2014-11-12 - Run for the diamond

We live such a busy life that often we neglect our own body, forgetting that we are only as strong as our weakest link. We have no time for sickness, heck, it's not even on our schedule! Like our cars, we jump up in the morning rushing off to some important meeting expecting them to start up and take us there ... Until they won't. Schedule some healthy time for your body daily, or plan on unexpected time down or even your death, the same goes for the car.

I think of my relationship with my body like a marriage, an arranged marriage ... In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, until death do we part. We need to make time for each other, listen to each other, work with each other and accept that nothing good comes easy. That said, I think I'll make a run date with my body for tomorrow and take it out for a healthy dinner!

After a great run, give your body a hug,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, hoping for at least a diamond anniversary with my body (I'll save you the google, 60 years)

PS. Speaking of taking care of your body... a Yoga workout is  a great way to keep your body healthy and strong.  New session starts December 8. Join us!

PS. Trainer Rides are back at Running Fit on Jackson Rd. Join us at 6:00pm on Thursday nights from Tomorrow 11/13 through spring. We will show a weekly movie and have space for you to set up your bike. Ride up to 2 hrs. Please bring your own bike and trainer as well as a towel for the floor beneath your bike. E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

2014-11-05 - Run outside

Many of us live and work in a world that separates us from the earth and the natural environment. Going from a temperature controlled home or office to our car, we spend much of our lives inside. We re-breathe stale, used air, walk on carpet and cement and rarely come in direct contact with the earth itself, the dirt. This type of existence, without the addition of an outdoor passion, seems like a way to lead one to believe there is no meaning to this life. The most important aspect of the run is that it gets us outside. We feel the sun, wind and elements against our skin, we breathe in the sights, smells and sounds of the natural world, we get to look at all of creation, not just what was built by humans. Without the run, how much time would we spend outside every day?

As winter moves in, getting outside for the run becomes essential as almost everything else in our world moves inside. The reality is you can always dress and be comfortable in cold conditions, it's only on hot days that our options get limited. The crunch of a new snow underfoot turns the world into a trail run.

Now is time to get your winter run gear in order so you don't miss a beat as the world turns white and cold.

Run warm,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, looking forward to every run and what the world throws at it.

PS: Join me this Saturday at Running Fit in Northville at 10 AM for a no obligation meeting where we will buy you breakfast and tell you why you should join The Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies Team In Training Program and run or walk the Rock and Roll marathon or half marathon in San Diego on May 31st! Join us!

PS: We have 40 spots reserved for a run in the sun February 6 - 13, Join this obsessed runner for a 5 star week of fun ... and yes, a bit of running and walking!
Check it out!

2014-10-29 - Keep calm and keep running

With shoe manufactures trying to capitalize on our growing sport, we have to be careful to move slowly when it comes to new technology ... just in case it turns out to be gimmicky crap. I've been running pretty much every day for 35 years (Yikes!) and have been in the running industry almost that long. I have seen every technological change in footwear come and go and looking at my current favorite running shoes, I see little difference from my favorite shoes I ran in in the mid 80's. I do admit that midsole durability and fit has improved ... but that is about it. When shopping for running shoes, start by looking at the core shoes from the major manufacturers that have been around a while. The best sellers are the best sellers for a reason, usually it comes down to durable shoes with a great fit, never inexpensive but I feel with running shoes, as opposed to many purchases, you do get what you pay for.

The goal is to run efficiently and injury free so we can enjoy every healthy day. Good running shoes are part of the solution, good form and a training schedule that works for us will get us to that goal and I believe proper form is the most important and most often ignored. We have learned not to look to footwear to correct our bad habits. The basics of good form has not changed, a short efficient stride with good posture, a bit of forward lean and a straight through, chest high arm carry. What also has not changed is that this form does not come naturally, it takes practice and constant diligence. Yes, another thing I've learned over the years, you can learn good form, you can change your form and you can run injury free.

I've not used the shameless plug line in a while ... but there just happens to be a form clinic coming up at 6:30 PM, November 17th at Northville Running Fit.

Keep calm and keep running,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who continues to tweak my form and efficiency ... when I remember to.

PS: Join this obsessed runner for a week or running and walking in the sun. email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions about the trip. Limit, 40. Check it out HERE!

