Podcasts about wapack

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-464 – Coach Chris Twiggs  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4464.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Chris' other show à Zero Prostate Cancer 2021 Boston - Intro: Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-464 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Let's see if I can get this one out on time! Today we have the legendary coach Chris Twiggs on for a chat.  I met Coach Twiggs down at the Bird in Hand Half Marathon.  He is the head coach for Jeff Galloway's running program.  Chris is a high-level marathoner and ultramarathoner in his own right, and it was interesting to me to compare and contrast the Galloway athletes that he coaches to the traditional training modalities.  The net-net of it is that runners, whether they are the elites, the age groupers, the 100-mile-a-weekers, the casual athletes, the back of the packers – we are all as passionate about our sport and as curious about our training.  And in section one, since we have a lot of new runners in the world these days, with basic questions, … I'm going to give you piece on how to get started from scratch.  But – what you're going to be really excited about is that I'll start you out with a garden update and an Ollie update.  Here's why.  When I meet folks who have listened to my podcast, this podcast, do you know what they ask me?  What they want to know?  Is it about training tips?  Is it about race adventures?  No.  They want to know how my garden is doing.  And they want to know about Ollie my crazy border collie.  So, I'm going to lean in! First the garden.  It was an interesting year.  We had some successes and some not-so-successes.  My tomatoes struggled because there was an epidemic of some sort of tomato disease this year in my area that caused all the leaves to turn brown and wither – they call it “Tomato Blight”.  It's because the weather has been so wet and gloomy this summer.  I feel like I'm living in Seattle. Basically, you have to plan any outdoor activity around the next rains storm.  It's not a 100% bad thing.  Lawns are nice and green.  I never had to water.  As a matter of fact, I mixed up a bucket of fertilizer-water in June and have not had to refill it.  The rain just keeps topping it off as I use it.  I did get some splendid heirloom tomatoes.   These nice golden tomatoes with red veins that were incredibly scrumptious with a little goat cheese.  Yummy.  It wasn't a total loss. Yvonne made me plant onions, even though I told her onions don't grow in my garden, and they didn't.  I also had a fun experiment where I planted a bunch of old, sprouted potatoes in my compost bin.  They grew like gangbusters, until something discovered how yummy they were and ate them all up.  The composting process is amazing with all this rain.  It turned 4 feet of leaves and waste into a foot of soil that I'll get to spread next year.  I had a very robust crop of peas.  So much so that I just gave up on harvesting them after a couple weeks.  They are a pain to shell.  Same with the Beans.  I harvested a couple times but ran out of energy. Same with the red raspberries that are now in their second fruiting, and I can't keep up.    I had a great crop of lettuces early again because of all the rain, which was great, except for having to share them with slugs.  I had a good crop oof kale until the worms got them.  I had an outstanding crop of green squash and zucchini.  Barely kept up for all of June and July.  My herbs were all very stout.  I especially enjoyed the invasive mint plants this year for making tea in my home office.  I got a fair amount of cucumbers.  And a reasonable amount of these yellow semi-hot peppers.  But, my real successes were zinnias and sunflowers.  I had never before been able to grow a single sunflower.  The chipmunks love the seeds and dig them out.  I tried putting chicken wire down and they got through that.  I tried sprouting them first but they just ate the sprouts.  This year I built a little hot-house frame and grew them in peat pots.  I let them get a foot tall before planting the whole pot into the garden.  Sunflowers don't like to be transplanted so you have to plant the whole pot.  These sunflowers were the Russian Giant variety and they got 8 feet tall and had great big happy flowers.  I have now harvested them and will see if I can get some seeds to eat.  The zinnias were a mistake.  My daughter started them and gave them to me thinking they were peppers.  But they were zinnias, they grew to be six feet tall and are covered with flowers.  Orange, pink, red – just wonderful to cut and bring in the house for a little liveliness of décor in the kitchen.  Now, I will present to you my other reasonable success this year.  First I'll tell you a story.  In the book “ he tells the story of the establishment of the modern state of Israel.   When the settlers were establishing the first Kibbutz, they raised pigs.  Since pigs are not kosher, when they talked about the pigs or listed them in inventory they referred to them as “Turkeys”. Which brings me to my last reasonable success on my garden.   My Columbian Tomatoes.  Now I used to grow the old varieties of these Columbian tomatoes, back in the 70's when it was illegal to do so.  Now in Massachusetts the Columbian Tomatoes are legal to grow for personal purposes.  I bought 20 seeds of a variety of these tomatoes, whimsically called “Purple Kush”.   Don't get me wrong, I don't eat these tomatoes anymore, I just like to grow them. About 15 of them sprouted.  I gave 10 away to friends.  I planted 5 in my garden.  2 survived. But, here we are at the end of September and they are quite vigorous.  They are like little Christmas trees.  About 3-4 feet tall and you can smell them 20 feet away.  I'm not going to try to bring them inside the house.  I'll harvest them when the frost is approaching and hang them in my attic to dry.  If any of you out there have a hankering for Columbian Tomato casserole send me a note. I hear they make excellent baked goods. Oh – and apples.  I've got a tree full of apples.  I've made apple sauce.  I'm eating 6 apples a day.  I'm going to turn into an apple.  That's your garden update.  How was it?  Everything you hoped it would be? OK – In section two I'm going to talk about the supply chain because it's on the top of everyone's mind. But – like I said – in section one I'll talk about starting from scratch.  Here's the thing. I told you I'm doing a fitness project at work.  I leaned in.  Because of that I'm getting these types of questions.  And it's fun and rewarding to be able to answer them.  By leaning in I'm getting rewarded.  Find something you can lean in on and see what comes back to you as a result! On with the show!     About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  Section One – Starting from scratch -   … Chris Twiggs Chris Twiggs As Chief Training Officer at Galloway Training, Chris Twiggs has mentored and coached thousands of runners in local Galloway Training Programs, Galloway Customized Training Plans, and Galloway Charity Partners. Chris is an RRCA Certified Coach, Boston Marathon Qualifier, Ironman distance triathlete, and accomplished ultra-runner (15x Hardrock 100 finisher). He serves on the board of The DONNA Foundation, helping to put on the nation's only marathon dedicated to finishing breast cancer. He also works with dozens of races around the country to provide Galloway Pacers, helping to run/walk/run participants to the finish line with smiles on their faces.   Twitter - @Ctwiggs Instagram - @christwiggs Email -  Section Two – Supply Chain - Outro   Ok my friends we have run-walked through the end of episode 4-464 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Quick updates for you.  My Apocalypse podcast is in it's second season and doing well.  I'm having a lot of fun with that. I haven't been running, but I have been volunteering for races. I volunteered for Wapack and last weekend the local 5K.  Funny story.  The race director is a local guy, used to be the track coach and a pretty good IronMan.  When I saw the email I responded that I could help out.  And, of course, since he knows me, he ended up putting me in charge of the course marshals!  Remember what I told you.  Somewhere near you is a local race that needs your help.  So, that was fun.    I promised an Ollie Wollie update.  We've been through 4 session at K9 now.  Both my wife and I are going which is great.  He's doing really well.  One of the best things is that he's learned to wait at the door for me to go through it and give him the release command.  He's a lot better on the lease.  He sits and stays very well. They don't do treat training at K9.  They are all about the Martingale collar, which is a choke collar.  You correct the dog by giving them a pop on the choke collar.  It doesn't hurt the dog, but it gets his attention.  He's doing great and I think it's giving him confidence.  I had him out in some pretty busy places today and he responded well.  Next week We have a conversation with Murray, one of our runner friends, who is a South African, teaching English in Korea and has written a book about meditation.  To take you out I'll give you an opportunity to do some good!  I'm going to run-walk the virtual Boston Marathon this year for Zero the organization to end prostate cancer.  Since I've got so many people in my life that have been impacted by this stupid disease.  I've set up a page you can donate at.  And since they let you set up a vanity URL I created one that I'm quite proud of And I'm going to put it here at the end of the show so you can go there and do it now. Even if you've just come in from your run, and you're all sweaty, and you can't sit donw at the computer without ruining the chair.  Grab a towel.  Think about all the dads and brother and friends.  And click that link. And I'll see you out there. My Apocalypse show ->     MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-464 – Coach Chris Twiggs  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4464.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Chris' other show à Zero Prostate Cancer 2021 Boston - Intro: Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-464 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Let's see if I can get this one out on time! Today we have the legendary coach Chris Twiggs on for a chat.  I met Coach Twiggs down at the Bird in Hand Half Marathon.  He is the head coach for Jeff Galloway's running program.  Chris is a high-level marathoner and ultramarathoner in his own right, and it was interesting to me to compare and contrast the Galloway athletes that he coaches to the traditional training modalities.  The net-net of it is that runners, whether they are the elites, the age groupers, the 100-mile-a-weekers, the casual athletes, the back of the packers – we are all as passionate about our sport and as curious about our training.  And in section one, since we have a lot of new runners in the world these days, with basic questions, … I'm going to give you piece on how to get started from scratch.  But – what you're going to be really excited about is that I'll start you out with a garden update and an Ollie update.  Here's why.  When I meet folks who have listened to my podcast, this podcast, do you know what they ask me?  What they want to know?  Is it about training tips?  Is it about race adventures?  No.  They want to know how my garden is doing.  And they want to know about Ollie my crazy border collie.  So, I'm going to lean in! First the garden.  It was an interesting year.  We had some successes and some not-so-successes.  My tomatoes struggled because there was an epidemic of some sort of tomato disease this year in my area that caused all the leaves to turn brown and wither – they call it “Tomato Blight”.  It's because the weather has been so wet and gloomy this summer.  I feel like I'm living in Seattle. Basically, you have to plan any outdoor activity around the next rains storm.  It's not a 100% bad thing.  Lawns are nice and green.  I never had to water.  As a matter of fact, I mixed up a bucket of fertilizer-water in June and have not had to refill it.  The rain just keeps topping it off as I use it.  I did get some splendid heirloom tomatoes.   These nice golden tomatoes with red veins that were incredibly scrumptious with a little goat cheese.  Yummy.  It wasn't a total loss. Yvonne made me plant onions, even though I told her onions don't grow in my garden, and they didn't.  I also had a fun experiment where I planted a bunch of old, sprouted potatoes in my compost bin.  They grew like gangbusters, until something discovered how yummy they were and ate them all up.  The composting process is amazing with all this rain.  It turned 4 feet of leaves and waste into a foot of soil that I'll get to spread next year.  I had a very robust crop of peas.  So much so that I just gave up on harvesting them after a couple weeks.  They are a pain to shell.  Same with the Beans.  I harvested a couple times but ran out of energy. Same with the red raspberries that are now in their second fruiting, and I can't keep up.    I had a great crop of lettuces early again because of all the rain, which was great, except for having to share them with slugs.  I had a good crop oof kale until the worms got them.  I had an outstanding crop of green squash and zucchini.  Barely kept up for all of June and July.  My herbs were all very stout.  I especially enjoyed the invasive mint plants this year for making tea in my home office.  I got a fair amount of cucumbers.  And a reasonable amount of these yellow semi-hot peppers.  But, my real successes were zinnias and sunflowers.  I had never before been able to grow a single sunflower.  The chipmunks love the seeds and dig them out.  I tried putting chicken wire down and they got through that.  I tried sprouting them first but they just ate the sprouts.  This year I built a little hot-house frame and grew them in peat pots.  I let them get a foot tall before planting the whole pot into the garden.  Sunflowers don't like to be transplanted so you have to plant the whole pot.  These sunflowers were the Russian Giant variety and they got 8 feet tall and had great big happy flowers.  I have now harvested them and will see if I can get some seeds to eat.  The zinnias were a mistake.  My daughter started them and gave them to me thinking they were peppers.  But they were zinnias, they grew to be six feet tall and are covered with flowers.  Orange, pink, red – just wonderful to cut and bring in the house for a little liveliness of décor in the kitchen.  Now, I will present to you my other reasonable success this year.  First I'll tell you a story.  In the book “ he tells the story of the establishment of the modern state of Israel.   When the settlers were establishing the first Kibbutz, they raised pigs.  Since pigs are not kosher, when they talked about the pigs or listed them in inventory they referred to them as “Turkeys”. Which brings me to my last reasonable success on my garden.   My Columbian Tomatoes.  Now I used to grow the old varieties of these Columbian tomatoes, back in the 70's when it was illegal to do so.  Now in Massachusetts the Columbian Tomatoes are legal to grow for personal purposes.  I bought 20 seeds of a variety of these tomatoes, whimsically called “Purple Kush”.   Don't get me wrong, I don't eat these tomatoes anymore, I just like to grow them. About 15 of them sprouted.  I gave 10 away to friends.  I planted 5 in my garden.  2 survived. But, here we are at the end of September and they are quite vigorous.  They are like little Christmas trees.  About 3-4 feet tall and you can smell them 20 feet away.  I'm not going to try to bring them inside the house.  I'll harvest them when the frost is approaching and hang them in my attic to dry.  If any of you out there have a hankering for Columbian Tomato casserole send me a note. I hear they make excellent baked goods. Oh – and apples.  I've got a tree full of apples.  I've made apple sauce.  I'm eating 6 apples a day.  I'm going to turn into an apple.  That's your garden update.  How was it?  Everything you hoped it would be? OK – In section two I'm going to talk about the supply chain because it's on the top of everyone's mind. But – like I said – in section one I'll talk about starting from scratch.  Here's the thing. I told you I'm doing a fitness project at work.  I leaned in.  Because of that I'm getting these types of questions.  And it's fun and rewarding to be able to answer them.  By leaning in I'm getting rewarded.  Find something you can lean in on and see what comes back to you as a result! On with the show!     