Phedippidations

home_filledExplore shows

listSubscriptions

playlist_addQueue

addAdd by RSS Feed

Settings

Help Publisher guidelines

Send feedback

open_in_newGet the Android app open_in_newGet the iOS app

Privacy · Terms

Phedippidations

Some guy from Boston

Subscribe

Visit website

Inspirations, motivations,contemplations and conversations for and about runners.

Phedippidations

Available episodes



Newest first

Oldest first

Fdip380: Things That Make You Go Hmmm

You cannot lose weight without dieting or exercising. 1. Why? Because we are ugly bags of mostly water and store excess calories that we eat as fat.\ 2. Why? Because our bodies resting metabolic rate is finite and our capacity to eat high caloric food is less so. 3. Why? Because regulation in the hypothalamus and internal organs of the human body maintains an internal temperature of roughly 37 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit in order to sustain optimal performance and protect us from death. 4. Why? Because if our body temperature exceeds 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time, our brain, heart, kidneys, liver, and intestines will become damaged. So, you cannot lose weight without dieting or exercising. 5. Why? Because SCIENCE

Fdip379: Always Burning

The older we get, the lower our resting metabolic rate is, but we can counter that effect by maintaining or increasing our muscle mass. Now, if only there was a way we could do that through something like…oh, I don’t know, I’ll just through this out there in an unnecessarily snarky way…but first let me check, what kind of a podcast is this again?

Fdip378: Burning Down the House

My house Is out of the ordinary That's right Don't wannna hurt nobody Some things sure can sweep me off my feet Burning down the house

Fdip377: Brain Be Slow

It seems intuitive that IF we slow down, focus and consider everything that goes into the act of consumption, we can have a better experience with food which will, through biological mechanisms we shall discuss today, help us to lose weight. Today we talk about the SCIENCE that backs up the SCIENTIFIC theory.

Fdip376: Mindful Eating

In Burning 60, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about how much and when I’ve been eating, consuming less than 1,500 calories per day during an 8-hour window. But I haven’t considered HOW I eat, or the benefits of doing so mindfully. It seems intuitive that if we slow down, focus, and consider everything that goes into the act of consumption, we can have a better experience with food which will, through biological mechanisms not discussed in this episode, help us to lose weight.

Fdip375: Flu Like Symptoms

“Good food and good eating are about risk. Every once in a while an oyster, for instance, will make you sick to your stomach. Does this mean you should stop eating oysters? No way.”― Anthony Bourdain

Fdip374: The Selfish Calorie

Our bodies have to work to eliminate alcohol from our bodies as quickly as possible, and it doesn’t help us build strong muscles or support healthy bones. One might say (and many do) that alcohol is filled with “selfish calories”…because it forces our bodies to ignore life-sustaining nutrients so that it can focus on metabolizing…or, burning, alcohol. While I admit that there is, to some, a pleasant side effect of alcohol…the fact is that this toxin is a burden on our bodies. Them’s just the facts of SCIENCE.

Fdip373: Putting Yourself Out There

As a goofy little podcaster who has brought you with me through many long runs, road races and marathons, I have been less than proud to admit to you that I weigh 76 in excess of 174 pounds (the weight I should weigh for a healthy body mass index). Although sharing the truth of my progress in Burning 60 is self-deprecating, I’m willing to put myself out there, or, to paraphrase the thoughts of a well loved traveler: “I’m not afraid to look like an idiot.” - AB

Fdip372: Requiring Air

If there’s one thing I know about health and the wonders of metabolism it is that we need air to live just as fire needs air to burn. And when you have nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire.

Fdip371: Room to Improve

One day we’ll come to realize that our effort at becoming healthy doesn’t end when we finally burn 60 or, to paraphrase the thoughts of a well-loved traveler: "There will be no moment of smug clarity as we realize how small we are, how little we know, and how far we have to go".

Fdip370: The Lessons of Pain

Pain is a signal that something is wrong with your body…and yes, I know, I’ve run 22 marathons, I’ve experienced lactic acid buildup in my muscles and savored the joy of THAT feeling…and I’m sure there are some who enjoy a bit of pain for more discrete reasons…but those are rare exceptions to the rule that Pain is the body’s way of screaming at you to stop it.

Fdip369: That Feeling

“That Feeling” is something that I would best describe as “satisfaction, relief, accomplishment and release”…it’s that feeling you get the moment you stop running at that moment when the running stops. It doesn’t last very long, that feeling…but it’s noticeable and enjoyable.

Fdip368: Routine

One day in a life is an opportunity to embrace a routine to improve the quality of your experience in the universe.

Fdip367 - Faster with Fasting

Carl Sagan once said that “Extraordinary Claims require Extraordinary Evidence”. That’s probably true even for ordinary claims, such as not eating food will lead to weight loss. It may be that by tracking my food intake, keeping my daily caloric consumption down around to about 1,500 a day and limiting when I eat through intermittent fasting are contributing to my burning 60 weight loss. Or, it could be a magical tapeworm that has infested my trunk. Whatever the reason, intermittent fasting is not some spiritual malarkey that will lead to great things…although it might help you to lose a few pounds or 60. Check with your doctor before you start following such a plan. In a universe where mammals are not much more than ugly meat bags of mostly water, what we use to fuel our furnace comes not only from consumed molecules but from our own bodies through fasting. Because, when there’s nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire.

Fdip366: Plethoric Caloric

We are always burning, it’s what we do…and we have to do more than just accept that, we have to embrace it, we have to lean into it hard. Because one day, all that that burning we do will come to an end and the metabolic processes we hold so dear will cease to function. When that happens, and I promise you it will: we will be transformed from being mammals living with the illusion of free will into ugly meat bags of mostly water. But not today. Not while we burn. Not while we lean into life.

Fdip365: The Hackers Diet

“The human capacity to ignore inconvenient facts and avoid unpleasantness is immense. Success in any endeavor requires coming to terms with the true nature of the task at hand and, if the goal is worth the effort, getting on with it.“ John Walker, the Hackers Diet

Fdip364: Keep Banging on your drum

Burning 60 isn’t magic…it’s science. It’s applying well-documented and understood practices to a problem and observing the results. Burning 60 isn’t difficult, it just takes a willingness to follow the rules dictated by the well-documented and understood practice of science. All I’m doing is subtracting the active and resting energy I burn each day from the 1,534 calorie budget that I’m sticking to based on my goal of losing about 2 pounds per week considering my height, weight, and age. And now, at the age of 60 years, I’ve come to understand that it’s not the magnitude of that number that is important in my life, it’s the life that’s always been most important in my years. Life is short, but it should be long enough. We put life in our years when we live our lives in the very best way we can…one might even say “to the top”.

Fdip363 - Fire up the Data

In systems theory, I learned that “Input is something put into a system or expended in its operation to achieve an output or result.” Here are the data inputs that I am using to achieve the results I am looking to achieve.

Fdip362 - The Burning 60 Plan

I’m going to try something different here…at least something different for me. I’m going to use both science and psychology to achieve an important goal of mine and I’m going to bring you along for the run.

Happy New Year 2022

Here's wishing you a very happy 2022

Radical Acceptance

Just think about it.

Appreciation Day

On a day where everyone is thankful, I am appreciative.

Steve’s Blues Clues

I’ve never forgotten you!

Fdip361: The Squeaky Front Door

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! - Dr. Suess

Fdip360: It’s Not Supposed to be Easy

Right now, I’m just some guy from Boston, and that’s okay...but when next we meet I’ll be bringing an old friend...someone you well know whose name no longer defines him, but celebrates the short yet reasonably long duration of our existence. Life is short, but it should be long enough. I am Steve Runner.

Fdip359: From the land of our Father

Recorded in Launching Place on Prince Edward Island, a beautiful part of the world where the Walkers came to live.

Fdip358: XIV As you well know

The 14th Anniversary Episode of Phedippidations

One the best friends I've ever had is sick. I'm going to spend the summer making his life awesome.

Fdip357: Supper for the Ploughman Bard

A Burns Supper is a remarkable event, and one that I highly recommend you attend. The poetry of the Plowmen Bard is romantic, sentimental, lustful, honest, satirical, humorous and authentic for the 1780’s in which he wrote through now and forever. On the next January 25th, if you can find a Burns Supper being hosted near you: I highly recommend that attend. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate the life of the Ploughman Bard.

Your Own Personal Podcast.m4a

Apple-y Goodness

Let’s Go Red Sox!

Jet Blue Parkness.m4a

Spring Training 1.m4a

South Bound.m4a

Zip Bang Boom.m4a

Is this thing on?

Just a quick catch up here to let you know I'm here and livin' large.

Fdip356: At the Ball Park with Tim

Tim Doiron was one of the first fellow runners and listener to this podcast who I actually ran with in person. Here was a guy who knew pretty much everything about me: a natural by-product of the new podcasting phenomenon, and our friendship went on from there: running races together, running Mojo Loco’s, and attending baseball games here in in the city of Wooostah.

Look Ma! No Cancer!

They found something. It made for a bad weekend.

I'm Steve, You're You, Be Good

Checking in, as I am want to do, after some time.

To quote Judy Collins: “Isn't it rich? Are we a pair? Me here at last on the ground, You in mid-air, Where are the clowns? There ought to be clowns” On behalf of my Dad and the woman who gave my siblings and I life, who in turn gave life to her grandchildren…We want to thank you with all of our hearts for being here today. I’m Stephen John, Loretta’s first child and like you, I will always miss her. But then there’s this weird thing, and I know my Mom was keenly aware of this: “the phenomenon of living on in your progeny” Her influence, taste, opinion, knowledge, philosophy, story and voice…will continue to live on within us. My Mom, or “Ra Ra” as her grandchildren call her, was always good at remembering special days with a card. Every year on Ellen’s birthday (December 25th) she’d write “you’re still my best Christmas present ever!” on her birthday card…and so on Christmas Day, 2009 when Ellen broke the news that she was pregnant wi…

Health, SCJ and other stuff. This is me checking in. Be happy.

Compassionate Voting

This is the most important election in the history of 'Merica. You really need to vote this time: and I have a suggestion as to how.

Fdip355: God Please Make Me Not a Piece of Shit

In these troublesome times for our Country and World, you should know that there is a dude. A dude who asks only for the occasional adult beverage, a dude who does mind, the Dude minds. “This will not stand”, he’ll say, “ya know, this aggression will not stand man.” Mike is the dude, so that’s what you call him. That or His Dudeness of Duder or El Duderino if your not into the whole brevity thing. Above all, the Dude Abides: and you should find comfort in that.

Fdip354: On Mike with a Morbid Angel

Friends, fellow runners…thinkers all of you, I am honored yet a little squeamish to introduce my pal: Mike.

IPS12: Venus is Hell

It's not the kind of place to raise a kid, in fact it's HOT as hell.

IPS11: The Ecliptic

A great circle on the celestial sphere.

IPS10: Head Space

There Outer Space, Inner Space, No Space and HEAD SPACE.

IPS9: Destroyer of Worlds

J. Robert Oppenheimer reflects on the moment that the first atomic bomb exploded. Nice one Bobby.

IPS8: The Center

Where is the center of the Universe? I've got a better question.

IPS7: A Tour of the night Sky Bright Stars

Take this episode out with you between 9:30 PM and 10:30 PM if you're in the northern hemisphere of the Planet Earth and look to the South. I wanna show you something cool.

IPS6: Pale Blue Dot

"It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." -- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot

Look, in the sky...it's a bird, it's a plane, it's THE ORB!

IPS4: There is no Planet B

This planet, Earth, is all we have.

IPS3: How Far Did You Move Today?

You might want to adjust your Fitbit buddy: you traveled much further that you think.

The Solstice is a time to be mindful. It’s about being present, but not about stopping time It’s about savoring the present without thinking or feeling about it It’s about acknowledging all the emails, text messages, tweets, updates, news flashes, alerts, alarms and distractions without engaging with them for a few minutes It’s about learning how to interact with the universe around us in a focused, meaningful, thoughtful way. We’re standing or sitting or laying down on a planet that is orbiting around it’s axis once a day, and orbits a star every year and rises and falls up and down along the plane of a universe every 125 million years that has spinning away from the galactic center

IPS1: The Longest Day

Happy Summer Solstice. This is the first of a 30 day series of short podcasts that I'm calling "Intervals Post Solstice". In today's episode I talk about the solstice itself.

Fdip353: Fathers Day

This is my father. Glenn Francis Walker, son of Pius Alexander Walker and Helena Viola MacDonald, my Grampa and Nana. Grampa was the son of Angus B. Walker and Theresa Morrison, my great grandparents, Angus was the son of Peter Walker and Mary MacDonald, my great great grandparents. Peter was the son of Angus Walker who married Sara McPhee on February 9th, 1846 at Saint Micheals Roman Catholic Church on Prince Edward Island, Canada: my great, great, great grandparents. I’m sure that my ancestors beyond Grampa were great. But my Dad? Glenn Francis Walker, whose birth certificate from Boston Lying-In Hospital in Boston Massachusetts certified that Francis Glenn Walker, weighing 8 pounds 3 ops was born at 2:19 PM on May 25th, 1937…my Dad, he’s the greatest. I love you tree-tri-so Dad. Happy Fathers Day.

Midsummer Cometh

carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.

Anthony Bourdain was found dead today, and the world is a little less cool because of it.

Fdip352: Here’s Johnny

My nephew Johnny is my first "guest" on this new format of the podcast Phedippidations. As I move closer to my 13th year of podcasting, it's time to get back to the roots of this "show". Johnny was my absolute last choice to embark on this new venture. We're all doomed.

Crowd Sources and TV vs MM

I went to "THE BOOK OF FACES" lately, where I have a Phedippidations Facebook pagey-thing, and I asked for advice with a creative block I've been suffering. Also, I talk about transcendental meditation vs mindful meditation as if I even know what I'm talking about (hint: I don't).

Sapiens Sapiens

A great book that I'm reading is "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari. I highly recommend this great book about the history of mankind. Also, I contemplate (not meditate) on the benefits that guided meditation has brought me.

In response to a very thoughtful email from fellow runner Rick, I present for you my response. We agree on most things, disagree on others...but we're NOT "disagreeable" with each other. There's a lesson in this for the rest of 'Merica.

Meditate or Medicate?

In this episode of Intervals, I PROMISE you that I'm working on a new episode of Phedippidations! A big CONGRATS to the runners of the Boston Marathon and my efforts to drink more water and getting off the pills!

I've been using this app; and I think it's pretty cool.

Answering Email

Fdip351: The Theology of Running

In the early 1980’s George Sheehan would give an oration to a packed auditorium at the Health and Fitness Expo a day before the Boston Marathon. What you’re about to hear is one of those speeches.

Roy: No Regrets and Gun Argument Fallacies

First a response to fellow runner Roy, who points out that "No one ever in the history of the world finished a run and regretted having set out". Also, I talk about a Facebook post that a bunch of family and friends completely misunderstood.

Guns, Gadgets and a Goodbye

I've got three things to talk about today. The guns bit won't take long, as there's not much to say. The gadgets bit, takes a bit longer...because I loves me gadgets, and the goodbye to my friend Kevin...I'm going to miss that guy.

Just seven weeks into 2018, there have been eight shootings at US schools that have resulted in injury or death. FUCK the NRA.

Fdip350: Bigger on the Inside

Being kind is something any of us can do, because we're "Bigger on the Inside".

This is kind of a test of some new podcasting equipment and a quasi review of my new iPhone.

Happy Birth Day

As of 7:30 PM this evening (1/19/2018) I will have been alive for exactly 56 years. Life is good.

Day 31: We'll tak a right gude-willie waught

Day 30: Regeneration & Kindness

I've been thinking about my new years resolution alot lately. Here's what I've come up with.

Day 29: Disconnected Vacation & Trying to be Kind

What makes a vacation? Place? Comfort? Sure. But I think disconnecting is important as well. I dislike our "president", but I'm trying to be KIND, even to him. (and I'm not doing so well at that).

Day 28: Back to the C-C-COLD

Today my wife and I are returning to the land of the frozen tundra of New England, but there's beauty even there.

Day 27: Last Day in Paradise

As ridiculous as it sounds...I have to leave Southern Florida tomorrow afternoon. Yeah...I know, crazy right? Doesn't make sense to me either.

Day 26: Beach Day

Our Holiday Vacation to Florida is coming to an end on Thursday, but today we're hanging out at the beach.

Day 25: Out and A-Boat.

Happy Xmas from Cape Coral Florida. We took the grandkids out on a boat and enjoyed the dolphin experience thing.

Day 24: Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of

Twas the day before the 25th day of this thing that I'm doing, and just as with the other 24 days...I talk and talk and talk about stuff.

Day 23: Gifts are cool, but being there is best.

I bought my wife a gift for Xmas. I was going to get it for her anyway. The REAL gift was spending two weeks with her in Florida.

Day 22: A Chat with Christopher

My grandson Chris takes to the microphone with me today as we discuss his situation with Santa.

Day 21: The Horror of Poo

It was worse than you can possibly imagine.

Day 20: I Got Nuthin'

Can't think of anything to talk about today, but that's not a bad thing.

Day 19: Beautiful Mayhem

In Florida with my grandchilden. I love them tree-si-so, and want to be with them every day (but not "all day" every day). THAT is the best part of being a grandparent.

Day 18: Time Zones

It's Day 18, not 17. I can't count. Today I talk a bit about the Massachusetts proposal to switch New England back to the Atlantic Time Zone. If we can legalize pot, surely we can change the clocks.

Day 17: Ozymandias

Another one of my favorite poems. This one strikes deep. All that we love will one day be gone.

Day 16: Up in the Morning Early

One of my favorite poets with one of my favorite poems.

Day 15: Tamagotchi

20 years ago a toy was born that, for reasons I cannot explain, fascinated me.

Day 14: How to Watch Who

In Part Two of my brief discussion about THE GREATEST SCIENCE FICTION ENTERPRISE IN HUMAN HISTORY (Doctor Who), I give advice on how to watch the show, for those who might be interested yet have never "dabbled in the timey wimey".

Day 13: Doctor Who?

