RandyStep.com - Obsessed Runner

2014-09-03 - Coached by our run

randy hippie As runners, we are far more aware of our health status than the average American; we are in touch with our body because we ask a lot of it daily and can tell when things are even a bit out of whack. I continually talk to runners who have found out serious health issues in their early stages because of this awareness, certainly an advantage to get things back on the right track, perhaps saving our life. The same insight makes runners good patients, we will do what it takes to recover and get back out there.

That said, the same goes for our diet, as runners we find out what foods work for us, and the fact is the ones that do are pretty healthy. We naturally avoid high fat meals that don't allow us to get out for a run, either from sluggishness or digestive issues.

Running, the sport that keeps on giving,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who feels that I am coached through this life by my running!

PS: Traverse City Running 101 sessions start next week: September 10. This 8 week beginner running program will introduce you to all the short and long term benefits of an active lifestyle! Sign up today!

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!

2014-08-27 - Learn from the run

randy hippie Everything we ever need to know, we can learn from our running. Long term goal planning, delayed gratification, moderation, discipline, meditation, love of the natural world, self-esteem, soul searching and being honest with ourselves for starters, and the list goes on ... Runners make the world a better place, for sure, if everyone ran there would be no time for pettiness, war or hate and the heath care crisis would fade away with each foot fall. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, maybe someday they will join us, and the world will run as one.

Each step we run offers us the opportunity to be role models, each step gives us a chance to change the world for the better.

Get out the door, run, and make the world a better place,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who wishes everyone was.

PS: Join me at Run Woodstock a week from now, September 5, 6, 7. We want you to join our ROADIE CREW. Mellow out to the music, head out for a hippie hike, forget your comfort zone and join us for an evening headlamp run (as long as it doesn't overlap with your shift)! Check out runwoodstock.com, Your mind and body will thank you.

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!

2014-08-20 - Two pairs beats 3 of a kind!

randy hippie Why is it so hard to head out for a run in the rain ... and such a fun and free felling we get when we are out running and get caught in the rain? That said, I headed out today in a fresh and flashy pair of Asics DS trainers for a few dirt road miles and down came the rain, giving my new kicks a well-worn look, dang. On a different note, the shoes performed wonderfully, I hope it's the beginning of a long term love affair ... I'm sure my Mizuno Sayonaras are in a Jealous rage. It's not easy to find shoes we love and work well, even harder to find a different brand and model to alternate when running the roads but by varying the shoes we reduce the chance of overuse injuries that are accentuated when the foot strike is the same over and over.

Mix it up out there,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner ... with cool dirty shoes to prove it!

PS: It will not rain at Run Woodstock this year! Just 3 short weeks and we escape from reality! Dig it. The perfect event to invite your non running classic rock loving partying friends to join you at ... as you talk them out onto the trails for one of the evening headlamp 5K hikes ... and perhaps trick them into a bit of running!

2014-08-13 - Dig It

randy hippie The pain and fatigue felt the days after we complete a hard workout or race plays a part in the personal satisfaction we get as runners, triathletes and I imagine anyone who takes their body to the limit in their sport. Pain and fatigue proves to us that we gave it our all, that we left nothing back, we were honest with ourselves, that we dug deep mentally and physically. When we take ourselves to the crumbling edge we gain insight into who we are and who we might be ... We move the edge. The world if full of people just existing, many in a couch potato haze. As athletes, we know what it feels like to be totally ragged and spent by our own fruition, we know what it feels like to be fully alive and firing on all cylinders. Savor the pain!

Dig it,

Randy Step, still savoring my pain from the weekend and getting hyped up to get above the astral plane at Run Woodstock in a just a few short weeks! runwoodstock.com

P.S. Join us at Running Fit on Washtenaw Ave in Ann Arbor on August 21st for a radical 80's Party! Dress in your best 80's running gear and celebrate the launch of the totally tubular New Balance 880 v4 with us! Door prizes and prizes for Best Dressed. Party starts at 6, 4 mile group run at 6:30. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP today! Only 150 slots available.

