Obsessed Runner Blog
2022.08.24 - Peace, Love and Running
Run Woodstock is just over 2 weeks away, the weekend of September 9-10. For sure my favorite event of the fitness year, a celebration of our sport like no other in a pure Michigan forest setting. A weekend of runs, walks, yoga, campfires, and live music. Due to the long cut off times for the ultramarathons, those of us who want to just hike can take all the time we want. For example, you can take up to 10 hours to finish the half marathon, and yes, you still get a medal! Last year’s event donated over $9,000 to Washtenaw Promise and will beat that this year. An amazing nonprofit that gives preschool kids in the Ypsilanti and Willow Run districts a leg up, areas with many below the poverty level. WP matches these kids with college students as mentors and also sends these kids a book a month, very far out stuff!
There are campsites available for the weekend so grab one today and get ready to set your soul free. Even if you don’t camp, I promise a weekend of natures healing properties will cleanse the soul. Dig?
Peace out,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner whose inner hippie is ready to join yours at the commune!
2022.08.10- To run or not to run
To run or not to run, when fighting some kind of cold or sickness, that seems to be the question. My very unscientific thought on this is that if the sickness leaves you feeling as wiped out as if you'd just finished a long run, no matter what the schedule calls for, it's better to give the body a rest. That said, might there be be some value in a short run that has you get your heart rate up a bit, enough to break a sweat but not enough to add to your fatigue? Perhaps getting the metabolism going enough to help move the cold along? That is the route I follow but again, it’s not based in science, just my gut feeling. Then again, if you feel like you’re in a hole, I would think digging the hole deeper will make it harder to crawl out.
Run as smart as you can,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who obsesses over this kind of dilemma.
2022.07.27 - The Guilty Run
As I’ve mentioned, I write this midweek run mail mostly to myself, addressing the current concerns of my running, hopefully striking a chord with you. So lately, I find myself heading out on my runs with a feeling of guilt. My to do list is endless and with the economy in a bad state, going for a run while the world seems to be burning has me feeling that I’m stepping away from the fire rather than fighting it. I know, I know, skipping the run will cause another kind of guilt that will keep me from attacking the other problems with a clear focus. (Can you guess I went to a Catholic school?) So, the run is not running off and ignoring the fire, the run is more like going to get a hose to put out the fire. The run is my tool, it will bring me closer to the solution to the problem, not and escape. The run will clear my head and give me the focus and energy that I did not have before I headed out that door.
Got a problem, get your butt out the door, problem solved!
Randy Step, an admitted runner who needed that little talk.