A brief introduction into the character of "The Doctor".

Day 12: Block Him

There's nothing new that you will learn, there's no further reason to suffer his message. For your own peace of mind, do what I do: just block the guy.

Day 11: Yes I can a binoid

Medical cannabis is medicine.

Day 10: Ten Ways

Here are some of the dumb (and not so dumb) things I do to reduce my carbon foot print.

I'll miss you Mike. Requiescat in pace.

Day 8: Meshy Router

I need a new WiFi environment at home for my INTER TUBES.

Day 7: Eva Jones

Day 6: Indiana Jones

Day 5: Take Your Medicine

Listen to another dumb thing I did.

Day 4: Tracking Time

I work from home (for the most part), and now I've been asked to start tracking the ACTUAL time that I work (hint: it's alot more than 40 hours per week).

Day 3: My T.A.R.D.I.S.

I work from home, and of course that means that my work space has to be extra special.

Day 2: Fireside Chat

It's fireside chat time here at the ol' Phedippidations homestead. I found some old photos of my friends and I, and I can hardly remember being that young.

Day 1: Putting the PEE in Casting.

In an attempt to finish the year on a positive note, I'm going to record a PODCAST EVERY DAY in DECEMBER. Why? Because...why not?

Fdip349: The Efficacy of Mindfulness

Don't think about it. Be.

Intervals 11092017

Fdip348: The Beauty of I Don’t Know

It all rolls into one And nothing comes for free There's nothing you can hold For very long And when you hear that song Come crying like the wind It seems like all this life Was just a dream Stella Blue The song Stella Blue by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter.

Fdip347: Questions

After 12 years of producing a "goofy little podcast"; I have some questions to answer.

Fdip346: The Hiking Skill Award

44 years ago in the fall of the year 1973, at the age of 11 years young: I became a proud member of the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 53 of the Old Colony Council. This is all about my earning the "Hiking Skill Award"

Fdip345: Henry David Thoreau: Walking

Let's go for a walk.

Fdip344: Nullius in Verba

Today’s episode is an addendum to my last episode, number 343 “Dr. George Sheehan: Beginning”. Although not a prerequisite to listening to this, Alot of what I’m going to say about running flows directly from what Dr. Sheehan had to say about taking to the road and lacing up our shoes.

Fdip343: Dr. George Sheehan: Beginning

If I'd thought about it I never would've done it I guess I would've let it slide If I'd-a paid attention to what others were thinkin' The heart inside me would've died But I was just too stubborn to ever be governed by enforced insanity Someone had to reach for the risin' star I guess it was up to me I met somebody face to face and I had to remove my hat She's everything I need and love but I can't be swayed by that It frightens me, the awful truth of how sweet life can be But she ain't a-gonna make me move, I guess it must be up to me Bob Dylan

Fdip342: Bobby Byrnes Pub

My favorite pub and poet.

Fdip341: Therapīa Key

Fdip340: OSIRIS-REx and the BIG Question

Fdip339: ‘Merican Alarmist

Part 3 of a 3 part series about Global Warming.

Fdip338: Picking the Cherries

Part 2 of a 3 part series on Global Climate Change.

Fdip337: One Point Four Degrees

This is part 1 of a 3 part series on the topic of Global Warming.

Fdip336: The Ouroboros of Anhedonia

Anhedonia is a symptom of depression...and it's a pretty rotten symptom, but like most things in this life, it can be overcome. If you ever find yourself suffering from a loss of passion: don’t give up. Talk to your doctor and get help. It’s never to late to live your life to the top.

Fdip335: Running the Crossroads

A run through downtown Indianapolis.

Fdip334: The Cheesy Poof Problem

Here’s the problem with almost all of the processed foods that are available to us today: They’re convenient, easy to prepare if preparation is even necessary, they’re easily accessible, inexpensive, and uber-laden with multiple forms of sugar, salt and fat. Today’s highly processed foods are easy to get calories from without alot of chewing…most processed food melts in your mouth and proceed without delay down your gullet. I'm not telling you what to eat, I'm just saying to think about it....there's no conspiracy here but food corporations want you to over eat everything they make....that's just good business on their part, but it takes wisdom to purchase and consume what can only be called "real food".

Fdip333: A Measure of Health - Part Two

This is the second of a two part episode. Listen. Back in February of 2015, on episode 324 of Phedippidations, I revealed to you the measure of my health, listing the vital clinical statistics of my internal and external physical and mental condition including: how active I was, how well I slept, how good my mood was, how much energy I had, and: “the overall quality of my life experience”. I told you back then, that we’d revisit this personal health information in September…but due to a scheduling conflict with my Primary Care Physician, I had to push this back until today. I told you at the time, that life is not predictable, but that I did hope for a return to where I once belonged. Well, I’ve learned a few things this year: about myself, about my relationship with running and especially quite a bit about the pursuit and attainment of happiness. That said, I have arrived.

Fdip332: The Pursuit

Fdip331: The Miracles

We celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the United States this time each year, so this episode is dedicated to the concept of being thankful.

Fdip330: Thus Spake Zarathustra

And now it’s October: we’re more than 80% through the end of the year "getting back to where we once belonged”, and for me…I’ve come upon a bit of a road block. To best understand this road block, we have to talk about the philosophy of Nietzsche…and I know, I know…I said I wasn’t going to talk about philosophy on Phedippidations…but there’s just no other way, and I promise you that this is related to running. In order to understand the nature of this “road block”, we have to spend some time talking about Friedrich, since to a great extent it’s because of him that I’ve come to this. I told you at the start that this year’s journey might not end so well…and there’s still plenty of time to finish strong, but getting past this point is proving to be…well, difficult at best, impossible at worst. I’ve reached The Wall. Links: Both opening and closing themes songs were by Jim Fidler at “The Curra Road” was composed by Ger Wolfe at…

Fdip329: Ten Years a Man of Constant Podcasting

I’m humbled. What can I say? I’m totally humbled here, reeling in fact from the kind words from so many friends and fellow runners, people whom I admire a great deal. I’ll be honest with you…I’ve always been honest with you (for better or worse) …I’m not someone who thinks very highly of myself…and so, what you’re about to hear are some really special people saying some very incredible things about..well…me. I’m not sure that I deserve the kindness, but you must…I beg you, you MUST understand how much I appreciate the kind words. Ten years. I really don’t have alot to say about the 10th anniversary of this podcast. I’m happy about it; I’m glad that I’m still producing the show, and I’m very honored to have run with you for the last full decade of my life. Obviously this show and I have changed quite alot since July 4th of 2005 and there's quite alot that you can say about change. It's scary, it's sometimes sad, sometimes amazing,…

Fdip328: The Mojo au Groton

It was a perfect day for a run in New England. Presented by the Squannacook River Runners, this is the 24th running of the Groton Road Race. Being a runner feels different for me now. The universe is undergoing entropy…and I’m a part of that universe. I can’t go home again, but I can get back to where I once belonged…even if, when I get there…I’m not the same runner I used to be. That’s okay, that’s a good thing. These people, this race, that feeling of being a participant in something great and fun… it’s so much of what I’ve missed about running. Happiness is feeling accepted…it’s being with others who live their lives to the top. It’s the charm, the spell or the mojo of a moment in time. I had a fantastic time at the Groton Road Race, aka “The Mojo au Groton”. It was great to get together with Deb, Doug, Donna, Kathy, Jay, John, and Jack. “Start, Finish and Have Fun”. Is there a better way to describe the purpose of a road r…

Fdip327: Exploratory Running

Most runners could go out, right now and run a few miles under the morning sun. We often do so without considering the power of the act. We take for granted the incredible advantage this gives us as situations arise which requires it. We forget that running can sometimes be a means to an end and that aside from it’s impressive list of benefits, running and self ambulation gives us the means to explore. Training is important and I’m not suggesting that we abandon our training…I’m just putting the idea out there that as runners we have a gift of motion that does not limit us to the road, or trail…it doesn’t require a certain pace or time for completion. I’m proposing, that instead of punishing ourselves with devotion to a schedule…no matter how much we love adhering to said schedule…that we should instead look at our running as “playtime”. Links: Intervals between episodes and the complete conversation with Coach Jeff can be heard over at Melodious…

Fdip326: The Ten Percent Rule

“The Young Man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions” wrote Oliver Wendell Holmes. Coaches, Experts, Friends and Fellow Runners all seem to agree that “slowly and carefully ramping up your mileage” is a reasonable approach for our training. Just as the mighty oak begins it’s life as a weak and tiny acorn, my return to the road has to be rooted a slow and cautious increase in miles and duration. A tree isn’t ruled by a ten percent growth rate. I’m not trying to convince you to follow or ignore any rules but I do think that we should train with the patience, strength and persistence of a tree. Maybe, the best way to increase my mileage is to just get out there, running down the road ignoring time and space, and focusing more on living my life the top. Links: Thanks to Coach Jeff Smith for sharing his thoughts on training and the 10% rule. You can hear much more from Jeff over at Intervals between episodes and the complete conversation with Coach Jeff…

Fdip325: Running New England

This is a transformative journey that we’re taking together, so it might help you to understand the context of this journey if you could understood a bit more about where I’ll be running. In better understanding the mindset of the host and location of this podcast, you’ll better understand how your own terroir, or sense of place, affects your own journey. You live where you do for reasons beyond mere choice or accident. Maybe you’re there because of work, or family, or because you like the temperature of the Mojitos, but at some level you are where you are because you want to be there. It’s not just because I’ve grown up in New England that makes me want to be here; it’s not just the people whom I care about: family and friends who for whatever reason call New England their home; it’s because this place has, to a great extent, made me who I am. I fit in well here, in fact: despite my complaining about the cold and snow, I actually thrive here. Well,…

Fdip324: A Measure of Health Part One

This is part one of a two part episode. I’ll publish the second part at the end of the year. In the last episode of Phedippidations I talked about getting back to a metaphysical place where I once belonged: a "home" where I was once happy and healthy. For lack of a better term I called this a “transformative journey” and said that I wasn’t doing this to specifically lose weight or get healthier, but to regain that passion I once had for this sport and to feel like a member of the running community again. In returning to the road, health and happiness will be a welcome side effect. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about those side effects. When you head out on a geographical journey, you can usually tell when you’ve arrived at your destination. En route to Key West, I knew that I had arrived when Route 1A ended and the bartender at The Green Parrot handed me a cold margarita. What does it mean to be happy and healthy? What is the measure of such happin…

Fdip323: Getting Back to Where You Once Belonged

I “once belonged” to a community of fellow runners. I understand that many of you and this association have always considered me to be a member of the “run local, think global” team, but I haven’t felt that way for some time. That’s my problem, and it’s okay, that’s going to change. I “once belonged” out on twelve mile long run around my town, through the hills of an Old New England farm trail, past the birthplace of the “Angel of the American Civil War Battlefield”, Clara Barton, past St. Roch’s Church and the Roman Catholic congregation that I left a few years ago, past our town library, built in eighteen sixty-nine where I wrote the first scripts for Phedippidations and then past the hearthstone marker of the Johnson homestead, where John Johnson and his three children were massacred in sixteen ninety-six. I “once belonged” to a group of running podcasters and bloggers in a “run net community” of content creators who spoke and wrote about thei…

Fdip322: Running Across the Frozen White Wasteland

Episode twenty-three of Phedippidations, which was published on December 18th, Anno domini 2005 was titled “Cold Weather Running”. I guess you could consider this a bit of an update to that recording. While some of the information I covered back then was useful, I think I my have missed some Key (West) points that should be made more clear...and furthermore, I think that the way that show was produced...specifically …WHERE it was recorded, could be improved upon. Thus I can think of no better place to record an episode about running across the Frozen White Wasteland than from this barren, remote and isolated speck of an island at the end of the East Coast of the United States...a little place first known as "Bone Cay" for the littered piles of skeletal remains found here by Ponce de León in 1521. And so while it might be a bit strange for me to talk about cold weather running from here in Key West, it may help to get you in the mood by listening to a nine year youn…

Fdip321: The Quantified Self

We live in the age of the selfie and self promotion. Social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even Podcasts: allow us to share so much of our lives, and we…in posting such content assume that there’s someone out there who cares…or maybe we just hope they do. For better or worse, we’ve become a society of exhibitionists, sometimes even boastful of our situation and accomplishments. I disagree with the Christian view that pride is one of the so called “seven deadly sins” I agree with Aristotle that is is the crown of virtue, not to be confused with vanity…although…let’s be honest, sometimes there is a bit of vanity involved in the self promotion that all of this new technology allows us. But when it comes to fitness trackers, heath apps and the ability to record and sometimes share our every step, stride and vital statistics…I think there’s something else going on. In a way, I think we’re looking to improve ourselves through technolog…

Fdip320: Teleological Wishes and Anthropic Misses

Something to contemplate on your long, slow run today: The Teleological argument in support of the existence of God says “that the universe is ordered towards some end or purpose, that it was created by an intelligent being in order to accomplish some purpose.” FACT: We live in a 13.7 Billion year old universe that will end in a “Heat Death” 100 Trillion years from now. The Scottish philosopher David Hume didn’t think much of the “Teleological Wish”…he wrote that: “A very small part of this great system, during a very short time, is very imperfectly discovered to us, and do we thence pronounce decisively concerning the origin of the whole?” The Anthropic argument for or against God, misses and the Teleological argument is just something that we wish for. There are, generally speaking 5 arguments used to prove the existence of God: The Teleological, Cosmological, Ontologocal, Moral, Miracles and Religious Experience. Today, we will focus on the Teleological, whic…

Fdip319: What Does the Fox Say?

On the Fox News website a few weeks ago, Dr. Jennifer Landa, wrote an article “How Endurance Running Can Damage Your Health”. Dr. Landa is an excellent physician. She’s the Chief Medical Officer of BodyLogicMD, a franchise of doctors specializing in bioidentical hormone therapy. In this episode of Phedippidations, I’m going to refute Dr. Landa’s arguments by applying a healthy dose of skepticism to her craftily…and well worded arguments. But unlike my usual vitriolic attacks pointing out the blatant logical fallacies presented an article…and I must tell you, Dr. Landa has made many weak transgressions here…I’m going to try and be “fair and balanced”. I say try…I’m not on par with Dr. Landa’s intelligence: but I think I’m pretty good at refutations…so, I’ll give it a shot. It’s good to warn readers about the dangers of any activity…but you absolutely MUST comment on the validity of the proof. That wasn’t done here, and that’s bo…

Fdip318: Intervals From The Past

I have this “other podcast”, that I call Intervals…and unlike the portmanteau title of Phedippidations…the title “Intervals” is a bit of a double entendre. Whereas Phedippidations usually has a theme to each episode…Intervals is themeless. I “make it up as I go along”, and it has been a sort of “stream of consciousness” podcast that I put out there…because, why not? Today we’ll go back to the year of our (Time) Lord 2010. It was a good year; as years go. Since then, so much has changed in my life…as it has with yours. Back then I was still running road races and marathons, back then my weight was below 190 and my injuries were minor. Now, I’m not telling you this as someone who laments the good old days…or to garner sympathy for the darks times we’ve experienced since…I’m simply putting this out there to remind you that the period of four years both seems like a long time ago, and yet it’s demonstrably not. So what…

Fdip317: Wine for Newbies

Today, on Phedippidations I’m going to teach you three things, and I mean REALLY teach you…you can’t flunk this course, and if you already know something (or a lot of things) about wine, then consider this a refresher. Our syllabus is as follows: In the first chapter I’ll tell you how to taste wine, nothing fancy: just the basics…and I know you probably think this is intuitive, but tasting wine takes practice, as we’ll discuss. In the second chapter, I’ll tell you three important wine terms that you need to know when talking about wine…and finally In the third and final chapter, I’ll tell you three rarely used, high level terms and concepts that when used in the right situation, will make those who you are talking to, believe that you are on par with a master sommelier…a wine expert…in other words, just by using these phrases convincingly, you will gain “wine cred”. The thing about wine is that it’s really, just another thing in the universe to…

Fdip316: A Puppy Named Eva

The thing about human beings that strikes me as both wonderful and fascinating: is our capacity for change. If you asked me ten years ago would I ever “own” a dog, I’d have laughed at the notion. Today, the reality is that I do not “own” Eva…she owns me…or better put, we own and love each other. Eva Jones is many things: but most of all, most importantly of all: she is, to me: an example of the good animal I could be. She is a perfect example of love and joy…and she’ll always be that way for me. People change…I’ve changed over the years in some ways for the worse, in some ways for the better…but Eva has…for the past four, been an important constant in my life. This episode concludes with a eulogy for a friend. The greatest biffer I’ve ever known, and someone who taught me the importance of living your life to the top. Links: Melodious advice by Neil on Twitter @neilbearse Both opening and closing themes songs were by Jim…

Chesuncook Lake with the Dudes

Five dudes drove to Biff-Country in the summer of 2002. They saw moose, canoed, swam, and slept in tents. They ate beans, Dick’s Famous Chicken, pop-corn, jerky, mango, and Reece’s Cups. They skipped rocks, climbed on rocks, jumped off of rocks into a lake, watched stars, the moon, and the Northern Lights, and read Harry Potter around campfires. Then they drove home. It was all in the Biff-Country, and it was awesome. This is their story.