2014-08-07 - Run Smart

randy hippie We have been spoiled by a Pure Michigan running summer. For those of you who chose this year to train for a long fall event, excuses for not getting in the miles will be hard to come by. That said, you should now have a good base of mileage in and the long runs are getting ... Long. As we head into the final months of training it's time to run a bit more cautiously. We have asked a lot of our bodies and now is the time to use a running schedule more as a guide and less as a strict commitment. Take the time to ice any nagging pains and when you think you need a day off, TAKE IT. To finish any long event, you must be healthy and rested, being well trained is nice but not as necessary as healthy.

Run smart,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, wo knows how hard it is to take days off.

P.S. Get off the roads and join us for some trail miles at Run Woodstock. Your body and mind will thank you... groovy! Runwoodstock.com

PS: RUN, SCREAM, RUN registration is NOW OPEN! A guaranteed Halloween favorite, October 11, 2014 at Wiard's Orchard in Ypsilanti!

PS: Check out some new ways to follow Running Fit on social media. The Traverse City area can now be followed on twitter and Instagram @rngfittc. There is also a new Instagram account @rngfit.

2014-07-30 - Status not quo

randy hippie Medals, awards, themes and swag are fun but pale in comparison to personal achievement. I do like to travel and experience new places and events but I also love races that can become a tradition, events that I can come back to year after year and attempt to set my best time ever over the course or to just enjoy the fun familiar places and faces, events that become part of who I am. Fads continue to come and go in the running event world. Some current fads include color runs, light runs, obstacle course runs and events that do not keep track of your time. Some positive aspect of these fad events is that they often attract non-runners, getting them off the couch and out the door, perhaps a stepping stone to a more active lifestyle; they can also offer us a day of diversion and fun. The downside, many are far from environmentally friendly, have very high entry fees, can have unknown risks and the worst new fad of all, flash in the pan companies that take your entry money, then take off and not put on the event. Yikes!

Enjoy every healthy day and be careful out there,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who loves to meet up with old friends on the race course.

PS: At R.F. Events, we may offer a fun and quirky theme but behind the fun facade, you can be assured there is a measured, timed, well supported, safe event that we take seriously, one that you can trust with your hard earned money and training.

PS: Speaking of R.F. Events... RUN, SCREAM, RUN registration is NOW OPEN! A guaranteed Halloween favorite, October 11, 2014 at Wiard's Orchard in Ypsilanti!

PS: Check out some new ways to follow Running Fit on social media. The Traverse City area can now be followed on twitter and Instagram @rngfittc. There is also a new Instagram account @rngfit.

2014-07-23 - Try Something New

randy hippie Many of us runners are creatures of habit, running the same routes and sticking to the same equipment. That said, I often carry water on my long run routes on the trails. The pack I've been using for the past couple years fits poorly, often drops the bottles and I dread wearing it. Of course, it was expensive, has great reviews in all the run publications and I see others using the same pack all the time so I've bull headedly soldiered on. I finally tried a new hand held carrier that I no longer dread. Duh. Of course, I have yet to replace my running watch that never seems to stay on the function I want it on because the thing just won't die. Somebody smack me.

If it sucks give it up,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who continues to write this stuff to myself!

P.S. - Looking to get out for a fun trail run? Join us August 2nd in Laingsburg, MI for THE LEGEND 5 mile, 10 mile and 13.1 mile! The course circles several lakes in a beautiful lightly hiked and biked area of Michigan, what could be better!

P.S. - Do you love running and music so much that you wish there was a festival celebrating those things? Look no further! Run Woodstock, 3 days of PEACE, MUSIC AND RUNNING! September 5-7, 2014... A distance for everybody, 5MI-100MI!

2014-07-16 - Just Run

randy hippie My body likes to go for a run a couple hours after I wake up. This usually works out fine on the day of an event but on a normal day with the time constraints of life, I go through the usual torture, head games and trickery to get up and drag myself out the door just minutes after waking. A couple miles into the run I usually feel awake and wonderfully alive, always making the torture of getting out the door worthwhile ... Knowing this and going through the same scenario day after day you would think I would just skip the drama and run out the door. DUH

On days I plan an evening run, I often get home brain dead and tired. It amazes me how going out for a run slaps me awake and leaves me exhilarated and content. Running is truly a miracle drug.

