Obsessed Runner Blog
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!
2011-07-27 - The Magic Kingdom
Yo run gang,
Nothing can compare to the daily run from home on a no stress, familiar course where we can get lost in our thoughts or seek the answers to life's difficult questions, our daily bread. The fond memories of the course and the place it plays in the grand scheme of life will be etched in our minds ... We won't remember each outing as they will blend together but a mental journey to the old course will be like going home.
As we run on vacation or as we travel the world, a simple run down the Champs-Elyses, through The Mall in Washington D.C, around the castle in Magic Kingdom or down Alii Drive in Kona, will take on epic proportions as we reminisce ... giving us the content feeling of satisfaction from a life lived fully.
Don't miss a single run on each precious healthy day,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runners with memories that remind me why.
July 2, 2008 - Good Pain vs. Bad Pain
Yo Run Gang,
Good Pain vs. Bad Pain
Good Pain: When the mileage is high and youre out there running near the edge where life is full of color, you may wake in the morning with the creaky achy body of a person twice your age. It might be a little knee pain, heel pain, shin, hip, groin or back pain or it might be a bit of all of them. As you warm up and get moving through your day the body smoothes out and for the most part, the pains disappear. These are the good pains! Its OK to get out and run but perhaps its time for an easy day or day off, Id even suggest a bit of ice on the troubled spots. Ice is the miracle drug, a couple minutes of ice on a specific spot and its like a couple days of healing and rest, without the rest! Take the time to ice.
Bad Pain: You are out on the run and a slight pain develops anywhere. As you continue to run the pain seems to be increasing. You feel it out for a bit to make sure its not just some phantom, fleeting pain that goes as quick as it came but a pain that is increasing as you continue to run is nothing to ignore, were talking bad pain. Once you are sure this pain is real and getting worse, bail on the run, find the quickest way home, ice the area of concern and take 2 or 3 days off cold turkey. This maneuver may save you weeks off. For a runner, bailing from a run and getting off schedule may seem more painful then this small increasing pain, especially if your out running with friends or worse, running in a race but this is the time to be smart And at the time, you will hate yourself for being so smart but not nearly as much as you will later hate yourself for being dumb and running further into the pain. Damn, these one day awesome then next day fragile bodies.
Run smart,
Randy Step, a limping obsessed runner that knows, those that cant do, write, teach and coach!