Fdip315: The Joy of Baseball

When you elevate something that is not important and dedicate some passion to it, you are living your life to the top. I don’t care what it is: running, playing the guitar, tasting wine, watching a TV show about a mad man in a blue police box flying through space and time, cooking, eating, even podcasting. I am, and have been since I was a small child, a fan of the Boston Red Sox. The game is one of my passions. The purpose of this episode; if there was a purpose, was to demonstrate the importance of passion in our lives and to highlight, for those who may not be fans of baseball or of my beloved Boston Red Sox, how it feels to not appreciate or understand another persons passion. I’m not really into movies or theater, I don’t understand someone’s passion for dance, baking, T'ai chi ch’uan, floral arraignment, crochet or scrap-booking…but I can appreciate the passion someone might have for those things, and I’ll keep an open mind for my own possibly develop…

Fdip314: Paleo Running

Today I want to talk about this trend for living like our “Old Stone Age” ancestors. What does recent science say about the benefits of minimalist running and the paleo-diet? Are these practices something that we, as runners, should adopt? Can “Paleo Running” and a “Paleo Diet” help us to live better, healthier lives? Agriculture was a life changing advancement for early hominids. It allowed us to spend more time together, in ever growing groups, to develop a civilization that would expand to all continents of the planet Earth. You can try to live a Paleolithic, Mesolithic or Neolithic lifestyle if it suits you; but as Thomas Wolfe wrote “You can’t go home again”. We are no longer “hunter gatherers” we are worker runners. By virtue of your listening to this you have embraced a modern technology that our australopithecine ancestors from 2.6 million years ago could never have imagined. I don’t know if we should eat and run like they did…but mayb…

Fdip313: Really Wanting It

In the course of our discussion today, we’re going to talk about many things: determination, dedication, will power, and wanting it. What I will not be able to do, is convince you to meet your goal. It wouldn’t matter if I made the most perfect, passionate, logical argument as to why you should train for and run a road race or marathon, why you should climb the tallest mountain, swim the widest ocean, win the most prestigious award or even drop 40 pounds. I might make you feel guilty for not trying. I might make you feel like a lump of poo because you refuse to rise off your COUCH OF DOOM…but you know how that old saying goes: You can lead a horse to water….but you can’t make him swim the backstroke. What do you want…and do YOU, whatever YOU are, really want it…or is it, as science seems to suggest, merely a calculated process in the computer that is your brain, giving you the illusion that you want it? If you say you want something….to finish your first…

Fdip312: The Sad Delusion of Chad Stafko

This is my response to an article published in the November 12th edition of the “Wall Street Journal” titled “OK, You’re a Runner. Get Over It” by Chad Stafko…and while I’ll try to keep it civil, I can’t promise I won’t lean over the line of anger. What I can promise, both you and Stafko is that I won’t make a single logical fallacy with anything I’ll have to say. The burden of proof in the matter of Stafko vs. Fellow Runners is most completely with Chad: my place here is to merely point out what a really inexcusably bad argument he has made. Keeping it civil will be my secondary priority. Fat, stupid, lazy…these are just some of the words that best describes the embarrassing Chad Stafko. Today’s episode will not only appease Stafko’s selfish need for attention visa-vi this insulting manifesto…but will demonstrate the complete lack of honesty, logic and rational thought from the pudgy grease stained author. I have a theory, supported by the hyp…

Fdip311: A Run on Cayo Hueso

I’m here with my family and friends…at place we consider to be the happiest place on earth. This is Key West. Why this is our happy place is the focus of this episode, and before you get the wrong idea: this show wasn’t sponsored by the Key West Travel Bureau…I understand that many of you have your own personal paradise’s…but this is mine. I’ve only been here once before, about a year ago, in March of 2012, for only three days. Long time listeners to Phedippidations might remember episode 287 titled “Hemingway’s Key and Life to its Top”. We’ll I’m back again, and this time we’re spending a full week.Key West is 129 miles southwest of Miami, and 94 statute miles north of Cuba. The city is smaller than New York’s Central Park and it’s official motto is “One Human Family”. Mile marker zero of US route 1 is located at 490 Whitehead Street, here in Key West, Florida. It’s the beginning of the road for this major east coast US Highway which runs 2,36…

Fdip310: Dr. George Sheehan: Meditating

I see the act of running as a pathway to a special state of consciousness that allows us to "expose and undo our hidden fears and hopes", to "befriend who we are are". Doctor George Sheehan knew alot about this...but you have to really listen carefully to what he's actually saying in order to understand. I'm about to read from you one of the most controversial, in my opinion anyway, chapters of his now classic book "Running and Being - The Total Experience" published by Second Wind II LLC. It’s a book that you simply must own. The chapter I’ll read is titled "Meditating"...and as you start to listen to it many of your are going to disagree completely with his premise. That's why you have to listen carefully...you have to think about what he's saying and look for yourself in those words. He begins talking about the importance of solitude and how, on the road, we remove ourselves from the influence of both love and hate. On the surface, that seems somehow selfish and anti-soc…

Fdip309: The Paradox of Pronation

While faith is, by definition, unwavering; scientific understanding often and sometimes frequently changes, as new observations about our universe are uncovered and demonstrated. Conventional wisdom, those faith sourced ideas that are so greatly accepted that they go unquestioned, is an oxymoron...that is, a conjoining contradictory term. In the case of running shoes and pronation we have long accepted the idea that: neutral or cushioned shoes are helpful for those with high arches, stability shoes are best for those who over-pronote moderately and motion control shoes are best for runners with low arches and moderate to severe over-pronation. But the latest science...that is, the most recent clinical, organized observations, show that this is not true. Critics against science will point to the ever changing theories and hypothesis that make the practice untrustfull and suspicious, while those with deep religious convictions will point out how their belief is something do…

Fdip308: Made a Town if it be Needful

Oxford Massachusetts is typical quaint New England Village, in the Heart of Central Massachusetts that remains, after 300 years, a quaint country town with a long American history. The Europeans settlers from France and England were not the first to live here; but since it’s founding the town has managed to maintain both it’s charm and terroir; a less known gem in the commonwealth of Massachusetts and a place that I call home. Last month, on July 31st, Massachusetts state representatives Paul Frost and Ryan Fattman announced that Bill H.3465, “an Act validating the date of incorporation of the Town of Oxford” had been passed. “Nothwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the date of July 8, 1713 is hereby ratified and confirmed and declared the legal and valid date of incorporation of the Town of Oxford.” It was signed by Governor Deval Patrick on August 7th. Oxford is a town, as it be needful.

Fdip307: The Ghost of Phedippidations Rises

With this episode I’m off and running on my 9th year of podcasting. Did I think that I’d still be at it after all this time? To be honest I didn’t really think about it...I just kept on producing the shows. Clearly, this isn’t the same Phedippidations that it was back in 2005...alot has changed with the writing, recording, production, sound quality, processing, sound effects, music sounders and beds...not to mention the changes in the life of the host. We homo sapiens are funny when it comes to change, and I’m not talking about “Funny Ha Ha”. I think to a certain extent, many of us go through the course of our lives in blissful or less denial on the topic of change...I know I’m guilty of that...so I’ll speak for myself. Intellectually I understand that change is constant, but in my heart I try to ignore that truth. I have always preferred to belive that I live in a secure, understandable, familiar and unchanging life and lifestyle...but that’s a fantasy.…

Fdip306: Walker Versus Runner

Over the years, I have spoken to you about all of the many benifits as to why running is good for you. I’ve talked about the physical, psychological and even the spiritual benefits of this sport...but I’ve also tried to get across this point: that running is just one of the ways to improve your health, increase your level of happiness and extend the duration of your life. I’ve told you that “Runners are special” but I’ve always been quick to admit that I’m not saying we’re better than non-runners...we’re just different. Think about some of the times you’ve run incredibly long distances, or gotten your miles in during a blizzard or heat wave...some might call us crazy, I prefer the word “special”. But obviously there are other physical activities that can bring you similar benefits: for the purpose of today’s discussion we will consider the act of walking. And the question to be asked and answered here is simply this: which is better for you, runn…

Fdip305: Running Words from the Last Decade

It was on April 19th, in the year of our Lord 2000, that I first registered the domain name of SteveRunner.com. It wasn’t my idea. It was that of a good friend of mine, Jim, who I had attended the University of Lowell with in the early 1980’s, and worked with for over 20 years. It was on that 19th day of April, 13 years ago that he suggested I reserve a domain name for my running blog. I had been posting my running related essays on a website hosted at CompuServe, but the only way you could read my running words was if you knew the complicated numerical universal resource locator that pointed to it. Today, I’d like to read for you some of the essays I wrote back then. They are written from the perspective of a new and very enthusiastic runner of 38 years old. We are quite often oblivious to the way our lives change, and how we change through the year. Your perspective will vary, but for me: 13 years wasn’t all that long ago. It was the peak of the Dot Com bubbl…

Fdip304: Cinco Loco Boston

We wish you could have been here. The Cinco Loco was a never to be duplicared in the history of the universe event; a run with a unique group of good people who came together to share their time; to be there for a friend who had lost his precious child, to be there at the finish line of an event that hatred tried to ruin; to celebrate the friendships that we had made on line, through podcasts and the social media tubes of the Interwebs...and to enjoy a victory cupcake, in person, together...side by side, in the flesh...real people, real friends and fellow runners. We all wish you could have been here; and we look forward to the day when we will: standing at an arbitrary starting line to run some arbitrary distance, without earbuds, downloads and RSS subscriptions, without tweets, and facebook updates or blog posts...but in person, you and I and some incredibly cool people. That is the spirit of the Mojo Loco movement...that’s what’s real, significant and important. We shou…

Fdip303: Boston Heartbreak

My name is Steve, I’m from Boston, and I am Boston Strong. There’s a certain amount of pride that I have, in saying that. But the truth is, we’re all from Boston. Boston...is more than just a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...for runners like you and I, it’s a idea...it’s a place where dreams come true. The course from the Hopkinton Bandstand to Boylston Street is more than just a paved roadway...it’s a course. Wherever you’re hearing me right now, that course is connected to you. When you lace up your shoes and open your own squeaky front door, you’re taking to the same road, on the same planet as I. The phrase “Think Global, Run Local” has never been so true as it was on the afternoon of April 15th, Patriots Day...a day of heros. I am now going to say something that is well overdue...I’m going to admit that I was wrong about something. I’m wrong about alot of things, but I’m stubborn too, I’m a cranky New Englander...but when…

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. The Buddah The world is a better place for the life of a young man by the name of Jacob Tinkoff. If you haven’t heard, it breaks my heart to tell you of this worlds loss of my friend Adam Tinkoff’s son, Jacob. No parent should have to endure such tragedy alone. So now you know, and now together, we mourn. Jacob, or Jake to his friends, was a good, kind and sweet young man. He was also a passionately talented musician. He was an accomplished string bassist. The music you'll hear on this podcast was from a series of youtube videos Adam had posted over the past few yeasr, featuring Jacob playing bass in his orchestra. Not long ago, Adam spoke to me about the very real and powerful phenomenon of creating waves of love and joy in the world. As humans, we create content, thoughts and beauty...which spread out like ripples in a pond, touching t…

Fdip302: As Fast as We Can

How fast can the fastest human being run? We know that Usain Bolt of Jamacia ran at a top speed of 27.78 miles per hour (44.72 km/h) between the 60 to 80 meter segment of the 100 meter sprint in 1.61 seconds on August 16th, 2009 at the Berlin World Championships. But what I want to know, is how fast could the fastest human being ever really run. I’m not talking about Usain...the guy is amazing...but we are human beings, and we have evolved with this particular physicolgy. What would it take for one of us to run the fastest that is possible as a member of our species? It turns out that, according to the latest science, there are two contending factors which affect the speed of human beings: first the amount of force that our bodies can handle as we smash our limbs upon the ground, and second the speed at which our muscles can contract and pull on our tendons. Only one of these is the primary factor, and it will become obvious as we go through the science which matters mo…

Fdip301: Unwrinkling the Runners Soul

If you’re a new runner, or know someone who is...or even if you are a runner who has packed away your running shoes because you’re in some kind of a slump, or gave up running due to reasonable health reasons...I’m here to tell you that you are not alone. You’re not the first runner to quit, and you won’t be the last. I know, because I’ve been there...and todays epsiode of Phedippidations is a shout of encouragement...it’s my attempt to say to you that even if you’ve hung up your shoes: you’re not a quitter. Stop thinking of your running in terms of that. Whatever your goals are..whatever the reason it was that made you first lace up your shoes...they’re still valid reasons; the only thing you really have to do is change those short term goals into long term goals...and recognize the signs of improvement. You really are, a runner. Sometimes we don’t feel that way, sometimes we feel like giving up, crawing into our darkened subterrainan dens and disassocia…

Fdip300: A New Hope

I’ve had alot of time to think about how I’d conclude, this: my 300th episode...and I guess it makes sense for me to briefly comment on something I said in episode 1: When I talked about the horrible feeling of dropping the ball and losing the 1977 championship baseball game of the Weymouth Farm League for my team, The Red Barons. The essay I wrote and read was my way of explaining why, after that crushing loss, I sought to involve myself only in sports that celebrated individual achievement. I wrote: “It's probably no coincidence that I've never played in a team sport since. I chose, instead, to direct my athletic attentions to the Cross Country and Track teams, as well as the individual medley events on the swim team. I involved myself in sports that didn't require team camaraderie; I selected athletics that rewarded individual success without the dependency of others.” Seven years and 300 episodes later; I’ve come to realize how wrong I was....that this sport I love…

Fdip299: An Honor to Run With You

The next episode of Phedippidations is a celebration of this podcast and the community of which it is a part...we’re celebrating not because of anything I've ever recorded, presented or produced...but because you stepped up and said you would participate...that you’d jam some ear buds in your head and at least go for a run with me....whether you've been listening since episode one or if this is your first; the honor to run with you is mine. Thank you for that honor, for being a friend and a fellow runner. Links: “Further” by Long-View http://www.longviewmusic.com "Baby Can I Hold You" by Tracy Chapman Get some social perspective: ONLY IF YOU LIKE IT: (But only if you can afford it) Phedippidations is supported every month through the very kind and sincerely generous financial support of 51 fellow runners: William, Vera, Katie, Heather, Ryan, Chaise, Andie, Gordon, Scott, Mike, David, Jeff, Colin, Jason, Diane, Al, Cheryl, Ron, Mark, Martha, Greg, Jim, Maddy, Tim,…

Fdip298: The Problem with NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs are a class of medicine used to reduce fever and treat acute or chronic conditions where pain and inflammation are present. They are used, generally for the relief of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthropathies, gout, menstrual pain, headaches, post operative pain, and fever. Side effects include: myocardial infarction, stroke, erectile dysfunction, nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, gastric ulceration, diarrhea, acute renal failure, tubular necrosis, broncospasm, rash, IBS symptoms, and even photosensitivity. BUT…NSAID’s are effective for the relief of pain…as runners we know this. As runners many or most of us rely on ibuprofen or naproxen sodium to recover from injuries. So what does science tell us about the efficacy of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs? How are we to deal with the problem with NSAID’s? Links: http://fellrnr.com http://fellrnr.com/wiki/NSAIDs_and_Running http://www.monteladner.com The song…

Fdip297: What is this thing called, Love?

Love, is a many splendored thing, it’s all that matters, it’s all around, it moves in mysterious ways, it’s the answer, it makes no promises, it’s blind, you can’t buy it, it’s not for sale, it takes it toll, you can’t hurry it, it’s not a game, it’s a battlefield, it will keep us together, you can’t help falling in it, it doesn’t ask why, it hurts, and: “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that”. Whatever “that” is. As runners, we say that we “love to run”, as husbands, wives and partners we most certainly love our significant others, we love people, friends, family, parents, children, all creatures great and small, and we love things…our magical revolutionary iThings, good wine, our running shoes, our town, our little blue bubble in space…and of course, we love more ethereal things such as situations and experiences. But what is this thing called love? When the alien robot overlords invade our planet, and they ask about this emo…

Fdip296: Motivational Gadgetry

I’m going to talk about four specific gadgets on our run today, physical devices that are said to help motivate you to live a healthier life. Show notes available at SteveRunner.com

Fdip295: Dr. George Sheehan – Facing the Future

It’s been almost two years since I produced an episode of this goofy little podcast featuring the thoughts and words of a man I admire a great deal: Dr. George Sheehan. There’s no specific reason for that…episode 258 titled “Dr. George Sheehan: Seeing” was my reading of the final chapter of his book “Running and Being – The Total Experience”, probably his best known work. Cardiologist, Philosopher, author and record setting marathoner, Dr. George Sheehan was diagnosed, in 1986, with inoperable prostate cancer. By the time it was discovered, it had already spread to his bones. He fought with the disease for seven years, living each day to it’s top. His last book “Going the Distance: One Man’s Journey to the end of his life” was all about the experience of dying from the perspective of a runner…or better put, someone like us who sees value in our life and accepts pain, sweat and exhaustion as a way to live well. “Going the Distance” was published s…

Fdip294: The Walkers of Prince Edward Island

Who are you? When we contemplate those elements of our origins, personality and physical being…we have to consider our genetic history, the environment in which we were raised and live and, the behavior and stories of those who influenced our lives. I come from a long line of farmers and fishermen, hard working people who worked the land and sea….growing potatoes, milking cows and living off the natural resources of a picturesque island named after the fourth son of King George the third, the father of Queen Victoria, and the Duke of Kent and Strathearn: Prince Edward. I am descended from dedicated, persistent laborers with indomitable spirits and everlasting endurance: who cleared rocky fields, sailed rough seas and overcame obstacles that we would consider enormous. They met adversity with acceptance, fortitude and faith. My ancestors were Scottish Catholics, devoted to their God and each other. They had names like Angus, Theresa, Peter, Mary, Sarah, James, Donald, Ell…

Fdip293: The Ghost of Phedippidations

This episode celebrates the 7th anniversary of this podcast, the first episode of which was published on Independence Day, July 4th of the year 2005. As you’d expect, my life is very different today than it was back then, in many ways better, in other ways…different; but I’m not complaining. This is Life 2.0; the world has moved on, and so have we all. One major point of improvement in my life is the many friends I have been so fortunate to make, as a direct result of this goofy little podcast. There have been days, sometimes weeks, where I haven’t felt like stepping up to the microphone. There have been days and weeks when I haven’t felt like running. The thing is; with your friendship, kindness and support: I’ve been inspired to run and motivated to podcast…to share with you my thoughts, opinions, observations and yes: even the tidbit details of my life; because when you run together you share something special…and even though this is a digital audio repro…

Fdip292: Running in Time

The universe is different for runners, because we have a far more personal relationship with it. Non-runners can jump on a bike, in a car, on a boat, strap themselves into a plane or a rocket, and discuss the many miles they’ll travel in shorter periods of time: but a runner has to work at it. A runner has to take her or his own body, with only the fuel pumping through our own blood streams across the distances of miles and many miles…we are creatures who move under our own power across distances that many of our species no longer treks through. This is kind of a big deal. I wanted to talk to you about space and time because when you’re out there, on the road, you are running across a beautiful blue planet that every form of life we have ever known about, has ever lived upon. We assume that there is life on other worlds, but we don’t know that for certain. What we do know for certain is that we have this one life, limited by a short duration, and we can chose to live it…

Fdip291: Running in Space

You’re out on a five mile run, the sun is setting and the stars are beginning to shine. You are traveling a measureable distance across a tiny blue bubble in space that has been in existence for 4.5 billion years within a universe that was created out of nothing 13.7 billion years ago. It would be easy to feel small. If you took the time to contemplate your short life and insignificant size…you could easily ask yourself the questions “Why am I here?” “What is the point of my existence?” “Would the Universe miss me if I was suddenly gone”? The answers will come to you eventually, but when I’ve asked myself those very same questions over the past year: my answers seemed clear to me: I am here to observe and be observed. The point and purpose of my existence is to make the universe that I observe better… and the Universe would not care if I was suddenly gone…but the Universe doesn’t care about anything…unless, of course you’re talking about oth…

Fdip290: Road Race au Groton

Running the Groton Road Race was like running with an old friend I had never actually met, with one friend I had met before and another I’ve known for years through the running community of which I am a part. This was our pack. Not in the lead, nor all the way at the back…but a pack of three friends running 6.2 miles through a beautiful colonial New England town. Alett, John and I could have run at our own pace; we could have run with the goal of setting our own PR’s and attacking the course to the very best of our abilities…but for the three of us, good conversation and camaraderie was the goal for the day…and we ran together as friends, fellow runners…and most of all, as a pack. Links: http://runnewengland.blogspot.com/ http://www.runrunlive.com/ http://4feetrunning.blogspot.com/ http://grotonroadrace.com/ On Twitter: @petfxr @johnvaughn @painternik @misterfonzie @cyktrussell “A Dogs Purpose” By W. Bruce Cameron Happenings: June 16th: Liberty Loco –http://aru…

Fdip289: Pride and Pronation

We should be proud of we are, and act as a positive examples for others: but at the same time remain wary of vanity – because while we are certainly worthy of having pride in our actions and through our running: we’re not all that, and a bag of chips.

