April 16, 2008 - Does it get any better, cool mornings, glorious days
Yo run gang,
Does it get any better, cool mornings, glorious days I feel an overuse injury coming on!
Seriously, there is no cramming for the exam in running; the only way to get in long run shape injury free is to creep up the miles. I know the roads and trails are calling but I believe the 10% rule is golden. If you ran 20 total miles last week, this week should not be over 22. The weekly long run can be bumped up about a mile per week. Do you have time to get ready for that half marathon in June? Do the math.
Spring, shoe time Running Fit is offering a great deal for you neutral runners, Asics Cumulus $85, on sale for $67.99 and Asics Nimbus $120 on sale for $85.99. (Neutral? High arches, no motion issues, very cushy shoes.)
Trail race last call! The April 27th Running Fit Trail Marathon and Half Marathon will be filling with no late entry! The Road Ends 5 Mile trail run on April 26th will not be limited.
Please consider joining us for an afternoon in the woods and a free Weed Whacker T-shirt this Sunday, April 20th, 1 PM 4 PM as we volunteer to pull an invasive weed at Pinckney Recreation Area. Optional 5 mile trail run at Noon! This starts at Half Moon Lake! The event is free, but you must pre-register and sign a waiver. Click here for the waiver, online registration and maps.
Patience sucks Thats why they invented Ibuprofen!
Randy Step
April 9, 2008 - The spring race season is truly upon us!
Yo run gang,
The spring race season is truly upon us, for those of you that slogged through the winter miles, its time to reap for the rest of us, its time get out and jiggle the fat!
Last weekend Mars attacked and the earthlings showed up in force, over 3,000 Green Planet runners hit the streets, a Martian Invasion of Races Record. Thanks for choosing Martian, and for all of your positive comments!
Saturdays Meteor 10K was stacked with the best running talent seen in Michigan in a while. 5 men went under a 5 minute per mile pace, yikes! As for the womens race, picture this, a 36:43 for a 10K gets 5th place, 2 women in the 34s! Smokin! Check out the results at www.martianmarathon.com.
The April 27th Running Fit Trail Marathon and Half Marathon will soon hit their entry limits, grab your spot today! As for Saturdays 5 mile Road Ends Trail Run, we dont have an entry limit so if you miss the cut on the long runs, come and join us for this very serious 5 mile run. Enter at www.trailmarathon.com.
Wow, I ask for tips on how to get motivated to do core strengthening and you came through big time. I have not had time to sift through the mountain of emails but promise to put the info online by weeks end. Ive read many and its already making a difference. Strength, flexibility and six pack abs are coming our way! Go to the menus on the left, click on training, then click on motivation
Get out the door ... Now!
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner
Yo dirt runners,
South Eastern Michigan is blessed with a ton of great parks and great trails to run on. We need your help to keep them that way. Please join me on Sunday April 20th as I volunteer to work with the Michigan State Park Stewardship Committee. Well be havin a weed pickin' festival of garlic mustard and a pre slaughter run! Click here for more information.
Hydrate or Die!
75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world's population.)
In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.
Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45% and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?
Randy Step
April 2, 2008 - I need core strength to keep healthy and on the road.
Yo run gang,
As an obsessed runner, closet triathlete and aging athlete, now, more than ever I need core strength to keep healthy and on the road but more than ever, I dont enjoy doing the non aerobic stuff. Ive got all the tricks to get myself out the door, can anyone share some tricks on getting us all to do planks, squats and other strength and flexibility work? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your magic tricks and Ill share them!
Needed - heroes behind the scenes. Its estimated that only 5% of runners who enter races have ever volunteered to work an event. I dont think its because runners are not generous but that its more lack of knowledge about signing up to volunteer and what that might entail. I believe its like entering your first race, the first time you sign up it is a huge step into the unknown, once you do it, youre hooked. Being part of a race crew playing a part of putting on a successful event can be as rewarding as competing in it. Check out www.trailmarathon.com and join us behind the scenes at one of this years events!
My last Alien Plug The weather is looking good for the weekend, come join me in Dearborn for the Meteor 10K or Martian Marathon or Half Marathon and an out of this world expo! www.martianmarathon.com.
Get out and run!
Randy Step
For more Run Reading, click here: Hydrate or Die!
March 26, 2008 - There is not magic when it comes to getting in good running shape.
Yo Run Gang,
There seems to be no magic when it comes to getting in good running shape, just a lot of tough miles on the way but once the fitness arrives there often seems to be a break through run that can only be described as magical! Fast, effortless, glorious!
Just over a week until the Martian Invasion of Races! For those of you running the half or full on Sunday April 6th, consider coming out to the 9 AM Meteor 10K on Saturday April 5th to see perhaps the fastest 10K field ever assembled in Michigan. Not to mention the masters field that is incredible. Check out the confirmed elite runners list at the following link: http://www.martianmarathon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=87. The expo will open at 10 AM so even if youre not racing you can shop the great running bargains! The kids marathon is at 11 AM on Saturday, please come to cheer and encourage Americas youth into a life long love of the sport!
A special thanks to those of you who joined us with our new Kenyan friends last night, well do more of that. And, especially thank you for your donations to the Kenyan Athletic Relief Fund!
