Obsessed Runner Blog
May 21, 2008 - The idol taper time is a blessing and a curse.
Yo run gang,
With over 4,000 runners entered in Saturdays Traverse City Bayshore events, chances are many of you are in taper mode. This week can drive a runner mad. The idol taper time is a blessing and a curse. This is a time for the body to lick the wounds and store muscle glycogen. The extra downtime can mess with your head, it gives you time to question everything from fitness (am I running enough) to food (am I eating too much) to race strategy (how fast should I start) to obsessing about the weather. Running during your taper sometimes can add fuel to this growing doubt. A short run may feel horrible, leaving you asking, If I feel this bad at 3 miles, how can I possibly finish? If this is how your week is going, I can tell you from experience that you are on the right on track, your body is peaked and ready to pop a big one, seriously. How does this work? Thats a good question!
Things to do in June, a fun month to run!
- Today: Buy new shoes at Running Fit, the bad weather is behind us and early summer shoes stay clean and looking good the longest. (Shameless Plug)
- June 4th: Come to the Head Goats swamp party and birthday run, a free 10K on rolling dirt roads, starts and finishes at his lair. http://www.runningfit.net/swampparty
- June 7th: I wish I was under 30! The glitz, glamour and paparazzi will take to the Red Carpet 5K Run in Novi. A rockin dress up run for the young and fabulous! See www.redcarpetrun.com, a fun website, a fun event (No age groups over 30)
- June 14th: Flirt With Dirt 5K and 10K Trail Run, Novi, Michigan! Yes, amongst the malls and mansions there is a wilderness loop! Enter at www.runflirt.com. To get inspired, check out the trail run video from Aprils trail races at http://www.trailmarathon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44&Itemid=99. Part 2 of this video clip was posted just this week!
Taper em up, then run fast and take chances,
Randy Step, an obsessed runner with his feet up!
January 28, 2009 - When is your run scheduled?
Yo Run Gang,
Its official; we are experiencing a top ten, worst winters in recoded history. (Actually, Im glad to hear that, I was thinking I was going soft!) To add to the misery index, throw in the worst economy since the 30s and you get recession with depression. These times call for a head clearing run, a run with more value than ever for mental and physical sanity. Unfortunately, the motivation to get out the door for such a run drops inversely to the misery index, a dilemma. I remind you of this because knowing your daemons puts you in a better position to fight them. Get out the door, and push the clouds away.
On an upbeat note, I gave talks at 5 grade school student assemblies in the past 2 days, singing them on to the Martian Kids Marathon program. A program that teaches long term goal planning and puts childhood obesity on the run! The kids agree to log, collect, 25 miles between now and the Martian Kids Marathon on April 4th where they will run their final 1.2 miles with hundreds of other kids in front of hundreds of cheering adults! They get a T-shirt, the same finishers medal as the big kids, and all that goes with the accomplishment of a long term goal, a valuable life skill. Have your kids check out the kids site at www.martianmarathon.com/kids where they can download the log and training manual. I hope to see your family at the Martian Marathon! 5K, 10K, Marathon, Half Marathon and Kids Marathon.
Im running at 5 PM, its in my daily planner. When is your run scheduled?
Randy Step, an obsessed runner who has been told he beats the streets with the running message, much like a fuller brush Christian!
May 5, 2010 - Snorkle?
Yo run gang,
As an obsessed runner, my goal is to run for a lifetime. For that to happen, I believe the body needs core strength, recovery and seasonal changes in training, dang, don't you just hate that? Like so many things in life, the sacrifices needed to accomplish long term goals are worth it.
My system the last few years is to become a triathlete for summer, training starts after my spring marathon and goes through August, then back to fall marathon training! Well, Boston is over and I'm at it. I find the convenience of jumping in a lake to get in my swim beats going to a pool, besides, the open water experience helps in the event. The water temp is only 60 or so now but with the right stuff, the temp matters little. (Do you feel a shameless plug coming on?) My Zoot Fusion full wetsuit fits and works great. We tested several and it's one we stock at Running Fit, $300 makes it a reasonably priced. I wear an insulated swim cap, swim gloves and swim socks made by "Blue Seventy", I also like their open water swim goggles. Swim accessories are at our 5700 Jackson Rd. store in Ann Arbor, in Novi, and online at runningfit.com. Did I mention my swim snorkel?
Swim, Bike, RUN!
Randy Step, an obsessed runner, who is having fun playing with his new multisport toys!