Fdip288: The Strength of Youth - The Story of a Marathon Race by Frank Odell

This is a story of passion, determination and guts in a marathon road race that is very much like the one you may have, or may one day run. It’s a story that demonstrates the importance of experience, the rage against physical limits and the strength…of youth.

Fdip287: Hemingway’s Key and Life to its Top

This was Ernest Hemingway, a man who inspired his readers to stand up against facists and bullies, while in many ways he tended to be somewhat of a bully himself. Hemingway lived his life to the fullest, and set an example to everyone who knew him to turn to nature, both on land and sea.

Fdip286: The Rationality of Fear and Road Races

The guy who said it was a “miracle that he had the courage to start” is full of crap. Courage has nothing to do with starting a road race, and he’s a fool to push that slogan on new runners.

Fdip285: The Problem with Treadmilling

Treadmilling is not a bad thing. But I think everyone listening to me understands that given the choice between running in place for an hour within your home, or at a gym and moving outside, under the sky, within the elements and across the ever-changing terrain of your place: the more significant way to exercise is the one that lets you better experience the world around you.

Fdip284: My First Time

Today we’ll hear from six fellow runners (including myself) who will relate to you their personal stories about “Their First Times”.

Fdip283: Life 2.0

Today is my 50th birthday. I was born at exactly 7:48 PM Eastern Standard Time in the maternity ward of Milton Hospital on Reedsdale Road and Highland Street in the town of Milton, Massachusetts on January 19th, 1962. Turning 50 feels good, because it’s good to be alive. The milestone reminds me to take a walk break in this race, and turn to look behind me to see how far I’ve come. The past 50 years of life included great joy, terrible sadness, and the agony and ecstasy of blood, sweat and tears…but I wouldn’t trade any of it. Regrets I have, many in fact: but those regrets are all part of a life well lived: a life, lived to its top.

Fdip282: The Runner and Doctor Shoe

We're traveling back in time on this episode; through six and a half years in PodCasting AND BEYOND!

Fdip281: Grape Races

When oenophiles think about wine, they rarely consider the sport of running with regards to it’s enjoyment; and when runners consider our passion for moving our bodies through space: the topic of wine is not chief among our hydration strategies. Yet these two areas of interest have their complementary intersections. In this epsiode we'll visit some "Cool Races in Beautiful Places" where wine grapes are grown.

Fdip280: Summer of the Shark

In the summer of 1975 I was a 13 year old skinny, big eared, pimply-faced teenager with a frown full of braces and a head filled with big ideas. This was the first time I had ever been able to express my creativity to an audience greater than my immediate family, it was the first time I took a thought and converted it into something for others to experience. My words, my story, my imagines, my voice and that of my friends Andy and James…we created a movie that entertained our family, friends and neighborhood for one magical night in the summer of seventy-five: The Summer of the Shark.

Fdip279: For Love of Wine and Pizza Part 2

Part two of a series of episode where we prepare ourselves to win an argument with a non-runner!

Fdip278: For Love of Wine and Pizza Part 1

In order to start the conversation that plants the seed of an idea into someone’s head that they might want to begin the process to adopt the running life style, you need the right ammunition: you need to commit to memory at least a handful of logical arguments that will make your proposal effective and produce results.

Fdip277: Existence and the Running Man

“To be or not to be?”, that is only the second question we have to ask ourselves: the first is: Are we? or Are we not? Do we exist or is this all just a dream? Descartes had something to say about all this, and it’s to Descartes that we will go, as we begin to contemplate that one thing that makes us appreciate the way it feels to run across the Earth, to feel the sweat, effort and joy of getting our miles in and moving these bodies that we either are or inhabit. Descarte can help us begin the process of understanding why, as we run a race or by ourselves on the open road: we feel, very much alive.

Fdip276: Henry David Thoreau Walker

In this episode I present for you an abridged for podcast version of Henry David Thoreau’s essay “A Walk to Wachusett”. As you listen to these words, think about the excursion you might make wherever you live; knowing that you could cover the distance on a long run, but instead taking the time to walk and explore the world around you. This is one of the great lessons of Thoreau: that we should savor the journey and experience our environment. It’s as Professor Nancy Etcoff said in my episode 274 on the Pursuit of Happiness: The pleasure system in our brain responds positively to the beauty of the natural world. I love to run, as I know you do: but maybe every once in a while we should slow down, and just go for a walk.

Fdip275: In Vino Veritas

Philosophers have been asking the question “What is Truth” for thousands of years, as they try to determine if truth is subjective, objective, relative or absolute. I think that we, as runners: have a special opportunity to both ask and, in some specific way, at least, answer the question for ourselves. Truth can be found in the hard work and determination we put into every mile; truth can be understood based on our personal experiences about what we can achieve and the goals we can accomplish: and truth can be felt in the exhaustion, sweat, agony and tears associated with the triumphs and failures of a life on the road.

Fdip274: The Pursuit of Happiness

I propose to you that running can bring you great happiness, and since I know that I’m preaching to the choir here, I’ll ask you to consider how running can bring happiness to those in your family, friends and acquaintances whom you’ll meet in your life…and that no matter how sad or broken they and we may sometimes feel: we have an obligation and a certain unalienable right to engage in the pursuit of happiness.

Fdip273: The Morality of Quitting

In this episode we tackle the philosophical question “Is it morally right to quit a road race?”. For help in understanding the question en route to an answer, we call about the great minds of Professor Richard Dawkins, Immanuel Kant, Socrates, and Aristotle.

Fdip272: The Iron and Candy Anniversary Show

The 6th Anniversay of Phedippidations.

Fdip271: Team Poco Loco

This episode of Phedippidations is intended to recreate for you the experience of running with fellow runners and friends. On April 30th Team Poco Loco gathered in Boston Massachusetts to run a half marathon distance around the mighty Charles River.

Fdip270: When There’s Nothing Left to Burn, You Have to Set Yourself on Fire

This is the story of a fellow runner by the name of Katie who fought a good fight in that all too familiar way where all options are gone and the only thing left to do was to make a terrible agonizing choice: “When you have nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire”

Fdip269: el Poco Loco Curso

A tour of the Poco Loco Course

Fdip268: Duncan Rises

“From where he tottered before the couch, on muscles immune to elongation and contraction, Duncan contemplated his next move. Opposite the lavatory, on the northern end of this dwelling, was his bedroom: unkempt and festooned with the discarded wrappings of many cakes, candies and snack treats; necessary supplements to his ongoing carbohydrate loading.” This is the story of Duncan, a man without ambition or purpose who stumbles upon an idea that challenges his very existence and forces him to consider living a different life. In this original story, I try to convey the importance of inspiration and how powerful positive examples can have to those who seek to live a better quality of life. LINKS: Trail Slammer's 100 Mile Ultrarunning podcast: Book recommendations: Core Performance Endurance by Mark Vertegen Athletic Body in Balance by Grey Cook Manzanita Beach Walk/Run: The song “Go” was a new track by the band Stray Palace, a side project of…

Fdip267: Running Varietals

The term varietal describes an elementary form of something. With wine, it’s the fermented product of a single grape. With running, the word varietal describes the specific practice of a training element. With running as with wine it’s important to understand the differences between the fundamental elements that go into the final product, so that when the harvest is released: be it after bottling or on race day: the end result can be savored over time; with rich expressive notes and a fine lasting finish. The concept of varietal is as useful to wine as it is to running. It helps to define the unique elements that make up a good training plan, or great a Bordeaux, Meritage or Blended wine. It’s important to understand each varietal and how they bring out the best in the end product of that which you seek to consume: be it the finish line of a 26.2 mile road race or the lasting finish of a remarkable bottle of wine. Get to know the varietals that comprise your goals,…

Fdip266: Running Builds Bigger Brains

We all know how running can improve our lives, our health and our disposition with the universe around us. We know that running is part of a healthy lifestyle and that it can improve the condition of our cardiovascular systems, and that we have evolved as homo sapien sapiens from Australopithecus Africanus to run across the savanna in search of the meat from fallen animals. The benefits of running are clear, and new evidence is being found that further supports this idea that we should be runners: because as we’ll learn with the workings of the inner brain: running is the smart thing to do! LINKS: The song “An Ordinary Guy” was written, performed, and produced by one of the most talented musical artists currently residing in this quadrant of the galactic spirally arm: Matthew Ebel; who creates incredible music right here in the Boston area. Go to his website at join his email list, see where he’ll be playing live, and buy one or five of his great albums at

Fdip265: An Interval of Persistence

You and I are out on a run together. As we’re getting our miles in we start to talk to each other to pass the time. This is where we get to know each other, where we start to open up a little and reveal ourselves as the persons we really are. You and I are different, with different backgrounds, different beliefs and different understandings of the universe around us. I want to know what you’re all about, and you might want to know what’s going on in my teenie tiny little head. So today, let’s acknowledge that we really are out on a run together, and I’m going to reveal to you a little bit more about who I am. These are what I call: Intervals and I’ve even gone ahead and created a couple of podcasts where I express my thoughts in a rambling diatribe format, one is recorded in audio, the other in video, both are available on iTunes. In running, of course, an interval workout is one where you run hard for a specific duration or distance, such as once around…

Fdip264: Running Blogcast: Pre-Race Jitters

Today I present the second in a series of episodes that I’m calling “Running Blogcasts” featuring the writing of fellow runners in our community who have a talent for the written word. The author of today’s episode is Kim Cowart. (Kow-ahrt). Kim is one of the writers for the “Reasons to Run” blog over at Deseretnews.com. She’s a 35 year old mother of two from West Jordan, Utah. Kim spent much of her childhood living in Eugene, Oregon where running is as common as breathing. In her teens, she moved to Utah, where there is a large and very strong running community. Kim has always run off and on, but it was after she had her second daughter that her love of running became more serious. It started with a 20 minute run, and before she knew it, she found herself registering for her first marathon. She had never run a race before, ever. Her husband says she’s an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and this just proved him right. Kim finished her first…

Fdip263: Outrunning Celebrity

Celebrities are people too. They wake up in the morning, just as we do, they brush their teeth, they log onto their computers, they lace their own shoes, and they have to put in the same amount of effort as the rest of us in training for their marathons. You could outrun Will Ferrell, Kim Alexis and President Bush if you dedicated yourself to the task. There’s nothing special about someone who is famous. Their bodies undergo the same physics and chemistry that we are prone to experience…and while they may have financial advantages which give them access to experts and training tools that can help them run faster and further; in the end: they still have to get in their miles to achieve their goals…and if it helps to motivate you, their goals can be your goals…because you are just as good an athlete as they’ve ever been or will be. LINKS: Please support The Mojo Loco Fund: The song “Ya Famous?” was by George Hrab:

Fdip262: The Poetry of Running

IF YOU COULD, SOMEHOW, SEND A MESSAGE TO SOMEONE WHO WILL BE ALIVE ONE THOUSAND YEARS FROM NOW: WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM? The universe has come together to create the unique and special life form that you are, with your hopes and fears, dreams and concerns. The thoughts you form and the words you write and say constitute information, never to be duplicated information born of your mind that goes out into the world and has the potential, however remote the possibility, to outlive you and be shared with far future generations of people. If you had the opportunity to send a message to someone in the year 3011, what would you say? Would you tell them about yourself and your life? Would you warn them about the dangers of hurting the environment or plead with them not to go to war? Would you talk about love and joy, sadness and pain, life and death? And if somehow you were granted this chance to speak to someone in the future, how would you get your point across? I think…

Fdip261: Running Terroir

As a runner, you have to discover and understand your own running Terroir. You need to know how your environment, personality, geography and local climate influences your ability to perform. In this sport, we are taught to listen to our bodies and the symptoms of over-use injuries: but before we can hear and feel these signals from our bodies: we have to know who we are as runners….not in relation to others of similar age, weight, sex and shape…but relative to where and how we train. Dr. George Sheehan has said repeatedly that we are each an experiment of one; “Life is the great experiment” he said “Each of us is an experiment of one-observer and subject-making choices, living with them, recording the effects.” Learn how your Terrior manifests itself in your body to make you the runner you have become, and you’ll better understand the range of your limits; which are far above and beyond what you might expect. You are an expression of the place where yo…

Fdip260: Steve at SteveRunner dot Com

I’m starting off the new year right by answering all of my email (or at least trying to). In this episode of a goofy little podcast I respond to some of the messages I was unable to get to last year with hopes that I’ll be able to answer ALL of my email in the year of our Lord 2011. Also, join me for a swim in the FROZEN Atlantic with friends on New Years Day, and I get to chat with friend and Mojo Loco Founder Adam Tinkoff as we discuss his vision for el Mojo Loco! LINKS: “Whiskey in the Jar” was by the Blaggards Please support The Mojo Loco Fund:

Fdip259: What I Did Last Year

This is our time. With the changing of the calendar year it’s common for us to take the time to look back on the previous solar orbit, or look forward to our future. This is a great exercise, to look forward without dwelling on the past: as we make our way through this adventure called life. But, it think it’s even more important to consider our present….the now that we are existing in…today, right now. This is our time. The who, that we are has grown and become in such a way that we can experience the Universe around us….we are, in effect: a way for the Universe to know itself; and I know that sounds deep…but it isn’t. Consider that we, as human beings, are made of flesh and blood whose elemental construction has it’s origins in an enormous universal expansion that began 13.7 billion years ago…we are made of star dust…ever replenishing cells made of carbon atoms, hydrogen and oxygen that have through biology formed into the creatures we are today.…

Fdip258: Dr. George Sheehan: Seeing

Today I’m going to read for you the final chapter of Dr. George Sheehans book “Running and Being – The Total Experience”. I’m doing this in hopes that you might buy and read his book, and as a way of presenting you with an alternate special holiday episode of Phedippidations…a gift you don’t have to unwrap. This chapter is very special to me, as I hope it will be for you. It was the conclusion to a book that so inspired me, so enthralled me when I first picked it up, that I literally could not put it down until I finished it well into the early hours of the next morning. I’ve read Dr. Sheehans book, “Running and Being” at least a dozens times since I first read the book; and this final chapter titled “Seeing” really sums up most of the major points made in the previous 17 chapters. You can purchase the book “Running and Being – The Total Experience” by Dr. George Sheehan, at LINKS: The Linus and Lucy theme was by the band J.E.L.L.i T…

Fdip257: The Mojo Loco

The friends who I ran the Mojo Loco with are listening to this right now, Chris and Chris, Eddie, Nik, Dan, Mat, Susan, Steve, Samantha, Norm, Adam and Maddy. They’re wondering to themselves: “How is Steve going to tell this story? How will be express the narrative? What imagery will he call upon? What great message will he send forth throughout the tubes of the Interwebs to tell the world about this Mojo Loco? So this is for my fellow teams mates; dedicated runners all; who accepted the challenge and call of the Mojo Loco and contributed by their presence to a happening: Guys, I thought about it…I really did. In the days following the Mojo Loco I had a lot to digest, thoughts and ideas, feelings and revelations. I know you did as well. I could have told the story of how we met at the Starbucks in Daytona Beach and drove North to St. Augustine. I could have told the story about the many stops we made along the way and the twelve legs of a run we accompl…

Fdip256: A Brief History of Wine

The history of wine is the history of civilization. It’s a story that dates back to the earliest days of agriculture and encompasses the life and times of our ancestors who consumed wine for both pleasure and ceremony. When we raise a glass today, we are tasting more than just a fermented grape juice which technology has perfected into a form of liquid art; we are tasting the product of history; an ancient beverage that friends have shared over the millennium at the end of their long and arduous days shaping the world into a better place for themselves and us, their descendants. Links: by and Robert G. Mondavi (Jan 2, 2007) And the second is titled by (Nov 12, 2002) America's a Nice Italian Name by Allan Sherman “Wine Woman and Song” by Johnny Ferreira

