June 10, 2009 - God has truly spoiled me rotten.
Yo Run Gang,
God has truly spoiled me rotten and if life ends tomorrow, Ill leave as one happy camper. That was the feeling I was left with after this mornings run. Runners World posts a photo and route each month called Rave Run, every so often I encounter a rave run and it happened today. Im writing this from Baraboo, WI, the site of the July 11th summer stop on the Dances with Dirt (www.danceswithdirt.com) extreme trail running tour. My run today was up and down 600 piles of boulders in a place of glacial wonder, I can compare it to no where I have been. It was a run filled with incredible vistas and natural beauty on a clear, crisp morning A Wednesday morning I might add, and Im working, and spoiled. Thinking back, my last run to qualify as Rave was on a snowy dark evening in February when I ran 6 miles of half mile loops around the industrial complex where Running Fits headquarters are. The loop is plowed, lit and has no traffic after 5 PM. Running loop after loop with a light snow falling, just me, my thoughts and the mantra of footfalls. I finished the run like waking from a dream, I had planned a quick 4 miles but realized time had slipped by me and I was at 6. I love this sport, it constantly amazes me.
Join us in Baraboo July 11th, a 7 hour drive to a place that will capture your soul, I promise. Ultra runs from a half marathon to 50 miles, or grab 4 friends and run the extreme relay. Each runner runs 3 legs averaging 3.5 miles each. Cheap camping or $99 rooms at Devils Head Ski Resort. More information is at www.danceswithdirt.com.
Randy Step, an obsessed runner headed back to work. Ha!
July 7, 2009 - Time to shake things up!
Yo Run Gang,
As the racing season slows down and the long summer days add up, I hear fellow runners talking about feeling burned out by the daily running grind. I usually give my normal calm response, NO WAY! How can anyone burn out on running, the perfect activity for mind, body and life itself? Time to shake things up!
If you normally run in the morning, plan tomorrow's run for 10 PM and put on a headlamp. Run in the woods, if you normally run on the road. Start and finish your run at a lake and dive in ... Naked if its private! Yikes! Try some GU, new shoes, new route, new run partner, run with a group ... like 6:30 PM Tuesday at Ann Arbor Running Fit or Thursdays 5:30 PM from Running Fit Northville, where they give you a hot dog when you finish! Go to an outdoor track and put some beer along the track. Do a few easy, or hard, miles. Finish with a cool down walk with beer in hand, seeing the beer on each lap will inspire you (I use beer as an example; just make it something that will fire you up). Run a race, don't even make plans, just find one online (www.runningfit.com, www.runmichigan.com,) and go! Take on a challenge like the one at www.half2run.com. Get someone to drop you off a long way from home with no way to get back but to run! Drive to a spot some evening then run home, in the morning, run back and get your car
Run forever,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, keeping the fire lit
Cross Country Nights: For those of you with cross country runners in the family (You lucky dogs!): Running Fit has a couple of cross country open house nights coming up with extra discounts and fun give-a-way items to keep your runner fired up! Come any date at any time between 4 and 9 PM. Monday August 17th in West Bloomfield, Wednesday August 19th in Northville, Tuesday August 25th in Novi and on Thursday August 27th in Ann Arbor, this may be at our new warehouse store on Jackson, check www.runningfit.com before you head out.
Run 'n' Grill in the 'ville!
Why eat and run when you can run and eat!?! Come on out to Northville Running Fit Thursday nights @ 6:30pm for our weekly Run 'n' Grill! That's right each Thursday night beginning July 16th we'll be out grillin' while you're out runnin'. We'll have Burgers, Dogs and all the fixin's ready for you as you finish up!
What's the catch??? There isn't one except no run, no eat! That's right ya gotta earn those calories!
The group heads out around 6:30pm (which, for some reason beyond explanation, is actually around 6:40pm here in Northville). Mileage for the run varies (between 4 and around 8 miles) and paces vary.
So show up and RUN and EAT with the crew at the Northville Running Fit starting July 16th! We'll leave the grill on for ya!