Obsessed Runner Blog
September 9, 2009 - I hit what seemed like a barrier in progress.
Yo run gang,
Ive been running 5-7 days a week for 30 something years, pretty much major injury free (not pain free). That is to say, Ive not had a pain that required surgery or major medical intervention. Ive missed plenty of days of running due to some ache or pain but no injury that has caused any permanent damage (as far as I know). I truly believe running is a safe and positive life long activity. All my running pain has come from stupidity (Some of it well call lack of knowledge) and bullheadedness in training.
I can remember the first few months when I started running and how I hit what seemed like a barrier in progress. I could never run more than 25 miles per week without being sidelined with some new pain. About a year into my running I remember 40 miles per week seemed to be the maximum mileage I could not get passed without some new pain. A couple years later I was struggling with getting past 85 miles per week when it finally sunk in. Running was not the problem; it was how I put in the miles. I had finally realized I had learned how to run 25 then 40 then 85 miles per week with the body I had. I had learned what workouts I could or could not get away with. I learned when to run hard and when to take a day off. I learned to run 85 miles per week pain free and needed more information to get past this new plateau. The answer was my running form. A shorter stride with a quick cadence, more forward lean and not allowing my heel to strike the ground first, more, flat quick foot contact with the ground. This eliminated shock, overpronation and much of the motion of the knee. Do I still run into pain? Sure, but most often it comes from non running related stuff that effects my running, like being a weekend warrior in some other sport like volley ball, snow boarding, wake boarding or moving big stuff around in my garage And yes, stupidity and bull headedness in my running!
So, when injured, dont blame running or the running shoe companies, instead, look back at what you did to cause the pain, take time off to calm it down, and learn.
Run smart,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, always learning
October 22, 2008 - What a glorious weekend in the D
Yo Run Gang,
What a glorious weekend in the D. Congrats to all who accomplished their goals on such a beautiful running day. I didnt run Freep but came up with my own spectator event, laying out a 10 mile run course that allowed me to see the leaders at several points during the race. You cant run them all but you can always dream up new ways to enjoy the sport and get in your miles!
Frost tonight! Running tip of the week, dont run naked! Actually, I find that by over dressing, it makes it easier to get out the door on these cold days. Start your run with a small loop so you can drop off the extra layer as you warm up.
Along with the cold comes the dark, it figures. Thanks to the new L.E.D. headlamps, running in the dark aint as bad as it used to be. In fall and winter, for those of you who continue to run trails, I suggest a hand held flashlight in addition to the headlamp to help spot those roots. My choice of headlamp, the Princeton Tec, 4 L.E.D. lamp, (Shameless plug) $39.99 at Running Fit!
Light the night,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, be it winter or summer
June 17, 2009 - The Message...
Yo Run Gang,
A common runners lament, THAT NONE OF YOU WILL EVER USE! Im getting a bit sore; I guess Im due for new running shoes. Im bringing this up because I just heard this from a long time running friend A runner I thought would know better, so I blame myself for not spreading the message!
The Message: There are plenty of aches and pains that come from running; you dont need to add to them by running in old shoes. The bodys adaptation pains from upping mileage and hard or long workouts offer enough pain options for us already! The answer is to NEVER run long or hard in shoes with over 200 miles on them. You do this by alternating two or more pairs of shoes. Buy new shoes, run in them a while, then, when they have 200 miles on them, get a new pair. Wear the new pair for any long or fast runs and wear the older pair for easy days of junk miles. Once the old pair has 400 miles on them and the new pair has 200 miles on them, get a new pair and retire the 400 mile shoes to the garden in or whatever. I did not dream up this method to just sell you new shoes, you can actually squeeze more miles out of each pair by doing this. This also gives the shoes time to recover from a run, to dry out Darn, so much for a shameless plug.
The Triceratops Sprint Triathlon is a week from today, Wednesday, June 24 at 6:30 PM. Sign up to participate, or better yet, sign up to volunteer at www.trextri.com. Volunteering is a great way to check out the sport and see the action up close. Course marshals, aid station workers and the always fun swim course monitors in Kayaks (Yours or ours!). A weekday evening volunteer job that will earn you a cool shirt and free entry into another Running Fit event. Email the Canadian Chick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and say, sounds like fun, sign me up!
Solstice, my favorite day of the year, long enough do it all! Check out the 5 & 10K Northville Solstice Run at www.solsticerun.org, a classy little run.
My Barbados friend Codgie is getting a group together to run the Barbados Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K in December. He worked out a deal for a seven-day stay flying out of Detroit for about $1000.00 per person, which includes airfare and (four star) hotel. All fees are included in this price (airport tax, hotel tax, etc.) and you get other perks. For more info email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Run smart,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner with lots of shoes!