RandyStep.com - Obsessed Runner

2019-01-24 - Champions are made in winter

randy flowers Outdoor winter running leaves us with incredible strength and balance. The heavy clothing and varied footing play into developing the ancillary muscles of the body that keep us from injury. These wicked runs will give us the armor we need to fight our way back to the higher mileage runs as the world thaws. The mental toughness needed to get out into the cold will give us the confidence to survive anything the spring long runs and races throw our way. Bring it on! No matter how tough it gets out there, we will be tougher!

Run against the wind, then with it,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, heading out with traction on my shoes and my gloved middle finger pointed at the weather!

P.S.: HUT, HUT! Join us before the big game on Sunday, February 3rd in Novi, MI as we gather in a game day atmosphere before dashing out to run or walk 3.1 miles at the SUPER 5K! Beanies to all entrants, medals and pint glasses to all finishers... AND YOU SHOULD SEE THE POST RACE SPREAD!

P.S.: Time to start thinking about your spring goals! There are 100 days until our favorite spring tradition - Trail Marathon Weekend! This Michigan classic is now in its 33rd year! Join us April 27th and 28th in Pinckney, MI for 5 Miles, 13.1 Miles, 26.2 Miles or 50K! Wooden medals to all finishers and cozy patch beanies to all entrants!

2019-01-17 - The off season for running

randy trail January, as I've said, is a time to not run too long or too hard. It's a time to get out the door consistently so we will be ready to ramp up as winter wanes. Throw in a fun winter road trip like heading to Traverse City for the Bigfoot Snowshoe race on Saturday, January 26th, when the hotel rates are low and the wine tasting lines are short. Snowshoe running is a bit more work than running... but there is no learning curve! You get to log 5K or 10K no matter how long it takes to stumble around to the finish line! Get in on this FUN day in the woods. Follow that up with the Super 5K, another chance to run easy and fun but still snag the finisher medal and glass to show you've earned your spot on the couch for the big game! End your fun off season with a pre-St. Patrick's Day celebration 5K or 1K at the Shamrocks and Shenanigans in Ann Arbor on March 10th. After that, no more Mr. Nice Guy! Time to ramp it up for spring and take our running and our goals to the next level.

for now, run, have fun, so we will be ready,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who for now, is happy to run for fun.

2019-01-10 - Fat to 50 miles

randy trail The resolutions are in full swing and as you know... I'm a fan! My son in law has certainly jumped right past the couch to 5K program and signed up for the 50 Mile Ultra at Run Woodstock. He calls his goal, from fat to 50 miles. I Love it! Yes, joining a family like mine that has gone ALL IN on the running gig was sure to have influenced his plan and commitment. That said, I believe many of us would benefit from committing to a goal that would turn our so called "normal life" on it's head. Consider signing up to run farther than you could possibly imagine running. Only after you commit and start your journey will you find that your self-imposed limits were nonsense and that you are truly amazing.

Get out the door and start your personal journey,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who knows it's never too late to go all in.

P.S.: Time to sit down with the 2019 RF Events calendar and make those crazy goals! We've got distances from 1 Mile to 100 miles and it is NEVER too late to try the perceived "impossible!" Check it out HERE, start making your list... and get your butt out the door!

P.S.: Speaking of the Run Woodstock 50 Mile... consider joining us in 2019 for 3 days of peace, music and running. Set your soles free on the trails of Pinckney, MI from September 6-8th and try a 5 Mile, Half Marathon, Full Marathon, 50K, 50 Mile, 100K or 100 Mile! There are still a handful of campsites left so snag one before they're gone and make a whole weekend of it.

2019-01-03 - Be Prepared... to Run!

randy holiday5k On the winter run, it's not unusual for the temp to start off at 20 degrees, go up to a sunny 40, then get cloudy, windy and down to 15, all in the same hour... yikes! A lightweight, great-fitting running backpack can be our thermostat, taking stuff off, stashing it, and pulling it back out when needed. Having extra warm clothes in winter can give us a sense of security, especially if something happens and we have to stop or walk. Pack like a Boy Scout; include your phone, T.P., GU or sport bars, water, cash, snow traction devices and whatever else will give you the confidence to head out the door!

You are a self-sufficient athlete off on an adventure, dig it!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who likes to be prepared. Happy New Year!