PS: My wife Kathy and I are coaching a team of runners and walkers for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon and Half Marathon on May 30th, 2015 and raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Sign up for an informational meeting on Saturday morning November 8th at Running Fit Northville to find out more.

2014-10-22 - Motivation

As the run season winds down, motivation can take a dive. The answer? To start planning for an amazing 2015, plans that will get you out the door this winter. If you sprinkle the winter with a couple fun events, like the December 13th Holiday Hustle 5K in Dexter and the February 1st Super 5K on Superbowl Sunday morning in Novi, you'll add to your medal collections and won't completely lose your fitness level. By picking a spring goal, like the Martian Invasion of Races on April 18th in Dearborn, a run for everyone with a 5K, 10K, 13.1 and 26.2 mile, every winter run will be money in the bank!

To help you commit now, here is a $3 off coupon code to enter any or all these events! Use coupon code "WINTER15MOTIVATION" The code expires this Saturday, October 25th at 11:59PM. Enter at runholiday5k.com, runsuperbowl.com and martianmarathon.com

Keep the fire lit,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who has your next year planned! Go to our event calendar and save the dates, I'll be at all of them, join me!

2014-10-15 - Dumb Running Terms

I'm sure you have a list of stuff that drives you nuts, mine includes: People who call running shoes, "tennis shoes"; heck, running shoes are perhaps the worst shoes you could wear playing tennis! The term "Jogger". People who refer to any running event as a marathon, do they really not know a marathon is 26.2 miles? And the term that bothers me the most, "Half Marathon", it's a 13.1 mile race, better yet as it is called everywhere outside the USA, 21K, yes, the full marathon happens to be 42K but as we don't call a 5K, half of a 10K, it makes no sense to use the word half, these races are specific distances we race, they are not half of anything. Venting does make one feel better...

For those of you headed down to run long in the "D" this weekend, it's time to TAPER, TAPER, TAPER! It's time to lick those training wounds and put some gas in your tank. You can only run too much the week before your race, not too little, actually no running would be just fine. To finish a long race you need to be healthy and rested. There, I have granted you permission to do a TV taper. Enjoy the days off, then rock your run on Sunday!

Get out and Jog!

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed Jogger, now does that sound stupid or what? And yes, I will be running a 13.1 mile race this weekend!

PS: Be safe and be seen. Enjoy this informative video, it could save a life. The fact that the products in the video are all available at Running Fit is just coincidental

PS: Be sure to come visit Running Fit this weekend at the Detroit Expo! Don't miss our great deals!

PS: HO, HO, GO! Registration is NOW OPEN for the Holiday Hustle 5K and 1 Mile! Join us December 13 as we jingle all the way in Dexter, MI! Runholiday5k.com

2014-10-08 - Your run is yours

Running is personal, our goals, our pace, our motivation and our satisfaction all come from our perception of our running and in this case perception is our reality.  I find it pretty cool that what we put into our running and what we take from it is pretty much the same as the fastest runner to the slowest runner in the world. Sure, we can't help comparing ourselves to others but we know that the reality is that how others run is pretty much irrelevant, their run is their run and our run is ours.

Each and every time we run out the door, even if we run with a friend or line up with thousands of others at an event, even if the run goes well or is pure torture, our run becomes a part of who we are, something that can't be taken away.  

Collect those miles forever,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, yep, that's who I am.

PS: BOO! Join us this weekend at RUN, SCREAM, RUN! We want YOU to volunteer! So many spooktacular opportunities to help out. Check it out HERE!

PS: All new yoga for runners starts October 23! Register now!

2014-10-01 - A delicious run

Every day gives us new reasons to be excited to be runners, like the perfect running temp, misty and mystical morning we had on this delicious fall day. The sight, sounds and smells of autumn were thick, as night slid away and daylight crept in to join us. Perhaps tomorrow will be a repeat performance or perhaps it will be a gusty, rainy, cold, slap in the face kind of run that comes to greet and challenge us. Bring it on, we are here for the wild ride and the satisfaction we get from getting out that door!

Gear up for the adventure,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner with a head lamp, reflective vest, multiple traction devices for my shoes, tons of tech clothing and lots of miles in my log to prove it!

