Obsessed Runner Blog
2022.1.19 - Run away from the Cold
Not everybody can escape, but if you can take a few days to put a crack in the ice of winter, the break can be the bridge to get you through it. A Michigan to Southwest florida road trip can be a bit of a magic trick and you will avoid any Covid or weather plane cancelations. With two drivers, a good recorded book and a few podcasts, if you hit the road at 3 AM you can squeak by the Atlanta rush hour and arrive south by 11 PM. Better yet, once past Atlanta, stop for a short head clearing run, then carry on. The magic part, you get in the car, it’s 15 degrees, you get out of the car at midnight and it’s 70! I take to heart my advice to run easy and short through December and January, so lining up for the Naples half marathon last Sunday, based on my 8 mile long runs, would be a true adventure. The great part about not being trained is that if the race goes bad you don’t get the feeling that you threw away all your hard work. If you finish, you win! So, I won! Now, for some easy miles this week on flat Florida jungle trails at Lover’s Key State Park. Dig it. As Thelma said on her road trip with Lousie, “I’ve never felt this alive!”
Yep, you can do this,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, crackin’ the ice
2022.1.11 - January running, all or nothing
There seems to be two major themes to January running, going out too fast like a freshman in a cross county meet, or doing just about nothing and turning to mush, not ready to deal with this winter brutality. Yes, it’s easy to get excited about the new year and our big goals, often without a cautious build up plan to make it happen without setbacks. And it’s even easier to blow January off, figuring we have lots of time so why fight with this awful month. For those of us who have been at this for a while, we should realize that we do need some downtime and December and January are a good choice. Not to stop running but to get out that door consistently to keep some semblance of fitness so our bodies will be ready for a steady build up as we roll into spring. This is a time for some light weight training, perhaps yoga but yes, some cautious miles so we are ready to get back at it.
Get excited, with a plan!
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner, who writes this stuff to my block headed self.
2021.12.29 - The run takes a village
The run takes a village.
Not really, the run is ours alone, but I admit, knowing others are out there putting in miles seems to encourage my own miles. The running social media apps can be another tool in the motivational box along with my book of course, Get Your Butt Out the Door (shameless plug)! There have been times when I’ve seen another head lamp bobbing along in the cold dark morning that I’ve gone on to add some additional miles knowing we are in this together, on some plane. All that said, let’s plan on a great running year in 2022. We’ll set some new personal records, start some new streaks and meet together on the starting line. Knowing we are all in for this adventure together will give us the push we’ll need!
Let’s run forever,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who is putting in miles right beside you, or at least on the same planet!