2018-06-22 - It's Hard to Run Smart
After setting the Triceratops Triathlon course, I usually race the course solo before the evening event. It's a good way to check things over and to see how my time would have placed me in the event... Usually mid-pack, I'm a pretty lame swimmer and biker. So Wednesday, I was feeling great, the swim felt good and the bike fast. I went out of transition two on the run feeling as if I had not biked, one of those days I call a pearl. Two miles into the 5K I was flying along smoothly, when a pain crept into my calf, not too bad but... I did the hardest thing. I did something smart. I stopped dead in my tracks and walked carefully to the finish.
It was a smart move, the calf is still hurting today and tender. I am sure if I had ran into the pain, I would not have been able to walk without a limp. My guess is I'll be OK in a week, had I finished it might take a month.
Run smart, it sucks but it will suck less than the alternative, dang,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who will be taking a few smart days off, dang.
PS - It is a rare year where several teams have dropped out of the legendary Dances With Dirt Hell Relay in September. Grab 4 friends and enter a 5 person team HERE. I promise you a day of full color, fully alive running in the natural world, a day you will cherish in your memories forever. Yes, you will get your butt kicked running 3 legs of about 4 miles each through pure Hell brought to you by Mother Nature and you will wake the next day licking your wounds with a permanent smile and a feeling of loss, wishing every day could be like DWD day.
2018-06-13 - Pre-race Yikes!
YIKES! It's the feeling I get when race day draws near, for every race, no matter how important or insignificant the event is to me. Even after all these years, the nervous jitters attack!
The reality is that our race, our run, is personal. No, the world is not watching; we are pretty much the only one who cares about the outcome. Our training is done, or not done. We are either healthy or on the mend with hope. Our strategies are pretty much set, so being nervous is unproductive stress. I find that reminding myself of the reality of the situation reduces my race anxiety from YIKES! to ...yikes. Maybe reading this will do the same for you.
Just run, less YIKES,
Randy Step, an admitted obsessed runner who admits to silly nervousness, too.
PS - If you missed the Obsessed Runner Live, broadcasted on YouTube last Tuesday at 3PM, you can watch it here! I promise the episodes are getting better all the time... less YIKES! We will also be live next Tuesday at 3PM. Add it to your notifications and join me!
PS - Give back to the running community! We have some amazing upcoming volunteer opportunities. Throw on a pair of shades and join us at the Liberty Festival 5K and 10K on June 16th, get your ROAR ready and hop on the volunteerasaurus crew for the T-Rex Tri Series all summer long, or become a member of the BREW CREW at the Oberun 5K on July 20th!