Obsessed Runner Blog

2023.02.22 - Ageless Running

randy ironI’m surrounded by friends who are retiring, luckily I’ve never had a job so I can’t retire! That said, some of my running friends seemed to have retired from running at the same time as the job, while others have upped their game, which seems to make a hell of a lot more sense with them having the extra time. We know that going for a run has nothing to do with age, it’s only related to being healthy and being able to run. Looking at age group records, Gene Dykes, at age 70, ran 2:54 for the marathon just this year and the record for over 80 is 3:15. The woman’s over 70 record is 3:27 and over 80 is 4:12. Of course, these are world records but like all world records they motivate us all at any level to know we are in a ageless sport, dig it! Let’s never play the age card and we shall stay ageless, like our sport!

Run forever,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who loves the T-shirt with the words, Dumb Asses in Shoes! That’s us! Let’s get out there in the weather and prove this to the world! Ha

2023.02.15 - Happy Running

Randy Racing GearPain is part of our sport but how we suffer is a choice. When heading out for the long run, it’s common to worry that it might go bad. This mindset comes from experience, from other long runs where we ended up with stomach issues, cramping, loss of interest or we just plain hit the wall. The stress of worry may make this a self-fulfilling prophecy. Better to head out there knowing the long run is cool because it is not a given and stuff happens when we push our limits. The run may go amazingly well, or misery might come early, this is what we came to find out. Either way, we can come away with the satisfaction of adapting to the situation and trying our best, even if we fail, we will fail heroically!

 

Suffer well,

 

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who, as you know, writes this stuff to myself. This week I set out for a long run with a specific distance in mind and the body was having none of it. After a valiant struggle, I shuffled home in what might have been mistaken for a walk of shame but if you looked hard, I was smiling.

 

2023.02.08 - Keep running weird

randy potoThe Super Bowl reminds me how quiet and private our sport is. When compared to the average American, who could and would not run a mile for any reason, we are a small, self-motivated bunch that finds pleasure in hard work. Chipping away at long term goals is our specialty, for sure we are on the fringe, dig it! Running is as far away from being a spectator sport as can be, when they talk about television ratings, the number of people who would watch the Boston Marathon would not even be a blip on the radar. All that said, coming up on Friday March 10th is a rare opportunity, a trail running film festival. I hope you can join me in Chelsea, Michigan at Robin Hills Farm for a motivational evening with a bunch of running nerds, without a run! Come for cocktails and a couple hours of incredible running films in a glass barn, a very cool setting. 2023 Trail Running Film Festival

Keep running weird,

Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who will most likely sneak in a run before the show, what the heck.

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