstock Music Festival and Im celebrating by putting on Run Woodstock, 3 days of peace, love and RUNNING! Many saw Woodstock as a self indulgent festival of irresponsibility and the same gang might see Run Woodstock in same light. The truth is, they are correct! The goal of Run Woodstock will be to leave responsibility and perhaps reality behind for a couple days to do a bit of communal running and mellowing out. The deeper truth is that this type of experience may be necessary for us, perhaps helping avoid depression, suicide, heart attack or stroke due to the stress of a so called responsible life. You may say Im a dreamer, but Im not the only one Join us in September, check out www.runwoodstock.com.
The following quote by the late Dr. George Sheehan, runner and philosopher, sheds light on running and why Run Woodstock.
We run long to learn our inner most self. In the long run we get down to bedrock. We find courage and strength we never knew we possessed. We give witness to a person we have never been before.
The run is like religion and play. It resembles art and music, it fills an area of life that is of tremendous importance but has no practical value. And like those other similar activities, running is among our most important functions. It helps us discover and form the self, we find where we are and where we are going. We learn who we are and who we might be. The long run is a place of self discovery.
Far out man,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, high on mileage
June 24, 2009 - The weather is never a reason to skip a run.
Yo Run Gang,
Most of us are mired in our lifestyles with responsibilities of family, jobs, bills, and piles of unfinished work and projects that can stop us in our tracks as we jump out of bed for the daily run. It is as if the enemy had thwarted out attack on this new day. We may awake to run plans that get sidetracked within minutes. The truth is, getting out the door is never easy, and at times, just getting started requires a super human feat. You have blown through that barrier plenty of times, the trick is to keep up the momentum and know thy enemy!
That said, the weather is never a reason to skip a run. As you know, I love extremes, especially when it comes to the weather we run in. Life in the middle of the road will get you run down! When its 10 below or over 90, a simple run becomes extreme and requires planning and thought. It also comes with a bit of danger, but you may have noticed, all the cool stuff is dangerous so no need to avoid it, just take it seriously.
Enjoy every healthy day,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner planning on a high noon run on a day I could have ran in the cool of the morning!
June 17, 2009 - The Message...
Yo Run Gang,
A common runners lament, THAT NONE OF YOU WILL EVER USE! Im getting a bit sore; I guess Im due for new running shoes. Im bringing this up because I just heard this from a long time running friend A runner I thought would know better, so I blame myself for not spreading the message!
The Message: There are plenty of aches and pains that come from running; you dont need to add to them by running in old shoes. The bodys adaptation pains from upping mileage and hard or long workouts offer enough pain options for us already! The answer is to NEVER run long or hard in shoes with over 200 miles on them. You do this by alternating two or more pairs of shoes. Buy new shoes, run in them a while, then, when they have 200 miles on them, get a new pair. Wear the new pair for any long or fast runs and wear the older pair for easy days of junk miles. Once the old pair has 400 miles on them and the new pair has 200 miles on them, get a new pair and retire the 400 mile shoes to the garden in or whatever. I did not dream up this method to just sell you new shoes, you can actually squeeze more miles out of each pair by doing this. This also gives the shoes time to recover from a run, to dry out Darn, so much for a shameless plug.
The Triceratops Sprint Triathlon is a week from today, Wednesday, June 24 at 6:30 PM. Sign up to participate, or better yet, sign up to volunteer at www.trextri.com. Volunteering is a great way to check out the sport and see the action up close. Course marshals, aid station workers and the always fun swim course monitors in Kayaks (Yours or ours!). A weekday evening volunteer job that will earn you a cool shirt and free entry into another Running Fit event. Email the Canadian Chick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and say, sounds like fun, sign me up!
Solstice, my favorite day of the year, long enough do it all! Check out the 5 & 10K Northville Solstice Run at www.solsticerun.org, a classy little run.
My Barbados friend Codgie is getting a group together to run the Barbados Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K in December. He worked out a deal for a seven-day stay flying out of Detroit for about $1000.00 per person, which includes airfare and (four star) hotel. All fees are included in this price (airport tax, hotel tax, etc.) and you get other perks. For more info email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Run smart,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner with lots of shoes!
June 10, 2009 - God has truly spoiled me rotten.
Yo Run Gang,
God has truly spoiled me rotten and if life ends tomorrow, Ill leave as one happy camper. That was the feeling I was left with after this mornings run. Runners World posts a photo and route each month called Rave Run, every so often I encounter a rave run and it happened today. Im writing this from Baraboo, WI, the site of the July 11th summer stop on the Dances with Dirt (www.danceswithdirt.com) extreme trail running tour. My run today was up and down 600 piles of boulders in a place of glacial wonder, I can compare it to no where I have been. It was a run filled with incredible vistas and natural beauty on a clear, crisp morning A Wednesday morning I might add, and Im working, and spoiled. Thinking back, my last run to qualify as Rave was on a snowy dark evening in February when I ran 6 miles of half mile loops around the industrial complex where Running Fits headquarters are. The loop is plowed, lit and has no traffic after 5 PM. Running loop after loop with a light snow falling, just me, my thoughts and the mantra of footfalls. I finished the run like waking from a dream, I had planned a quick 4 miles but realized time had slipped by me and I was at 6. I love this sport, it constantly amazes me.
Join us in Baraboo July 11th, a 7 hour drive to a place that will capture your soul, I promise. Ultra runs from a half marathon to 50 miles, or grab 4 friends and run the extreme relay. Each runner runs 3 legs averaging 3.5 miles each. Cheap camping or $99 rooms at Devils Head Ski Resort. More information is at www.danceswithdirt.com.
Randy Step, an obsessed runner headed back to work. Ha!