Fdip255: Anatomy of a Running Shoe

Get to know the parts and materials that make up your running shoes, and you’ll be a better consumer of the one critical tool needed to reach your goals as a runner. Whether you’re looking to run your first marathon, set a PR or BQ or just want to run at your own pace for the joy of it…wearing the right running shoes will make the difference between surviving through the miles, or savoring every moment you’ll have, on the road. Links: The song Skullcrusher Mountain was by Jonathan Coulton at

Fdip254: Running Blogcast: A Runners Guide to Balance and Perspective

Today’s episode, being my first Running Blogcast features the writing of Neil Bearse, a fellow runner I’ve never had the honor of meeting in person: but I feel like we’re old friends. Neil is the one who first introduced me to my all time favorite musical band: Black Lab…as well as others. Neil is the manager of web based marketing for Queens School of Business in Canada. He’s responsible for the web presence of 5 MBA programs as well as executive education initiatives in Canada, the Gulf Region and Europe. He is a digital marketing consultant focused on making online communications clear and effective while ensuring creativity and innovation. Neil’s pioneering work to market the music of independent artists on-line and through the word-of-mouth channels of podcasting and blogging has led to him representing artists from across North America including Black Lab, David Usher, Ingrid Michaelson and My Chemical Romance. In 2007, he was one of the architects of the…

Fdip253: New Media and the Art of Running Evangelism

You have the same ability to produce content in an artful way that will, no doubt, convince someone you care about to join us on the road as runners…and, if in the course of those public new media conversations, you convince one or two others to rise up of THE COUCH OF DOOM, then all the better! You and I have an opportunity, today: through the use of blogs and podcasts to write and speak the words that will inspire the people who read or listen to become runners themselves…and by virtue of your experience for having been where they once were…and by telling the story of your life on the road in an entertaining, thoughtful and brutally honest way: you will change their lives for the better and make the world just a little bit better than it was before you spoke. Links: The song “Nothing But a Song” was from the new album “Safe Upon the Shore” by Great Big Sea at

Fdip252: Running in my Sleep

The American statesman Ben Franklin once wrote “ There may be something to that with respect to our running performance. We sleep, on average a full one third of our lives. So, as a middle aged, middle of the pack, slightly asthmatic 48 year old runner: I’ve already slept 16 years of my life away. It seems like an unfair trade off: 16 years of my life that I could have spent in a conscious state of productivity…but when we consider that the time spent sleeping helps to improve the quality of the two thirds of our life when we are awake: it’s easy to see that the horizontal investment is a sound one. Links: The song “Slow Down” was by Black Lab off their new album: “Two Strangers” available on iTunes, Amazon MP3 and at

Fdip251: Running Legend Abebe Bikila

Today I will tell you about an amazing person who lived his life to the top. It’s an interesting life with high and low points, with obstacles which were overcome leading towards an eventual spiral into disaster…but in the end, redemption and glory. Abebe Bikila was the first black African to win a gold medal at the Olympics, winning the Mens Marathon in Rome which he completed barefoot! The headlines in the Newspapers and on the radio proclaimed the fact that it had taken an entire Italian army to conquer Ethiopia, but only one Ethiopian soldier to conquer Rome! Links: The song “Salala” was by Angelique Kidjo; with background vocals by Peter Gabriel.

Fdip250: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

How many of us have trained over many months for a race only to perform terribly in the event itself, or how many of us have crossed that finish line in say, oh…I don’t know…a minute and 31 seconds slower than we had hoped. It happens…a lot. But we know that the sun will rise in the morning, we’ll put the pain behind us, and go forward. Some days we win, some days we lose, some days we don’t even have the opportunity. Today’s episode is somewhat long over due, the last show I did featuring your email was on March 14th, episode 228 “Dispatches from the Road”. That was just the second episode into a six month hiatus where I produced episodes every two or three weeks apart…but now that I’m back to a regular weekly schedule, I’m going to try to do this once every 4 to 5 weeks, if I can. So, let’s figuratively jump into the virtual mailbag and see what happens….because today is the tomorrow I was worrying about yesterday…and the sun came up jus…

Fdip249: The Running Gene

In the area of genetics and with respect to athletics, we are trying to understand what construction instructions are required to build the perfect runner. It would seem that certain attributes exist which we can use to measure the influence of our genetic blue prints to create faster humans…and that our ethnic origins might predict who of us will be able to run faster and farther. But the fact is that we are an infant species, descended from the same Mitochondrial Eve who ran across the African savannah 150,000 years ago…and we’re all related, we all have the same basic building instructions, the same Deoxyribonucleic acid and each of us, everyone: has the same set of running genes. Links: The song “That Spells DNA” was by Jonathan Coulton Channel Runner Review: B-Hag Running PodCast

Fdip248: The 5th Annual World Wide Festival of Races

They ran all over the world. They ran in warm places, cold places, rainy places, dry places. They ran alone and with friends; they ran fast and slow, in an organized race and in their back yards. They ran with the sound of each other in their ears and the spirit of each other in their hearts. The World Wide Festival of Races is a celebration, but this social networking movement does not end on race weekend. We run together every day, all around the surface of a little blue bubble in space: and we do so with the knowledge and understanding that we do not run alone: not as long as someone, somewhere is lacing up their shoes to head out on their local roads. We are a global community of fellow runners; and together we run. Links: https://sites.google.com/site/wwfor2010 http://worldwidefestivalofraces.com http://crawllyflowersgarden.blogspot.com The song “The World is Upside Down” was by A Band Called Quinn at http://www.myspace.com/abandcalledquinn

Fdip247: As the World Cheers

In a Universe that is thirteen point seven billion years old, on a planet that has only existed for four and a half billion years; our species: homo sapiens sapien, has only been around for two hundred thousand years, in fact modern day homo sapiens with our language, culture, use of tools, barter between groups, art, game playing, music, and reliance on symbolic thought only began to arise 50,000 years ago. Civilization, as we know the word, started to arise around 10,000 years ago in the middle east, near where Iraq is today…you and I fellow runners are a part of an infant species with respect to the age of all that there is. Think about that for a moment. Everything you know….everyone you know, everything that has ever happened in the ten thousand year history of civilization of fellow human beings has occurred only on this four and a half billion year old planet three orbits out from a four and a half billion year old star in a single, typical spiral galaxy out of a hundre…

Fdip246: Running Through PodCamp Boston 5

PodCamp is all about podcasting, and using this medium to reach out to a community. Since you and I are runners, and since we all listen to podcasts, you and I are a part of this thing…and since I’m eager to encourage everyone listening to my podcast to start up their own podcast, I thought it would be useful to dedicate today’s episode to what I learned at PodCamp. PodCamp is first and foremost about community. It’s not about selling a service or a product, it’s all about focusing on building personal relationships with other podcasters. Think of it this way; you and I are a part of a running community of new media creators…we listen to running related podcasts listed on Runningpodcast.org and we run with each other as we train for our next big race, or just get some miles in together because it feels good. This is our podcasting universe: but there are other worlds than these…other podcast universes that have nothing to do with running: such as marketing, story-…

Fdip245: Life Should be Long Enough

The Stanford University study titled “Reduced Disability and Mortality among aging runners” was published in the August 11th, 2008 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. At the time that the study was conducted: the assumption was that vigorous exercise would cause older people more harm than good. The expectation was that running would lead to an excess in orthopedic injuries and lead to earlier disability with runners over 50. But the researches found that regular exercise would extend high-quality, disability free life. Frequent running would compress the period at the end of life when people couldn’t do things on their own. This is an idea that has been given the name “compression of morbidity”. In this episode of Phedippidations, I’ll talk about both the clinical details of this study AND the significance of it’s findings, leading to the obvious conclusion that Life is Short, but it Should be Long Enough! Show Links: http://www.runningthenar…

Fdip243: Pregnantly Running

While the first part of this episode is dedicated to the precautions a pregnant mother should take with regards to athletic endeavors, there are many benefits to running while pregnant including the prevention of excessive weight gain. Running while you’re pregnant can keep you mood off and help to prevent pregnancy induced hypertension. If you’re healthy, and you’re having a healthy pregnancy there is no reason not to run. Listen to your body, and check with your doctor. It’s probably best not to run an Ultra marathon, or compete in a major race where you might feel obligated to run hard. Remember, you’re running for yourself and your unborn…and while running can be good for you and make you feel better: what’s most important is that you are healthy and well prepared on your child or children’s birthday as you go through one of the greatest athletic event that a woman will ever experience…the marathon of labor. Show Links: www.audiblepodcast.com/phedi SEND M…

Fdip242: Following Thoreau and the West Branch of the Penobscot

From Saturday April 14th through the 18th, 2010 my Dad, son, nephew and I traveled up the West Branch of the Penobscot River and across the northern end of Chesuncook Lake in the Northern Maine Wilderness. Through our journey we gained a better appreciation of Henry David Thoreau’s adventure of 1853. While logging in the Northern Woods of Maine continues, the river that we paddled on remains mostly unchanged. You can imagine the sites and sounds that Thoreau experienced as he journeyed up this river. We saw many moose, every day, stopping to feed and drink at the rivers edge. We saw Eagles and Loons, ducks, geese, ospreys raven, fish, red squirrels and more that we could not identify…but it was the moose, lanky majestic in stature and serenity that captured our imaginations the most. They are, as Thoreau called them: “God's own horses, poor, timid creatures”; but they are a stark reminder that we are guests in their wilderness; and that they’d continue to roam these…

Fdip241: Dr. George Sheehan and Growing

I am a disciple of Dr. George Sheehan, I’m not ashamed to tell you that, I’ve read and re-read everything the man has written…and I’ve come to know him in a comfortable, familiar way. A man of science and medicine; a man filled with great passion for this sport and a devoted Roman Catholic…Dr. Sheehan and I have a lot in common; but while I yearn to be a writer and use this podcast as a creative outlet: I will never come close to the writer that he was…I will never approach the level of philosophical understanding of life, the universe and everything that he understood so well. Dr. Sheehan was a great thinker…I’m merely a doofus. But Dr. Sheehan was also human, and prone to human error, selfishness and sin. He understood his weaknesses…he understood his imperfections and he didn’t live his life in wonder and celebration of those sad, dark and lonely attributes: but he did seek to understand himself and to understand how and why to love others. Today, I…

Fdip240: Caffeinated Running

As it is with most things in life, taken in moderation: Caffeine can be good for you and improve you’re your health and your performance on race day. But too much of a good thing can lead to disaster. In living our lives to the top we have to learn to savor, with small sips, those things which bring us pleasure and improve our health. Show Links: Free Audible Book download: “The Java Jive” was by The Inksports (1940) “Coffee Man” was by Calvin Owens

Fdip239: Cruising to the Music

This is my annual music show; recorded (as always) while I’m on vacation. This time I’m on the Norwegian Cruise Ship Spirit traveling from Boston to Bermuda with my family as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of my parents wedding! In addition to listening to podcasts, I love to run to music! It helps me keep my cadence in check and fills my head with positive images as I get my miles in. The songs on this episode are all from previous Phedippidations shows; so I hope you enjoy them! Please support the artists by purchasing their music and following them on the various social media networks on the “tubes of the internets”. Show Links: Summertime by Brother Love at Broken Heart by Black Lab at Sweat by Darren Geffre at Dare to Dream by Adam Ilami at If This Geek Ruled the World by Geoff Smith at Talking Bout my Dogs by Boo Boo Davis at Move Your Feet by Dogman Joe at Say Hey I love You by Michael Franti and Spearhead at Tickle Cove Pond by Great Big Sea at And Die Al…

Why Cook Well. We eat because we have to. Civilization is nothing more than a ten thousand year old human experiment to test the freakish theory that mankind could eat without being eaten. Four million years earlier, our australopithecine ancestors crawled down from some God-forsaken trees to run with sweaty persistence after the meaty goodness left for scavenger animals. This, they called a meal. The world we have inherited is only a savannah away from that prehistoric reality. We have to eat to survive, but it’s what we eat and the quality of that food which gives our lives pleasure and meaning. The question our human experiment should answer is “Why should we cook well?” If survival is the purpose of culinary consumption then what benefit is served by eating food of higher quality, flavor and beauty? Would not our human condition be sufficiently served through the daily ingestion of ground chicken speckled cheese spread sprayed from a can? We eat because we have to, we…

Fdip238: Five Years and Running PodCast Goodness

Podcasting is a media so perfectly suited for the running lifestyle. Just as we schedule our runs in advance, we can schedule what we listen to ON those runs, in advance. We can multi-task the time we spend out on the roads and by listening to a podcast, exercise our brains and feel a camaraderie with the podcast host or producer: especially hosts and producers who are fellow runners like the podcasters you just heard: real people with a shared passion for this sport we love so well. When I first started producing this goofy little podcast about running, five years ago, the idea of clipping on a microphone and apparently talking to yourself while out on a long run seemed like a ridiculous idea; but today there are over 70 running podcasts listed on the runningpodcasts.org directory! This idea of recording a podcast and listening to other podcasters completes a mode of communication and conversation not possible with traditional old media; such as radio (for example). The othe…

Fdip237: The 33rd Milton 10K Road Race

I had come to the town of Milton Massachusetts to run a 10K road race that I had run three times before, with a 48:18 finish in 2002, a 52:30 finish in 2003 and a 53:40 finish in 2004. Today I was hoping to finish in an hour and five minutes, although secretly a sub one hour would make me feel better. I’ve been injured, I’ve gained weight, and I’ve not felt as in shape as I have in the past: but today’s effort might serve to remind me that there was still hope within me to shed these pounds and run faster and more intelligently with a new strategy of training. If the act of running is a celebration of life, it seemed only fitting that I’d be here in the town where I took my first human breath, and experienced a childhood of tradition and love, to celebrate my identity as a runner in training: where my walk breaks allowed my body to run faster, and this guy named Walker could feel more like a runner. Show Links: Free Audible Book download: The song “Walk on th…

Fdip236: Love of Running

Today’s episode is not about my love of this sport; it’s about how to help others to fall in love with this sport. Running is an activity that fellow runners, like you and I, gather pleasure from. We look forward to these feelings of pleasure every day when we lace up our shoes. To the non-runner, or someone who finds any physical activity abhorrent, this love of running is an alien emotion. These sufferers on THE COUCH OF DOOM consider the act of running as equivalent to the act of smashing a brick into ones forehead: it neither seems like a good idea, nor would it bring pleasure to do so. So, how does one fall in love with running? Once you start paying more attention to your body in motion, you’ll begin to feel the urge to take that daily break out on the roads. You’ll begin to feel an infatuation with eating and living healthier, to enhance and improve your daily performance. You might even start subscribing to a few running related podcasts…especially as yo…

Fdip235: Behind the Swoosh

The story behind the swoosh is much bigger than that of just Nike and its corporate policy of treating it’s workers as slaves: it’s a story that speaks to the working conditions of many of the products that you and I use every day, from iPhones to Droids, from large screen TV’s to these new tablet computers Steve Jobs keeps whining about. What is the morally correct thing to do when we learn the truth about the working conditions for the people who make all this stuff we carry and use? I can’t answer that for you, that’s something you have to figure out for yourself. I’m not here to talk philosophy with you; remember: I am just a doofus. But I think that the very least any of us can do is to LEARN about what’s going on in places like Indonesia: just so we can answer the question, as athletes, regarding this aspect of the running shoes you and I wear every day. Think about it: right now you and I select our shoes based on fit, style, functionality, weight, price a…

Fdip234: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Play

Greetings fellow canines; my name is Indiana Jones; I am NOT the fictional American Adventurer and Archeologist Dr. Henry Walton Jones Junior created by film maker George Lucas and portrayed by Harrison Ford and River Phoenix; I am the REAL Indiana Jones, a pure bred lemon beagle puppy born one year ago on March 28th, 2009. My full name, in fact, is Indiana Jones Walker…of the human family Walker; they being the creatures who serve me in every way and are the best-est family a dog could ever have. This is my house, I live here with Mathew, John, my Mom and my Dad: Steve. Dad is a runner; but he’s not as good a runner as I am. I love to run, especially after bunny rabbits…and we have at least two living in our yard. I can smell them every day. Dad doesn’t let me run after them, sometimes he let’s me run through the yard sniffing for their trail. He doesn’t seem to be able to smell them the way I can. I can smell really well. My nose has 200 million scent recept…

Fdip233: Can Marathon’s Kill You?