About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  Section One – Starting from scratch -   … Chris Twiggs Chris Twiggs As Chief Training Officer at Galloway Training, Chris Twiggs has mentored and coached thousands of runners in local Galloway Training Programs, Galloway Customized Training Plans, and Galloway Charity Partners. Chris is an RRCA Certified Coach, Boston Marathon Qualifier, Ironman distance triathlete, and accomplished ultra-runner (15x Hardrock 100 finisher). He serves on the board of The DONNA Foundation, helping to put on the nation's only marathon dedicated to finishing breast cancer. He also works with dozens of races around the country to provide Galloway Pacers, helping to run/walk/run participants to the finish line with smiles on their faces.   Twitter - @Ctwiggs Instagram - @christwiggs Email -  Section Two – Supply Chain - Outro   Ok my friends we have run-walked through the end of episode 4-464 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Quick updates for you.  My Apocalypse podcast is in it's second season and doing well.  I'm having a lot of fun with that. I haven't been running, but I have been volunteering for races. I volunteered for Wapack and last weekend the local 5K.  Funny story.  The race director is a local guy, used to be the track coach and a pretty good IronMan.  When I saw the email I responded that I could help out.  And, of course, since he knows me, he ended up putting me in charge of the course marshals!  Remember what I told you.  Somewhere near you is a local race that needs your help.  So, that was fun.    I promised an Ollie Wollie update.  We've been through 4 session at K9 now.  Both my wife and I are going which is great.  He's doing really well.  One of the best things is that he's learned to wait at the door for me to go through it and give him the release command.  He's a lot better on the lease.  He sits and stays very well. They don't do treat training at K9.  They are all about the Martingale collar, which is a choke collar.  You correct the dog by giving them a pop on the choke collar.  It doesn't hurt the dog, but it gets his attention.  He's doing great and I think it's giving him confidence.  I had him out in some pretty busy places today and he responded well.  Next week We have a conversation with Murray, one of our runner friends, who is a South African, teaching English in Korea and has written a book about meditation.  To take you out I'll give you an opportunity to do some good!  I'm going to run-walk the virtual Boston Marathon this year for Zero the organization to end prostate cancer.  Since I've got so many people in my life that have been impacted by this stupid disease.  I've set up a page you can donate at.  And since they let you set up a vanity URL I created one that I'm quite proud of And I'm going to put it here at the end of the show so you can go there and do it now. Even if you've just come in from your run, and you're all sweaty, and you can't sit donw at the computer without ruining the chair.  Grab a towel.  Think about all the dads and brother and friends.  And click that link. And I'll see you out there. My Apocalypse show ->     MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-439 – Dave and Duane talk Wapack  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4439.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hello and welcome to episode 4-439 of the RunRunLive podcast.  Today we chat with our friends Duane and David about their adventure on the Wapack Trail.  After I had to bail out they decide to go and run it anyhow.  They had an adventure and learned some lessons so we decided to do a lessons learned conversation.  I ended up ignoring doctor's orders and running the 124th virtual 2020 Boston Marathon and you lucky folks will get one of my wonderfully thoughtful and entertaining race reports.  I know you've missed them so, with the apocalypse and all.  But, it came out quite long, as race reports do, so that's all you get in this episode.  I know I deviously left you with a cliff-hanger in the apocalypse story narrative.  In my own devious way this allows me some more time to work on untying that knot for the next show! That means, I'll start with the interview and close with the race report and that will fill out our agenda.  I'm running out of daylight and I don't want to delay the episode so without further ado… On with the show About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – It's not about the shoes - Voices of reason – the conversation David Foss & Duane Hespell – David does an additional review of his adventure with Duane on his podcast here -> Please enjoy the most recent episode of my Just Plain Dave podcast: 063. Duane and Dave's Excellent Adventure On the Wapack Trail     Section two – 2020 Virtual Boston Marathon Outro Ok my friends we have run 1K loops  through the end of Episode 4-439 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Although I did not get any call from the doctor about the swelling in my leg in time for my marathon run, he did finally give me a call this week.  I nailed it.  He said good news is there is no mass.  There is some sort of swelling.  We don't know what it is, maybe an infection.  Stay off it for a couple weeks and give us call back if it doesn't' go away.” To which I responded, “Yeah, it felt fine when I ran a marathon in my neighborhood on Sunday.”  Oh how we enjoy our little tête-à-tête… He knows better than to give me the “You need 10 sessions of physical therapy” line. Fall is closing in, daylight is fading and I'm going to take it easy for a few weeks.  I'm trying to transition to a weights routine because I feel a bit fragile and weak.  I'd love to go to a gym, with real weights, but I think that ship is still out at sea.  Guess I'll have to figure out how to do it at home. My work is super busy and I quite enjoyed not having to squeeze 2 hours of running into the day for the last couple weeks.  I went out and did an easy 10K with the boys over in Groton with Ollie on the leash.  I couldn't stay put any longer.  Needed to run.  Hope you enjoyed all the adventure here today.  I know I did.  2020 only has 3 more months in it.  Forget abot hunkering down.  Spread your wings and fly.  Push away the sticky carapace of chaos and impose your will and your love on your world.  There are mountains to be climbed and dragons to be slain.  And as you swing that vorpal sword… I'll see you out there. To take you out is Track number 17 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Hawaiian Brian”  MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-439 – Dave and Duane talk Wapack  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4439.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hello and welcome to episode 4-439 of the RunRunLive podcast.  Today we chat with our friends Duane and David about their adventure on the Wapack Trail.  After I had to bail out they decide to go and run it anyhow.  They had an adventure and learned some lessons so we decided to do a lessons learned conversation.  I ended up ignoring doctor’s orders and running the 124th virtual 2020 Boston Marathon and you lucky folks will get one of my wonderfully thoughtful and entertaining race reports.  I know you’ve missed them so, with the apocalypse and all.  But, it came out quite long, as race reports do, so that’s all you get in this episode.  I know I deviously left you with a cliff-hanger in the apocalypse story narrative.  In my own devious way this allows me some more time to work on untying that knot for the next show! That means, I’ll start with the interview and close with the race report and that will fill out our agenda.  I’m running out of daylight and I don’t want to delay the episode so without further ado… On with the show About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – It’s not about the shoes - Voices of reason – the conversation David Foss & Duane Hespell – David does an additional review of his adventure with Duane on his podcast here -> Please enjoy the most recent episode of my Just Plain Dave podcast: 063. Duane and Dave’s Excellent Adventure On the Wapack Trail     Section two – 2020 Virtual Boston Marathon Outro Ok my friends we have run 1K loops  through the end of Episode 4-439 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Although I did not get any call from the doctor about the swelling in my leg in time for my marathon run, he did finally give me a call this week.  I nailed it.  He said good news is there is no mass.  There is some sort of swelling.  We don’t know what it is, maybe an infection.  Stay off it for a couple weeks and give us call back if it doesn’t’ go away.” To which I responded, “Yeah, it felt fine when I ran a marathon in my neighborhood on Sunday.”  Oh how we enjoy our little tête-à-tête… He knows better than to give me the “You need 10 sessions of physical therapy” line. Fall is closing in, daylight is fading and I’m going to take it easy for a few weeks.  I’m trying to transition to a weights routine because I feel a bit fragile and weak.  I’d love to go to a gym, with real weights, but I think that ship is still out at sea.  Guess I’ll have to figure out how to do it at home. My work is super busy and I quite enjoyed not having to squeeze 2 hours of running into the day for the last couple weeks.  I went out and did an easy 10K with the boys over in Groton with Ollie on the leash.  I couldn’t stay put any longer.  Needed to run.  Hope you enjoyed all the adventure here today.  I know I did.  2020 only has 3 more months in it.  Forget abot hunkering down.  Spread your wings and fly.  Push away the sticky carapace of chaos and impose your will and your love on your world.  There are mountains to be climbed and dragons to be slain.  And as you swing that vorpal sword… I’ll see you out there. To take you out is Track number 17 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Hawaiian Brian”  MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

D&D attempt the 43-mile “Wapack and Back” trail ultramarathon. The adventure was a success, even if the total miles run was “only” 31 miles (50 km). Eight lessons learned to increase the chance for success on your next adventure. Plus some musings on history and perspective, and points of reference. I think it is human nature to think that the world as we see it now is “normal.” It’s always been this way . . . . (This episode dedicated to my Uncle John, who is demonstrating many of the strengths of an ultra endurance athlete in the 1,000+ days since his cancer diagnosis)

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-438 – Shop Talk with Brodie  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4438.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hello and welcome to episode 4-438 of the RunRunLive podcast.  I've got a lot of news today, but we will get to that in more in the outro.  Today I recorded a shop talk chat with an Australian dude, Brodie, who I met on Facebook.  He is a physio down under and has a podcast about running without getting injured.  Which it turns out is super ironic.  As for a theme.  I was toying with ‘collaboration', or maybe ‘taking the long view' or maybe even ‘how to be at peace with what the universe gives you'.  I don't know.  We'll just have to see how it comes out.  My training was going well up until the middle of last week.  I finished off this cycle with a 18 mile trail run with the dog last Sunday.  I have been challenged by how busy I am at work.  Surely feeling the stress of time scarcity, whether real or imagined.  In section one I think I'm going to talk about shoes because Brodie brought this up and I think it needs clarification.  In section 2 I'm going to give you part two of the latest apocalypse story where I try my hand at writing some exposition.  I was also feeling a lot of stress around the current news cycles.  So I decided to shut off the incoming feeds.  We all like to think of ourselves as independent of external influences but at the end of the day we are as Pavlovian as Cocker Spaniels.  What you let into your awareness colors your awareness.  The news and social media channels know this.  They also know how to manipulate your emotions.  If you don't believe me try an A-B test on any of your social media.  Publish two pieces of content.  One hopeful and positive.  The other angry and negative.  See which one gets the most response.  The algorithms automatically reinforce our natural negative biases and will drive the anger and outrage to the top of your feeds.  It's a negative reinforcement cycle.  Unfortunately, the news isn't much better.  If it bleeds it leads.  I was starting my days by reading the headlines of the different news feeds I get.  I decided to stop reading the news and I also stopped posting or reading Facebook in particular.  I gave up Twitter a couple years ago.  If you need to reach me send me an email.  I'm still posting on Instagram as cyktrussell if you like pictures of food and dogs. It's too bad.  These are the same tools that allowed me to meet and get to know you, my friends.  Now they are driving us apart.  But at the end of the day it's a choice, right?  You'd like to believe that you can choose how to interact and react and you can control your own emotions from external influences. But in the spirit of balance, the universe also gave back to me when I needed it this week.  All the old running podcasters from a decade ago started interacting on a new audio app called Cappuccino.  This takes us back to that intimate little club of casual runners who used to get together on Twitter in the old days.  It's nice to hear from them.  It's got a bit of an ‘old soldiers' feel to it.  And let's make that the theme for today why don't we?  Old friends. You and I and old friends, On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – It's not about the shoes - Voices of reason – the conversation Brodie Sharpe - Why Brodie Sharpe?   Qualifications & Experience Bachelor of Health Science & Masters of Physiotherapy Practice (2012) The Running Clinic – Certified professional Musculoskeletal injuries for runners online course (Simon Bartold – One of Australia's best running podiatrists) Running Repairs course (Tom Goom – One of the world's leading running physiotherapists) Athletics Victoria Run coaching qualifications Sports Medicine Australia – The Secrets to injury Proofing runners Running specialist guest speaker on: Pushing the limits podcast – Lisa Tamati The Athlete's Garage – Trang Nguyen Published articles in: CEA Magazine So Let's Go Running E-magazine Podcast Host – Everyday Running Legends   Section two – City of the dead 2 – Outro Ok my friends we have collaborates through the end of Episode 4-438 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Let's get on the big news.  I finished up my 1,000 Km run across Tennessee 8/25 as predicted.  Got my belt buckle.  Topped off my training last weekend with a nice long trail run with Ollie.  My plan for this cycle was to run the 42-mile Wapack and back with some buddies and pick up my virtual Boston marathon in the process.  But, life, even this wonderful endurance life does not care about your plans!  Chaos stepped in. The day after I ran the north half of the Wapack with Paul a couple weeks ago I had a little twinge in my right quad.  I was out walking with Ollie in the morning and it felt like a little cramp.  I thought to myself, “huh, must be dehydrated or something” and forgot about it. Then I noticed the lymph node in my right leg was a bit swollen.  No big deal, some sort of bite or scab or nick was causing an immune response.  I had an easy week and it all went away. Then throughout that next hard week I had this ache or itch inside my right quad.  Didn't hurt when I ran, but was a noticeable niggle.  After my big week capped with the big trail run my right quad was noticeably swollen and the lymph node was up again.  It seemed to be spreading down the quad. Still didn't hurt when I ran.  Not a muscle or a tendon thing.  So, I did the smart thing and went to see my doctor.  He was concerned and ordered an MRI.  Told me to stay off it.  He intimated that is may be a hematoma.  Basically, something bleeding in there.  Which kinda makes sense given all the trail running and falling down I did in July and August.  Since I'm a member of the Great American Health Care System, even though I'm one of the privileged with health care, I am 8 phone calls into scheduling the MRI.  Bottom line I had to cancel my plans this weekend.  It's either nothing, or it's something.  We won't know until the MRI, and maybe then we won't know either. And so this big summer trail cycle comes to a close with a whimper instead of a bang.  With the long weekend we'll see when I can get in to do the MRI. I've got a short window to get my Boston Virtual done. May have to walk it.  After that I'm felling like I need to spend the rest of the year working on my flexibility and strength.  I'm feeling a bit week and fragile.  I'll have to figure out how to get back on the weights. Don't worry about me.  It's all part of the journey.  It's been a weird year for everyone and I am certainly blessed.  So, my friends, don't get caught up in the weirdness.  Set your own path.  