2017-05-24 - Some good running news

Last week at the Dances With Dirt trail race I witnessed true heroes in action when the women's 50K leader took a fall and broke a leg. Three runners put their own ultra goals and races aside to be with her and help with her evactuation. From the post-race e-mail thread I can see that helping others in crisis can bring a more personal reward than our personal goals... And can create lifelong friendships and bonds.

Running teaches us the value of long term goals and delayed gratification as we put in our daily miles to be ready for an event months away. These skills transfer over to our business and personal lives to move us forward. Some good examples are a couple of the long term charitable commitments made by RF Events, committing $25,000 over 5 years to "Karen's Trail", a project in memory of friend and world class athlete Karen McKeachie, and $25,000 to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. These commitments help keep our fires lit and remind us daily to do the best we can to produce events that will be successful and allow us to accomplish these goals. That said, you can't beat the immediate gratification of writing a check for $31,294 to the Congenital Heart Center at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital from the proceeds of the Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5K & 1K, made possible by those who ran! Rewarding stuff!

Get in those miles, the rewards will follow,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is proud of our running community and humbled to be associated with so many heroic athletes and just plain great people.

PS: My friend and dentist John Farah wrote a great article to share with anyone who might be considering entering their first 5K! Share the article and share the gift of running. Some great 5Ks can be found at rfevents.com/calendar ... just sayin'.

2017-05-18 - The value of a run never goes down

As I've said in the past, the market might crash or soar but getting out the door for the days miles is one of the rocks you can steady this life on. Running is a recession proof passion. In the lean years, we might not be able to afford to fly to Hawaii to run the marathon but we can lace em up and head out the door for a head clearing trip to nirvana with no cash needed. A simple sport worth so much more than the sum of its parts, the ultimate investment, always with positive returns.

Run with the bulls,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who knows miles in my log prove that my time was well spent.

PS: Sip, sip, HOORAY! Running Between the Vines is just around the corner. We can't wait for this gorgeous vineyard run and post race wine tasting bash! Join us August 19th, 2017 in Jackson, MI for 5K, 5 Miles or a Half Marathon! Want to run the 5K AND 5 Mile? The Cellar Slam is for you. See you in Jackson, CHEERS!

2017-05-03 - Proof: Runners live longer!

Credit for today's link goes to my friend Andrew Griffin, a funny guy who follows the minutia of the sport. We don't need to read about running, we only need to head out the door and experience the magic first hand to totally get it ... But it is pretty cool when the professional, medical community gives running a huge thumbs up! The gist, you get about 7 hours added to your life for every hour you run, or an average of a 3 year bonus to your life. You get this regardless of pace of effort, even slow running is considered serious physical activity compared to most other sports. The article says you pretty much get this running bonus no matter how many other bad health habits you have, dig it!

Let's get out there today and add 7 hours to our lives!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is not good at math but if I'm thinking right, if I run 1 hour per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year, I pick up 76 days per year tacked on to the back end of this short, wonderful life! If I do this for 40 years it will come to 8 bonus years! Stay obsessed, the heck with average!

PS: We are now accepting volunteers for Flirt With Dirt! Check out all of our awesome volunteer opportunities HERE! RF Events volunteers receive fun volunteer swag, a $30 voucher towards a future event and MORE!

2017-04-26 - Run off the road

I can relate to the Ancient Druids who supposedly drew their energy from direct contact with the earth, the dirt. A couple days away from the woods and I seem to become weak, tired and foggy, like a near-dead battery. It's not like I want to run trails, I NEED to run trails. We spend much of our lives in temperature controlled buildings and cars, re-breathing air that contains who knows what, while walking on man-made surfaces, yikes! I've heard runners say, "but I don't live near a trail". The truth is that if you look, you can find trails just about everywhere, if not out your door, then at least on the way to where you head daily. Seek, and you shall find, sanity and your legs will love you for it. Friends don't let friends put in all their miles on pavement! Make this the year to train on dirt and race on dirt!