In this episode I review the abstract of a study released last March by Dr. Depina Kardara and his team at the Athens Medical School,Hippokration Hospital titled “Marathon Runners Have Increased Aortic Stiffness”. It is important to note that my skepticism with this study is related to the implied suggestion that training for and running a marathon is considered extreme exercise. Maybe it is, or maybe after having run 21 of them…the last not much more than a controlled crawl, I see the marathon as an endurance event that homo sapiens have evolved to run as a means of hunting and gathering; chasing down our prey with persistence. As we listen to the results of this research, we need to understand the severity of the impact, and consider other factors which might invalidate the results; remember: 25,000 runners just finished the Boston Marathon a few weeks ago, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who will run such a distance this year; and yet the sample size for t…

Fdip232: The 114th Boston Marathon

I had come to Hopkinton Massachusetts to run the 114th Boston Marathon, and found myself in the early miles facing the eventual breakdown of my body. From the joyful celebration of a New England town, I ran myself into the unchartered land of exhaustion and pain…and through modern technology I broadcasted my suffering live through my blog and social networking sites. I wasn’t doing that to show off or incite pity, I did it because I wanted to share my experience with you in hopes that you might want to run this race one day, and perform better than I did. I know this course very well, it’s an old friend that I’ve visited throughout my youth and into my middle age. I have experienced great things on this course, witnessed legendary athletes run with artistic form, felt intense ecstasy and crushing agony and run this race even when I had nothing left within me to get me to that finish line: but somehow, I always have. For all my efforts in trying to distract myself to fin…

Fdip231: The Qualifying Standards of Boston

The Czech Locomotive, Emil Zatopek, 3 time gold medalist in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki once said “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.”The qualifying times of the Boston Marathon call us to experience a different life. It is not so important that we can meet the standards and run a BQ; it’s the whole idea that there is this threshold for excellence out there: a target by which we can measure our own performance. I stand by the belief that anyone who runs and finishes a marathon, no matter what their time, has demonstrated an ability that marks them as athletically gifted within the human race. This is not to denigrate the importance or accomplishment of running or walking shorter distances such as a 5 or 10K road race; but in a world where only point one of one percent of our species has ever run an organized and official marathon road race to completion: the accomplishment deserves acknowledgement and admirati…

Fdip230: Boston and the 2010 State of the Course

In this episode of The Goofy Little Podcast, I run the first 18 miles of the Boston Marathon course and I’ll let you know if there’s anything new to look for on the road before you arrive to run this thing. If you’ve traveled from afar, you might want to find other things to do with your time in Boston besides driving out to the suburbs to check out the course. That’s where this episode comes in, as I’ll do my best to describe what I’m seeing: and what you’ll see as you run the Boston Marathon. I’ll also give you some recommendations for things to do while you’re in Beantown, and finish with some history about the spot where we begin our run towards Boston: the starting line of the 114th Boston Marathon. Show Links: Call (617) 368-5080 for more information about the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery tour: The song “Charlie on the M.T.A.” was performed by The Barleycorn from Ireland off their album “A Song for Ireland” released in 1995 by digitalpressure/Th…

Fdip229: Running Legend Tarzan Brown

Tarzan Brown was an amazing athlete who lived a hard, impoverished life but faced the world with dignity and strength. There are so many legendary and half-true mysteries about the man and his career as a runner that his many accomplishments might seem less interesting: but above all know this: that Tarzan Brown was a free spirit, a man who loved to run and his very life honored his brave tribal ancestors; the Narragansett people, one of the leading tribes of New England with a culture that has existed for thirty thousand years. His Algonquian name was Attuck-Quock-Wussete which means “Deerfoot”; he is a legend in our sport and one of the many reasons why the Boston Marathon is the greatest of all Marathons. Show Links: “Indian On The Mountain” by Red-Hawk

Fdip228: Dispatches from the Road

I like eggs. Show Links: “Final Broadcast” by the Statistics

Fdip227: Barefoot Patterns and Forces

Professor Daniel Leiberman’s (and his team) paper “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners” looks into how and why human beings can and did run comfortably without modern running shoes. In it, he proves that experienced, habitual barefoot runners tend to avoid landing on our heels and land with a forefoot or midfoot strike. Most of their research looks into the mechanics of different kinds of foot strikes. He shows that most forefoot and some midfoot strikes, when running barefoot, do not cause sudden, momentary and major force impacts which occur when you land on your heel barefoot. In a previous episode of Phedippidations, I talked about how Professors Lieberman and Dennis Bramble have shown us that homo sapiens have evolved, and thus are born to run…and with this study “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners” Professor Lieberman and his team have shown us that we should…

Fdip226: GI Distance Running Problems

When you run, you’re body is under stress, and that causes your body to increase the levels of certain chemicals to kinda even things out. These chemicals, in turn, may lead to an increase in gastrointestinal problems in distance running. Our bodies are incredible machines, but while evolution has done a wonderful job of allow up to go forth and multiply; there are some sniggly little issues which come up from time to time to prevent us from going forth at our full potential. Gastrointestinal Problems in Distance Running are a lot more common than you might otherwise believe, and there’s a thirty to eighty-three percent chance that you are currently, or will one day suffer some kind of an issue with your digestive system that will slow you down or keep you off the road. Show Links: “Die Alone” was by Ingrid Michaelson:

Fdip225: The Key Note I’ll Never Get to Give

I’m never going to be asked to give a speech in front of a crowd of fellow runners. It’s not going to happen; and by saying that I’m not implying that the absent request is a travesty; there’s a good reason why I’ll never be asked: because while you and I are friends and there are at least ten of you listening right now: generally speaking I am not what you call: popular. I’m not very well known, and never expect to be burdened with fame…not enough at least to be asked to speak to a crowd of runners at the 2010 John Hancock Sports and Fitness Expo - Runners Seminar. To be honest, that’s probably a good thing. I think you know that I tend to be a bit of a rogue; you never know when I’m going to go off on a goofy comedy riff or a screaming anger-thon…quite honestly, when I clip on this microphone I’m not even sure what’s going to happen…so, it’s probably in John Hancock’s best interest to suppress my speech at this and every Boston Marathon expo.…

Fdip224: The Call of the Miles

Today’s episode is the first to talk about the phenomenon of Ultra Marathons. There is obviously a lot more to this topic than I can fit in a single goofy little podcast, and as a homework assignment to you and myself, I recommend that we pick up a copy of the book “Ultra-Marathoning: The Next Challenge” by Tom Osler and Ed Dodd published by World Publications. The book appears to be out of print, but you can still pick up a few used copies over at Amazon.com. I’m intrigued about training for and running an ultra someday. This seems like a much different kind of race than I’m familiar with, and the idea of running 50 to 100 miles or kilometers seems to be an amazing test of the human spirit, and an accomplishment that: as a distance runner, I’d like to try. Human beings are evolved to be long distance runners; and an ultra-marathon seems like the natural next step progression for anyone who has conquered the marathon and is looking for a new adventure and challenge…

Fdip223: Dr. George Sheehan and the Church of Running

In his essay, IS RUNNING A RELIGION, Dr. George Sheehan makes that point that running is a place, not a system of belief. Running gives us an opportunity to renew ourselves while we’re out there on the road: both psychologically and spiritually. I’ve heard that phrase before: “Running is your religion” and it makes about as much sense as the phrases “cooking is your politics” or “singing is your manifesto”. Every time you go out for a run, you are given an opportunity to commune with yourself, with your thoughts and with your God. The sins of yesterday are forgiven on the roads; that extra slice of pizza you couldn’t help inhale; the frustration turned outward anger you expressed at someone who didn’t deserve the outlash is suppressed, your soul is made calm, your body serves it’s good purpose…running takes you to a place that cannot be defined by latitude and longitude. As you run, you develop the deepest commitment; the most serious mind…your mind begi…

Fdip222: I’ve Got Mail

I know I’ve said this before, but I want you to understand that I read all of your email. This problem I have with answering email is somewhat embarrassing for me; and when I starting having these problems…I considered not saying anything about it here on the show. I thought that for me to tell you that my inbox was overflowing, and that I couldn’t possibly answer every email I received would be a fairly vain, narcissistic thing to do. But then, I realized that for me NOT to say anything about it, and still being unable to dedicate myself to the task of responding to every message sent to me: would be kind of arrogant and untruthful. My Grandmother, Helena Viola Walker, daughter of James and Mary MacDonald…taught me the importance of being truthful. It doesn’t matter if your filling out a job application, speaking with friends or typing something on Facebook…you have to be truthful; especially with friends: because they will always be able to see through you, and if y…

Fdip221: The 2010 Spring Marathon Guide

This episode begins with another ice cold swim in Boston Harbor with friends, and a stated theory that will become my “law of thermodynamic refreshment”. Because athletes prefer to run distance races in more comfortable temperatures; the Spring and Fall are often preferred seasons for marathons. Today, in January, we’re getting a couple of inches of snow, and the air temperature wind chill is 10 degrees below zero F, or minutes 23 degrees C; making it a bad day to schedule 114th running of the Boston Marathon or any other 26.2 mile road race. But come Spring, when the flora and fauna of the Northern Hemisphere begins again to flourish: marathoners around the world will toe the line at their races and run in relative comfort, for the most part. Today I want to list for some of the Spring Marathons, scheduled for the spring time: and while this will not be an all inclusive list, it should give you some ideas for races you might want to run as the March equinox draws nigh. Show Li…

Fdip220: Four Hour Marathon Part 2 - Endurance

This is my first podcast episode of 2010, and my second episode regarding my intentions for running a sub Four Hour Marathon in the Autumn of this year. Endurance training and Aerobic development are critical elements in good marathon training program. You have to put in the time without worried about the mileage, and you have to develop a base from which to launch yourself at your goal. This is the year I’m going to break 4 hours in a marathon NOT because I’ll be physically fit to do so, but because I’ll have trained carefully, with patience and dedication: when my friend John Ellis tells me to go out and run for an hour up and down the hills of Oxford: I’ll do it…I may not enjoy it at first but once I’ve got a good and healthy base, once my endurance is up to the point where running 26.2 miles non-stop isn’t such a big deal anymore: I can work on my stamina and then go into a taper period in preparation for the day that I’ll run a marathon in 3 hours, 59 minutes and…

Fdip219: A Year in Motion and Review

Personally, I’ve never really needed the changing of the calendar year as a reason to set and keep a resolution: so any promises I’m going to make are probably a continuation of what I’ve been working towards for the past few years; although I do have a few running-specific resolutions that I’ve set and intend to see through.2009 is finally over and 2010 is upon us. The phrase “Out with the old, in with the new” creates images of hope for a new year, where war and violence come to an end, where the hungry are fed, the sick are healed and the global economic crisis is resolved. Albert Einstein said it best when he said “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”. The New Year gives us all a clean slate from which to re-create parts of our live for all the roles we play in life. Here’s a wish that the runners in us, have an injury free, PR setting 2010, and that we all enjoy the happiness of a year in motion.Happy New Year. Show Links:“Maybe You…

Fdip218: The 2009 Phedippidations Holiday PodCast Variety Show Special

In the spirit of all those old cheesy classic television holiday variety show specials by the Osmond Brothers, Bob Hope, Donny and Marie, and the Smothers Brothers: I present for you my first Holiday PodCast Variety Show Special complete with special guests, a musical act, and comedy sketches created to make your season merry and bright. I don’t expect this episode to become a holiday classic, but it will keep you company as you get a long run in on a cold winters day! Special appearances by: John Michael Walker, Terry Higgins, Gabby Sherman, Steve Chopper, Kevin Gwin, Toni Harvey, Adam Tinkoff, Mat Chasey, Nic Wong, Dan Medeiros, John Ellis, Joe Steindl, Lynn Runner, and Gordon Scott. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from my home to yours! Show Links: “Jingle Bells” by Skid Row (made available by the Podsafe Music Network) “Joy to the World” by Hairy Larry “Joy to the World” by Two Harps And a special gift to all by Gordon Scott:

Fdip217: Running Legend: Browning Ross

Browning Ross was a talented runner, coach, spokesman, leader and proponent of distance running; at a time when there weren’t too many runners in the world who could actually finish a marathon. It was through his hard work and passion, that road races in the United States are so popular today. He made it his mission to spread the word about long distance running, and create the buzz which would lead to the Great Running Boom of the 1970’s. Also, rest in peace Larry “Legend” Olsen: coach, leader, mentor, and fellow runner. Show Links: Please support Sharon’s run to fight blood cancer: Larry’s last race: “Go the Distance” by Danny the Multitracker (aka Danny Fong) from Ontario, Canada.

Fdip216: Running Through a New England Town

Running a race with a friend is always a good thing because the friendly rivalry will tend to push you past your own comfortable limits. When I first started running back in December of 1998, I would run every day with a good friend at work; and we would push each other to finish as fast and as strong as we possibly could. I averaged a 9:10 pace back in those days for my daily and long runs…guess what that pace run over 26.2 miles would get me? If I had run the race on my own today, I most certainly wouldn’t have pushed myself too hard: I’m still weeks away from the start of my Spring marathon training, and I just had no reason to push myself too hard, risking possible injury. I had a lot to be thankful for on this day of Thanksgiving; I had my family, my job, my health, and an ankle that was strong enough to let me run a road race. I had the gift of an entry into Boston, and a good training plan to get me there, with that goal of a sub 4 hour race in the new year not too h…

Fdip215: Inspiring Off the Couch

When you inspire someone to take to the road, to join us as runners: you are filling them with the same passion that you have for this sport, you are influencing their behavior by showing them what it means to live this lifestyle. It’s not about looking thin and healthy; although that is a cool consequence of running: it’s feeling good, having a sense of pride in being able to run for a certain distance: and if you can inspire even just one other human being to lace up their shoes and become a runner: you will have made the world just a little bit better than before they did; and like a healthy infection: that person you inspired might go on to inspire someone else, maybe a few people…and they’ll inspire others, and so on, and so forth until we have this exponential growth in the number of fellow runners AND, more importantly: healthy people who are living their lives to the top and living with a better quality of life than they did before you inspired them to run. Show Links…

Fdip214: Email to my Droid

I’ve said before that a podcast is better than a radio show because it embraces communication through social media; in fact: better than that…it IS social media, independent podcast producers can honestly call those who subscribe to their content: Friends; and really mean it. Despite the commercial advertisements on this show; I’m not really going overboard in trying to sell you something…I might recommend some products or services that I think are pretty cool, but the unspoken truth is that it’s rare for anyone producing a podcast today to “sell out” their audience, and we certainly work hard to stay connected. I get a lot of email that I don’t read on this show that is angry, hurtful and hateful…the hate you can appreciate I will avoid, but if you disagree with me: that’s okay. Why? Because we’re having a conversation, we’re creating a social bond; and while time and distance will probably negate our ever being able to meet in person, and share a glass o…

Fdip213: Sports Medical Quackery

Human beings have always feared the unknown and unknowable. Desperate for cures to our everyday ailments and those conditions and illnesses which cause pain and death, we are willing to try anything that we can justify as a reasonable remedy. Runners, who are often prone to injury, are especially vulnerable to medical quackery. Take a walk around the Health and Fitness Expo of the Boston Marathon, and you’ll find all sorts of samples of alternative medicines, with products and services that claim to relive pain, help you run faster and longer and prevent injury. Beware promises of un-tested alternative medical treatments or any medical therapy that remains untested by science. Do not fall prey to the lies and false claims of alternative medical practitioners who seek to cheat you with magical magnets, suspicious serums and tacky treatments. Trust your doctor and science, and accept the validity of scientifically proven medical therapies regardless of how complex and unnatur…

Fdip212: Four Hour Marathon Part 1: Why?

This is the first part in a series I’ll produce over the next year, regarding my efforts to run a sub four hour marathon. For me, the goal of running a Marathon in less than 4 hours is important to accomplish for many reasons including self confidence, a feeling that I’ve reached a new level in my running, reclamation of my inner youth, setting an example for my son, earning the respect of those who understand what a sub four means, and being able to look back at my trials and tribulations on the road over the past ten years with a new sense of appreciation for the hard work I’ve put in. A sub four hour marathon finish will mean that I have stepped it up a notch, even if it’s the only sub four I may ever run; and it will be a personal record that I’ll savor and find pride in with the knowledge that even as a middle aged, middle of the pack slightly asthmatic goofy little podcaster runner: I can do anything. Show Links: Dare to Dream by Adam Ilami

Fdip211: Gifts, Gadgets and Gizmos for Runners

I present for you another one of my annual gadgets and gizmos review shows for some ideas on running gear and Apparatus that you might give your fellow runners for the holidays. But I also ask you to think about the idea of giving the gift of yourself this holiday season. Maybe, instead of heading to the shopping malls this year, you should head to your calendar and start picking out a day or two a week where you’ll make a point of going out to dinner or have a few beers or cup of coffee with a friend you haven’t spent enough time with this year. Better yet, why not plan to go for a run with a friend? Life is short fellow runners…you know this; and one of the main obstacles to enjoying this life is all the stuff that we clutter ourselves up with: physical things like geeky Motorola Droid cell-phones, mp3 players, laptops, big screen TV’s and electronic game consoles….I’m not saying that those things aren’t cool: they are; but they pale in comparison to friendship; all w…

Fdip210: The 4th Annual World Wide Festival of Races

I live in a world Where everyone runs With this one thing in common We love to run together Although we live apart On a tiny blue bubble in space Where borders are meaningless Where friendships are cherished And our experiences are shared I live in a world. Where everyone runs together. ...and on this 4th Annual World Wide Festival of Races, it was indeed: an honor to have run these miles with you. Show Links: The song “All Around the World” was by the band After Son from the Netherlands.

Fdip209: The 2009 Valley Harvest Half Marathon

In the course of a long weekend, my friend Joe and I would explore the coastline and harbors of the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. We’d check out rock formations and earthen cliffs, lighthouses and small finishing villages; tidal plains and earthen dykes. We have lunch at a local German café, we’d investigate an outcropping of Devonian limestone in a place called Morden and taste locally created wine in vineyards around the Valley…in short, we’d see the sites, run the course, and race the race in our excursion around the bay. This is my race report for the Fourth Annual World Wide Festival of Races and my running of the Wolfeville, Nova Scotia Valley Harvest Half Marathon. Show Links: The song “Excursion Around the Bay” was by Great Big Sea at

Intervals208B: Twenty Questions

In this special episode of Phedippidations Intervals, Joe Steindl interviews podcast host and Run Net Community member: Steve Runner, asking him 20 of the most mind numbing, heart revealing questions that listeners to his goofy little podcast have always NEEDED to know.

