RandyStep.com - Obsessed Runner

2017-10-25 - We fight back!

randy freep Cold, wet, windy, dark days are a challenges to the daily run ... NOT! These are the kinds of days that light our internal fire. We thumb our nose at the weather and head out like conquering heroes. To heck with wimpy, sunny, mild fall runs, those nice days only get us so far. It's the days that fight back that leave us with a smug feeling of satisfaction and make us complete. We are the few, the proud, the running warriors excited to do battle with the supposedly big, bad, wet, cold days of November and zero days of winter, bring em' on!

Go get em',

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner with a pile of cold, wet, muddy running gear to prove it!

PS: It's that time of year again, we're transitioning out of 2017 and in to 2018! With many 2018 registration pages opening in the next several months you may see a slight uptick in the number of e-mails in your inbox. Please keep in mind if you do unsubscribe from our e-blasts you will not receive your pre-race e-mails for any race you've registered for. Bear with us through this busy time, we love ya and just want to keep you informed!

PS: HO, HO, GO! The Holiday Hustle 5K and 1 Mile are back in all of their jingling-jangling-flashing glory on December 9, 2017! Festive beanies for keeping noggins warm to all entrants, custom gingerbread man medals to all finishers and festive medals to 1 milers! This fun holiday dash around Dexter, MI is the perfect way to RING IN the holiday season!

2017-10-18 - With a plan,yes, you can!

randy freep For many of us who ran in Detroit, Grand Rapids or Chicago, the long key fall race is behind us and it's time to celebrate with the fun fall and winter run-for-fun events like (Shameless RF Event plug here) The Downtown Ann Arbor Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day or the Holiday Hustle in Dexter on December 9th. For some of us that have not yet jumped up to the half marathon or marathon distance, seeing our fellow runners accomplish these amazing goals helps inspire us, perhaps to commit to upping the ante and entering a spring marathon or half ... Like the Martian Invasion of Races on April 14th! The reality is, that if you get on a training schedule this far out, the training miles are far less daunting, making the goal look pretty darn realistic ... Let's do this!

With a plan, yes you can!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who loves every day of this running life.

PS: Speaking of the Turkey Trot... Beat the price increase! Ann Arbor Turkey Trot 5K and 1K Tot Trot prices go up tonight, October 19th at 11:59PM. Register now! A couple bucks of your entry will go to The Chad Tough Foundation to help fight childhood brain cancer. Your custom turkey finisher's medal will prove you've earned your place at the table and on the couch!

PS: NANU, NANU, EARTHLINGS! The martians are once again planning to invade Dearborn, MI. Don't miss the Martian Invasion of Races on April 14, 2018. 5K, 10K, 13.1M, 26K... or go for the MARTIAN FULL MARATHON! You've got the time to train, let's do this!

2017-10-11 - Dirty Laundry

randy freep Thank God for dirty running laundry, it has a tale to tell. While others may save detergent, we've been running well! That said, you know you've had a good week when the running laundry piece count exceeds the day to day nonsense laundry. If you only have stuff to hang dry and nothing going in the dryer, you know your run week rocked! That said, it's time to do an inventory of the cold weather gear and bring it to the top of the pile so we are ready to rock with no excuses!

Dress for success,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner with laundry hanging to prove it.

PS: Come visit us at the Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon expo on Friday and Saturday! We will debut our 2018 calendar magnets. We've planned your running year for you so you don't have to, be sure to stop by and grab one!

PS: There are lots of turkey's to trot with coming up, please consider joining our Turkey Crew on Thanksgiving Day for the 12th annual Downtown Ann Arbor Turkey Trot 5K and 1K Tot Trot. A couple bucks of your entry will go to The Chad Tough Foundation to help fight childhood brain cancer. Your custom turkey finisher's medal will prove you've earned your place at the table and on the couch!

2017-10-04 - What can you do about it?

anna boardwalk Baby Goat here, Randy's youngest and admitted (not quite as) obsessed runner stepping in for the Midweek Runmail!

A few mornings a week I run with my mom. These runs are our therapy: we talk about life, how we can do better as wives/sisters/daughters/employees etc., how to deal with the everyday stresses of this world... and let's be honest, we do a little complaining. We were gabbing and griping this morning when I thought hold on, you know what my (very wise) husband would say? Whenever I'm complaining, worried, stressed, or annoyed he asks me, "What can you do about it?" Generally, the answer is nothing. So I drop it and move on. I'm adopting the question as my new mantra in both life and running. When I'm behind on my training (which I am) or miss a run (which happens more often than I'd like to admit) or I'm stuck on US-23 for the 3rd day in a row... WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? I love this quick jolt back to reality and so I'm passing it on to you. Let's try to spend our time and energy focusing on the things we CAN change, it's time and energy well spent.

Baby Goat, an admitted (not quite as) obsessed runner, who is going to work toward making the daily run a more positive and uplifting experience.

PS: We need some volunteers for this weekend's Run Scream Run! What can you do about it? Give back to the running community and join us! Be a part of the ScareCREW. Volunteers receive a spooky shirt, cider and doughnuts, a $30 voucher towards a future event and a great big thank you! Check it out here.

2017-09-27 - Run and be ready to help

randy dirtshirt I'm feeling blue thinking about the people who've lost so much in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Dominica... And the running communities in these areas of devastation where the daily run is replaced with a marathon of digging out and helping others, especially those neighbors who don't have the health and energy to do so for themselves. When we head out for our run, we are training our bodies to be ready... Perhaps for a race, but also so we can be the ones who are able to help and not need help. Your fitness level may someday save a life.

