Yo Run Gang,

This is an excerpt from an email I received last week:

I am a 47 y.o. female fitness buff who likes to take on challenges (esp. as I mature). Last fall I did the Detroit Marathon: interesting experience, but I'm not a long-distance runner, so one is enough. I prefer the woods and running on the earth And Randy, just an aside: from your emails you would classify me a "wuss," but for almost everyone I know I'm obsessed! It's all relative to one's perspective!

Less than 1/10 of one percent of the population can finish a marathon so yes, she is obsessed (Ok to use passionate here if that helps you), she IS a distance runner, and she is not a wuss!

That said, I can relate to her email and Im sure you can too. As a running store owner Im surrounded by athletes that are faster, do harder workouts and run more mileage than I ever have. As silly as it may sound, I still find myself feeling a bit embarrassed when asked what kind of mileage Im running or what kind of time I hope to run in my spring marathon, with my mileage and times sounding wimpy to me. On the other hand I cringe when I hear someone say, Im not really a runner, I only run 3 or 4 miles 3 or 4 times a week knowing that they certainly are runners and that consistently running 10 miles per week or more is a serious commitment to the sport.

Our perception really is our reality, but its a reality we can change by changing our perception, so lets! Please slap me the next time I get embarrassed when talking about my running; Ill do the same for you!

You are a running rock star!
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, no two ways about it