Phedippidations

Translation: my ·update. Just checking in to wish you happiness and let you know I'm doing wicked good.

Today I'm going to tell you a story about my total solar eclipse experience and it's aftermath, and give you an update on my foot reconstruction surgery and my plans to return to the road and assume, once again, the role of “Steve Runner”. A Total Eclipse of the Sun is a spectacular convergence of Copernican alignment that demonstrates the power of science and our being present in a beautiful universe.

A quick "check-in" to update you on my right foot and plans to run again!

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! And gie's a hand o' thine! And we'll tak a right guid willy waught, For auld lang syne.

Here's a little pre-Xmas message for you to ponder as I hop around my house with my new "FrankenFoot". Also, I'll read some feedback messages left for me on the Apple Podcast page. Have a great Holiday (whatever you celebrate, or not).

In the spring of 1958, a friend of Hunter S Thompson asked for advice on how to live his life.  What follows is a letter that Thompson wrote him, during the very early moments of his writing career.

The universe, of which I am a part, is experiencing entropy. Change is coming, and I'm committed to eventually lacing up my shoes and running again. Because although I'll one day become nothing more than an unstable collection of positronium atoms that will eventually poof out of existence…that day is not today, and I have time.

I'm long past the impulsive need for an invisible flying spaghetti monster in space called to answer my wishful mutterings  - the palindrome for that imaginary entity might just be something I do require:   I don't need "God".   I need a Dog.

Sit back, relax and enjoy a delicious podcast filled with cheesy goodness delivered right into your brain.

Dear Eva: You were my sweetie. You took after your Lemon beagle birth mother, Honey. Your father was a tri-colored beagle named Joey (also your brother Indiana Jone's father). Born on May 28th, 2010: you were the scrawniest of the litter of seven. I first saw you in a cage where your brothers and sisters were stepping all over you: I knew you were “the one”.    You, little girl, were a “scootch”: always excited to go for a walk, constantly sniffing for bunnies but never really wanting to catch one. You're the only puppy I've ever known who, when a toy was thrown, would run to get the toy and then run away in another direction. You were my “little girl” Eva, Jones Walker and you were never one to “fetch”.  You loved to play during treat time, where we would “dance around the treat” until you were able to grab it (and not sure if you noticed, but you always won the treat). You loved to sleep on the top of the couch and in the morning would always make the effort to “army crawl” on your belly, up from the bottom of the bed to see us. Yours was a life of a princess, and you were always the one in charge. I'll miss you every day. You filled our lives with such incredible joy. “Hey, Sweetie? Wanna go for a WALK?”. Tree-si-so.

It's been another year, and we've got another to look forward to. I hope all is well with you. Happy New Year - Run long and taper fellow runners.

Everything you see, every atom and sub-atomic particle of which your own body is composed: came, originally, from nothing. 

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

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?

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

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.  

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.

“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

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.

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

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.

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".

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.

“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. 

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

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.

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.

“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

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”. 

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.

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.

Here's wishing you a very happy 2022

Just think about it.

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

I've never forgotten you!

Hello?  You there? I am, and all is well. Run long and taper. - Steve

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

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.

Be kind

I have nothing to say, the numbers speak for themselves.

We’ve seen that cowards in office can’t save us Pumkpin Head lies when he says to drink bleach Our only hope is compassion and science Early detection of Covid in speech. Splendid Isolation We don’t need no one Splendid isolation

The second wave’s hit and numbers are climbing I t’s getting worse as the Winter sets in. It’s always darkest before dawn arises Science will save us if we’ll only listen Splendid Isolation We don’t need no one Splendid isolation

I hope you’re well and remain uninfected I hope you’re safe and your friends are safe too We’ll be okay wearings masks keeping distant though we run out of toilet tissue Splendid Isolation We don’t need no one Splendid isolation

Splendid Isolation We don’t need no one Splendid isolation

Be safe.   Be kind.   Tre-Si-So.

I find no joy in saying “I told ya” I told you so Texas, Arizona I was right and you weren’t ’bout this virus Wish you believed me ‘bout this in Florida Splendid Isolation We don’t need no one Splendid isolation

The How and Why of this is what I’m am talking So first I’ll tell you how I produce this show of course the Why is my reason for talking It’s not important but at least know you know Splendid Isolation We don’t need no one Splendid isolation