Run to be ready,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner that hopes today's run will help me to be prepared for whatever the future may bring.

PS: I'm so proud of the success of our Zero Waste effort at RF Events, and of the crew and volunteers that make it happen. A recent example is our stats from the literal ton of waste generated at an Run Woodstock, trash that I'm not so proud to say went to the landfill just 2 years ago, but never will again!
Compost: 617.8 lbs.
Recycling: 2,522.6 lbs.
Trash (from tents and bins): 89.4 lbs.
Diversion: 3,140.4 lbs. out of 3,229.8 lbs. total = 97.2%!

2017-09-20 - You inspire me!

randy dirtshirt For the first fall season in recorded history (OK, just 35 years), I'm not trained well enough to run a fall marathon... Even the half I've entered will be tough. No real excuses, only a lack of committing to a clear goal, following a plan and ... Thinking I had time to get in the miles! Me, the so called, "Obsessed Runner"... I celebrated your commitment and achievements with many of you at the finish line at Legend, Running Between the Vines and Run Woodstock, where it struck me that my own weekly mileage was low, my long runs have not been that long and that time has slipped by ... Time I kept thinking was plenty of time, and now it isn't. It reminds me of the book, The Screw Tape Letters, where the Devil's plan to keep the sinners out of Heaven is to tell them, not to worry, you have PLENTY OF TIME, to change your wicked ways ... Until you don't.

The clock never stops,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner. If I wasn't obsessed, I would not be feeling so guilty. Thanks for inspiring me and lighting the way.

PS: WE WANT YOU ON THE DIRT CREW! Join us for the wildest weekend of the year at Dances With Dirt Hell on September 23, 2017! Tons of jobs available behind the scenes and on the front lines. Volunteers receive a sweet shirt, $30 voucher towards a future RF Events event, and a ticket to the post race party! Check it out HERE.

PS: The cooler mornings are putting fall on our minds! Orchards, pancakes... (HARD) cider... Join us at the Scrumpy Skedaddle in Flushing, MI on October 1st for a 5K or 10K, live music, all you can eat pancake breakfast, finisher's glasses, medals and HARD CIDER!

2017-09-13 - Can we skip the drama and just go run

randy hippie It's bad enough that half the time we have to talk ourselves into getting our butt out the door, only to find that our body often rejects the idea of a run even more than us. Luckily, after a mile of burps, farts, gas pains, dead legs and a racing heart-beat, the body usually grooves into the idea, smooths out and it's time to smile! Our attitude does a 180 and the magic of the daily run is on. You would think we could skip the drama and get right into the sweet spot, but I guess this will never happen.

The run is always worth it, be patient,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner that admits to a lot of wasted drama time (with myself). My self-talk line today? "Would you just put on your f'n shoes and get your butt out the door for heaven sake!"... And this comes from an obsessed runner, good luck to those poor souls just starting off in this sport ...

2017-09-06 - Stop apologizing

randy hippie It's a theme I go back to often - when we compare ourselves to others, we fail ourselves. We are a study of one. Nobody has lived our life, has our genetics or has experienced what we have. Our body, our pace, and our thoughts are ours alone. Embrace who you are, how you look, and the outcome of today's run. You are a great and interesting addition to this earth. When running with others who are faster or attempting to run faster, NEVER say, "sorry, I'm slow." They are the ones who can adjust their pace down, you can only smile and they can enjoy your company if they choose to, or just let them go and savor the run you have been given on this day. Whenever I ask someone how their run or race went, more often than not, the answer is not positive, I cringe as they apologize for what they see as a failed effort instead of taking pride in their attempt. Don't be that person.

Be you,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is obsessed with running, on my terms, and I love the way you run on your terms.

PS: MORE FALL FUN! Registration for Run Scream Run 5K, 10K and 1 Mile is NOW OPEN! Cider, donuts, fall running and medals? Count us in! Wiard's Orchard is the perfect backdrop for this spooky Halloween run! Be there October 7th in Ypsilanti, MI!

2017-08-30 - Get out there!

randy hippie While most of the world spends on average more than 23 hours of each day indoors or in a vehicle, not physically or mentally healthy places to be, We are blessed as runners to spend so much quality time outdoors, dig it. We smell and feel the changing of the seasons, the weather patterns, the rain, the sun, cool shade and the wind on our skin. We are aware of the natural world and know we a part of it, we are truly awake and alive, not trapped in the endless funky haze so much of the indoor world slips into. Today's morning run was in a mystical fog, a humid, wet feel that seemed to lick the skin...amazing.

Don't miss a single chance to run out there,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner looking forward to a healing weekend in the woods in just over a week at Run Woodstock. Join me for the weekend or at least an hour or two on the trails, or perhaps some yoga on the lawn. Invest in your sanity today, commit at http://runwoodstock.com/ Peace out.

2017-08-24 - A time to reap, a time to sow

randy flowers We run our long runs for the training effect that prepares our bodies for even longer runs. The early miles of the long run are often mindless and easy but eventually, the hurt kicks in, usually, suddenly. This is the time to smile, this is what we came for! The long run is finally doing its job. It's time, concentrate and savor the pain, these are the miles that count, dig it! Had we stopped when the hurt kicked in, where would that get us?

Bring it on!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who has to admit, that pain free, shorter runs are not overrated ...

PS: The cooler mornings are putting fall on our minds! Orchards, pancakes... (HARD) cider... Join us at the Scrumpy Skedaddle in Flushing, MI on October 1st for a 5K or 10K, live music all you can eat pancake breakfast, finisher's glasses, medals and HARD CIDER! runscrumpy.com