2018-08-01 - SEE, Running is good for you!
I, like many, am a sucker for studies that show positive results for the stuff I do. Some examples would be: drinking red wine, eating dark chocolate and of course, running! The latest one shows a huge reduction in glaucoma and another shows a reduction of cataracts for those of us who run. Looks like I get to keep all of my vices... and my eyesight!
Run, then reward yourself,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, chocholic and wine snob... cheers!
PS: Speaking of wine... WE WANT YOU ON THE UNCORKED CREW! Join us between the vines on Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Jackson, MI at Sandhill Crane Vineyards for a volunteer experience like no other! Volunteers receive a sweet Uncorked Crew shirt, a $30 coupon towards a future RF Event and a ticket to the post race wine pairing party! Give back and be a part of a great event!
PS: Run and raise a glass with us one final time in 2018 at the Scrumpy Skedaddle 5K and 10K! This fall run through the orchards on Sunday, October 7, 2018 at Almar Orchards in Flushing, MI with hard or soft cider, all you can eat pancakes, live music and more is sure to become an annual tradition! Custom shirts to all entrants and sweet bottle opener finisher medals make this a can't miss event.
2018-07-25 - Run just up to the crumbling edge
I strained my calf in a trail race a month ago, keeping me away from the daily run until these past few days. Luckily, I could bike and swim and my diversified fitness portfolio lessened the pain of the time away from my true love. I inched my way back and now can run 4 miles with no sign of injury. Amen. My run this morning brought on flashbacks to the time I started putting in miles and the passion ran high. A feeling that was a reminder to me that I may have been taking the daily run and my fitness level for granted. Injury is a harsh reminder of how precious the run is and that we need to run smart and within ourselves, somewhere just inside that crumbling edge.
Run hard but respect the gift,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed and happy runner.
PS: Join me August 4, 2018 for 5, 10 or 13.1 Miles of grass covered trails, hardwood forest, prairie grassland and lake views at The Legend in Laingsburg, MI. Custom technical shirts to all entrants and woodallions to all finishers. Register now!
2018-07-18 - You can do it anywhere
Baby goat here, jumping in to spout some midweek motivation.
As runners we are blessed with the ability to practice our sport just about anywhere. There are a million excuses out there, but one I'll rarely accept is "I can't get the run in HERE." Tomorrow I have an early flight and a busy day, and I've already planned to get my daily miles in at the airport while I wait to board. Last weekend at work I couldn't leave the area for a while but you better believe I did laps around the parking lot! Deathly afraid of deer flies and afraid to run on the dirt road like I am? Try running laps around your yard or pace the driveway! You can get the miles in ANYWHERE so leave this excuse at the door and get out there... wherever!
Baby Goat, an admittedly not quite as obsessed runner... who rarely uses WHERE as an excuse.
PS - Have you been keeping up with the scoop on the 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.
PS: Set your SOLE free at Run Woodstock, 3 days of PEACE, MUSIC & TRAIL RUNNING on September 7, 8 & 9, 2018 in Pinckney, MI! If you're planning to run LOOONGGG this September the 100 Mile and 100K races are 90% full so hop off that tie dyed fence! Don't worry, we wont make you go 100... There's a distance and activity for everyone: live music, fun runs, hikes, yoga, tie-dye and more included with your paid race entry or weekend pass.
2018-07-11 - Is our running insane?
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." This quote, that some attribute to Albert Einstein, can be applied to the way many of us runners train for events, or how we run in general. Many of us are creatures of habit, even if they are bad habits. (I use the term "many" because I'm guessing I'm not the only one. J) It's like asking, "Why do I run so slow?" and not making changes to our running that might make us fast. I have the bad habit of running most of my miles around the same pace and often on the same course. Yes, I may up my mileage at times but not often do I change the tempo. That said, many running injuries come from overuse, that is, doing the same thing over and over-not to mention, the same thing over and over may contribute to boredom. Perhaps by looking at our daily run as an experiment, planning a mix of pace, hills and distance, we might not only become faster and less injury prone but we might light a new fire of excitement, too! My plan: hammer every other mile tomorrow. My plan for the next day? I'm not sure but I'm excited to make the plan!
Run off the dust,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who feels he has nothing to lose, only to gain.
PS: Set your SOLE free at Run Woodstock, 3 days of PEACE, MUSIC & TRAIL RUNNING on September 7, 8 & 9, 2018 in Pinckney, MI! If you're planning to run LOOONGGG this September the 100 Mile and 100K races are 90% full so hop off that tie dyed fence! Don't worry, we wont make you go 100... There's a distance and activity for everyone: live music, fun runs, hikes, yoga, tie-dye and more included with your paid race entry or weekend pass.
2018-07-05 - Hot runs count double!
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.
2018-06-28 - Don't worry, you'll forget about it!