Run wild forever,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed trail runner who hopes you're joining me this weekend for the 31st annual Trail race weekend ... Or, June 3rd in Novi for the Flirt With Dirt, 5K, 10K (Yep, gnarly trails in the land of Malls and Mansions!) or August 5th at The Legend 5 mile, 10 mile and 13.1 mile just north of Lansing. If not these events, than for sure at Run Woodstock, a healing weekend in the woods September 8, 9 and 10, 2017. Last but not least, perhaps a road trip to a Dances With Dirt! Get all the DIRT here!

PS: We are now accepting volunteers for Flirt With Dirt! Check out all of our awesome volunteer opportunities HERE! RF Events volunteers receive fun volunteer swag, a $30 voucher towards a future event and MORE!

2017-04-19 - Run smarter than me

Early spring can be a risky time for us runners. A perfect running day can lure us into miles or a pace our body is not ready for. The body needs time to adapt, rules like not increasing your weekly mileage by more than 10% may be frustrating but not as much as an early season pain that requires days off. Many of us will be racing long this weekend at the Martian Invasion or elsewhere. The weather is looking perfect, run within yourself, go out easy and shoot for a negative split. This is a difficult concept to put into action and the most common mistake in running is going out too hard. Records are set with negative splits. I recently read a statistic that the majority of people who qualified to run The Boston Marathon did it without running negative splits. What this means is that they could have ran faster and even the seasoned faster runners have difficulty going out easy. Just sayin'.

Run smart and prosper,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who continues to write this stuff to remind myself to run smart and not how I want to. Ha. As I said, the weather on Saturday looks perfect, there is still time to enter 5K, 10K, 13.1 or 26.2 at http://martianraces.com/ Even if you are not ready to race, come visit the expo on Friday for a bit of motivation.

2017-04-12 - Share the gift of running

Our running is a gift, a tool for coping with the world when things get ugly. That said, when it comes to our running, we need to be careful to not keep it on a pedestal, never beating ourselves up about how our run went. We set goals, sometimes we hit them and sometimes we blow them but it's important to remember that running is what we do for fun and to escape. There is never a time to get overly upset about our performance, we win no matter how our run goes. The run itself is our success. When we line up to start a race or make our way out the door for our daily run, that is enough of a reward. Anything above this should leave us humbled. How to repay the running gift? Share it, invite a sedentary friend out the door, even for a walk... then pick up the pace, ha! Seriously, you can be the inspiration. Another way to give back to the sport is to volunteer at an event and make it possible for others to experience the success we get with every run!

Share your gift today,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner... Who will be working the Martian Invasion of Races next week and would love to have you join me to make it a success. Click this volunteer link, or come and run... either way, we win!

2017-04-05 - A Midsummer Night's Dream Run

So, what's the connection between runners and Shakespeare... besides that some of us wear tights? How about a run in honor of the fairy king Oberon, where we shall race around the forests, glades and orchards as we party on a Midsummer night. Any excuse for a run and a party! may I introduce, The Oberun 5K, a run or walk surrounded by live music, games, a bonfire, merriment and yes, a Bell's Brewery sponsored beer garden that will be serving Oberon! The creative crew here at RF Events continues to amaze me with ideas that go from fun ideas to reality. It may seem like magic but it's a complex, detail oriented process that is a labor of love that comes from the creative passion of what they do. I look forward to what I'm sure will be a sweaty, fun, magical night to remember. I'll see you at the party!

To run or not to run? Let's run!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner looks forward to the magic that can come when Michigan small businesses come together around a run. Thank you Bell's Brewery, Wiard's Orchard, RF Events and our charity partner http://www.karenstrail.org/ This will be the perfect event to trick ... I mean talk, your non-running friends into. Walkers welcome!

2017-03-29 - What a difference a day makes

Last Friday, 77 and Sunny, followed by Saturday's, freezing rain and cold winds. What a difference a day makes, but as far as the daily run goes every healthy day is a perfect day! When overcoming adversity we are rewarded with a great sense of accomplishment, perfect days are rewards in themselves. Get out and run.

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who runs the bad days to be rewarded with the great.