Take what the universe gives you and make some sweet lemonade, because I most certainly will see you out there. To take you out is Track number 16 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Stars and Solitude”  MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-438 – Shop Talk with Brodie  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4438.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hello and welcome to episode 4-438 of the RunRunLive podcast.  I’ve got a lot of news today, but we will get to that in more in the outro.  Today I recorded a shop talk chat with an Australian dude, Brodie, who I met on Facebook.  He is a physio down under and has a podcast about running without getting injured.  Which it turns out is super ironic.  As for a theme.  I was toying with ‘collaboration’, or maybe ‘taking the long view’ or maybe even ‘how to be at peace with what the universe gives you’.  I don’t know.  We’ll just have to see how it comes out.  My training was going well up until the middle of last week.  I finished off this cycle with a 18 mile trail run with the dog last Sunday.  I have been challenged by how busy I am at work.  Surely feeling the stress of time scarcity, whether real or imagined.  In section one I think I’m going to talk about shoes because Brodie brought this up and I think it needs clarification.  In section 2 I’m going to give you part two of the latest apocalypse story where I try my hand at writing some exposition.  I was also feeling a lot of stress around the current news cycles.  So I decided to shut off the incoming feeds.  We all like to think of ourselves as independent of external influences but at the end of the day we are as Pavlovian as Cocker Spaniels.  What you let into your awareness colors your awareness.  The news and social media channels know this.  They also know how to manipulate your emotions.  If you don’t believe me try an A-B test on any of your social media.  Publish two pieces of content.  One hopeful and positive.  The other angry and negative.  See which one gets the most response.  The algorithms automatically reinforce our natural negative biases and will drive the anger and outrage to the top of your feeds.  It’s a negative reinforcement cycle.  Unfortunately, the news isn’t much better.  If it bleeds it leads.  I was starting my days by reading the headlines of the different news feeds I get.  I decided to stop reading the news and I also stopped posting or reading Facebook in particular.  I gave up Twitter a couple years ago.  If you need to reach me send me an email.  I’m still posting on Instagram as cyktrussell if you like pictures of food and dogs. It’s too bad.  These are the same tools that allowed me to meet and get to know you, my friends.  Now they are driving us apart.  But at the end of the day it’s a choice, right?  You’d like to believe that you can choose how to interact and react and you can control your own emotions from external influences. But in the spirit of balance, the universe also gave back to me when I needed it this week.  All the old running podcasters from a decade ago started interacting on a new audio app called Cappuccino.  This takes us back to that intimate little club of casual runners who used to get together on Twitter in the old days.  It’s nice to hear from them.  It’s got a bit of an ‘old soldiers’ feel to it.  And let’s make that the theme for today why don’t we?  Old friends. You and I and old friends, On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – It’s not about the shoes - Voices of reason – the conversation Brodie Sharpe - Why Brodie Sharpe?   Qualifications & Experience Bachelor of Health Science & Masters of Physiotherapy Practice (2012) The Running Clinic – Certified professional Musculoskeletal injuries for runners online course (Simon Bartold – One of Australia’s best running podiatrists) Running Repairs course (Tom Goom – One of the world’s leading running physiotherapists) Athletics Victoria Run coaching qualifications Sports Medicine Australia – The Secrets to injury Proofing runners Running specialist guest speaker on: Pushing the limits podcast – Lisa Tamati The Athlete’s Garage – Trang Nguyen Published articles in: CEA Magazine So Let’s Go Running E-magazine Podcast Host – Everyday Running Legends   Section two – City of the dead 2 – Outro Ok my friends we have collaborates through the end of Episode 4-438 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Let’s get on the big news.  I finished up my 1,000 Km run across Tennessee 8/25 as predicted.  Got my belt buckle.  Topped off my training last weekend with a nice long trail run with Ollie.  My plan for this cycle was to run the 42-mile Wapack and back with some buddies and pick up my virtual Boston marathon in the process.  But, life, even this wonderful endurance life does not care about your plans!  Chaos stepped in. The day after I ran the north half of the Wapack with Paul a couple weeks ago I had a little twinge in my right quad.  I was out walking with Ollie in the morning and it felt like a little cramp.  I thought to myself, “huh, must be dehydrated or something” and forgot about it. Then I noticed the lymph node in my right leg was a bit swollen.  No big deal, some sort of bite or scab or nick was causing an immune response.  I had an easy week and it all went away. Then throughout that next hard week I had this ache or itch inside my right quad.  Didn’t hurt when I ran, but was a noticeable niggle.  After my big week capped with the big trail run my right quad was noticeably swollen and the lymph node was up again.  It seemed to be spreading down the quad. Still didn’t hurt when I ran.  Not a muscle or a tendon thing.  So, I did the smart thing and went to see my doctor.  He was concerned and ordered an MRI.  Told me to stay off it.  He intimated that is may be a hematoma.  Basically, something bleeding in there.  Which kinda makes sense given all the trail running and falling down I did in July and August.  Since I’m a member of the Great American Health Care System, even though I’m one of the privileged with health care, I am 8 phone calls into scheduling the MRI.  Bottom line I had to cancel my plans this weekend.  It’s either nothing, or it’s something.  We won’t know until the MRI, and maybe then we won’t know either. And so this big summer trail cycle comes to a close with a whimper instead of a bang.  With the long weekend we’ll see when I can get in to do the MRI. I’ve got a short window to get my Boston Virtual done. May have to walk it.  After that I’m felling like I need to spend the rest of the year working on my flexibility and strength.  I’m feeling a bit week and fragile.  I’ll have to figure out how to get back on the weights. Don’t worry about me.  It’s all part of the journey.  It’s been a weird year for everyone and I am certainly blessed.  So, my friends, don’t get caught up in the weirdness.  Set your own path.  Take what the universe gives you and make some sweet lemonade, because I most certainly will see you out there. To take you out is Track number 16 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Stars and Solitude”  MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-437 – Rickey Gates – Across America  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4437.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hello and welcome to episode 4-437 of the RunRunLive podcast.  Today’s theme is journeys.  I connected with Rickey Gates and we have an interesting discussion around his journeys, particularly his 2016 run across America.  This particular journey wasn’t about getting the miles in per se, it was about discovering the heart of the country and finding himself.  And that’s the gift that we get from our endurance sports practices.  Every time we lace up the shoes and leave the house it’s a microcosm of the great journey.  It’s a small version of that unsettled quest we homo sapiens have always had, not only to find what’s on the other side of the next hill but what’s on the other side of our known limits.  In section one I talk about the nuances of doing tempo training in the trails and in section two I wrote another installment of the old man apocalypse story, because Tim asked me to.  This one is going to be the first part of a 3-parter.  I’ve had a decent couple weeks of training.  We got through the hot part of the summer up here and now we are rapidly approaching autumn and fall.  After we last spoke I spent a weekend down at my house on Cape Cod.  I had a big weekend in my training.  Friday night I had a long tempo run and by the time I got the podcast out and drove down it was late afternoon.  I did not feel like going out for a hard, hot, long workout.  I was mad because I packed up my water back pack and my bottle then forgot to put it in the truck in my haste.  It’s so hot and humid and dry on the Cape, with way less tree cover, that you really need a good hydration option. I grabbed a bottle of water and figured I’d give it a try and see how I felt.  I took Ollie and set off across the street to a state park that apparently no one really knows about.  It’s sectioned up by dirt roads and has a couple ponds.  I discovered it while mountain biking and was a bit astonished to realize there was a state park ½ mile from my door that I had been running by for years.  A dirt road on the Cape is a sand road.  The whole place is one big sand dune. I’ve discovered a loop that circumnavigates one of the ponds.  It’s conveniently about a mile from the house, then a short mile of single path through the scrub oak and blueberries around the pond.  For tempo I can just run the loop and when time is up I can jog home  And that’s what I did that Friday night.  Even though I felt shitty and discombobulated going in I felt pretty strong once I warmed up.  Ollie and I got into a rhythm and ran the workout with a reasonable amount of aplomb.  The next day, Saturday, I had a 3-hour bike ride on the schedule and I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to do that with my water pack.  I found a random tradeshow backpack in my truck and I loaded that up with a few bottles of water and some food. I made it all the way from Harwich up the rail trail to the end at the beach in Wellfleet  turned around and came back.  There were a lot of people out on the trail.  I talked to some people wearing PanMass Challenge shirts and apparently that was a virtual event this year as well.  It was Sunday that really had me worried.  It was going to be the hottest day and I had a 3-hour run on the schedule.  The only way I could figure out how to do it safely was to go early and do 3 1-hour out and backs.  I started the first leg around 7:00 AM and headed on the roads over to the rail trail east.  Even at that time of day it was hot in the full sun on the bike trail.  There weren’t many people out yet, mostly serious bikers getting their workouts in before the crowds showed up.  By the time I got back to the house I was soaked like I had been swimming and my single bottle was well-past empty.  But, it was a solid logistical plan.  I drank my fill, ate some fruit, changed my shirt and headed back out.  This time I took the roads east towards Pleasant Bay and Chatham.  I made it down to the ocean and looked around a bit before heading back to the house to refuel again.  Last loop I decide to head back into the state park with Ollie.  He was mental that I was going out and coming back and not taking him.  I figured the park would be easier on me and I could get some shade.  To get there I have to cross a busy road and into an unassuming side road with no signage.  If you didn’t look at the map you’d have no idea there was a park squeezed in there.  Ollie was so amped up he was dragging me on the leash.  As soon as the road turned to sand I let him off.  I was too tired to fight him.  Watching him take off up the dry sand road was like one of those road runner cartoons where all you see is the churning legs and a cloud of dust.  We explored in the park for an hour and I ended up finishing with 18 and a half hot miles.  Ollie was happy.  I was relieved to be done. The next weekend, last weekend I headed back up to the Wapack to do the north half with my buddy Paul.  We dropped a car at the Windblown parking area and started at the northern trail head on the other side of Pack Monadnock.  It was a nice cool morning and we ran the 12 back in a casual 3:19.  Now you may say that that is really slow, but this is all technical mountain running and we weren’t in a hurry.  It was a good outing.  A good journey.  If you look around you’ll see journeys everywhere.  All you need for a journey is a goal or a destination.  Journeys can be physical or spiritual or both.  The ancient Egyptian kings thought of life and death as a journey.  The years were counted from the time the king took the throne.  When he died, he journeyed to the west to become one with the god Amun Rah.  The scribes painted nice, detailed maps on the inside of the coffin lid so they wouldn’t get lost. The the ferryman to take them across the river Styx to the afterworld of Hades. The Christians had the and – each a version of how to make life’s journey in such a way as to make it to heaven. Think about the , with our hero journeying home through mostly self-inflicted challenges.  Or the 20th century modernist version that James Joyce penned about our friend on one peripatetic day in Dublin.  Or wonderfully reimagined by Coppola in . (I know I’m throwing a lot at you, but I linked all these references in the show notes and the post) My point is, whether it’s Huck Finn on the river or Jack Kerouac on the road the Western cannon is filled with physical, metaphorical and spiritual journeys.  That says something about us.  That highlights the deep correlation between our wanderlust and our redemption, our striving and our enlightenment. The questions we ask every day are about where we are in the journey and what’s the destination? We are you?  On with the show! About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Trail Tempo - Voices of reason – the conversation Rickey Gates - Rickey Gates has been described as a “conceptual runner” combining the practice of endurance running with the artistic mediums of photography and writing. After nearly a decade competing on a national and international mountain, trail and ultra running circuit, he took his love for ultra-endurance, storytelling and photography to his project-based runs that have included a run across America, every single street in San Francisco and currently the 50 classic trails of North America. Gates is a deeply curious individual with an immense interest in the inner workings of society, self, nature and the human potential.  His debut book Cross Country published by Chronicle Books, will be released in the spring of 2020. In this book, Gates invites us along on his 3,700 mile journey across the United States through over 200 photographs, stories of individuals and ultimately the innermost depths of his own mind. Cross Country will be released alongside TransAmericana, a feature-length film produced and directed by The Wandering Fever and his sole sponsor, Salomon. CROSS COUNTRY A 3700-MILE RUN TO EXPLORE UNSEEN AMERICA In 2017, professional runner Rickey Gates ran 3,700 miles across the continental United States with just a small backpack and an anthropologist's curiosity to discover the divided America in which we live. In the book Cross Country, Gates documents this epic experience from South Carolina to San Francisco, sharing first-person essays, interviews, and over 200 photographs of the ordinary and extraordinary people and places he saw along the way. While Gates delivers unparalleled insight into the extreme athletic and mental challenge of this transcontinental run, running is not the core focus of Cross Country—it is a story of the remarkable people across the United States who we would otherwise never meet. Cross Country is available online or anywhere else books are sold.   Section two – City of the dead –   Outro Ok my friends we have journeyed through the long gauntlet of Episode 4-437 of the RunRunLive Podcast and ended our quest in the afterworld of delight. My personal journey is going well.  I’m healthy and in good enough shape to manage the 42 miles of the Wapack on the 7th.  I’ve got Eric, and Dave Foss and Duane joining me.  It will probably take us around 12 hours.  When I race the 18-mile version it takes me about 4 hours.  If you extend that out to 42 miles, it’s about 9 and a half hours.  I figure if we are taking our time and enjoying ourselves 12 hours should be good.  But, you never know in a long run like that.  You can get lost.  Someone can half a rough patch.  As part of that run I’ll be doing 26.21 of those miles for the 2020 Boston Marathon.  Supposedly the BAA is sending out some sort of race kit for us to use in our virtual – we’ll see.  The answer is Candide. Remember the quote I was trying to find for my history of agriculture article in the last show?  Well, no sooner did I hit publish then did our friend Keating Vogel, pop back with the answer.  He knew what I was trying to remember right away.  