2023.04.19 - Running is pure
There is no I in team, but there is in Running! Sure, there are teams in
running, but the sport itself is strictly individual. Whether on a team or in a club, members are there just to encourage and support each other. Our sport has no referees or bad calls, just a start line, finish line and a clock running. We just run, it is pure, simple, and we love it! We might call a run, training, or we may call it a race, but it's really just us, putting in the miles we need for fulfillment. Our running disappointments are trivial, injuries keep us learning, and our successes keep the fire lit. May running be the meaning of life? For sure it's leading us to it.
Run forever and ever, amen,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who like you, gets it.
2023.04.05 - Run Proud
My running friend Jane claimed that this week's long run was 1000 times easier because of running with me, as opposed to running it alone. Perhaps an exaggeration, but it puts the difficulty of so many of our daily runs, that we do alone, in perspective.
That said, each mile we put in proves we are just plain awesome, badass athletes, getting in the miles while much of the rest of the world staggers on in a couch potato haze. You can be proud of every run, short or long, fast or slow because you got your butt out the door and NO mile is easy, and that’s what makes our run so rewarding.
Running is tough, so are you,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who like you, can be proud of lacing them up and getting it done, every time.
2023.03.30 - Run Wild
We can all use a camping weekend in the woods, especially where there are miles of trails and country dirt roads to run on, not to mention, hot showers, a lake to swim in and the 120 acres of pure Michigan woodlands to wander. Now is the time to make plans so that it happens, and signing up early will save you a few bucks. Expect group campfires and group runs. Bring the non-running family and friends along to enjoy it with you. All camp fees are a charitable donation to Washtenaw Promise, a nonprofit that gives a leg up to the preschool kids in Ypsilanti and Willow Run. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions.
Camping dates and info HERE.
Let’s get our butts out the door,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who loves the mission of Washtenaw Promise, and the camp where we host Run Woodstock in September, and where we will be enjoying the spirt of peace, love and running one weekend each month this summer! Dig?
2023.03.22 - Run, or volunteer
With so many cool races out there, it’s easy to overload our schedule. Yes, too much of a good thing rears its head especially in running. When back to back events that sound fun leave you flipping a coin, consider volunteering at one of them. Volunteering is not only a great way to preview an event, but being part of the staff gives you a bit of a celebrity status as an insider. When someone asks if you have run a certain event, you can say, I help put that race on, and can answer any questions you might have.
So, if you are thinking of running long at Trail Weekend on April 29th, but think it also sounds pretty cool to run 2 mile loops at Island Time a week later, perhaps trying to run farther than you ever have before, but knowing it’s not really enough time to recover, volunteer! Working an aid station at Trail offers serious quality time in the woods. Working the aid station on a 2 mile loop of a 24 hour event can be as grueling, and as rewarding as running it. When you become part of the team that helps runners meet their goals, you might get just as teary eyed and emotional as a person who hit 50 miles, perhaps due to your constant encouragement. Dig it!
Get out and race, or, make the race possible,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who hopes to see you on a starting line soon, or perhaps in the finish chute handing out medals!
P.S. Running at the Martian Invasion of Races? Consider stay at the host hotel, Courtyard Detroit Dearborn. Special rate of $122 - $132 per night, BUT ONLY UNTIL 3/24! I promise it will add to your event weekend experience!
You will receive goodies from the race as you check in, and will be welcomed like the running celebrity you are! Check out the Martian decorations and get a coffee and grab and go breakfast in the morning. The tables, chairs and a fireplace in the lobby give plenty of space to hang out and runner watch! Late check out and a pool to recover…book your room today HERE!
2023.03.14 - The elusive good run
Just when we finally start to get a bit of light in morning, kaboom, they move it away from us by an hour, dang. That said, I had one of those elusive good runs today. I’d say they come about every 10th run or so, just often enough to keep me putting my money back in the slot. And like good runs, the weather Gods have also been fickle. I thanked them for the glorious Saturday morning they gave us to get in the long run, then they crap on us for a couple days before finally releasing the sun again. I picture them looking down at us and thinking, these runners are tough characters, we chased everyone else into the house and they keep coming back for more!
