2013-07-17 - Running Anniversaries
I just got back from a sultry run on the trails, I love the way the heat beats me up and rags me out, leaving me with a great sense of accomplishment, dig it. (Shameless plug #1. The Tred-Not Deer fly patch on my hat made the run possible, keeping off the biting flies. Available at Running Fit!)
Today's run reminded me of another hot morning run I took over 30 years ago with my wife Kathy on our wedding day, a tradition that remains intact and I look forward to our anniversary run together this Saturday! (Shameless plug #2. Another great tradition is the sale at Running Fit this week during the art fair. The fair and sale run today until Saturday. Every close-out shoe from all of our 7 stores will be on the art fair tables at serious clearance prices.) My business partner Steve reminds me that if I get married again, not to do it during art fair so I can't use my anniversary as an excuse to take the day off!
Enjoy these summer runs but respect the heat. Look for shaded routes and run short loops that allow you to bail out and cool down at any sign of trouble. Hydrate with more than just water to keep your electrolytes balanced.
Run and shop smart,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who loves hot runs followed by cold showers!
Master's Running
I run. I hit the road in the fall of 1975 at the age of 19, I havent stopped since. Not quite as bad as Forest Gump but I havent missed many days in the last 30 years. I am not alone out there. The 40 to 55 year age group has more runners than any other. They call us Masters Runners, which is a nice way of saying old runners. Masters running is not a term saved for the elite older runner. Fast or slow, you are a still a masters runner.
Like golf, distance running is a sport where age is not much of a factor in performance before the age of 40. In fact, at the marathon distance, experience can be quite an advantage. I can remember watching Portugals Carlos Lopes win marathon Olympic gold in the 1984 LA games running 2:09:21 at the age of 37. At the time I thought Lopes was ancient but I also remember thinking I had another 10 years to train hard and improve my times. It was quite a motivating revelation. Another inspiring statistic for the aging, serious runner is that the majority of runners that make the US Olympic marathon team are over 30.