It was not Camus, nor was it Sophocles, it was Candide, by Voltaire that ended with the admonishment to ‘tend your garden’ that I was reading on that airplane so many years ago.  Now I know that makes me sound super nerdy and pedantic – that I was riding around in airplanes in my 20’s reading the classics.  In my defense you could buy those old paperbacks of the classics for 25 cents.  I had a lot of plane time and hunted the book aisles for bargains.  You could always find the classics cheap because teachers would force school kids to read this stuff.  The kids would throw them away as soon as they could. I had to look Candide up because for the life of me I couldn’t remember what it was about – other than those closing lines.  It didn’t make much of an impression on me.  I was probably reading it while elbow deep in complimentary cocktails.  Apparently, it’s a satire about French institutions.  Like the church, the government and the nobility.  And guess what Candide is doing in this novel?  He is on a journey to self-discovery!  So there you go.  It all comes back around.  To finish up Our journey here today I’ll give you the happy update on my virtual race across Tennessee.  As of this morning 8/23/20, I am sitting at 623.5 miles.  This was supposed to be a 1,000-kilometer race but I guess in Tennessee they use different math because I need to get to 635 miles to get my buckle. After today I’ll be at about 630 miles and I’m guessing I’ll finish Tuesday.  If I look back at the months, I ran 182 miles in May, took a week off in June and got behind with only 124 miles.  Bounced back with a stout 185 miles in the heat of July and will end up with about the same in August.  I’m ok with that given I’m only running 4 days a week. What did we learn on this journey?  Well, I think people learned that it looks way easier to keep up with a 5.5 mile a day average then it actually is.  For some of us it’s just part of what we log and it’s no big deal.  For others having to knock out 5.5 miles every day taught them something about themselves.  The mileage doesn’t care if it’s hot, or rainy or if you get sick or if you hurt your back.  The journey grinds on whether you can keep up or not.  But, eventually my friends, no matter how long and difficult a journey you have, you will come out the other side enlightened.  And I’ll see you out there. (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 15 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Brian’s Dirge”  And this is dedicated to my close friend and running buddy Frank, the drummer for the Nays who just got his second hip done last week.  Our journey and our adventures are not done!   Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-437 – Rickey Gates – Across America  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4437.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hello and welcome to episode 4-437 of the RunRunLive podcast.  Today's theme is journeys.  I connected with Rickey Gates and we have an interesting discussion around his journeys, particularly his 2016 run across America.  This particular journey wasn't about getting the miles in per se, it was about discovering the heart of the country and finding himself.  And that's the gift that we get from our endurance sports practices.  Every time we lace up the shoes and leave the house it's a microcosm of the great journey.  It's a small version of that unsettled quest we homo sapiens have always had, not only to find what's on the other side of the next hill but what's on the other side of our known limits.  In section one I talk about the nuances of doing tempo training in the trails and in section two I wrote another installment of the old man apocalypse story, because Tim asked me to.  This one is going to be the first part of a 3-parter.  I've had a decent couple weeks of training.  We got through the hot part of the summer up here and now we are rapidly approaching autumn and fall.  After we last spoke I spent a weekend down at my house on Cape Cod.  I had a big weekend in my training.  Friday night I had a long tempo run and by the time I got the podcast out and drove down it was late afternoon.  I did not feel like going out for a hard, hot, long workout.  I was mad because I packed up my water back pack and my bottle then forgot to put it in the truck in my haste.  It's so hot and humid and dry on the Cape, with way less tree cover, that you really need a good hydration option. I grabbed a bottle of water and figured I'd give it a try and see how I felt.  I took Ollie and set off across the street to a state park that apparently no one really knows about.  It's sectioned up by dirt roads and has a couple ponds.  I discovered it while mountain biking and was a bit astonished to realize there was a state park ½ mile from my door that I had been running by for years.  A dirt road on the Cape is a sand road.  The whole place is one big sand dune. I've discovered a loop that circumnavigates one of the ponds.  It's conveniently about a mile from the house, then a short mile of single path through the scrub oak and blueberries around the pond.  For tempo I can just run the loop and when time is up I can jog home  And that's what I did that Friday night.  Even though I felt shitty and discombobulated going in I felt pretty strong once I warmed up.  Ollie and I got into a rhythm and ran the workout with a reasonable amount of aplomb.  The next day, Saturday, I had a 3-hour bike ride on the schedule and I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do that with my water pack.  I found a random tradeshow backpack in my truck and I loaded that up with a few bottles of water and some food. I made it all the way from Harwich up the rail trail to the end at the beach in Wellfleet  turned around and came back.  There were a lot of people out on the trail.  I talked to some people wearing PanMass Challenge shirts and apparently that was a virtual event this year as well.  It was Sunday that really had me worried.  It was going to be the hottest day and I had a 3-hour run on the schedule.  The only way I could figure out how to do it safely was to go early and do 3 1-hour out and backs.  I started the first leg around 7:00 AM and headed on the roads over to the rail trail east.  Even at that time of day it was hot in the full sun on the bike trail.  There weren't many people out yet, mostly serious bikers getting their workouts in before the crowds showed up.  By the time I got back to the house I was soaked like I had been swimming and my single bottle was well-past empty.  But, it was a solid logistical plan.  I drank my fill, ate some fruit, changed my shirt and headed back out.  This time I took the roads east towards Pleasant Bay and Chatham.  I made it down to the ocean and looked around a bit before heading back to the house to refuel again.  Last loop I decide to head back into the state park with Ollie.  He was mental that I was going out and coming back and not taking him.  I figured the park would be easier on me and I could get some shade.  To get there I have to cross a busy road and into an unassuming side road with no signage.  If you didn't look at the map you'd have no idea there was a park squeezed in there.  Ollie was so amped up he was dragging me on the leash.  As soon as the road turned to sand I let him off.  I was too tired to fight him.  Watching him take off up the dry sand road was like one of those road runner cartoons where all you see is the churning legs and a cloud of dust.  We explored in the park for an hour and I ended up finishing with 18 and a half hot miles.  Ollie was happy.  I was relieved to be done. The next weekend, last weekend I headed back up to the Wapack to do the north half with my buddy Paul.  We dropped a car at the Windblown parking area and started at the northern trail head on the other side of Pack Monadnock.  It was a nice cool morning and we ran the 12 back in a casual 3:19.  Now you may say that that is really slow, but this is all technical mountain running and we weren't in a hurry.  It was a good outing.  A good journey.  If you look around you'll see journeys everywhere.  All you need for a journey is a goal or a destination.  Journeys can be physical or spiritual or both.  The ancient Egyptian kings thought of life and death as a journey.  The years were counted from the time the king took the throne.  When he died, he journeyed to the west to become one with the god Amun Rah.  The scribes painted nice, detailed maps on the inside of the coffin lid so they wouldn't get lost. The the ferryman to take them across the river Styx to the afterworld of Hades. The Christians had the and – each a version of how to make life's journey in such a way as to make it to heaven. Think about the , with our hero journeying home through mostly self-inflicted challenges.  Or the 20th century modernist version that James Joyce penned about our friend on one peripatetic day in Dublin.  Or wonderfully reimagined by Coppola in . (I know I'm throwing a lot at you, but I linked all these references in the show notes and the post) My point is, whether it's Huck Finn on the river or Jack Kerouac on the road the Western cannon is filled with physical, metaphorical and spiritual journeys.  That says something about us.  That highlights the deep correlation between our wanderlust and our redemption, our striving and our enlightenment. The questions we ask every day are about where we are in the journey and what's the destination? We are you?  On with the show! About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Trail Tempo - Voices of reason – the conversation Rickey Gates - Rickey Gates has been described as a “conceptual runner” combining the practice of endurance running with the artistic mediums of photography and writing. After nearly a decade competing on a national and international mountain, trail and ultra running circuit, he took his love for ultra-endurance, storytelling and photography to his project-based runs that have included a run across America, every single street in San Francisco and currently the 50 classic trails of North America. Gates is a deeply curious individual with an immense interest in the inner workings of society, self, nature and the human potential.  His debut book Cross Country published by Chronicle Books, will be released in the spring of 2020. In this book, Gates invites us along on his 3,700 mile journey across the United States through over 200 photographs, stories of individuals and ultimately the innermost depths of his own mind. Cross Country will be released alongside TransAmericana, a feature-length film produced and directed by The Wandering Fever and his sole sponsor, Salomon. CROSS COUNTRY A 3700-MILE RUN TO EXPLORE UNSEEN AMERICA In 2017, professional runner Rickey Gates ran 3,700 miles across the continental United States with just a small backpack and an anthropologist's curiosity to discover the divided America in which we live. In the book Cross Country, Gates documents this epic experience from South Carolina to San Francisco, sharing first-person essays, interviews, and over 200 photographs of the ordinary and extraordinary people and places he saw along the way. While Gates delivers unparalleled insight into the extreme athletic and mental challenge of this transcontinental run, running is not the core focus of Cross Country—it is a story of the remarkable people across the United States who we would otherwise never meet. Cross Country is available online or anywhere else books are sold.   Section two – City of the dead –   Outro Ok my friends we have journeyed through the long gauntlet of Episode 4-437 of the RunRunLive Podcast and ended our quest in the afterworld of delight. My personal journey is going well.  I'm healthy and in good enough shape to manage the 42 miles of the Wapack on the 7th.  I've got Eric, and Dave Foss and Duane joining me.  It will probably take us around 12 hours.  When I race the 18-mile version it takes me about 4 hours.  If you extend that out to 42 miles, it's about 9 and a half hours.  I figure if we are taking our time and enjoying ourselves 12 hours should be good.  But, you never know in a long run like that.  You can get lost.  Someone can half a rough patch.  As part of that run I'll be doing 26.21 of those miles for the 2020 Boston Marathon.  Supposedly the BAA is sending out some sort of race kit for us to use in our virtual – we'll see.  The answer is Candide. Remember the quote I was trying to find for my history of agriculture article in the last show?  Well, no sooner did I hit publish then did our friend Keating Vogel, pop back with the answer.  He knew what I was trying to remember right away.  It was not Camus, nor was it Sophocles, it was Candide, by Voltaire that ended with the admonishment to ‘tend your garden' that I was reading on that airplane so many years ago.  Now I know that makes me sound super nerdy and pedantic – that I was riding around in airplanes in my 20's reading the classics.  In my defense you could buy those old paperbacks of the classics for 25 cents.  I had a lot of plane time and hunted the book aisles for bargains.  You could always find the classics cheap because teachers would force school kids to read this stuff.  The kids would throw them away as soon as they could. I had to look Candide up because for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was about – other than those closing lines.  It didn't make much of an impression on me.  I was probably reading it while elbow deep in complimentary cocktails.  Apparently, it's a satire about French institutions.  Like the church, the government and the nobility.  And guess what Candide is doing in this novel?  He is on a journey to self-discovery!  So there you go.  It all comes back around.  To finish up Our journey here today I'll give you the happy update on my virtual race across Tennessee.  As of this morning 8/23/20, I am sitting at 623.5 miles.  This was supposed to be a 1,000-kilometer race but I guess in Tennessee they use different math because I need to get to 635 miles to get my buckle. After today I'll be at about 630 miles and I'm guessing I'll finish Tuesday.  If I look back at the months, I ran 182 miles in May, took a week off in June and got behind with only 124 miles.  Bounced back with a stout 185 miles in the heat of July and will end up with about the same in August.  I'm ok with that given I'm only running 4 days a week. What did we learn on this journey?  Well, I think people learned that it looks way easier to keep up with a 5.5 mile a day average then it actually is.  For some of us it's just part of what we log and it's no big deal.  For others having to knock out 5.5 miles every day taught them something about themselves.  The mileage doesn't care if it's hot, or rainy or if you get sick or if you hurt your back.  The journey grinds on whether you can keep up or not.  But, eventually my friends, no matter how long and difficult a journey you have, you will come out the other side enlightened.  And I'll see you out there. (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 15 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Brian's Dirge”  And this is dedicated to my close friend and running buddy Frank, the drummer for the Nays who just got his second hip done last week.  Our journey and our adventures are not done!   Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-436 – Farm to Fork Fondo  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4435.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hellos and welcome to the badly delayed episode 4-436 of the RunRunLive podcast.  Today's show is about farming.  It's about growing things.  It's about the late summer harvest of ideas and endurance.  We have a chat with retired professional cyclist Tyler Wren who has started a post-pro life around supporting local farms in Vermont called farm to fork fitness.  I ran into him because I've been doing a long bike ride at least once a week and thinking about the impact that the current apocalypse has had on these local farms and families.  With the restaurants closed it impact specialized growers adversely.  The specialized stuff, the local stuff, is the good for you stuff.  I'd hate to see even more of them disappear.  To see even more beautiful tracks of rural land turned into vacation condos.  In section one I'm going to muse on what my running has taught me in the month of July as I push through the heat and humidity.  In section two I'm going to talk about the history of agriculture.   Because, that's our theme.  I'm doing fine, just busy with work and training and my wife needing me to do pointless man-things like paint the house.  It all stacks up and, you, my unfortunate friends are made to suffer the vacuum of my attentions.  I'm healthy.  Ollie is healthy.  We've been getting in a lot of miles in the trails.  I'm starting to move into some fairly good volume as I target running the Wapack and back with Eric and anyone else who wants to come next month.  