I admit, I'm obsessed with miles. Miles ran today, total miles for the week, for the year... Yes, a pretty flawed obsession when it comes to getting out there for a brutal 3 miles in hot, humid conditions or a trail run with bad footing and thousands of feet of climb or running into an endless 20MPH headwind. Distance is often the least relevant aspect of a run. But time, distance and speed are all our GPS watches and phone apps track. OK, feet climbed may be in there but the point is that it's hard to put a number on hard work. That said, we personally know the incredible effort we are putting out to get in these wicked miles so it's up to us to give ourselves credit. Let's call the effort we put in for a mile on a great route on a great day the baseline... Then, we go in to our Strava account and we override the numbers without an ounce of guilt! Yep, today's 3 just became 6. Six miles you can be proud of!

Run safe out there,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed distance runner... Who can determine how long a 3 mile run really is!

PS: Want to run the Chicago Marathon for a great cause? We are huge fans of the ChadTough Foundation, fighting pediatric brain cancer. For a minimum fundraising amount of $1884, you get to help save lives and... get an entry to the Chicago Marathon! Check out the complete info here. If you are already entered in Chicago and want to join the team, there is also info for you!

PS - It is a rare year where several teams have dropped out of the legendary Dances With Dirt Hell Relay in September. Grab 4 friends and enter a 5 person team HERE. I promise you a day of full color, fully alive running in the natural world, a day you will cherish in your memories forever. Yes, you will get your butt kicked running 3 legs of about 4 miles each through pure Hell brought to you by Mother Nature and you will wake the next day licking your wounds with a permanent smile and a feeling of loss, wishing every day could be like DWD day.