My forgetfulness is my running life's greatest gift. There are routes, races and hills that ended with me swearing "Never again," and sore days that made me question why I would do this to myself... Somehow the next day the shoes still go on and out the door I go. I bargained my way through a 7 hour long run this past weekend and the entire time I couldn't imagine ever having to get out there again... then last night I made a plan to get up at 4AM next Wednesday and do it all again. I have to thank this running amnesia for pushing the negative memories back and reminding me that what I did was AWESOME, pain be damned. The next time you finish a run and say "never again," smile, and remember you'll forget about the pain soon!
Tackle the big hill or add on the extra 5 miles you KNOW you want to try, it might suck but hey... you'll forget about it,
Baby Goat, an admittedly (not quite as) obsessed runner who can't wait to forget about another painful run soon.
PS - Speaking of pain... Have you been keeping up with the 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.
2018-06-22 - It's Hard to Run Smart
After setting the Triceratops Triathlon course, I usually race the course solo before the evening event. It's a good way to check things over and to see how my time would have placed me in the event... Usually mid-pack, I'm a pretty lame swimmer and biker. So Wednesday, I was feeling great, the swim felt good and the bike fast. I went out of transition two on the run feeling as if I had not biked, one of those days I call a pearl. Two miles into the 5K I was flying along smoothly, when a pain crept into my calf, not too bad but... I did the hardest thing. I did something smart. I stopped dead in my tracks and walked carefully to the finish.
It was a smart move, the calf is still hurting today and tender. I am sure if I had ran into the pain, I would not have been able to walk without a limp. My guess is I'll be OK in a week, had I finished it might take a month.
Run smart, it sucks but it will suck less than the alternative, dang,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who will be taking a few smart days off, dang.
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.
2018-06-13 - Pre-race Yikes!
YIKES! It's the feeling I get when race day draws near, for every race, no matter how important or insignificant the event is to me. Even after all these years, the nervous jitters attack!
The reality is that our race, our run, is personal. No, the world is not watching; we are pretty much the only one who cares about the outcome. Our training is done, or not done. We are either healthy or on the mend with hope. Our strategies are pretty much set, so being nervous is unproductive stress. I find that reminding myself of the reality of the situation reduces my race anxiety from YIKES! to ...yikes. Maybe reading this will do the same for you.
Just run, less YIKES,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who admits to silly nervousness, too.
PS - If you missed the Obsessed Runner Live, broadcasted on YouTube last Tuesday at 3PM, you can watch it here! I promise the episodes are getting better all the time... less YIKES! We will also be live next Tuesday at 3PM. Add it to your notifications and join me!
PS - Give back to the running community! We have some amazing upcoming volunteer opportunities. Throw on a pair of shades and join us at the Liberty Festival 5K and 10K on June 16th, get your ROAR ready and hop on the volunteerasaurus crew for the T-Rex Tri Series all summer long, or become a member of the BREW CREW at the Oberun 5K on July 20th!
2018-06-06 - You are not a running god
When we are upping our weekly mileage, which happens a lot this time of year, it's hard to not get excited to move the fitness level up a notch, doing too much, too soon. We are flirting with the edge whenever we move up the miles from a base amount our body has adapted to. So, when you are feeling like a running god and your body seems to be able to handle all you are throwing at it. It's time to take the day off or put in an easy run, dang.
A day off can save you a month off,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who hates being mortal.
PS - Join me for the Obsessed Runner Live podcast, or at least watch them sometime! The next episode will be live next Tuesday, June 12 at 3PM. One of my favorite topics: "keeping a diverse fitness portfolio." It's only my 3rd episode... and I promise to get better at it! Check out 1 & 2 here!
PS - Give back to the running community! We have some amazing upcoming volunteer opportunities. Throw on a pair of shades and join us at the Liberty Festival 5K and 10K on June 16th, get your ROAR ready and hop on the volunteerasaurus crew for the T-Rex Tri Series all summer long, or become a member of the BREW CREW at the Oberun 5K on July 20th!
2018-05-31 - Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world's population.) In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%. One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy, short-term memory, trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45% and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Yes, you can drink too much water so throw in some juices or something with electrolytes to keep your ticker balanced.
Drink, run, repeat...
Randy Step, and admitted obsessed runner who is getting a lot of use out of hydration carriers this past week.
P.S. - Once you're properly hydrated you'll want to celebrate with a BEER! Join us Friday night, July 20, 2018 in Ypsilanti, MI for the OBERUN 5K, a fun 5K run/walk celebrating a summer fave at the finish - Bell's Oberon! This midsummer night beer lover's dream is over 78% full... don't miss out,register now!
P.S. - WHAT'S THIS?! THE OBERUN HAS ADDED A SECOND EVENT? Join us for the Inaugural Oberun 5K INDIANAPOLIS on August 4, 2018 in Indianapolis, IN. Welcome to the family, Oberun 5K Indianapolis! REGISTER NOW!