More about that in the outro. … My own garden is hit and miss this year.  I planted a lot of squash but it seems to have gotten a late start and I'm only getting a few.  Whereas in other years I've gotten piles of zucchini and summer squash, this year only a few have battled through.  The root borers are into the stalks now and that usually kills anything left. My berry patch has been less than spectacular as well.  I have a very mature and robust patch of red raspberries.  These are hybrids and have multiple sets of large berries.  But I've also got a bunch of the native black raspberry canes that are muscling their way into my garden like unwanted ruffians at a genteel social event.  Both of these typically overwhelm me with berries. Not this year.  We seem to have a boom in wildlife.  Something ate most of my red raspberries. I think it's the birds.  I'm getting the Black ones now but they are getting poached as well.  In other years I would pull several pints a week out of the patch. This year I have salvaged barely enough to flavor 2 bowls of oatmeal. My tomatoes are just coming on now.  A few weeks late.  I'm keeping an eye on them because I have a chipmunk problem as well.  The chipmunks won't necessarily eat your tomatoes and squash but they will bite into them.  The rodents also burrow around a bit as well.  Ripping up the plants in general.  They got my curly parsley.  I had it growing in a pot in my garden and something burrowed into the pot and ate the root.  Left the parsley.  Ate the root.  Then the next day they came back and ate the parsley.  Not sure whether that was the chipmunk or some other kind of rodent.  It was a very precisely executed crime.  I suspect on orders of the rodent syndicate. Understand that my garden is heavily fortified.  This isn't my first rodent rodeo.  I've got a 4-foot fence with chicken wire buried into the ground.  That keeps the Woodchucks and rabbits out.  Speaking of rabbits and woodchucks, I've given up on trying to trap the woodchucks and rabbits in the yard this year.  There are so many of them.  There's only one reasonable solution. I'm going to have to get a falcon.  Yup.  I'll stand out there like an angry old god, whisper something to my hooded assassin and let my falcon swoop down and rain terror from above on all the various and sundry critters that impede my green thumb.  I will be the raptor rodent apocalypse. I've got some cucumbers coming, but those are late as well.  I have some pepper plants that seem to be doing well.  I replanted some beans that never came up and should have some of those to eat at the end of the month.  The only successful plant in my garden is the kale.  Successful in the sense that I've got enough if I want to eat kale for lunch. The challenge with the kale is that it gets the cabbage worms on it and you can either spray them of try to pick them off.  It's a battle that is currently about a tie.  Each day I go out and pick off and squish as many as I can find but each day the kale is full of holes like Swiss cheese. So that's it.  Hours of gardening to produce a handful of berries and some buggy kale.  If I was farming for a living I would have starved to death years ago.  Each day I go out, because I'm working from home int eh apocalypse, and gather what ever seems to be ripe enough for my lunch salad.  I try to scrub the worms off the kale, but I know I'm eating a lot of bugs in my salads. It's probably good for me.  They recently re-examined human coprolites from the Paisley Caves in Oregon.  These had been dated to more than 14,000 years old.  The great glaciers were beating a hasty retreat.  The trouble was that everyone though homo sapiens only arrived 13,000 years ago.  They wrote these coprolites off as animal scat that was tainted by human handling.  recently they discovered that this was indeed human poop from 14,000 years ago.  They were able to section that poop and see what we were eating as hunters and gatherers.  Turns out there wasn't a lot of mastodon and buffalo.  Sure, there was the occasional bit of mammoth, but it was mostly plants and seeds and rodents with a fair number of insect carapaces.  It would seem I haven't progressed too far from  therewith my own garden.  Think about that today as we talk about farming.  I have the advantage of water and modern seeds and I probably pulling 180 calories of vegetable out of that garden on a given day.  Think about the early farmers who had to grow enough calories to last a whole year, and that after giving 30% to some tyrant. It's not an easy job.  But there is something worthy about it.  There is something basic about getting your hands into the hot, wet soil and creating, nurturing the green things.  Weeding is contemplative.  Picking the perfect heirloom tomato warm from the vine is an act of fulfillment. To be one of those self-important jerks who like to quote people, Kahil Gilbrainsaid “And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ” On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – What I heard this week - Voices of reason – the conversation Tyler Wren - Farm to Fork Farm to Fork Mission To highlight and support the symbiotic relationship between everyday athletes, farmers, and beautiful landscapes MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER     Tyler Wren here, founder of Wrenegade Sports. When I retired from my 13 years of professional cycling I wanted to do something meaningful, something that would allow me to share some of the best parts of my fitness career with the world in way that could have a positive social impact, while still being just plain fun. I've run and ridden my bike thousands and thousands of miles over the world and I've learned to cherish the days when I find myself rolling along on beautiful, quiet country roads. Sadly, as many who love these charming places, I've realized that peaceful rural landscapes and lonely country roads are endangered species. As athletes, it is natural for us to support land owners who are able to preserve the open space that we enjoy so much on our bicycles and in our fitness adventures. These landowners use that land to grow food that can make us better athletes and healthier people. With the Farm to Fork Fitness Adventure series, I want people to experience beautiful iconic farmland through exercise, meet the hardworking farmers who are fighting the good fight, learn about the pressures that these farms face, and have a great time in the process. All of the funds raised by the Wrenegade Foundation's Farm to Fork Healthy Communities Program is donated to local farms and community organizations. That means at the end of each Farm to Fork event, Wrenegade Foundation will be cutting checks to help local farmers with projects like building a new farm stand or creating a new website, and to help local organizations advance their causes like preserving the area's beautiful pastoral open space.  At Wrenegade Sports, we strive to whip up the perfect combinations of health, social good, community and fun into unique and awesome events. Find out more at the website   VOLUNTEER COMPETITION     In 2019, donated more than $40,000 to local organizations in our host communities via our Farm to Fork Volunteer Competitions. In 2020 we'll be giving away even more, and your votes help decide which groups get the biggest donations. At each Farm to Fork event, all the volunteers will be assigned to teams that each represent a different area farm or charitable organization. From the registration tent to the last aid station, you will be greeted and cheered on by volunteers who are competing to bring the most spirit to the day. Ask questions of the volunteer teams to get to know them, their missions, and what makes the event host community unique. At the end of your ride, you will vote for your favorite team and help determine the size of the cash donations we give. The Volunteer Competition is supported by tax-deductible participant donations to , sponsors, and 100% of all raffle ticket sales.    Section two – Agriculture  – Outro Ok my friends we have planted and weeded and harvested Episode 4-436 of the RunRunLive Podcast. I'm still working from home.  I've pushed my mileage up a notch by adding a long run into Sundays.  This weekend I'll do 3 hours.  But, this is at the end of a hard workout on Friday and a long bike ride on Saturday – so it's significant, for me.  I feel strong.  I've been having some fatigue and I need to watch my dehydration at times but I feel strong.  Ollie has been getting out with me on most runs.  He's still crazy but he's good with people and other dogs in the woods so I can let him off leash.  His longest run so far is 14 miles.  He's lost all the baby fat and he's lean ad hard.  A real athlete.  My plan to run the Wapack and back on September 7th has been finalized.  It's 43 mile s of technical mountain running.  Eric is coming up from Missouri.  I plan to log the firs 26.2 as my 2020 Boston Marathon.  That will be my 21st Boston.  We've had the storms, the heat and the bombs.  Now we get the trails.  I went out with my buddy Paul a couple weekends back and we did 13 miles of the Wapack.  It was a beautiful, bright July day.  We were out for just under 4 hours but I felt fine.  Eric, make sure to bring your camera and we'll make one of those cool race movies! I've been reading a lot and working a lot.  I read my way through a 5 book SciFi series called “The Lost Fleet”.  Who knows when I'll need to know how to maneuver a space fleet in battle at near relativistic speeds, but when I do, I'll be ready.  After Wapack, I don't know what I'll train for.  Maybe I'll treat the Groton Marathon as a real race and train for it?  Who knows.  I'm out of qualification and I'm going to be 58 this fall.  That means I still have to qualify at the harder standard if I want to keep running Boston.  Some little voice inside is whispering that it just isn't that important anymore.  I read Rickey Gate's book about running across America last night.  It was mostly photos.  I still think I'd like to do that.  It seems so real and so visceral.  I'm talking to him about having a chat.  I've been wearing my old two-bottle slant pack on my trail runs.  I don't need the bottles but I use the pack to carry my old iPhone so I can listen to podcasts without having to carry the phone.  That's my kit.  A bottle in one hand, the dogs leash wrapped around the other, my JayBird Tarah Bluetooth headphones and the old two-bottle waist pack to carry the phone.  It occurred to me that it gives me two empty bottle slots which I use to pickup litter.  I keep an eye out on my road sections for cans and bottles that have been thrown out the windows of passing cars.  I've made a game out of trying to pick up my 2-can quota on my runs.  Most of them I can return for a nickel with my other recyclables. We play these games, don't we.  We tell these stories.  Each run, each set of runs is its own narrative.  The run is an empty envelope that we fill with our stories.  In this isolated world of apocalypse we create stories to fill the void.  To find meaning. To keep sane.  I read a great article on not having enough time to do everything you want.  I'll link to it .  The author, Kira Newman, explains how that feeling of never having enough time works. If the work you do gives you a sense of accomplishment you don't see it as wasted time.  Instead of being the 100 things you have to do before you can do what you want it is the list of things you accomplish.  There's a subtle difference and it makes a difference on how we perceive time spent. When we see our activities as in conflict with each other we feel more stress about time scarcity.  I can either do this or do that.  They compete for the same time resource.  People who see those competing activities as additive and congruent don't feel the time stress.  It's ‘this or that' in their minds it's ‘this and that'.  Again, a subtle difference, but a big one in terms of perception. What it really comes down to is a sense of control.  If you feel like you're in control of your time you won't feel time stress for the same amount of activity.  That's why planning helps sometimes.  Until it doesn't' help.  Right now I'm having one of those days where my plan had me finished my workout and the podcast and on my way to the Cape an hour ago.  That didn't happen and now I'm throwing things out of the boat to try to keep up.  It turns out that money doesn't' help either.  There is a direct correlation between how much money you have and how much time stress you have.  It's not the correlation you'd expect.  Rich people see their time as more valuable and they have more time stress.  What can you do?  Why do you care?  You can't do everything.  Choose a comfortable mix of things you want to do and things you need to do.  Don't stress about it.  You can workout when you get to the Cape.  You don't really need to clean the chain on your bike.  Do what you can.  Let the rest go.  It turns out that time stress has nothing to do with how much time you have because we all have the same amount of time.  Time stress is caused by the way you value your time and its use.   Make your decisions and find comfort in that control.  You have the control over your choice and nobody is goin g to care in 14,000 years whether you cleaned the toilets today. And I'll see you out there. (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 14 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Bobby LeFavre” – which I thought I put into the last show but I thin I missed it – because, hey, yah know, I was behind schedule and in a rush! Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-436 – Farm to Fork Fondo  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4435.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hellos and welcome to the badly delayed episode 4-436 of the RunRunLive podcast.  Today’s show is about farming.  It’s about growing things.  It’s about the late summer harvest of ideas and endurance.  We have a chat with retired professional cyclist Tyler Wren who has started a post-pro life around supporting local farms in Vermont called farm to fork fitness.  I ran into him because I’ve been doing a long bike ride at least once a week and thinking about the impact that the current apocalypse has had on these local farms and families.  With the restaurants closed it impact specialized growers adversely.  The specialized stuff, the local stuff, is the good for you stuff.  I’d hate to see even more of them disappear.  To see even more beautiful tracks of rural land turned into vacation condos.  In section one I’m going to muse on what my running has taught me in the month of July as I push through the heat and humidity.  In section two I’m going to talk about the history of agriculture.   Because, that’s our theme.  I’m doing fine, just busy with work and training and my wife needing me to do pointless man-things like paint the house.  It all stacks up and, you, my unfortunate friends are made to suffer the vacuum of my attentions.  I’m healthy.  Ollie is healthy.  We’ve been getting in a lot of miles in the trails.  I’m starting to move into some fairly good volume as I target running the Wapack and back with Eric and anyone else who wants to come next month.  More about that in the outro. … My own garden is hit and miss this year.  I planted a lot of squash but it seems to have gotten a late start and I’m only getting a few.  Whereas in other years I’ve gotten piles of zucchini and summer squash, this year only a few have battled through.  The root borers are into the stalks now and that usually kills anything left. My berry patch has been less than spectacular as well.  I have a very mature and robust patch of red raspberries.  These are hybrids and have multiple sets of large berries.  But I’ve also got a bunch of the native black raspberry canes that are muscling their way into my garden like unwanted ruffians at a genteel social event.  Both of these typically overwhelm me with berries. Not this year.  We seem to have a boom in wildlife.  Something ate most of my red raspberries. I think it’s the birds.  I’m getting the Black ones now but they are getting poached as well.  In other years I would pull several pints a week out of the patch. This year I have salvaged barely enough to flavor 2 bowls of oatmeal. My tomatoes are just coming on now.  A few weeks late.  I’m keeping an eye on them because I have a chipmunk problem as well.  The chipmunks won’t necessarily eat your tomatoes and squash but they will bite into them.  The rodents also burrow around a bit as well.  Ripping up the plants in general.  They got my curly parsley.  I had it growing in a pot in my garden and something burrowed into the pot and ate the root.  Left the parsley.  Ate the root.  Then the next day they came back and ate the parsley.  Not sure whether that was the chipmunk or some other kind of rodent.  It was a very precisely executed crime.  I suspect on orders of the rodent syndicate. Understand that my garden is heavily fortified.  This isn’t my first rodent rodeo.  