P.S.: Time to sit down with the 2019 RF Events calendar and plan your year! We've got distances from 1 Mile to 100 miles and there are so many amazing venues and trails to be visited! Check it out HERE, start making your list... and checking it twice! The more you run, the more you'll earn! Our Run More, Earn More program gives you back $20 for every $150 you spend on race entries... just sayin'!

P.S.: Shake up your winter fitness with a Northern Michigan adventure! Join us on January 26 for a romp through the woods at Bigfoot Showshoe Race 5K & 10K in Traverse City. Beginners and serious 'shoers welcome! The deadline to add lightweight hoodie and/or cozy beanie during registration is January 7!

2018-12-20 - Realistic Resolutions

randy holiday5k It's still a couple weeks off but NOW is the time to commit to some New Year's resolutions. Yes, people fail at resolutions all the time but then again, many make changes that stick. I'm a believer in realistic tweaks, working to be a better version of ourselves. As for running, an example would be to start a new streak, committing to never run less than 3 days a week. This would be a good commitment for the runner who already runs 3 to 4 days but blows off a week now and then without an acceptable excuse (there are no acceptable excuses! Ha.) After, let's say... 6 months of not missing 3 days, a week has started bad and you have 3 days left and will need to run all 3. The streak you have going will be powerful motivation to make it happen. Getting the 3 runs in will raise your self-esteem and will motivate you get in your runs early so this does not happen again. Picture this streak going on for 3 years and imagine the power of it! This is one idea for a streak, perhaps it could be minimum miles for the daily run or minimum miles for the week, whatever seems realistic and motivational to you. Consider small tweaks in other areas of life like your charitable giving, reductions in bad habits, thoughtfulness to friends or skills you have wanted to learn but have procrastinated on.

Give it some thought on today's run. When you get back, write down your list, pick the most realistic ones and ... Commit!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runners who has made many successful tweaks over the years, and yes, has failed at times. That said, I consider not trying as a total failure.

PS: Time to sit down with the 2019 RF Events Calendar and plan your year! We've got distances from 1 Mile to 100 miles and there are so many amazing venues and trails to be visited! Check it out HERE, start making your list... and checking it twice! The more you run, the more you'll earn! Our Run More, Earn More program gives you back $20 for every $150 you spend on race entries... just sayin'!

2018-12-12 - Short run absolution

randy holiday5k As far as daylight hours, the next couple weeks will be the hardest to deal with, giving us about 8 measly hours of light. The winter solstice starts on the 21st but the reality is the sun kind of stalls for a couple weeks on either side of solstice before we inch into the longer days. Even as an obsessed runner I believe the short days give us absolution for short runs! In two months, say Feb 12th, we'll have about an hour and a half more light than today, 20% more light, deserving of a 20% increase in weekly mileage, I'll up that another 25% by March 12th as the sun starts to do its job! More new math BS? Perhaps, but an excuse for a plan none the less!

Run short, sweet and perhaps in the dark, but get out there and run!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who just looked into why the daily average temperature drops after the shortest day of the year, the start of winter, something that seemed to make no sense to me. It seems the earth's thermal mass takes a while to cool down after summer. I'll be darned ... And cold.

PS: Time to sit down with the 2019 RF Events calendar and plan your year! We've got distances from 1 Mile to 100 miles and there are so many amazing venues and trails to be visited! Check it out HERE, start making your list... and checking it twice!

2018-2-05 - I will run outside!

randy holiday5k Yep, it's winter, the real deal. Between the weather and the busy holiday season it takes serious commitment to get out that door. Repeat after me, " I can run outside consistently this winter, I will run outside consistently!" OK, we are committed! This is not to say you will not put in a few treadmill miles if that's part of your jam, but that you will get out that door at least a couple times a week. One of the aspects of the run that makes it fulfilling is that it gets us outside. Our run gives us a chance to escape from our man-made caves and away from the air that we re-breathe with each other, and into the natural wonderful world. Perhaps it will be a morning run into the sunrise with the light crunch of snow underfoot and the self-generated steam of our breath twisting about, or a run anytime of the day or night when we get the chance to be out to feel the weather on our face that slaps us awake and lets us know we are fully alive and living life in full color.

Dig it!

We will run outside,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is rooting for you!