Fdip208: Cheers from the Third Planet

Nothing lasts forever in this physical universe of ours. We can talk about the eternal world to come, the kingdom of Heaven, Nirvana, Tian, the Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial kingdoms, the six heavenly planes of Hinduism and the 8 levels of heaven in Islam…but this planet that we ran upon today, this place: will not last. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and in 7.59 billion years from today, it will be dragged from our solar orbit by our sun which will have grown to be 256 times as big as it is today: and the race course of the World Wide Festival of Races will be consumed in fire, forever. But I have to wonder, what will our evil Robot overlords: or any advanced alien civilization that learns about us over the next 7.59 billion years: come to think about us? Will they struggle to understand why we went to war with one another? Why we murdered and killed each other? Will they dedicate eons in trying to figure out why we’d gather millions of each other into concentr…

Fdip207: Chi-Running

ChiRunning is a new technique that incorporates traditional Lydiard style training with moving more efficiently, more in tune to the way our bodies were intended to run. It requires and provides a special sense of self awareness of our environment, our bodies and our movement through space. To practice ChiRunning is to embrace a style of running that gives more emphasis to running form and less focus on speed. ChiRunning makes many promises about your health, freedom from running injury, better self contemplative on the road meditation and with all that: peace of mind. It’s an excellent example of a revolutionary running technique designed to improve your condition and performance on the road. While the science is inconclusive on the benefits of Tai Chi, the personal observations and impressions of its practitioners gives weight to the argument that it’s good for you…and that has a direct reflection on the benefits and worth of ChiRunning: a program designed to help…

Fdip206: TO: Steve Runner FROM: You

I read every one of your emails, although I’m sorry to admit that I can’t always respond. I want to, I really do…were this production my full time job; email responding would be a welcome addition to my weekly task list; but like you: I have a family to feed, a career to attend to, a sick dog to worry about, my training to embark in, injury to overcome and this podcast that I feel called to produce (however scary that notion might sound). So I’ll respond as best I can, right here on the show….and if you email me, or leave a comment at SteveRunner.com, the discussion forum or at I’ll always read what you write; ALWAYS…and I’ll do my best to answer; even if only here on this goofy little podcast. Show Links:Goody Bag Submissions: “Lawyers Guns and Money” by Lance Larson THIS IS THE LAST CALL FOR “SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT” RECORD SOMETHING AND SEND IT TO ME OR CALL (513)-397-0525 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THE EXTRA MILE PODCAST LINE!

Fdip205: A Radical Plan for Health Care

Health Care is a system of rules and services, offered to help individuals become and remain healthy. Here in the United States, the term Health Care has caused a lot of stress and anger about how our government is going to provide these services and how much each of us will have to pay. I’m here today, offering a different, more effective and certainly more personal solution to what’s been called the American Health Care Crisis…it might seem a bit revolutionary, possibly radical for me to suggest a plan that calls for us to become personally responsible for our own health by protecting ourselves from influenza, eating well and exercising at a certain level and duration each week. We can chose to be healthy; it’s not a right protected under any governments constitution, but there is a moral obligation for us to live healthier lives so we can contribute in a positive way to the society in which we live. This radical plan for health care is far less expensive than any progr…

Fdip204: Team Sweat

"There is a discrimination in this world and slavery and slaughter and starvation. Governments repress their people; and millions are trapped in poverty while the nation grows rich; and wealth is lavished on armaments everywhere. These are differing evils, but they are common works of man. They reflect the imperfection of human justice, the inadequacy of human compassion, our lack of sensibility toward the sufferings of our fellows. But we can perhaps remember - even if only for a tirne - that those who live with us are our brothers; that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.” - Senator Robert F. Kennedy Please listen to this special episode of Phedippidations, and ask your friends (runners and non-runners alike) to listen to this interview with Jim Keady from Team Sweat and Educating for Justice. If you never listen…

Fdip203: The Pose Running Method

The Pose Method of running incorporates some interesting concepts that may be worth your consideration. It’s a biomechanical model that has you landing on your mid-foot with your supporting joints flexed at impact and hamstrings used to pull your foot from the ground, using gravity to move you forward. It’s a method that takes a lot of practice, some say it can take years to perfect: but the promises are impressive: stronger, faster and injury free running. Like any running technique, this is something you should look into more; and not rely on this podcast introduction as your sole exposure to the method. Find the way to use your body to it’s fullest without moving in such a way that you’ll get injured and you’ll be closer to becoming the runner and good animal you were always meant to be. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Hole in the Sky” was by Black Lab

Fdip202: Running Legend Paavo Nurmi

Some called him Suuri Vaikenija "A Great Silent One" but to the world he was known as “The Flying Finn”. During the 1920s, he was the best middle and long distance runner in the world, setting world records at distances between 1500 m and 20 km. He is often considered the greatest Track & Field athlete of all time: This is Paavo Nurmi. From Paavo we learn the importance of complete dedication; while most of us seek to lead a balanced life as a way to achieve happiness, Paavo Nurmi was all about focusing on a single goal: he yearned for perfection, he demanded nothing less of himself than excellence and while this unbalance in his life may not have given him the joy that he might otherwise have had; it did give him one thing: victory. Show Links: Program the Extra Mile Podcast phone number into your cell phone: 513-397-0525 Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Good Day” was by Black Lab

Fdip201: The Dysevolutional Runner

We need to recognize the fact that, through cultural changes, we have evolved. It is through modern humanities incompatibility with our natural environment that we are beginning to dysevolve. The Dysevolutional Runner is one who lives in this environment of fast food non-pedestrian and embraces her or his inner hunter gatherer. Professor Daniel Lieberman, Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, says that "Dysevolution is a positive feedback loop." When we work to treat the symptoms of our lack of physical exercise and don’t take to the roads and run, we are making the problem worse. That’s why it’s so important for those of us who run to be positive examples for others; to be the good animals we have evolved into: homo sapien hunter gatherers endowed with the ability to run long distances to find our food across the open savannah; to serve Gods purpose for making the world a better place with these bodies that He has created through the process of evolution. Show L…

Fdip200: A Goofy Little PodCast

In a way, the reason I produce Phedippidations is so I can make the world just a tiny bit better than it was before I started to produce this podcast. I understand that this is something I’ll most likely fail at and that my efforts here might be considered a colossal waste of time, however noble and altruistic this might seem. BUT: there’s always that small conditional word “IF”. As in: IF I can inspire just one human being, who might by accident listen to this goofy little podcast and become inspired to rise off the couch of doom to live a better and more happier life: then fellow runners; I’m here to tell you: MISSION FRIGGIN ACCOMPLISHED! That will be a day for a celebratory glass of Malbec: because that’s all it takes: just change the world for a single human being among us, and we will have satisfied our purpose in this life…we will have made an improvement through our examples….that’s the challenge: life your life in a way that inspires others to lace up the…

Fdip199: Producing Phedippidations

A podcast should be an expression of yourself, with a deep and open honesty that reveals all of the good things in your heart, as well as your weaknesses. A podcast should not be a “show” per se, it should be a conversation: it should have as many audible elements that fit your personality and the truth of who you are. Fear of being honest is perceived by the listeners…and if you’re doing it right: you’ll not think of those who subscribe to your podcast as mere “listeners”, they’re fellow runners…lending you their ears and their time as you share something of each other through a very personal and intimate new form of media. This is my podcast, Phedippidations…but it’s also your podcast…and if you’ll take the time to produce your own audio content for your fellow runners to run with; you’ll be producing something that we will feel ownership of: that’s because we’re really, honestly, truthfully sharing the road with these episodes…encouraging each o…

Fdip198: Walking – by Henry David Thoreau

Today, I’m going to read you an abridged version of another book by Thoreau, this one titled Walking, which Thoreau written in 1861. This was an essay that was presented as a lecture and published after his death in 1862, this essay, lecture and book has become one of THE most important written works in the environmental movement. So why am I reading this on a podcast about running? Is it because I canoed up the Allagash River Waterway in the Maine North Woods where Thoreau himself spent time and experienced the beauty of the wilderness? Partly, yes. But it’s also because I think his message is important, especially today where technology is daring to alter the very nature of our tiny blue bubble in space. This Earth is all we have, the other celestial possibilities for distant continents such as the Moon and Mars are volatile places or rock and rust, deadly radiation and bitter cold. Henry David Thoreau saw the beauty of nature and sought to impress upon his readers a de…

Fdip197: The Second Question and Answer Show

A conversation is an informal talk with someone about opinions, ideas, feelings or everyday matters. A good conversation is an interaction between two or more people, where questions are either explicitly asked or implied. For many of you, over the past four years you have been having a conversation with a middle aged, middle of the pack, slightly asthmatic fellow runner, but I assure you that that conversation was not one way. And while I admit I’m not able to answer my emails as much as I’d like (not due to the increased listenership to this podcast I assure you; rather it’s a function of my work life getting in the way as it does) this episode, and those which I’ll produce a few times each year is my attempt to respond to things that are on your mind: to give you my impression, opinion, or researched response: because while I have been on the road for 10 years; in my mind: I’m still very much a newbie to this sport. And as for being your running partner over these…

Fdip196: Acclimatization and Performance

When summer rears its oppressive head of high humidity and heat, fellow runners must take to the road with the solar conditions in mind and heed the warnings to ensure a safe and comfortable run. Acclimatization is an important precursor to taking to the hotter than usual roads, and the better our bodies can adapt to the heat, the greater our performance will be once we put these bodies to the test in a race. There will come a day when, here in the Northeast, the days will shorten, the leaves will fall and the cold harsh reality of winter will settle around us: but not today, because today the earth tilts sunward in our favor, today the road heats up and our bodies have to adapt to the time before us: because our running goes on despite the conditions that exist outside our doors: we are runners, this is what we do, and our bodies have the incredible ability to adapt to the climate which occurs here in the summertime. Show Links: Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Summertime” was b…

Fdip195: The Bunion Derby

The Bunion Derby was an event like no other, and there will never be another like it. While there have been many cross continental races since 1928, none were organized in the way that C.C. Pyle had organized the event: it was an endurance race, a circus and a harsh and unforgiving competition. In his book “C. C. Pyles Amazing Foot Race: the true story of the 1928 coast to coast run across America, by Geoff Williams, published by Rodale Press…the author writes “As difficult as his amazing foot race was, for all the car collisions and nervous breakdowns involved, calling it the Bunion Derby was never quite accurate. As winter turned to spring in 1928, the runners suffered blisters, brusies, boils, shin splints, charley horses, sore toes, broken and fallen arches, corns and calluses: but not one of them developed a bunion.” Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Human Race” was by Darius Lux

Fdip194: Athletic Arthritic?

There’s this rumor going around that distance runners are more prone to developing arthritis, a medical condition from by the Greek word “arthro” meaning joint and “itis” meaning inflammation. Many non-runners and medical laypersons have assumed that the constant repetitive pounding forces on our joints, especially in the knees, as we run are too much for our bodies to absorb. In this weeks episode I’ll go through some of the scientific medical research on the subject and present an answer to the question: are runners at higher risk for developing arthritis? NOTE: I didn’t want to make a huge deal out of it during this episode, but this marks my fourth year producing Phedippidations and I wanted to be sure to thank you, at least here in the show notes, for your friendship, kindness and support over these past 1,461 days since episode #1. It continues to be an honor to run with you. Run long and taper! - Steve Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: Featured PodCast: “R…

Fdip193: Running with Ear Candy

From a small island in the middle of southern Maine’s Sebago Lake, I present for you my annual review of some of my favorite songs from the past year of Phedippidation episodes. This week, I’m on vacation: giving my ankle a chance to heal and my soul a break from stress as I enjoy my family, lapping waves, a few good books and delicious wine. “Veni, Vidi, Vici” Show Links:“Terra Nova” by Jim Fidler at jimfidler.com.“Be Okay” by Ingrid Michelson at “Pizza Day” by Jonathan Coulton at “I Know You’re There” and “A Cautionary Tail” by Matthew Ebel at “Win At All Costs” by Man Bites God at “Run to Your Grave” by The Mae Shi at “Ones and Os” by Geoff Smith at “Broken Heart” by “Black Lab” at

Fdip192: Theseus’s Paradox and Other Thoughts

Beware the contents of this episode, ye who come here to listen to the runner boy run! In this episode, I go out for a run and just let my mind flow, talking about a few things that may or may not have to do with running. Of particular interest (to me at least) is the contemplation of the ship of Theseus’s, the discussion of which might may you say “Huh?” We are made of stuff that has a limited shelf-life, but most of the atoms in your body will be completely replaced in just 10 years time, and if you believe in an eternal life after this stuff we wear is gone; then you’ll not worry so much about these bodies of ours breaking down over time: because time is just a construct and we all have a limitless warrantee. Show Links: Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “What Are We?” by “Candygram for Mongo”

Fdip191: Me Heart Takes a Beating

This episode is a review of a study published last month in the American Journal of Cardiology titled “Relation of Biomarkers and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging After Marathon Running”. We use terms and phrases such as “you’ve got to have heart” and “don’t go breakin’ my heart” as a reference to the symbolic vessel we have within us to harbor our capacity to love. In reality the heart is an important organ, strategically located in the center of our bodies to provide oxygen rich blood throughout the vessels of our body as a means to sustain life. While these bodies we inhabit are amazing creations, capable of running great distances…it’s important to take care. We’re all soft and squishy creatures; resilient yet fragile, strong yet capable of suffering injury…when you pull a leg muscle or sprain an ankle: you can apply ice and deep massage: it’s not so easy to do that with our hearts. Training for any distance, any kind of race event: especially fo…

Fdip190: A Longer Life with Purpose

As simple and exhausting as it sounds: running can be your purpose in life; and if you’re already a runner as I suspect you are: then running can be a purpose you can give to others, by asking them to join us: by making this sport a game, by thinking of it as play and by embracing a lifestyle that helps you to improve the duration and quality of your life. It’s short fellow runners, this life of ours is far too short…but it should be long enough; and when you find yourself with a purpose to live it, you’ll have savored each experience: you’ll have lived your life to the top, and you’ll have achieved the satisfaction of knowing that your life is not ruled by the random and chaos: your life has meaning, and above all your life has purpose. Show Links:The song “Buying Time” was by Great Big Sea

Fdip189: The Other Newton’s Laws

They called him Arthur “Greatheart” Newton. He had been a runner in his twenties, but gave it up after a time, taking to the road again 12 years later when, at the age of 38, he ran his first Comrades Marathon. His contribution to distance running is great in that he chose to use common sense to guide his training methods, rather than formulas found in books on the subject of running. Dr. Tim Noakes, in his book “Lore of Running” outlines 9 of his principles of training that helped to guide Newton’s success in our sport, and revolutionized the way that coaches trained their athletes Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: Featured PodCast: Run Vegan RunThe song “Ghost In Your Mind” was by Black Lab

Fdip188: John Michaels Puppy

This is one of those strange podcast episodes that merges a little of my personal life (you’ll hear us picking up our new Dog Indiana and bringing him home) along with some practical tips about exercising your dog and this history of the beagle. It goes without saying that I have a lot to learn about dogs; and puppies specifically. While my wife has always owned a dog, growing up: this experience is new to the rest of us in my household. Will I make mistakes: count on it: he’ll end up chewing all my running shoes, leaving squishy wet mementoes as he marks his territory around the house: both inside and out and will undoubtedly follow me around the house as I try to get some work done with the less than few hours that he’ll allow me to sleep, which might beg the question: is this all worth it? It is worth it to share your day with a creature who loves you unconditionally with all his heart, it is worth it to welcome into your home a being who constantly reminds you that it’s n…

Fdip187: The Running Evolution

In this episode I present for you the major findings of Professor Daniel Lieberman of the Biological Anthropology department at Harvard University and Professor Dennis Bramble from the University of Utah in their 2004 paper published in the journal Nature titled “Endurance running and the evolution of Homo”. In this paper, they make the powerful case that “The fossil evidence suggests that endurance running is a derived capability of the genus Homo, originating about 2 million years ago, and may have been instrumental in the evolution of the human body form.” We are by our very nature: endurance runners, meant to run for long distances. The evidence is overwhelming and conclusive: you and I were born to run. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: Featured PodCast: Fifty Counting DownThe song “Evolution Rocks” was by Overman

Fdip186: A Life of Present Defense

A runner lives for the moment, and can rise to call of her or his own character to do what we know we have to do, for our bodies, for our training, for the promise we made to ourselves some time ago. We will have bad days, we will be haunted by the memories of a 4:01:31 finish in Philadelphia back in November of 2007, and we’ll look to our next marathons where we dream of running a sub four…but still, on those icy, rainy, blisteringly hot and humid days when work was a nightmare and everyone wants to carve a little chunk out of us...we find ourselves lacing up our shoes and living the life of a runner: a life nothing short: of present defense. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: Featured PodCast: Lagan Runner PodcastThe song “The Life I Am Trying to Find” was by Adam and the Walter Boys

Fdip185: The Run-Net Community

Ours is a social network of fellow runners who are using new media and the power of what has become known as Web 2.0 – a second generation of web development and design that facilitates communication, collaboration and above all: sharing of thoughts, opinions, observations and yes, even rambling diatribes. There’s this question that philosophers and scientists, artists, writers and dreamers have asked for many centuries when they looked above into the heavens. That question is this: ARE WE ALONE? The question is intended to inquire about the validity of the Drake equation and the possibility of intelligent life, or any life on worlds other than our own. It’s a question that, in it’s asking, evokes a sense of loneliness, as if we are adrift on a tiny blue bubble in space, far from communities in distant galaxies. If I had to guess, I’d say that there is life out there, and very likely intelligent life of some kind: I just don’t think our world and even the life that sw…

Fdip184: The 113th Boston Marathon

In this episode I will be completely honest and open up a little to tell you some things I’ve not previously revealed about me, and will run the 113th Boston Marathon with you. A marathon is a very open, public and sincere physical event that puts you out there: for better or worse, revealing all of your weaknesses, as well as physical and mental pressure points. A marathon forces you to face yourself in a very public and very introspective way. I wasn’t supposed to run this race, and when I was a child the kids on the playground who once laughed at me when I dropped the ball said that I could never do such a thing. But today, I’m running a marathon…an event that is as much an analogy for life as anything you could cover in 26.2 miles. It correlates perfectly mile after mile for every period of your life, from cradle to grave: and it gives you the opportunity to do something special, amazing, inspirational and impressive. Show Links:The song “Curra Road” was by Ger…

Fdip183: Boston = The Worlds Greatest Marathon

I do not make my case here with an elitist attitude. I make my case with sound facts which, from my perspective, lends evidence to the fact that the Boston Marathon is, without a doubt and lacking hesitation from my lips to your ears: THE WORLDS GREATEST MARATHON.I made a statement on this podcast, three years or so ago regarding why it is that I’m a runner. Many reasons come to mind; but the one that always rises first and foremost in my thinking might not be one that others would expect from a soon to be twenty-time marathoner: I run because I love pizza and with Boston’s North End of wonderful Italian neighborhoods, from which my family is descended, I run towards Boston with the hope that there’s a slice waiting for me at the end.Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: Featured PodCast: Adam 20The song “Pizza Day” was by Jonathan Coulton