I’ve got a 4-foot fence with chicken wire buried into the ground.  That keeps the Woodchucks and rabbits out.  Speaking of rabbits and woodchucks, I’ve given up on trying to trap the woodchucks and rabbits in the yard this year.  There are so many of them.  There’s only one reasonable solution. I’m going to have to get a falcon.  Yup.  I’ll stand out there like an angry old god, whisper something to my hooded assassin and let my falcon swoop down and rain terror from above on all the various and sundry critters that impede my green thumb.  I will be the raptor rodent apocalypse. I’ve got some cucumbers coming, but those are late as well.  I have some pepper plants that seem to be doing well.  I replanted some beans that never came up and should have some of those to eat at the end of the month.  The only successful plant in my garden is the kale.  Successful in the sense that I’ve got enough if I want to eat kale for lunch. The challenge with the kale is that it gets the cabbage worms on it and you can either spray them of try to pick them off.  It’s a battle that is currently about a tie.  Each day I go out and pick off and squish as many as I can find but each day the kale is full of holes like Swiss cheese. So that’s it.  Hours of gardening to produce a handful of berries and some buggy kale.  If I was farming for a living I would have starved to death years ago.  Each day I go out, because I’m working from home int eh apocalypse, and gather what ever seems to be ripe enough for my lunch salad.  I try to scrub the worms off the kale, but I know I’m eating a lot of bugs in my salads. It’s probably good for me.  They recently re-examined human coprolites from the Paisley Caves in Oregon.  These had been dated to more than 14,000 years old.  The great glaciers were beating a hasty retreat.  The trouble was that everyone though homo sapiens only arrived 13,000 years ago.  They wrote these coprolites off as animal scat that was tainted by human handling.  recently they discovered that this was indeed human poop from 14,000 years ago.  They were able to section that poop and see what we were eating as hunters and gatherers.  Turns out there wasn’t a lot of mastodon and buffalo.  Sure, there was the occasional bit of mammoth, but it was mostly plants and seeds and rodents with a fair number of insect carapaces.  It would seem I haven’t progressed too far from  therewith my own garden.  Think about that today as we talk about farming.  I have the advantage of water and modern seeds and I probably pulling 180 calories of vegetable out of that garden on a given day.  Think about the early farmers who had to grow enough calories to last a whole year, and that after giving 30% to some tyrant. It’s not an easy job.  But there is something worthy about it.  There is something basic about getting your hands into the hot, wet soil and creating, nurturing the green things.  Weeding is contemplative.  Picking the perfect heirloom tomato warm from the vine is an act of fulfillment. To be one of those self-important jerks who like to quote people, Kahil Gilbrainsaid “And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ” On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – What I heard this week - Voices of reason – the conversation Tyler Wren - Farm to Fork Farm to Fork Mission To highlight and support the symbiotic relationship between everyday athletes, farmers, and beautiful landscapes MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER     Tyler Wren here, founder of Wrenegade Sports. When I retired from my 13 years of professional cycling I wanted to do something meaningful, something that would allow me to share some of the best parts of my fitness career with the world in way that could have a positive social impact, while still being just plain fun. I've run and ridden my bike thousands and thousands of miles over the world and I've learned to cherish the days when I find myself rolling along on beautiful, quiet country roads. Sadly, as many who love these charming places, I've realized that peaceful rural landscapes and lonely country roads are endangered species. As athletes, it is natural for us to support land owners who are able to preserve the open space that we enjoy so much on our bicycles and in our fitness adventures. These landowners use that land to grow food that can make us better athletes and healthier people. With the Farm to Fork Fitness Adventure series, I want people to experience beautiful iconic farmland through exercise, meet the hardworking farmers who are fighting the good fight, learn about the pressures that these farms face, and have a great time in the process. All of the funds raised by the Wrenegade Foundation’s Farm to Fork Healthy Communities Program is donated to local farms and community organizations. That means at the end of each Farm to Fork event, Wrenegade Foundation will be cutting checks to help local farmers with projects like building a new farm stand or creating a new website, and to help local organizations advance their causes like preserving the area’s beautiful pastoral open space.  At Wrenegade Sports, we strive to whip up the perfect combinations of health, social good, community and fun into unique and awesome events. Find out more at the website   VOLUNTEER COMPETITION     In 2019, donated more than $40,000 to local organizations in our host communities via our Farm to Fork Volunteer Competitions. In 2020 we'll be giving away even more, and your votes help decide which groups get the biggest donations. At each Farm to Fork event, all the volunteers will be assigned to teams that each represent a different area farm or charitable organization. From the registration tent to the last aid station, you will be greeted and cheered on by volunteers who are competing to bring the most spirit to the day. Ask questions of the volunteer teams to get to know them, their missions, and what makes the event host community unique. At the end of your ride, you will vote for your favorite team and help determine the size of the cash donations we give. The Volunteer Competition is supported by tax-deductible participant donations to , sponsors, and 100% of all raffle ticket sales.    Section two – Agriculture  – Outro Ok my friends we have planted and weeded and harvested Episode 4-436 of the RunRunLive Podcast. I’m still working from home.  I’ve pushed my mileage up a notch by adding a long run into Sundays.  This weekend I’ll do 3 hours.  But, this is at the end of a hard workout on Friday and a long bike ride on Saturday – so it’s significant, for me.  I feel strong.  I’ve been having some fatigue and I need to watch my dehydration at times but I feel strong.  Ollie has been getting out with me on most runs.  He’s still crazy but he’s good with people and other dogs in the woods so I can let him off leash.  His longest run so far is 14 miles.  He’s lost all the baby fat and he’s lean ad hard.  A real athlete.  My plan to run the Wapack and back on September 7th has been finalized.  It’s 43 mile s of technical mountain running.  Eric is coming up from Missouri.  I plan to log the firs 26.2 as my 2020 Boston Marathon.  That will be my 21st Boston.  We’ve had the storms, the heat and the bombs.  Now we get the trails.  I went out with my buddy Paul a couple weekends back and we did 13 miles of the Wapack.  It was a beautiful, bright July day.  We were out for just under 4 hours but I felt fine.  Eric, make sure to bring your camera and we’ll make one of those cool race movies! I’ve been reading a lot and working a lot.  I read my way through a 5 book SciFi series called “The Lost Fleet”.  Who knows when I’ll need to know how to maneuver a space fleet in battle at near relativistic speeds, but when I do, I’ll be ready.  After Wapack, I don’t know what I’ll train for.  Maybe I’ll treat the Groton Marathon as a real race and train for it?  Who knows.  I’m out of qualification and I’m going to be 58 this fall.  That means I still have to qualify at the harder standard if I want to keep running Boston.  Some little voice inside is whispering that it just isn’t that important anymore.  I read Rickey Gate’s book about running across America last night.  It was mostly photos.  I still think I’d like to do that.  It seems so real and so visceral.  I’m talking to him about having a chat.  I’ve been wearing my old two-bottle slant pack on my trail runs.  I don’t need the bottles but I use the pack to carry my old iPhone so I can listen to podcasts without having to carry the phone.  That’s my kit.  A bottle in one hand, the dogs leash wrapped around the other, my JayBird Tarah Bluetooth headphones and the old two-bottle waist pack to carry the phone.  It occurred to me that it gives me two empty bottle slots which I use to pickup litter.  I keep an eye out on my road sections for cans and bottles that have been thrown out the windows of passing cars.  I’ve made a game out of trying to pick up my 2-can quota on my runs.  Most of them I can return for a nickel with my other recyclables. We play these games, don’t we.  We tell these stories.  Each run, each set of runs is its own narrative.  The run is an empty envelope that we fill with our stories.  In this isolated world of apocalypse we create stories to fill the void.  To find meaning. To keep sane.  I read a great article on not having enough time to do everything you want.  I’ll link to it .  The author, Kira Newman, explains how that feeling of never having enough time works. If the work you do gives you a sense of accomplishment you don’t see it as wasted time.  Instead of being the 100 things you have to do before you can do what you want it is the list of things you accomplish.  There’s a subtle difference and it makes a difference on how we perceive time spent. When we see our activities as in conflict with each other we feel more stress about time scarcity.  I can either do this or do that.  They compete for the same time resource.  People who see those competing activities as additive and congruent don’t feel the time stress.  It’s ‘this or that’ in their minds it’s ‘this and that’.  Again, a subtle difference, but a big one in terms of perception. What it really comes down to is a sense of control.  If you feel like you’re in control of your time you won’t feel time stress for the same amount of activity.  That’s why planning helps sometimes.  Until it doesn’t’ help.  Right now I’m having one of those days where my plan had me finished my workout and the podcast and on my way to the Cape an hour ago.  That didn’t happen and now I’m throwing things out of the boat to try to keep up.  It turns out that money doesn’t’ help either.  There is a direct correlation between how much money you have and how much time stress you have.  It’s not the correlation you’d expect.  Rich people see their time as more valuable and they have more time stress.  What can you do?  Why do you care?  You can’t do everything.  Choose a comfortable mix of things you want to do and things you need to do.  Don’t stress about it.  You can workout when you get to the Cape.  You don’t really need to clean the chain on your bike.  Do what you can.  Let the rest go.  It turns out that time stress has nothing to do with how much time you have because we all have the same amount of time.  Time stress is caused by the way you value your time and its use.   Make your decisions and find comfort in that control.  You have the control over your choice and nobody is goin g to care in 14,000 years whether you cleaned the toilets today. And I’ll see you out there. (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 14 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Bobby LeFavre” – which I thought I put into the last show but I thin I missed it – because, hey, yah know, I was behind schedule and in a rush! Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-435 – The Athlete's Gut  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4435.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hey Folks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-435 of the RunRunLive Podcast. So, here we are.  Mid-July in New England.  And all that brings with it.  The deer flies are thick as college students on a Florida beach.  The days are long and weather is a dirty soup-like mixture that drains the sap right out of you when you're outside.  People are slowing down a bit and easing off to vacation houses for a bit of lock-down in a different place.   Ollie and I have been getting out for 8 or so miles in the woods 3 days a week. Then I've been mixing in a long bike ride on Saturday with a longish run on Sunday mornings.  My legs are tired but I have a good cadence going.  Even with only 4 days of running I'll end up with 40 miles this week.  I'm catching up on the Great Virtual Run across Tennessee.  I should pass the buzzard this week.  This week - and I'm speaking to you from Sunday afternoon now - this week I ran Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in the woods with Ollie.  Saturday, I talked my running buddies into riding the Great Circum Groton Fondo with me yesterday that ended up being 37 ish easy road bike miles in the sun.  It was a hoot.  We stopped for muffins in Pepperell center about half way in – so that will give you an idea of the intensity with which we were riding! I guess I have to back up a bit.  My friend Gordon, who is my friend Frank's brother, (I run with Frank every Sunday), Gordon had this idea of setting up a relay race that went all the way around Groton, the town I grew up in and where my running club is based, without actually touching Groton at any point.  I borrowed his course and we rode it on bikes yesterday.  I toyed with making it into a real event for charity and such, but there wasn't much interest, so we just went out and had a good long ride.  Then this morning I got up early and ran 4.5 miles of trails with Ollie, then went and met the guys at 8:00 for another 10 on the road.  A nice mix.  Done by 10:00.  I'm whipped!  I could nap!  I'm getting a good balanced set of miles in.  I'm avoiding most of the heat.  I'm giving the dog enough exercise to stay sane.  Last weekend Ollie and I went down to our house in Cape Cod for the 4th of July.  I ended up coming back early because it was just too crowded and frantic.  I didn't even attempt to go do my annual; beach run or my long ride on the rail trail.  Maybe I'm turning into a hermit, but I was a bit disconcerted by all the people and how stressed out they were, so I came back.  Today We are going to talk about all kinds of bodily fluids.  Actually we are going to talk about ‘The Athlete's Gut' with Dr. Patrick Wilson.  It's his new book from Velo Press that answers the questions around why do I get nauseous or gassy or poopy when I'm running and racing?  In section One I'm going to talk about sweat – because I realize that my half hearted treatment of hot weather running was a bit thin.  In Section two I'll talk about why certainty in an uncertain environment is so powerful. My work is very busy, but I'm having a good summer.  I actually threw my hat in the ring for another role at this company.  I have an interview tomorrow.  I know there are a lot of job seekers out there these days.  So I have a tip for you.  There will come a point in that interview where you will get a hard question that you don't know the answer to and when you do, you lean back, get a faraway look in your eyes, channel your inner Rutger Hauer and say: “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain..” That won't get you the job but you'll be the topic of conversation in HR for weeks! On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Sweat - Voices of reason – the conversation Patrick Wilson Patrick Wilson is an associate professor of exercise science and directs the Human Performance Laboratory at Old Dominion University. He earned a PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Minnesota and completed post-doctoral training in sports nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wilson has authored over 50 scientific articles that span the disciplines of exercise science, sports nutrition, and health. He is the author of the recently released book, The Athlete's Gut: The Inside Science of Digestion, Nutrition, and Stomach Distress. Wilson is also a credentialed registered dietitian through the Commission on Dietetic Registration.  The gut does many wondrous things for us. Without it, we surely couldn't exist. For many an athlete, however, the gut can also be a source of consternation before, during, and after exercise. Have you ever made a pre-race trip to the Porta Potty due to an uneasy gut? Or ducked into some roadside greenery mid-race because of an angry bowl? Or hurled up your breakfast in the loo before a big game? If yes, you're just one of the innumerable number of athletes that have been plagued by gut issues. What is so often vexing about these gut problems is that they can have many different causes, and consequently, they often aren't fixable with a single solution. Thankfully, there is now a resource available for athletes to turn to when they are struggling with gut issues: . It is without a doubt the most comprehensive, accessible book on how exercise and sport competition affect the gut. It helps makes sense of the complicated gastrointestinal tract and offers potential solutions to many of the digestive troubles that plague athletes, from the recreational to the elite.  