Until the fitness arrives, hang tough,
Randy Step
For more Run Reading, click here: Master's Running!
Master's Running
I run. I hit the road in the fall of 1975 at the age of 19, I havent stopped since. Not quite as bad as Forest Gump but I havent missed many days in the last 30 years. I am not alone out there. The 40 to 55 year age group has more runners than any other. They call us Masters Runners, which is a nice way of saying old runners. Masters running is not a term saved for the elite older runner. Fast or slow, you are a still a masters runner.
Like golf, distance running is a sport where age is not much of a factor in performance before the age of 40. In fact, at the marathon distance, experience can be quite an advantage. I can remember watching Portugals Carlos Lopes win marathon Olympic gold in the 1984 LA games running 2:09:21 at the age of 37. At the time I thought Lopes was ancient but I also remember thinking I had another 10 years to train hard and improve my times. It was quite a motivating revelation. Another inspiring statistic for the aging, serious runner is that the majority of runners that make the US Olympic marathon team are over 30.
Running Boom!
Running, as a sport is Booming, Womens running is exploding.
You run like a girlGood for you. A fit woman is a powerful woman. Women run the world. These are just a few of the words adorning womens running shoe boxes these days. These slogans are an attempt to grab a share of the growth in womens running taking place today.
As a running shoe retailer, I can attest to the boom in womens running. When we opened Running Fit in 1984, the sale of womens shoes and apparel accounted for about 30% of our business. In 2000 womens sales were around 50% and we expect that to close in on the 55% mark this year. Women currently make up 75% of our beginning running and marathon training classes.
Running has been doing well in general. Growth of the sport was about 1% per year since 1985 1995 and has been in the neighborhood of 3% per year since. The numbers on the mens side are up but the growth has been slower, around 1% each year. Compared to many flat sports such as tennis, or declining sports such as In-line skating, running is alive and well.
March 19, 2008 - I love and hate my Garmin 205!
Yo run gang,
I love and hate my Garmin 205, just like any good coach I suppose. I sure miss logging my miles using a fudge factor to tally them. Lets see, a 40 minute run, 5 miles sounds about right today, it felt like 8 minute pace; thats how it used to be. Now, on a windy day with some bad footing I look down at 40 minutes figuring an 8 minute pace effort only to see its hardly a 9 minute pace and I have at least 5 minutes to go before the 5 mile mark. Who ever guessed it would take technology to make me an honest man? I sure miss the days when running for a longer time meant logging more miles!
Get out and run!
Randy Step
For more Run Reading, click here: Running Boom!
March12, 2008 - Run with the Kenyans
Yo run gang,
With the stock market retirement money flying out the window and with gas soon to hit four bucks a gallon, lacing up my shoes and heading off for a simple head clearing run has never been a better value!
Meet the Kenyans! Join us for a fun, get to know each other, Kenyan meet and greet at the downtown Running Fit store, 7:30 PM Tuesday, March 25th. Kenyans Philip Lagat and Richard Kessio will share stories of life in Kenya, running, and how they got to Michigan. For those who can make it, join Philip, Richard and this obsessed runner for an easy run at 5:30 PM preceding the talk. (Easy? You will at least get to run with me!) A $5 donation to the Kenya Athletic Relief Fund is suggested for those who attend.
Run with the Kenyans or should I say, run in their footprints! The Martian 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon are fast approaching. The Meteor 10K is at 9 am on Saturday April 5th and the 10K prize money assures the elite gang will be towing the line, including our Kenyan visitors. One very cool thing about a road race is that us schlock runners get to line up and go head to head with these folks, how cool, you cant do that with the NBA, NHL, NFL or other such sports! Cooler still, if you get to the 3 mile mark in 24 minutes, you will get to see the leaders fly by at Mile 5 in this out and back section! Enter at www.martianmarathon.com.
The first sign of spring, new running shoes! For you Brooks Adrenaline or Asics 2120, 2130 fans, may I suggest a shoe to add to your mix that you might just fall in love with? The new Nike Structure Triax 11 surprised me, with a great fit and great feel on the road, Nike is back strong with this shoe. Nike as a company is financially on top of the world and Im guessing we runners benefit as they have the cash for research, development and all it takes to make great product and I believe they did it with this shoe. (No, they didnt even pay me for this plug Darn.)
Spring? Bring it on,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner
For more Run Reading, click here: Run Faster
Run Faster
Feel the need for speed?
Runners are creatures of habit. We run the same routes at the same time at the same pace. We dont get faster daaah? To get faster we have to jump the track. To get faster we need to increase our mileage, change our course and change our pace. Are you ready to run fast and take chances? Im already headed out the door!
To get faster, increasing your total weekly mileage is a good place to start. I suggest a minimum base of 25 miles per week before adding specific speed workouts, 30 miles per week would be better. Weekly mileage really depends on the distance you plan to race. If you are out to run a fast 5K, 25-30 miles per week is fine but for the marathon I suggest no less than 40 miles per week before working on speed.
Remember the distance rule? Never increase your total mileage
more than 10% in one week and never work on speed when you are increasing your mileage. Increasing speed, or the quality of your runs, is just as stressful on the body as increasing distance is. If you attempt both you will be at a higher risk of injury.