P.S. It's not too late to join us on Saturday and be a Hero on Hines as we run 5K or a half marathon to support the upkeep of the Fallen First Responders Monument at the corner of Haggerty and Hines Drive. Late entry available, visit heroesonhines.com

P.S. Join us at Running Fit Northville for our Yoga for Runners Class with Kristina.This is a 6 class series with a focus on poses that will help you run more efficiently and stay injury free. Two weeks will be spent on each topic: Core, Power, Recovery. Classes are from 6:15 to 7:30 on Thursdays beginning October 23 and running through December 4 with a break for Thanksgiving. 6 sessions for $90. Register HERE!

2014-09-24 - Run safe, run smart

I often bring up the fact that every time we step out the door we are role models for the sedentary Americans who see us getting in our miles. Seeing us runners of all ages, paces, shapes and sizes, shows them that they could also fit in as runners and this just might be the spark that gives them the courage to join us.

That said, as role models, we have a responsibility to not only run safe but to show respect for others and the environment we enjoy. I'm sure when we see runners not yielding for other pedestrians as if they are on some important mission, we cringe. The same goes for runners wearing dark clothing and running with, instead of against traffic, creating an unsafe situation for themselves and others. When I drive past a runner in the dark wearing a reflective vest I often call out and thank them for it. The list goes on, from common sense headphone use to urinating in public, we need to use good judgement and elevate the sport we love.

Run safe and smart,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who feels just awful when I forget to put on my reflective vest at the start of an evening run, a run that would have finished in the light just a week ago!

P.S. - Tracking your runs is a great way to stay motivated and enhance your training. Stop in to Running Fit for some SUPER awesome and exciting deals on a new TomTom GPS Sport Watch. Save $30 when you buy any pair of shoes and a new TomTom Watch!

2014-09-17 - If it's cool, run warm

Let the laundry begin! As the days cool, the running laundry grows! Dang. To make it worse, it's good to overdress a bit as the temps drop, especially for those of us who are planning to run in fall races. What little heat adaption we gathered this year will fade soon enough and there is always the chance of a warm fall race day, cool days bring few issues.

Speaking of fall, cider, donuts, zombies and running, join us at Wiard's Orchard on October 11th for the Run Scream Run Freaky 5K, Terrorizing 10K and Cider Mill Mile! I'm a sucker for dress up runs with fun themes, this one is the best! Wiard's is Michigan's number one haunted theme park and they will be lending us a bunch of scary characters to "motivate" the runners. The races will also pass through the Fear Barn and finish up through the Valley of the Lost, YIKES! Enter at runscreamrun.com.

PS: Be one of the Heroes on Hines on October 4, 2014! Not often in life are we given a chance to be heroic, please join us as we run in honor of the fallen First Responders who have given all, for us. All proceeds from this event go toward the long term maintenance and upkeep of the First Responders Memorial in Plymouth Township!

2014-09-10 - You can run there!

Many of us runners are creatures of habit, running the same routes, training on the same days and following our same old schedules, regardless of the fact that all areas of our running could be elevated to new levels of improvement and enjoyment with just a bit of creativity, a word not often associated with running. A good example is point to point running.  

Running to work, is truly an environmentally friendly and rewarding experience with an added time management perk, especially if it lets you escape wasted time in morning traffic. The excuse is often that there is no shower at work. The answer is to shower and prepare for work before you head out on the run, you will need to remember to leave a set of work clothes at the office along with any make up or other prep items you need to look ready for the day. Because sweat is sterile, and you just took a shower, as long as you run in clean running gear, there is no "smell" associated with your workout. Leaving a clean towel at work to dry off the sweat is another item to pack. Even better, leave a set of this stuff at work all the time to give you even more flexibility. And yes, you can put on the dirty stuff to run home in! Don't live close enough? No excuse! Find a park and ride, or store lot a runnable distance from work, perhaps saving parking fees for some of us!

Enjoy the morning "rush",

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who finds myself changing in my car more often than in my home.

PS: NOW HIRING! Running Fit Northville, Novi, and West Bloomfield are looking for energetic individuals to fill full and part time positions. If interested, please visit a Running Fit location to fill out an application.

PS: Dances With Dirt Hell Ultramarathon online registration will be closing on Tuesday!