PS: HO, HO, GO! Last chance for the lowest price on the Holiday Hustle! Register by NOON tomorrow! Naughty or nice, walker or runner, come breathe in the December night air, burn a few holiday calories and give back to others! The Holiday Hustle on December 8, 2018 is a festive dash around Dexter that will get you in the holiday spirit. Knit beanies to all entrants and medals to all finishers. REGISTER NOW!

2018-11-28 - Your run is under attack

randy holiday5k The big holiday guns are firing with full force: work parties, family gatherings, shopping that needs to get done, decorating to do and the last minute invitations to lunch and dinner coming in like drone attacks! It's time to dig into our arsenal of secret weapons. Break out the headlamps, reflective vest, flashlight and once the last person in the house is asleep, flee into the night and use up one of those 3 mile runs ... the shower may sound suspicious, shhhhhh. Have your running gear at hand at all times and keep an eye out for the opportunity to escape at a moment's notice! At the next holiday gathering, you'll know you have won the war when we see that you are the one who is relaxed, refreshed, smiling and patient in the frantic, party crowd, showing no wounds. And they will wonder how you did it... Ha!

Run, party and smile,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is OK with seeing a lot of single digit mile runs this month!

PS: HO, HO, GO! Naughty or nice, walker or runner, come breathe in the December night air, burn a few holiday calories and give back to others! The Holiday Hustle on December 8, 2018 is a festive dash around Dexter that will get you in the holiday spirit. Knit beanies to all entrants and medals to all finishers. REGISTER NOW!

PS: 2019 is near! Get a jump on planning your running year by checking out the RF Events 2019 Calendar! Open events include: Bigfoot Snowshoe Race - Traverse City, MI - January 26, Super 5K - Novi, MI - February 3, Shamrocks & Shenanigans - Ann Arbor, MI - March 10 Martian Invasion of Races - Dearborn, MI - April 13, and Run Woodstock - Pinckney, MI - September 6, 7 & 8... and keep those eyes peeled for more races opening soon!

2018-11-18 - I love winter, sure...

randy holiday5k Let's face it, it's winter. Now is the time to commit to getting out the door consistently and putting in the miles. I'm not talking about every day or lots of miles, just about getting out the door on a regular basis to keep the fire lit. One of the reasons we run is that it is simple and requires hardly anything. Yes winter requires a few more layers, but in the grand scheme of winter sports running is still as basic as it gets. A synthetic or wool base layer next to the skin to wick away moisture, (staying dry is staying warm,) covered by a micro fiber vented shell to stop the wind. Add to that tights, hats, mitts, some traction control for the shoes, head lamp and reflective vest. Winter brings darkness, icy winds, bad footing and most importantly, runs that give us the greatest feeling of accomplishment ever!

Whatever the weather, we'll be ready to run.

Get out there today,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who's mantra is "I love winter, I love winter" ... And I'll repeat it until I believe it!

PS: Join us Thanksgiving morning in downtown Ann Arbor for a turk-tacular time! Trot 5K or 1 Mile before the feast. Long sleeve shirts to all pre-registered participants, medals and hot chocolate to all finishers! Register now!

2018-11-08 - Running and Passion

randy holiday5k Without a fire in our heart, the world seems a colder place. I'm not completely sure of the meaning of life but having a passion seems to be a piece of the puzzle. For those of us lucky enough to have found running and have made it our passion, understand how important having a focus that drives us can be. We are fortunate that running is mostly healthy and non-threatening to others. I also believe that those who have found a passion are much more understanding and accepting of others with passions, even those much different from ours. Passion gives us some common ground, we can relate to those who are really into something.

Live it up out there and share your passion,

Randy Step, an admitted passionate... OK, obsessed runner, who loves to spend time with people with a passion, be it sky diving, motorcycles, forensics, theater, politics or whatever. They never seem bored and often give me insight to a world outside of my own. Dig it.

PS: Have a passion for turkey, trotting, friends and family? Join us Thanksgiving morning in downtown Ann Arbor for a turk-tacular time! Trot 5K or 1 Mile before the feast. Long sleeve shirts to all pre-registered participants, medals and hot chocolate to all finishers! Register now!

PS: HO, HO, GO! Naughty or nice, walker or runner, come breathe in the December night air, burn a few holiday calories and give back to others! The Holiday Hustle on December 8, 2018 is a festive dash around Dexter that will get you in the holiday spirit. Knit beanies to all entrants and medals to all finishers. REGISTER NOW!