PS: The April 22nd Martian Invasion of Races is just 3 weeks away, yesterday I previewed the course changes for this year's events and I think you will agree that they rock! The 10K, Half and Full Marathon have an additional mile of historic Dearborn neighborhood streets, this reduces some of the long out and back parkway section. In addition, for the Half, there is now an additional 2.5 miles added in a classic rolling Dearborn Heights neighborhood, also shortening the parkway section, not that the parkway is not a beautiful part of the run, but was perhaps too much of a good thing, the new additions offer more variety and fun new views. If you have not joined the invasion in a while or have not experienced this out of this world event, come join us. Enter at http://martianraces.com/

PS: Yesterday was the spring release date of Bell's Oberon beer. This seasonal delight takes its name from the fairy king Oberon from Shakespeare's, "A Midsummer Night's Dream". We are always looking for an excuse to party so... how about the Oberun, a midsummers night 5K on July 14th! Expect an enchanted finish line party in a forested beer garden, around a blazing fire with games, music and merriment! Entry to open in early April, click here to get on the list to be notified when registration opens!

2017-03-22 - Get back at it

Hey all, Baby Goat here, Randy's youngest 'kid' stepping in for some midweek motivation.

When the phone rang and my dad asked me to write the Obsessed Runner this week I couldn't help but feel a little unworthy, my running schedule has gotten off track, and I'm not feeling particularly qualified to motivate the masses today! So I'm here to inspire and motivate myself right along with you... Let's get back at it!

Every year on my birthday I run my age in miles. Nobody is forcing me into this, it was just something I got into my head a few years ago and my early spring birthday has been a great motivator to get out the door all winter. 2017 however, has been kicking my butt. I've been sick, trying to sell a house, playing catch up at work... you know, LIFE stuff. For the last few weeks I've been stressed, upset, and worried... all over a fun birthday tradition. I was lamenting to my birthday run partner about how my training wasn't where it should be and she said "It's birthday run. You shouldn't stress about it. It's your birthday!" Oh, duh.

And so, I cut my 29 miles to 29K and I'm still getting my butt out the door. I think the same thing should apply to ALL of our running. When it isn't going how it should, don't give up, stop beating yourself up, then get out there and do something!

Get back at it,

Anna, an admittedly not-quite-as-obsessed runner who is getting up tomorrow morning and putting in 29K... and will be proud I got out the door!

PS: ¡Olé! Join us for a Cinco De Mayo celebration like no other! Once every 7 years the Hightail to Ale 5K will fall on this festive holiday! Be there May 5, 2017 in Detroit, MI for a beer filled afterparty with a 5K warm up!

2015-03-15 - The Obsessed Runner is bragging again

Let me brag a bit.

Let me brag a bit about the crew here at Running Fit Events and their dedication to creating the greatest running experience anywhere, events you can trust your hard training and goals to. They work crazy schedules, lots of 16+ hour event weekends in conditions that are often brutal. They go over every detail for months in advance, looking to find ways to make your experience the best it can be. They are passionate about our sport and all they produce, it is a labor of love and it shows in the outcome. Dawn, Mandy, Anna, Joanna, Trevor, Gary, Jodi and Ted are the full time essential players, each with a special set of responsibilities that that create something much bigger than the sum of their parts, the magic of race day. I can tell you the reality is far from magic, it's true professionalism and a deep understanding of a quality event from start to finish that they have honed over time. I would be remiss not to introduce and brag a bit about our part time crew who take on the many tedious tasks with little glory, sorting, counting, packing, unpacking and digging out the morning after. Thank you Dan, Nancy and Kim. A special thanks to Jeff for bringing our events closer to our Zero Waste goal, and thanks to all of you for supporting our nonsense!

Run forever,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is blessed. Visit rfevents.com/calendar for a peek at what we do.

PS: Beat the trail price increase! Trail prices go up Friday, March 17th. If you haven't taken a spin on the Potawatomi Trail in Pinckney, MI we highly suggest you do... on April 29th and 30th for the 31st Annual Trail Marathon Weekend! Road Ends 5 Mile, Trail Half and Full Marathon and 50K! You're in for a trail treat with this one! trailmarathon.com