Don't think about it, just run,

Randy Step, an obsessed runner who thinks about the run way too much before heading out the door ... Dang.

P.S. - Looking to get out for a fun trail run? Join us August 2nd in Laingsburg, MI for THE LEGEND 5 mile, 10 mile and 13.1 mile! The course circles the lakes in a beautiful lightly hiked and biked area of Michigan, what could be better!

2014-07-09 - Run, Learn, Run

randy hippie Running, such a simple sport requiring very little equipment or expertise. That said, like so many things in life, the simple things you enjoy can enrich your life exponentially with just a bit more knowledge, turning them into one of life's passions.

For years, Running Fit has been offering the class, Running 101, the class for the beginning runner. I've always thought this was the most valuable and important part of what we offer the fitness community, sharing the information to turn people into lifelong runners. Motivational tricks, proper form that will make you faster and more efficient, training schedules and injury prevention information that can make such a difference. Fall Running 101 dates are here! New to running? Have a non-running friend you want to turn into a runner? Share this link, you can change a life!

Run, learn, and run forever,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner. Let's spread the passion!

P.S. - If the Red Carpet Run isn't already on your calendar, Why not! Join us August 6 for an evening of glitz, glamour, sweat and the star treatment! It will be THE social event of the season! redcarpetrun.com

2014-07-02 - Peace, Love and Running

randy hippie I often share my thoughts on the endless list of the positive psychological and physical benefits of the daily run, our daily bread. I also mention the value of great running events, events that keep our running fires lit, events to shape our year around. That said, there is one weekend a year that pretty much turns the daily run into a magical event unlike anything I've experienced in this running life. Run Woodstock is a weekend of runs in an atmosphere of nature, peace and love. A healing weekend where we can trip back to a bygone age of freedom and fitness, an escape from the reality and trappings of life where we can get back to the land and set our souls, and inner hippie, free. Dig it!

An endless line up of classic rock bands and endless list of runs, walks (5K, 5M, 10K, 13.1M, 26.2M, 50K, 50M, 100M and evening runs with "natural" options,) yoga and other cool stuff allows you to create the weekend you need. Some examples of how people choose to spend this magical weekend:

Some run the most runs ever in a weekend, starting with a 5K Friday night, perhaps the 5 mile or half marathon Saturday morning run, a hippie hike to Hell for lunch, getting back for yoga with 200 others on the lawn before heading out for a 5K or 10K evening run before a late night party with the freaks before you crash, only to wake up and join the gang for a Sunday morning 5 mile run.
Some pick just one or two events, or none, and leave lots of time to mellow to the music or sit around the fire and share the vibes.
Many people who are training for fall marathons will run one of the morning runs like the half, then head out onto the endless country dirt roads to get in the miles and make it their long training run.

Not everyone can escape for the weekend, but experience as much as you can. Walking in with a tent and a cooler of food and setting up side by side with all the beautiful people will help with the escape. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you give yourself the gift of Run Woodstock in Hell, MI the weekend after Labor Day, September 5, 6 & 7.

Peace, love and running,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who hopes to see you above the astral plane.

PS: Shoe of the week: Asics Electro 33
Dan Says: Although we've seen a decline in lightweight/minimal shoes, there are still many that prefer a flexible feel. Shoes like the Asics Electro 33 fills a giant void in the industry for runners that like a lightweight feel but also require some medial support. Without the use of a post, the Electro gets its medial support from what Asics calls "FluidAxis". Much like Nike's "Dynamic Support", they play with the volumes and densities of the mid-sole foam to give a flexible/lightweight feel that also delivers light to moderate pronation control. The Electro 33 is sacrificing a bit of stability for a well designed lightweight and flexible feel.- FluidAxis - 10 mm Drop - Weight - Men's - 8.5 oz.,Women's - 7.1 oz. - Retail - $110 - Seamless Upper - Engineered Mesh - SoLyte Mid-sole Foam.