Obsessed Runner Blog
2023.1.11 - Resolve to run
I’m a fan of resolutions and the beginning of the year is the time I give it thought, though not necessarily on January 1st. I often think back to a New Year in the 80’s a time when I was feeling unsettled and had resolved to make some changes to a life that was making this young guy feel old, for sure I was in search mode. I was watching ABC Wild World of Sports on TV with my new bride Kathy (an incredible athlete) when the Ironman Triathlon in Kona Hawaii came on. We watched in awe as the competitors entered the 2.4-mile ocean swim, then headed off on a 112 mile, windy, hot, bike segment in the Kona lava fields only to get off and run a full 26.2 miles in the same searing landscape. Kathy turned to me and said, we could do that. I sat quiet for a while, trying to get my head around what we just watched, and then said, let’s do it. Life took a 180. A year later we were treading water in the ocean off the Kona pier when the starting cannon went off, and my old life as funeral director with a bachelor’s in Mortuary Science was left behind. Its pretty normal to go into the new year and give thought to where we are and where we might be. The hard part is how to get there. If we give it too much thought, the chance of something amazing happening will slide off into the would have should have pile.
Resolve to keep life amazing, just do it!
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who’s trip across the Kona finish line became the starting line of a wild and wonderful new life.
2023.01.04 - The run defined
Like so many things that defy definition … The run is like a good friend, a lover, perhaps an alluring temptress, for sure it is just as vexing. Some days, our run can be elegant, and our form together is graceful, a moving work of art, pretty cool. We may hurt financially but the run can be opulent, luxurious, priceless, dare I say, out of our league, and something the sedentary world would envy, ha! Some runs are luminous, like a fine performance, hard to describe and only for us to experience. And of course, runs are addictive, always brining us back for more. Like a hot date, the run can be incorrigible, the temptress I mentioned, out of our control and unmanageable, but we put the hammer down and follow, straight to hell if that’s where we are lead, suckers ... Unlike much of life, our run can be capricious, impulsive, unpredictable, and spontaneous, we head out without forethought or planning and the next think we know is we are miles from home, following a new trail with no sense of direction, time, or anything sensible, dig it! Some runs are vibrant, coursing with energy that we feed on. This seems to happen on days we head out thinking we are in for a painful slog, and instead, find ourselves unstoppable! Some runs are just plain unworldly, ethereal, giving us glimpses of something beyond, or, a line I love, above the astral plane … And this happens just because we got our butt out the door? Woah! What are we sitting here for???
And just to think, the run chose us! Don’t say no!
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, and after writing this, I am again reminded why! That said, did you notice I did not mention, that some days the run just sucks?
2022.12.28 - Cold Miles Count Double
The weather has been challenging to say the least. Single digit temps along with blowing and drifting snow turn the run into an expedition. After donning what will soon be a wet, full load of laundry, I headed out to see how far I would make it. The roads have become trails and the effort just to move forward seems heroic. For sure these miles should count double, perhaps they could make a double effort, double your miles feature for the running apps? I didn’t run far, but got out there. That said, it is a million percent better to get in a short run than none. An interesting thought, we pretty much wear the same shoes and socks no matter how hot or cold it is, I guess our feet are more like wild animals compared to our other body parts. That said, I have been putting handwarmers on top my feet, taping them down, then sliding into my shoes. Yes, I know they make toe warmers but the bulk box of handwarmers was cheap!
Always an adventure, always worth the effort,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who messaged my running friend on Christmas to say I was going to chicken out on the run and ride the Peloton, she said she was going to chicken out and drink mimosas!