is a must-read for any athlete who is experiencing gastrointestinal problems that interfere with training or competition, as well as for coaches and practitioners that work with such athletes. Written by , assistant professor of exercise science and registered dietitian,  combines the latest research on exercise and the gut with humorous descriptions and relatable, real-life anecdotes. After reading this book, athletes will better understand the inner workings of their own gut and will be equipped to implement strategies to perform—and feel—better.       Patrick B. Wilson, PhD, RD Associate Professor Human Movement Sciences Old Dominion University 2003A Student Recreation Center Norfolk, VA 23529   Section two – Certainty in uncertain times  –   Outro Ok my friends we have run, clutching our side in gastrointestinal stress to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast Episode 4-435. I registered for the virtual Boston Marathon, it was $50.  And, Apparently I was one of the first 15,000 so I get some special, super-secret care package from the BAA.  I have a plan.  I am going to run my Boston as part of a 43 mile out and back on the Wapack Trail on September 7th.  I would love company if any of you can come up.  We are going to start at Watatic and run to the end of the Wapack Trail on the back side of Pack Monnadnock, turn around and run back.  This is the double of the race I ran in the spring a couple years ago.  This will take us 10-12 hours.  My friend Eric is coming up to join, because he can't resist stupid shit like this.  I will be able to wrangle some basic on course hydration support, but nothing fancy.  Since it's an out and back people can turn around any point they want. The Wapack is typical New England mountain trail.  Mostly single-path and highly technical.  Lot's of elevation gain and loss, basically running the spine of a mountain range.  In September the forest will be thick and shady, except where you break out on to the tops of the mountains.  The weather is a crap shoot.  You can get very hot days, well hot for us, mid-80's.   You can get the tail end of a hurricane with cold rain.  That's part of the fun.  For the most part it's very sheltered from the weather under the canopy.  So – that's what I'll be training for.  That's my summer project.  … I've been listening to a history of ancient Egypt.  And since we have been talking about digestion and hydration I have a story for you.  I would imagine you are familiar with the electrolyte mix called Nuun?  I can't prove it but I'd like to think they based that name on the Egyptian creation myth.  In the beginning, all that existed was the sacred water.  The lifeless sacred waters from which all things would be made were called Nun.  They were the waters of chaos and the waters of everything.   The first god Atum created himself from the Nun.  He got bored with being the only god so he decided to create some more gods and other stuff, like all the rest of the stuff we have in this world.  Now he didn't have a partner to do anything procreative with so he, umm, ‘handled that situation himself' and fertilized the Nun from which everything else came into being.  So…Think about that the next time you take a big swig of that warm, sweet, cloudy Nuun at mile 40 of your ultra.  And I'll see you out there. (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 14 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Bobby LeFavre” Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-435 – The Athlete’s Gut  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4435.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hey Folks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-435 of the RunRunLive Podcast. So, here we are.  Mid-July in New England.  And all that brings with it.  The deer flies are thick as college students on a Florida beach.  The days are long and weather is a dirty soup-like mixture that drains the sap right out of you when you’re outside.  People are slowing down a bit and easing off to vacation houses for a bit of lock-down in a different place.   Ollie and I have been getting out for 8 or so miles in the woods 3 days a week. Then I’ve been mixing in a long bike ride on Saturday with a longish run on Sunday mornings.  My legs are tired but I have a good cadence going.  Even with only 4 days of running I’ll end up with 40 miles this week.  I’m catching up on the Great Virtual Run across Tennessee.  I should pass the buzzard this week.  This week - and I’m speaking to you from Sunday afternoon now - this week I ran Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in the woods with Ollie.  Saturday, I talked my running buddies into riding the Great Circum Groton Fondo with me yesterday that ended up being 37 ish easy road bike miles in the sun.  It was a hoot.  We stopped for muffins in Pepperell center about half way in – so that will give you an idea of the intensity with which we were riding! I guess I have to back up a bit.  My friend Gordon, who is my friend Frank’s brother, (I run with Frank every Sunday), Gordon had this idea of setting up a relay race that went all the way around Groton, the town I grew up in and where my running club is based, without actually touching Groton at any point.  I borrowed his course and we rode it on bikes yesterday.  I toyed with making it into a real event for charity and such, but there wasn’t much interest, so we just went out and had a good long ride.  Then this morning I got up early and ran 4.5 miles of trails with Ollie, then went and met the guys at 8:00 for another 10 on the road.  A nice mix.  Done by 10:00.  I’m whipped!  I could nap!  I’m getting a good balanced set of miles in.  I’m avoiding most of the heat.  I’m giving the dog enough exercise to stay sane.  Last weekend Ollie and I went down to our house in Cape Cod for the 4th of July.  I ended up coming back early because it was just too crowded and frantic.  I didn’t even attempt to go do my annual; beach run or my long ride on the rail trail.  Maybe I’m turning into a hermit, but I was a bit disconcerted by all the people and how stressed out they were, so I came back.  Today We are going to talk about all kinds of bodily fluids.  Actually we are going to talk about ‘The Athlete’s Gut’ with Dr. Patrick Wilson.  It’s his new book from Velo Press that answers the questions around why do I get nauseous or gassy or poopy when I’m running and racing?  In section One I’m going to talk about sweat – because I realize that my half hearted treatment of hot weather running was a bit thin.  In Section two I’ll talk about why certainty in an uncertain environment is so powerful. My work is very busy, but I’m having a good summer.  I actually threw my hat in the ring for another role at this company.  I have an interview tomorrow.  I know there are a lot of job seekers out there these days.  So I have a tip for you.  There will come a point in that interview where you will get a hard question that you don’t know the answer to and when you do, you lean back, get a faraway look in your eyes, channel your inner Rutger Hauer and say: “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain..” That won’t get you the job but you’ll be the topic of conversation in HR for weeks! On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Sweat - Voices of reason – the conversation Patrick Wilson Patrick Wilson is an associate professor of exercise science and directs the Human Performance Laboratory at Old Dominion University. He earned a PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Minnesota and completed post-doctoral training in sports nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wilson has authored over 50 scientific articles that span the disciplines of exercise science, sports nutrition, and health. He is the author of the recently released book, The Athlete's Gut: The Inside Science of Digestion, Nutrition, and Stomach Distress. Wilson is also a credentialed registered dietitian through the Commission on Dietetic Registration.  The gut does many wondrous things for us. Without it, we surely couldn’t exist. For many an athlete, however, the gut can also be a source of consternation before, during, and after exercise. Have you ever made a pre-race trip to the Porta Potty due to an uneasy gut? Or ducked into some roadside greenery mid-race because of an angry bowl? Or hurled up your breakfast in the loo before a big game? If yes, you’re just one of the innumerable number of athletes that have been plagued by gut issues. What is so often vexing about these gut problems is that they can have many different causes, and consequently, they often aren’t fixable with a single solution. Thankfully, there is now a resource available for athletes to turn to when they are struggling with gut issues: . It is without a doubt the most comprehensive, accessible book on how exercise and sport competition affect the gut. It helps makes sense of the complicated gastrointestinal tract and offers potential solutions to many of the digestive troubles that plague athletes, from the recreational to the elite.  is a must-read for any athlete who is experiencing gastrointestinal problems that interfere with training or competition, as well as for coaches and practitioners that work with such athletes. Written by , assistant professor of exercise science and registered dietitian,  combines the latest research on exercise and the gut with humorous descriptions and relatable, real-life anecdotes. After reading this book, athletes will better understand the inner workings of their own gut and will be equipped to implement strategies to perform—and feel—better.       Patrick B. Wilson, PhD, RD Associate Professor Human Movement Sciences Old Dominion University 2003A Student Recreation Center Norfolk, VA 23529   Section two – Certainty in uncertain times  –   Outro Ok my friends we have run, clutching our side in gastrointestinal stress to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast Episode 4-435. I registered for the virtual Boston Marathon, it was $50.  And, Apparently I was one of the first 15,000 so I get some special, super-secret care package from the BAA.  I have a plan.  I am going to run my Boston as part of a 43 mile out and back on the Wapack Trail on September 7th.  I would love company if any of you can come up.  We are going to start at Watatic and run to the end of the Wapack Trail on the back side of Pack Monnadnock, turn around and run back.  This is the double of the race I ran in the spring a couple years ago.  This will take us 10-12 hours.  My friend Eric is coming up to join, because he can’t resist stupid shit like this.  I will be able to wrangle some basic on course hydration support, but nothing fancy.  Since it’s an out and back people can turn around any point they want. The Wapack is typical New England mountain trail.  Mostly single-path and highly technical.  Lot’s of elevation gain and loss, basically running the spine of a mountain range.  In September the forest will be thick and shady, except where you break out on to the tops of the mountains.  The weather is a crap shoot.  You can get very hot days, well hot for us, mid-80’s.   You can get the tail end of a hurricane with cold rain.  That’s part of the fun.  For the most part it’s very sheltered from the weather under the canopy.  So – that’s what I’ll be training for.  That’s my summer project.  … I’ve been listening to a history of ancient Egypt.  And since we have been talking about digestion and hydration I have a story for you.  I would imagine you are familiar with the electrolyte mix called Nuun?  I can’t prove it but I’d like to think they based that name on the Egyptian creation myth.  In the beginning, all that existed was the sacred water.  The lifeless sacred waters from which all things would be made were called Nun.  They were the waters of chaos and the waters of everything.   The first god Atum created himself from the Nun.  He got bored with being the only god so he decided to create some more gods and other stuff, like all the rest of the stuff we have in this world.  Now he didn’t have a partner to do anything procreative with so he, umm, ‘handled that situation himself’ and fertilized the Nun from which everything else came into being.  So…Think about that the next time you take a big swig of that warm, sweet, cloudy Nuun at mile 40 of your ultra.  And I’ll see you out there. (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 14 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Bobby LeFavre” Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-433 – Eric Runs Across Missouri  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4433.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-433 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Been a weird couple of weeks for me. I've been working out of the house, which I'm a bit used to, but the new bit is this part about being on video calls all day long for many days with no break.  It can be really exhausting.  I've got a guy replacing all the trim boards on my house over the last couple weeks as well.  So I've got him banging on the wall while I'm trying to talk to people.  Which is the new normal.  People just forget they're on these calls and all kinds of crazy stuff goes on in the background.  Him ripping the boards off has disturbed the hornets that live in the eaves.  I had one wandering around my bathroom one morning.  And as much as I tried to avoid it, it ended up stinging me a little.  Hornets are ferocious little critters.  Bad attitudes.  Up here in New England the seasons have flipped and all is green.  The mosquitoes and ticks are out. I'm harvesting lettuce from my garden.  Good year for lettuce. Immediately after we last spoke I woke up with a back issue.  I don't know what I did but my back locked up.  It's a problem I've had before when I do too much snow shoveling or something like that.  It is very painful.  You can't bend and it hurts to sit, hurts to walk, just hurts.  Your lower back is such an integral part of everything you do.  Got up the second morning of this and basically had to crawl on my hands and knees to the bathroom.  Went to my chiro on the third day and got some immediate relief.  It's still pretty sore this week but I think that has to do with spending so much time in the chair.  I've started doing some of these meeting standing up, but you're still constrained and hunched.  The end result was I took a week totally off from training and it was surprisingly relaxing.  Was a good break to reenergize and rethink what I want to do with my training and racing going forward.  I'm still on my nutrition plan and hovering around 170 pounds but I'm losing enthusiasm for it as we move into summer and all the good eats and drinks that are part of that! I'm back to running now and feel good.  I'm going to pivot to some longer trail based training.  I'm working on cooking up some events in the fall.  Today we talk to our old friend Eric who I ran Leadville with last year.  He did something amazing by running across Missouri on Memorial Day weekend. In section one I'll talk about taking a week off.  In section two I'll talk about some ways to recharge in today's weird hyper-work world.  As I write this on a fine cool morning that looks like it will emerge into a humid summer day I've got a purple T-shirt on.  I have been wearing shirts with collars all week to try to look somewhat professional on the video, but this morning I saw a nice purple race T under the pile so I'm wearing that. Did you know that purple is the royal color?  It was a prized color in classical times.  The Greeks and Romans somehow figured out that a predatory land snail in Lebanon, that they called murex, secreted this color and they could make that into dye.  In the Eastern Roman Empire, what we would refer to as the Byzantine Empire, but that's a construct of modern historians, they just called themselves Romans, anyhow, they referred to a person being of royal blood or royal pedigree as “Being born in the purple”.  Isn't it amazing how we humans can make the leap from snail snot to justification of royalty?  We really do have an outstanding ability to make stuff up and believe in it.  On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – A week off - Voices of reason – the conversation Eric Strand Section two – Recharge  – Outro Well, my friends, you have run across Missouri to the well-deserved micro-brewery that is at the end of the RunRunLive Podcast Episode 4-433 – Thank you for your company! Alrighty.  So what now?  I have decided to pivot my training for the summer.  