Fdip182: Running Legend: Jacqueline Gareau

There’s something special that marks an elite athlete as a true running legend. It’s more than just their athletic appearance, their healthy bodies and the way they carry themselves when they enter a room. A running legend is someone who has a very humble confidence. Their eyes, voices and motions speak of having worked harder than most of us could ever imagine to reach a brief moment in their lives where they understood that they were experiencing something that only the very dedicated and passionate person could ever hope to experience. They are living examples of what we could be as good animals and good human beings. Jacqueline Gareau is a running legend because she had that moment of glory stolen from her; but in her heart she knew what she had done that day. Her running is her art, and she showed us on a Spring day in Boston the a true champion celebrates victory in her heart, holds nothing back, and forgives silly transgressions…and when it came to her sport, Jacqu…

Fdip181: The 2009 State of the Course

Two key messages about the Boston Marathon Course: Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, Boston.Head Away From Nature West Near Ballpark Boston. and Only 17% of the course climbs at a rate of greater than 1%.I’ve learned many lessons from this course. The Boston Marathon has taught me to conserve on the downhills, and pace myself on the uphills. It’s taught me to have humility amid the cheering crowds, to smile despite the pain gastronomical discomfort, to savor the race as if it were my last, and to celebrate the achievement no matter how physically and mentally exhausted I might be at the end. I’m not expecting to set a course PR or even come close to 4 hours in the 113th Boston Marathon. I am expecting to enjoy the day, and appreciate my life all the more. Patriots Day will be a day to celebrate the successful completion of my 20th Marathon…a milestone of sorts that I can quite honestly feel proud of despite all the pain and weariness I…

Fdip180: From Maintenance Miles to Marathon

To run the 113th Boston Marathon with minimal preparation I have to condition my body for constant and repetitive motion for at least five hours. What’s more, I must be able to carry the weight of my body on a gradual 16 mile course into Newton Lower Falls, up the hills of Newton and over a goofy little speed-bump, and finally down the other side past mile 22 with as much strength as I have left. Traditional marathon training programs begin with a base and gradually work up to build strength and endurance, so this training program, more than the race itself, is the real test of how well the maintenance miles I’ve been running can prepare me for a race like the Boston Marathon. Boston is more than just a race, and my efforts in these five weeks will be exhausting, painful, time consuming and demanding: but that’s what I’m compelled to do…and if there is such a thing as a siren song from the island of Sirenum Scopuli…the song I hear is coming from Hopkinton Massachusetts an…

Fdip179: Morning Runs

Despite the scientific rational to the contrary, running in the morning as opposed to other times in the day has many personal benefits which may not seem obvious. We are human beings, called to embrace each day with a vigor and enthusiasm that demands hard work and strenuous effort. We are good animals, moving across the planets surface with purpose and power from the moment the sun rises over the horizon to enlighten our day. We are runners, and the world is our race course: and once they turn on the lights with the rising of that big yellow star in the sky, it’s time to start the whole human race. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: Featured PodCast: The Quad Cast“Crazy in the Morning” by Brene Wilson at

Fdip178: All in Stride

The phrase “Taking it all in stride” means to get all you can get within a single step. As runners, we have a special appreciation for longer, stronger strides in that they ensure faster speeds on the open road, and combined with more frequent strides, can turn our back and middle of the pack efforts into something closer to the front. When we train, we are already prepared and pre-conditioned to expect speed work and strength work, long runs and the building on endurance: but within those efforts we also need to focus and dedicate ourselves to improving the quality of our natural strides…because it is in doing so that we improve our efficiency and speed in races and on the road. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: Featured PodCast: Dirt Dawgs Rambling Diatribe Podcast“Highway Run” by Charlie Wheeler Band

Fdip177: The Winning Bug by Jackson Scholz

This week I present for you the short story “The Winning Bug” written by Jackson Volney Scholz also known as the “New York Thunderbolt”. Jackson Scholz was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprint, was born in 1897 and died on October 26th, 1986. In the 1920s, he became the first person to appear in an Olympic sprint final in three different Olympic Games. He won the gold in Antwerp for the American 4x100 meter relay, he won the silver in the 100m race in the 1924 Paris games, losing to Britains Harold Abrahams as depicted in the movie Chariots of Fire, and he won the gold in those games in the 200 meter race. He also ran in the 1928 games in Amsterdam, finishing 4th in the 200 meters. After his running career had ended, Jackson Scholz became well known for his writing, and today I’m going to read you one of his best short stories, an excellent first reading for what I intend to have as an ongoing feature of this podcast. “The Winning Bug”. Sh…

Fdip176: Mailbox Review

The greatest reward for producing a podcast like Phedippidations is the electronic messages that you are kind enough to send me, but there’s an old Scottish proverb that reads “What may be done at any time will be done at no time.” Today I’m making an effort to find some time to go through my email inbox to answer some of the messages you’ve been kind enough to send me over the past three months. Despite good reason and a stressfully increasing workload, I’ve felt guilty for not answering your messages to me, and while I have read every email that I’ve received; my inability to find time to respond to you has been on my mind for quite some time. If I can’t answer every email the least I can do is produce this podcast every week and go for a run with you. I can’t promise everything I’ll have to say here will be worthy of your listening; but I can promise to follow the same compass as you…heading in the same direction to better health and becoming a good animal.…

Fdip175: Running on the Road Again

There are so many beautiful places on this planet that you can find to go for a run which are beautiful, interesting, and memorable. If you are traveling for pleasure, business or any purpose: pack your running shoes, a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt; you’ll see the places you visit from a more interesting and intimate perspective and will be able not only to say you visited that place, but can boast quite proudly that you’ve run there. In this episode of Phedippidations, I go on vacation to Florida and in the course of my journey I meet a good friend whom I’ve been hoping to meet for a very long time: THE Zen Runner himself: the great Adam Tinkoff. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: “Road Trip” by “Dirty Proper”

Fdip174: A Lecture From Arthur Lydiard

In April of 1990, Arthur Lydiard gave a lecture in Osaka Japan as part of a clinic he conducted in Tokyo and Osaka. From that trip, numerous articles were written in running magazines all over the world, and the material he covered led to his publishing a book titled “Running With Lydiard”. He is without a doubt one of the greatest athletic coaches of all time, and is credited with popularizing and inventing the sport of recreational running and jogging for health. His training methods were all about building a strong base and incorporating periodization and there are many world class runners today who give credit to the man for their impressive success on the track, fields and roads. This is the exact spoken presentation of his Osaka lecture in conversational form that sometimes wanders outside the rules of grammatical perfection, it lacks the physical expressions that were transmitted during the lecture, and is often a stream of conscious thoughts that converge on more solid…

Fdip173: The 1st Questions and Answers Show

As runners, we all have questions; questions about our experiences on the road, questions about best practices as outlined by the experts, questions about the human body and the science regarding motion and our bodies, and even just questions about each other. How are you doing? How are you feeling? How’s your running going? Have any big races planned in the near future? What’s up? What’s going on? Did John Michael get his puppy yet? As friends and fellow runners we have plenty of questions as part of an ongoing conversation that we have with each other every day. We are connected by a common interest, in this sport we call running: and with questions to spark new conversations, we offer answers to run with, out here on the road. When friends hang out and go for a run, they talk about stuff like this, they ask questions of each other and look for answers as a way to get to know each other better. In this episode I’ll pose some of the questions asked by fellow ru…

Fdip172: George Sheehan on Running to Win

The book George Sheehan on Running to Win, is a book of wisdom, sage advise and clinical recommendations from a well versed authority on health and fitness. Dr. Sheehan was someone who was passionate about our sport, and cited many reasons why all should join us on the road. Most of all, he promised us that the act of running is fun. In his book “Running to Win” Dr. George Sheehan perfectly articulated what many of us have been thinking all along. We’re all winners when it comes to this sport, and running to win is to win, through running. It doesn’t take a miracle or a magic pill, an incantation, self hypnosis or some new age marketing slick definition of the term “courage” to become a runner; it takes determination and dedication…it takes a desire to become a good animal in a physical sense, and a true winner in every sense of the word. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: “Win at All Costs” was by Man Bites God:

Fdip171: Why Runners Break

There are plenty of reasons why runners break. The human body is a fantastically robust and adaptable organism, but it has it’s physical limits that, despite our good intentions through hard and long runs…can often lead to injury. The problem is that our willpower is often far stronger than our bodies power to absorb stress. You have within you the power to accomplish great things, and run impressive races…while at the same time you have the power to run yourself into the ground, and break that body that you’ve been fortunate enough to inhabit. Always remember that our human bodies are amazing pieces of equipment but compared to the surface of the planet, they are just small squishy things…and you know what happens when you take a small squishy thing and throw it at the side of a mountain…it squishes. Don’t squish yourself. Run long, fast and hard…but never over the physical limits that mark your own structural integrity. Your body can do great things, but n…

Fdip170: Thoughts from the Road

I don’t want to make a big deal out of it, but the anniversary of my first breath on this planet’s ocean of oxygen takes place on the 19th of this month, just a few days after this show is available for download. It was of course 9 full months prior that I first came to be; and have been growing into a more complex organism ever since. As my complexity increases, so do the ideas that get formed in my admittedly teeny tiny little brain…and like a balloon in the state of inflation, if I don’t get some of these ideas…both good, bad and frankly quite silly…out of the skull within which they are formed…well, like a balloon, something’s going to pop….and I don’t think you want to be left having to clean up the mess. Thus we have an episode of this goofy little podcast dedicated to things not necessarily related to running; but let’s go for a run today, you and I…and I’ll do the talking about things that I’m thinking about…the thoughts, opinions, and observatio…

Fdip169: Massaging the Trigger Points

Pain is the body’s way of telling us that something is wrong, and when we ignore those messages we are risking further and more permanent injury. Myofascial trigger point pain syndrome is problematic because of the nature of referred pain, where a defect in the muscle can cause soreness elsewhere in the body. To resolve this kind of pain, you have to identify its true source, and apply massage as a preventive measure to overcome it. It takes patience and consistency to perform the stretches, exercises and massage that will help you to overcome trigger point associated pain, and allow you to run upon the open road, in comfort. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: “Passion and Pain” was by Lance Larson.

Fdip168: Exercise Induced Asthma

If you find yourself struggling to catch your breath during a race or on a particularly cold or humid day, you may have exercise induced asthma. Don’t let it prevent you from taking to the road and reaching your goals. I have every intention of running and finishing future marathons, and I won’t let my exercise induced asthma keep me from running. There are treatments available to all of us who suffer with E.I.A. which can make our enjoyment of this sport continue through our lives. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “On the Run” was by Stormy Mondays Wines Reviewed by Kevin, Harper, Rob and Steve:2005 Chateau Mirambeau Papin Bordeaux Superieur: 60% Merlot, 40% Cab Sauv.2005 Rodney Strong Vineyards - Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Fdip167: Around We Go Again

This episode is a review of the leap year 2008, MMVIII of the Gregorian calendar, Anno Domini of the Common Era. Like any other year, 2008 had it’s accomplishments and failures, its successes and disasters, it’s good moments and instances of sadness and terror. We lived through it all and each in our own way did our best, wished the best for others and helped to make the world just a little bit better than it was last year. This week we listen to some of the skits, sketches and audio bits that I produced in an effort to give my family and I a chuckle or two. Happy New Year! Show Links:The song “We are Wolves Here” off the new album “Wake Up and Say Goodbye” was by David Usher.

Fdip166: It’s Not About Courage

This week your goofy little host goes “off the deep end” again with a podcast filled with critical thinking, loud enunciation and a very un-holiday-like disposition. This episode is a statement of my opinion. Not all will agree with that opinion, and all are invited to consider and challenge what I have to say here. I suspect many will consider my premise faulty and my conclusion to be wrong; but this is just MY OPINION, and if I sound angry and passionate in my argument it’s because it bothers me when fellow runners suffer the appeals of a marketing pitch designed to ridicule them without their conscious understanding in an effort to sell books. Just because someone says that it takes courage for you to run your first mile, does not make it so. It does not make noble the action by affixing such terms to explain how you came to be. Terms and words like “indomitable spirit”, “intelligent choice”, “dedication”, “perseverance”, and “commitment” better des…

Fdip165: Running Legend: Ted Corbitt

Ted Corbitt was without a doubt the “father of long distance running”. He was a pioneer in ultramarathons and a big part of the running revolution of the 1960’s and 70’s. He was once called “a spiritual elder of the modern running clan". We will remember him in many ways: as the quiet guy in the background working to establish rules for age groups and course measurements. As a promoter of distance running who worked behind the scenes. He was an amazing athlete who was able to cover distances that is considered impressive by any standard, and he was a kind hearted, soft spoken fellow runner who overcame hatred and prejudice to embrace a sport that he loved so well.Most importantly, he was someone who loved to run. It was his life long passion, it was his daily joy and it was something that defined him, improved him and gave his life meaning and a happiness that inspires all who knew him and know of him…because Ted Corbitt was a man with an indomitable spirit who ca…

Fdip164: A New England Five Miler

In this episode I run the 20th Annual Whiten Five Thanksgiving Day Road Race in Whitensville, Massachusetts; a village in Northbridge. It wasn’t my fastest five miler, but I had fun running it never the less. I came to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, to enjoy the morning with fellow runners, to compete against those around me and most of all, to run. Old New England towns remain preserved while merging with the modern world and new technologies. You can see that most clearly when you go for a run in such a town such as Northbridge Massachusetts, and the village of Whitensville. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Run to Your Grave” was by The Mae Shi

Fdip163: Running Clubs

Running clubs are local organizations that you can join to gain the support of fellow runners as a way to motivate, inspire, invigorate and improve your performance on the road. But for all the great benefits that joining a running club will give you, there’s something else you should consider in deciding whether or not you should join such an organization. When you join a running club you are not doing it only for yourself but as an opportunity to help others improve as runners: you are signing up to encourage others, to prove by your participation that running is a worthy effort, and to help others who are members of that club to run faster and farther, over and above what they might have otherwise thought they were capable of. In today’s episode I’ll list some of the great running clubs that are out there. Thank you to everyone who responded to my “Twitter Tweet” for running clubs! Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Some Christmas Huggin and Kissin’” w…

Fdip162: Catching Up

When you are out there, running a race, and you find yourself (point A) behind another runner (point B) whom you are working to catch up to…there is a relative velocity between the two of you that is much smaller than you can imagine…and today, I want to help you imagine it…because once you’ve come to realize how small that difference is, then you’ll be better able to summon the energy required to exceed that speed and close the gap between you and that runner ahead of you to the point where you’ll beat him or her to the finish. When you consider the difference, you’ll gain the confidence to catch up. Show Links: Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “You Can’t Catch Me” by Cottrell Gant

Fdip161: Gifts for the Holiday Runner

So what is the point of giving gifts to each other during the holiday? It is to express our feelings of appreciation, care and fondness for one another…and the best way to do that, with respect to gift giving, is to make the gift a personal reflection of what you know the person you’re giving to would appreciate. Runners appreciate the little things; a good book on our favorite subjects, or something simple like a pair of gloves, socks or a water bottle…items which help to protect and comfort us during our daily runs…these are things that will be appreciated every day and serve as reminders that you, as the gift giver, really understood and cared enough to give something related to our passion for this sport and the importance we give to the gift of running. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “The Gift You Always Wanted at the Bay” was by Jon Caspi

Fdip160: Strong to the Core

Our core is our center; it is where our arms, legs and head meet to create the human body we inhabit and control. It is where, just a few inches or centimeters above, resides the all important heart, pumping oxygen rich blood to all of our extremities. In an anthropological sense, the heart is the focused center of our emotional and mental character….it is the mystical source of our kindness, charity, and love. In this same way, our core…the very central characteristic of who and what we are is sometimes associated with our human identity. To excel physically you must have a strong and powerful core, to excel as a human being you have to have a resilient and resolute center. Work on that part of yourself, both physically and emotionally and there will be nothing you cannot accomplish. Focus on developing your core and you’ll discover the power within yourself to run long and far and then you’ll find the strength to go on. Show Links:Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “…

Fdip159: Responsible Shoes

This episode will serve as proof that I’m an totally independent new media producer, and will guarantee that I never get that huge contract with a major running shoe label. But when running shoe companies enable their outsourced suppliers to treat their workers poorly, in unhealthy working conditions for long hours with wages that hardly allow them to feed and shelter their families…they are being evil…either by direction or failure. You and I can support the fight for human rights and the environment every day with our dollars…by purchasing products and services sold only by those companies and businesses who treat their workers with dignity and promote the basic human rights to life, liberty, freedom of expression, equality before the law and in society, the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education along with ensuring that the production of goods does not negatively impact the environment. My expose here about som…

Fdip158: The 2008 Bay State Marathon

Life is all about making choices. Choices between what’s right and wrong, choices between what’s good and evil, choices between altruism and egotism, of giving and taking, of sharing and selfishness and choices between what’s smart and what’s dumb. I chose to run the 2008 Bay State Marathon just as 25 years ago this month I chose to take part in a project to help etch my college radio station’s name in the history of a Northern Massachusetts city. Sometimes we do things without thinking it through, or considering the consequences. Sometimes we do things on impulse or instinct and throw caution to the wind for ideals and purposes which seem like a good idea at the time. Whatever we do, for whatever reason we do it: one thing is perfectly clear. We all have a choice. Show Links:The song “Choice” was by Jon Miller

Fdip157: The Third Annual World Wide Festival of Races

Over 1,100 runners from more than 40 countries took part in the 3rd annual World Wide Festival of Races. This really was a festival; it was a celebration of life, of community, of doing something of importance, endurance and strength. It was a day where we took to the roads and ran together although we were apart. There were many reasons why we all took part in this event: to celebrate, to share, to make friends and to inspire others. We did it to prove that national and territorial boundaries on a map are nothing more than dotted lines meant to keep us physically apart, and that our own customs, religions and social environments do not exclude us from the privileges of friendship and camaraderie. What makes us different from each other locally does not prevent us from going out into this world, under the same sky on the same little blue bubble in space, and celebrate those things that we have in common. We just want to live a good, happy and healthy life. We just want to liv…