We run for a lot of reasons, for many of us, one reason is to escape the stress of our busy lives. That said, our running should never be a cause of stress, if it is, it's time to step back and assess the reason why and work it out before our next run. No matter how slow, how fast or how far off we land from our running goals, we must keep in mind that this is how we spend our leisure time, the most precious hours of our day. As my wise friend John A. always says, "if it's not fun, don't do it!" Each healthy day we can get out for a run is a gift. The world news is a reminder of how fortunate most of us are, while so many are dealing with famine, war, terrorism, genocide and diseases like Leukemia, here we are, worrying about missing out on an age group award, a Boston qualifying time or getting in our minimum number of steps, miles or whatever on our fitness app, duh. The news should be a daily reminder for us to appreciate every run and even if the run sucks, we should find a smile to share with the world!

Stay calm, run and smile,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner ... who once again is writing this to remind myself how lucky I am.

PS: If you are on the fence about registering for Hightail to Ale 5K in Detroit, MI on Friday, May 15, 2015... GET OFF! Hightail to Ale is rapidly approaching its limit and we want YOU to be able to join us. Check it out HERE!

PS: Since 1988, more than 600,000 Team In Training participants have helped the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society invest more than $1 billion for blood cancer research. This year, the Team In Training program celebrates its 20th year and my wife and I have stepped back in as honorary coaches with a team goal of raising $100,000 for research. Click here to help save lives!