Every run is a win,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who, like many of us runners, was born a rambler and a gambler and guess we always will be until they throw the dirt on. Amen.
2023.03.01 - Same old run story
I’m tired of repeating myself but ... Yesterday, I was tired, sore, in a funk and just knew if I went out to run it would suck, but due to the short window time I had to get it in, the misery would be over soon. I was frowning and grumbling as I charged on down the street. I kept the hammer down knowing I might soon throw in the towel and start walking. About 2 miles in I was still flying along with my body loving it, perhaps faster than any recent race pace when I finally got it through my thick head that I better enjoy the magic that was being presented to me. Live and never learn … Is it just me? So much for being the author of the best-selling running book “Get Your Butt Out the Door”, duh.
Never trust your gut when it comes to getting out the door, just go,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who admits to being a head case some days, but still taking credit for my great run yesterday! Ha.
On a fresh note, The Run Woodstock Half Marathon made it to USA Today’s short list of the greatest destination races in the US, please click this link and vote it to number one if you dig it! Dig? httpse,://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-half-marathon-2023/
2023.02.22 - Ageless Running
I’m surrounded by friends who are retiring, luckily I’ve never had a job so I can’t retire! That said, some of my running friends seemed to have retired from running at the same time as the job, while others have upped their game, which seems to make a hell of a lot more sense with them having the extra time. We know that going for a run has nothing to do with age, it’s only related to being healthy and being able to run. Looking at age group records, Gene Dykes, at age 70, ran 2:54 for the marathon just this year and the record for over 80 is 3:15. The woman’s over 70 record is 3:27 and over 80 is 4:12. Of course, these are world records but like all world records they motivate us all at any level to know we are in a ageless sport, dig it! Let’s never play the age card and we shall stay ageless, like our sport!
Run forever,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who loves the T-shirt with the words, Dumb Asses in Shoes! That’s us! Let’s get out there in the weather and prove this to the world! Ha
2023.02.15 - Happy Running
Pain is part of our sport but how we suffer is a choice. When heading out for the long run, it’s common to worry that it might go bad. This mindset comes from experience, from other long runs where we ended up with stomach issues, cramping, loss of interest or we just plain hit the wall. The stress of worry may make this a self-fulfilling prophecy. Better to head out there knowing the long run is cool because it is not a given and stuff happens when we push our limits. The run may go amazingly well, or misery might come early, this is what we came to find out. Either way, we can come away with the satisfaction of adapting to the situation and trying our best, even if we fail, we will fail heroically!
Suffer well,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who, as you know, writes this stuff to myself. This week I set out for a long run with a specific distance in mind and the body was having none of it. After a valiant struggle, I shuffled home in what might have been mistaken for a walk of shame but if you looked hard, I was smiling.
2023.02.08 - Keep running weird
The Super Bowl reminds me how quiet and private our sport is. When compared to the average American, who could and would not run a mile for any reason, we are a small, self-motivated bunch that finds pleasure in hard work. Chipping away at long term goals is our specialty, for sure we are on the fringe, dig it! Running is as far away from being a spectator sport as can be, when they talk about television ratings, the number of people who would watch the Boston Marathon would not even be a blip on the radar. All that said, coming up on Friday March 10th is a rare opportunity, a trail running film festival. I hope you can join me in Chelsea, Michigan at Robin Hills Farm for a motivational evening with a bunch of running nerds, without a run! Come for cocktails and a couple hours of incredible running films in a glass barn, a very cool setting. 2023 Trail Running Film Festival
Keep running weird,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who will most likely sneak in a run before the show, what the heck.
2023.02.01 - Don't just run
I have a hard time with the non-aerobic stuff like strength and flexibility training, but understand they are needed to keep us off the injured list. Some of these windy or single digit days make it a bit easier to devote run time to this stuff and we will need this balance when we start upping the miles as winter moves on. So there! Now you have an excuse when the weather sucks, you can run short or skip the day. That said, I’m a fan of toe warmers, balaclavas and layer, any excuse not to get near a gym! Do as I say, not as …
Train smart, run forever,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, looking at 5 degrees, sunshine, and no wind, not bad, the yoga and weights will have to wait!
