Category: Ramblings

Look, I need help. This is going to sound crazy, but I am trying to partner with a charitable organization, any charitable organization, that is doing work regarding bullying and/or cyber bullying. I have reached out to several organizations via e-mail and explained that I am looking to become an ambassador for the cause, and every single one that has responded, has responded no. And those are the ones that have responded. Some haven’t even replied!

Let me be clear what I am offering. I am willing to do any or all of the following:

• Donate my own money
• Donate my time (speaking, organizing, fundraising, etc.)
• Fundraise via my racing, my future merchandise, and my future virtual races
• Wear the organization’s gear during my runs to help spread the message
• Blog, Vlog, and use my various social media
• Anything else that is within reason

What I would like in return is fairly straight forward and simple, I think. I would like to be an official ambassador so that I can use the organizations logo for marketing and possibly have some support to help with my fundraising efforts and any potential events where I can volunteer or speak. It seems to me that if I was an official partner of an organization, they would be able to point me in the right direction for these types of events. This would help me to be much more effective in my charitable efforts as the logistics piece will take much less time with their support. That would allow me to focus on my training for events like the Devil Dog Ultras, where I will leverage the event in to fundraising. I am a runner, not a professional organizer.

So, I am asking if anyone reading this either works for an organization, or knows someone who works for an organization, that is trying to address bullying and wants to partner with a bad ass, high frequency, ultra-running, fund raising machine? If you do, please help me connect. My e-mail is joe.randene@joerandene.com and I am locked and ready to go.

There are way too many instances of bullying and cyber bullying that are leading to people who are stressed out, depressed, and in worst case scenarios suicidal. At this point in our history, you would hope that we would all know better and that we would treat each other with kindness and respect. However, lately I have observed many instances where it has been just the opposite. Bullies have been emboldened by our politicians (unfortunately) and the anonymity that the internet provides. And all too often the targets of these types of attacks are children and people that may be considered “different” based on traits ranging from sexual preference to something as simple as the clothes that they wear. It’s time to help create an environment of acceptance and love and I want to do my part. HELP ME PLEASE!

Peace.

Joe the Runner

I hope that this post and this blog helps! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene  YouTube: Joe Runner

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!

Honestly, I cannot believe that I even need to write about this, but the evidence that this happens is all over the place, even my daughter’s face. And it is truly disappointing. However, this is the platform that I have and I feel that I need to use it and speak up. The harassment of women runners MUST stop. Unfortunately, I will address the obvious, men harassing women, AND the not so obvious, women harassing women.

Doing what I do, I am all over social media, I get e-mails from followers, and I see comments on my blog and other blogs all of the time. Recently I have noticed a disturbing trend, and that is women commenting on being cat called, stared at, and even confronted or assaulted by men, while they are out on their runs. This MUST stop. As a man, I am imploring other men to just keep their mouths shut when they see a women runner. These women are out there trying to get their workout in and the last thing they want or need is a stranger distracting them. At best, you are just being a nuisance, and at worst you are making the runner feel intimidated and scared.

Obviously, if you are disturbed enough to assault a woman, this message won’t matter, but if you are a guy who thinks he is being funny by whistling or shouting, just don’t! These women runners are dressed the same way as their male counterparts, and they are dressed so that they can run without chaffing, feeling constricted, or overheating. They are not dressed this way because they want your attention. Leave them alone. If you want to impress and meet women runners, go vegan, buy a pair of running shoes, and go run a couple of miles. Not only will you improve your chances of meeting some of these wonderful people in a constructive way, you’ll gain a hell of a lot of respect for them and what they do. Because running is no joke and it is certainly not easy.

Now, women harassing women. Really? Based on what I just wrote above, isn’t it obvious that women runners need all the support they can get and that other women should be their biggest supporters? This was a comment that was on Fitbit, “While I was out for my run today, a woman yelled out of a moving car at me to put some clothes on.” There was more to it, but that is how it started. It blew me away. A woman harassing a woman runner! I wonder if that lady ever tried running 5 miles in 90-degree heat and 80% humidity? I wonder if she had seen a shirtless male runner if she would have yelled the same thing? Here’s an idea, shut up and keep your opinion to yourself.

I hope that I didn’t offend any women by writing this, because obviously, I am not a woman and cannot put myself truly in their shoes. Being a man however, I can say that I am embarrassed that there are still men out there that are treating women this way. And as a father of four women, I realize that this is a serious issue. Things like this do not get better unless people are willing to talk about them, so I joined in the conversation. For what it’s worth…

One last thing, if I am ever witness to this type of behavior, I will confront it, and I am encouraging everyone else to do the same. Things don’t change unless you’re willing to change them.

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene    YouTube Channel

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!

Normally I use Randene Rants to get out of the running and fitness box, it’s a space where I can explore other things, but, this rant IS about running. Someone asked me my thoughts on “junk” miles. Did I think it was a thing? Could you in fact run “junk” miles. My simple answer to this is “No. Not if you have any semblance of a plan.” Let me explain.

First, we need to come up with some sort of definition for what “junk” miles are. Let’s assume that a “junk” mile would be any mile or miles ran that are completely useless. I almost feel like I can end the post right there, because I have never run a mile that I deemed to be completely useless. Worst case scenario, I maintained my fitness level and cleared my head. Best case scenario, the mile was part of a plan that was driving me towards a goal, but let’s dig a little bit deeper.

My opinion is that every runner should have a plan. Some may be very simple, such as, I just want to keep my metabolism elevated and stay fit, so I’ll run three times per week for 30 minutes. Others can be as complicated as preparing to run a 100-mile ultra-marathon, requiring back to back long runs in excess of 20 miles on the weekends. The point is that there is a clear goal and a plan in place.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that someone is preparing for a marathon and is willing to run five times a week. Depending on their goal for the race, they want to go sub 3:30 or simply just want to finish, as an example, they should create a detailed plan around it. That plan might focus on building a cardio base and time on feet, or it may include speed work, or a combination of all of these things. Every single run should have a clear goal and rest days should be scheduled. Are there any “junk” miles here? I don’t think so.

Now if they decide to veer from the plan and skip rest days, or add mileage too quickly, are those “junk” miles? It’s hard to say. If they avoided injury, the added work may very well get them closer to their goals, but there is a risk/reward balance that needs to be assessed before making any decisions. I’d still be hard pressed to call them “junk” miles though. A better phrasing might be “risky” miles, because if they are healthy, they will most likely benefit the runner, but if the runner gets injured, they rolled the dice and lost.

The same thing goes with a taper. Runners, me included, often get restless during their taper period before a race, and they want to run more miles than their plan calls for. This is all risk/reward. You have to evaluate whether or not the extra miles will benefit your fitness and speed more than the rest and recovery will benefit your level of health. This is a very personal question and the only real way to find out what works for you is to experiment. My experience had been if I had good training blocks leading up to a race, I benefit more from the rest and recovery than I do from squeezing in the extra miles. However, if I did run the extra miles, they certainly wouldn’t be “junk”. As I stated above, at the very least I’d be happy doing what I love and would clear my head.

While, in my opinion, there is no such thing as junk miles, there are several things that I do to make sure that I maximize my risk/reward ratio. Here they are:

• I have clear goals for what I am trying to accomplish with my running.
• I create weekly plans based on my goals.
• Every run has a clear objective.
• I schedule my rest days and taper.
• I stick to my plan as much as possible.

If you do all of these things, I highly doubt that you will run one “junk” mile… if they even exist.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other. PEACE! Joe the Runner

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!