Instead of the holding pattern of marathon training I'm going to target some ultra-distance trail running and some casual bike riding.  For a few reasons.  First, because I'm feeling a bit too fragile with all this race-specific training and need to broaden up for a cycle.  Second, if any races are going to be run this fall, they are going to be longer, smaller trail races.  And, bike riding to get some cross training and most of the guys in my cohort can't run as much anymore so Some casual bike riding is a good way to spend time with friends.   I'm contemplating organizing a Fondo around Groton with my running club for July.  And some dort of longer trail run, perhaps on the Wapack for Labor day, which, by the way would kill two birds with one stone by logging 26.1 miles of it for the virtual Boston. And I'm behind on my virtual race across Tennessee from taking a week off.  I'm 4 days behind, which isn't much.  It's only like 20 miles, but some longer sessions would help me get back in the hunt so I can finish before 8/31.  Eric, BTW, with all his shenanigans is finishing this week. OK – so those are my loose plans.  I'll tell you a couple stories and a dad joke for Father's Day and we can all get on with our lives. Switching back to the trails is good because I can take Ollie with me.  The challenge is he's not leash trained yet, so he's a bit of a nightmare to run with on leash.  With the Apocalypse the woods are just stuffed with cranky people and I unless it's off-hours I have to put him on leash.  I have the standard 6-foot leash.  He goes right to the end of that and pulls.  No matter how much I correct him he's constantly leaning on the leash.  It's exhausting.  It's also a bit dangerous because he stays right in my line of sight and occludes my line on the trails.  Makes it hard to carry anything in my hands with all the jerking about.  He won't go near the ponds or lakes to get a drink because he's decided he's afraid of them.  He won't drink out of my bottle, either, because he doesn't trust me not to squirt him.  I'm gong to have to get some sort of collapsible dish for him that I can carry.  There is a boom population of rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks this year and he likes to take off after those as well.  Friday, when we were out, and he was on leash, a big snake ran across the trail in front of us.  I saw it and calculating its progress could see it would be well out of our way by the time our paths intersected and I didn't bother to break pace.  We don't have any poisonous snakes in New England.  Ok, technically there is an Eastern Timber Rattlesnake and the Copperhead viper, but those are both endangered and you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning.  Anyhow, Ollie saw that snake and jumped backwards, causing me to have to jump vertically to vault him.  It's funny how the fear of snakes is so deeply ingrained in us mammals.  Lots' of bad blood between us and the reptiles I guess over the millennia.  I had him out Saturday in the trails, mostly on leash and he was a nightmare.  You'd think he'd get tired of dragging my fat ass around after a few miles.  He joined me today for and hour and forty five minutes on a combination of rail trail and roads with my buddies.  I was on the rail trail around 7:00 AM.  I brought my old iPhone and my headphones, figuring I'd be all alone at 7 Amon a cool Sunday morning and could catch up on some listening.  I brought the extendable leash which I think is about 15 feet.  He pulls less on that one, probably because it has some built in resistance and partly because it gives him more line.  Because, you know, Apocalypse… I was to have no peace.  The trail was packed.  Bikes, joggers, walkers and some lady screaming into her cellphone in Spanish – it was like taking public transit on a Friday Afternoon when the Red Sox are playing.  I had to take out my headphones so I could hear the traffic or someone was going to die.  The new herd of Apocalypse bikers are not going very fast. Some are barely moving faster than my running pace.  Which is fine but it's takes forever for them to catch you and pass you.  Especially if you're trying to control a mental border collie.  If you're a heads down cyclist training away at 20+ miles an hour in aero I would stay away from public rail trails for awhile. It's a bit of a carnival.  And here's your Dad joke for Father's Day.  A hamburger walks into a bar.  He goes up to the bartender and says “I'd like a bowl of Chili please.” The bartender looks at him and says, “Sorry, we don't serve food here.” Keep moving friends, It ain't all bad, is it? I'll see you out there.   (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 12 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Hold on tight to your dreams" Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-433 – Eric Runs Across Missouri  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4433.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-433 of the RunRunLive Podcast. Been a weird couple of weeks for me. I’ve been working out of the house, which I’m a bit used to, but the new bit is this part about being on video calls all day long for many days with no break.  It can be really exhausting.  I’ve got a guy replacing all the trim boards on my house over the last couple weeks as well.  So I’ve got him banging on the wall while I’m trying to talk to people.  Which is the new normal.  People just forget they’re on these calls and all kinds of crazy stuff goes on in the background.  Him ripping the boards off has disturbed the hornets that live in the eaves.  I had one wandering around my bathroom one morning.  And as much as I tried to avoid it, it ended up stinging me a little.  Hornets are ferocious little critters.  Bad attitudes.  Up here in New England the seasons have flipped and all is green.  The mosquitoes and ticks are out. I’m harvesting lettuce from my garden.  Good year for lettuce. Immediately after we last spoke I woke up with a back issue.  I don’t know what I did but my back locked up.  It’s a problem I’ve had before when I do too much snow shoveling or something like that.  It is very painful.  You can’t bend and it hurts to sit, hurts to walk, just hurts.  Your lower back is such an integral part of everything you do.  Got up the second morning of this and basically had to crawl on my hands and knees to the bathroom.  Went to my chiro on the third day and got some immediate relief.  It’s still pretty sore this week but I think that has to do with spending so much time in the chair.  I’ve started doing some of these meeting standing up, but you’re still constrained and hunched.  The end result was I took a week totally off from training and it was surprisingly relaxing.  Was a good break to reenergize and rethink what I want to do with my training and racing going forward.  I’m still on my nutrition plan and hovering around 170 pounds but I’m losing enthusiasm for it as we move into summer and all the good eats and drinks that are part of that! I’m back to running now and feel good.  I’m going to pivot to some longer trail based training.  I’m working on cooking up some events in the fall.  Today we talk to our old friend Eric who I ran Leadville with last year.  He did something amazing by running across Missouri on Memorial Day weekend. In section one I’ll talk about taking a week off.  In section two I’ll talk about some ways to recharge in today’s weird hyper-work world.  As I write this on a fine cool morning that looks like it will emerge into a humid summer day I’ve got a purple T-shirt on.  I have been wearing shirts with collars all week to try to look somewhat professional on the video, but this morning I saw a nice purple race T under the pile so I’m wearing that. Did you know that purple is the royal color?  It was a prized color in classical times.  The Greeks and Romans somehow figured out that a predatory land snail in Lebanon, that they called murex, secreted this color and they could make that into dye.  In the Eastern Roman Empire, what we would refer to as the Byzantine Empire, but that’s a construct of modern historians, they just called themselves Romans, anyhow, they referred to a person being of royal blood or royal pedigree as “Being born in the purple”.  Isn’t it amazing how we humans can make the leap from snail snot to justification of royalty?  We really do have an outstanding ability to make stuff up and believe in it.  On with the show. About Zero ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer is the leading national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer. ZERO advances research, improves the lives of men and families, and inspires action. Link to my ZERO page: (for Donations) … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – A week off - Voices of reason – the conversation Eric Strand Section two – Recharge  – Outro Well, my friends, you have run across Missouri to the well-deserved micro-brewery that is at the end of the RunRunLive Podcast Episode 4-433 – Thank you for your company! Alrighty.  So what now?  I have decided to pivot my training for the summer.  Instead of the holding pattern of marathon training I’m going to target some ultra-distance trail running and some casual bike riding.  For a few reasons.  First, because I’m feeling a bit too fragile with all this race-specific training and need to broaden up for a cycle.  Second, if any races are going to be run this fall, they are going to be longer, smaller trail races.  And, bike riding to get some cross training and most of the guys in my cohort can’t run as much anymore so Some casual bike riding is a good way to spend time with friends.   I’m contemplating organizing a Fondo around Groton with my running club for July.  And some dort of longer trail run, perhaps on the Wapack for Labor day, which, by the way would kill two birds with one stone by logging 26.1 miles of it for the virtual Boston. And I’m behind on my virtual race across Tennessee from taking a week off.  I’m 4 days behind, which isn’t much.  It’s only like 20 miles, but some longer sessions would help me get back in the hunt so I can finish before 8/31.  Eric, BTW, with all his shenanigans is finishing this week. OK – so those are my loose plans.  I’ll tell you a couple stories and a dad joke for Father’s Day and we can all get on with our lives. Switching back to the trails is good because I can take Ollie with me.  The challenge is he’s not leash trained yet, so he’s a bit of a nightmare to run with on leash.  With the Apocalypse the woods are just stuffed with cranky people and I unless it’s off-hours I have to put him on leash.  I have the standard 6-foot leash.  He goes right to the end of that and pulls.  No matter how much I correct him he’s constantly leaning on the leash.  It’s exhausting.  It’s also a bit dangerous because he stays right in my line of sight and occludes my line on the trails.  Makes it hard to carry anything in my hands with all the jerking about.  He won’t go near the ponds or lakes to get a drink because he’s decided he’s afraid of them.  He won’t drink out of my bottle, either, because he doesn’t trust me not to squirt him.  I’m gong to have to get some sort of collapsible dish for him that I can carry.  There is a boom population of rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks this year and he likes to take off after those as well.  Friday, when we were out, and he was on leash, a big snake ran across the trail in front of us.  I saw it and calculating its progress could see it would be well out of our way by the time our paths intersected and I didn’t bother to break pace.  We don’t have any poisonous snakes in New England.  Ok, technically there is an Eastern Timber Rattlesnake and the Copperhead viper, but those are both endangered and you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning.  Anyhow, Ollie saw that snake and jumped backwards, causing me to have to jump vertically to vault him.  It’s funny how the fear of snakes is so deeply ingrained in us mammals.  Lots’ of bad blood between us and the reptiles I guess over the millennia.  I had him out Saturday in the trails, mostly on leash and he was a nightmare.  You’d think he’d get tired of dragging my fat ass around after a few miles.  He joined me today for and hour and forty five minutes on a combination of rail trail and roads with my buddies.  I was on the rail trail around 7:00 AM.  I brought my old iPhone and my headphones, figuring I’d be all alone at 7 Amon a cool Sunday morning and could catch up on some listening.  I brought the extendable leash which I think is about 15 feet.  He pulls less on that one, probably because it has some built in resistance and partly because it gives him more line.  Because, you know, Apocalypse… I was to have no peace.  The trail was packed.  Bikes, joggers, walkers and some lady screaming into her cellphone in Spanish – it was like taking public transit on a Friday Afternoon when the Red Sox are playing.  I had to take out my headphones so I could hear the traffic or someone was going to die.  The new herd of Apocalypse bikers are not going very fast. Some are barely moving faster than my running pace.  Which is fine but it’s takes forever for them to catch you and pass you.  Especially if you’re trying to control a mental border collie.  If you’re a heads down cyclist training away at 20+ miles an hour in aero I would stay away from public rail trails for awhile. It’s a bit of a carnival.  And here’s your Dad joke for Father’s Day.  A hamburger walks into a bar.  He goes up to the bartender and says “I’d like a bowl of Chili please.” The bartender looks at him and says, “Sorry, we don’t serve food here.” Keep moving friends, It ain’t all bad, is it? I’ll see you out there.   (Outro bumper) To take you out is Track number 12 from Brian Sheff The Rock Opera by - Called "Hold on tight to your dreams" Enjoy   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-415 – Kate Williams – Yaks and the Planet (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4415.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-415 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Today we have a great conversation with Kate who is the CEO of 1% for the planet.  I owe you a bit of backstory here, so try to keep up.  When I first started the podcast 11 years or so ago I was a bit worried about mixing my professional world with my running world.  I'm a pragmatist.  I made the decision early on that if the podcast ever caused conflict with my regular career the regular career would win.  I had this nightmare scenario of sitting in a board meeting and someone saying “You had time to do this stupid marathon race report, explain to us why you missed your numbers again?” As an insider to our endurance lifestyles I get it.  I know what we do is additive to our careers.  What we do doesn't make us worse at our day jobs it makes us better.  I believe that.  But my beliefs weren't what I was worried about.  It's like the old joke about marriage; “Would you rather be right, or be happy?”  I would rather be able to pay my bills than be sanctimonious. I was never that guy.  Because no one at work gives a crap about your training or your marathon times.  I built a wall between what I did for a living and my podcast adventures.  Which confused and intrigued my listeners.  Here I am talking about airplanes and board meetings and hotel stays and clients, and never sharing what I actually did for a living.  I would get questions.  What do you do for a living?  So, I made something up that fit the evidence.  I told everyone that I was a contract killer (that explained all the travel), but that my cover job was a yak farmer.  And if you have the patience to go back and listen to those early episodes you'll find all the yak farming jokes.  Here's the thing, I have never even seen a live yak.  I just randomly picked the most absurd profession I could think of.  Fast forward to a couple weeks ago.  I was in LinkedIn doing whatever it is you do in LinkedIn and I came across Kate's profile.  Here is this out-doorsy, masters runner person with an ivy league education and one of the jobs on her resume is “Yak Farmer”.  I could not resist.  I reached out to her and got her on for this interview.  Which turned out to be apropos and extremely beneficial because she leads an organization that addresses the intersection of business and the environment – a topic that I have done much rumination on.  Why can't we be business friendly and environmentally friendly at the same time?  Why are those two things antithetical?  I think you'll like our conversation and I'm grateful that this silly podcast thing has led me to engage with another outstanding individual who I would have never otherwise had the opportunity to meet.  In section one I'm going to ruminate on the Boston Marathon some more. In section two I'm going to ruminate about rumination.  And, I hope you enjoyed my attempt to be funny with the Leadville race report.  Sorry for the salty language.  Hope the kids weren't listening.  To make up for it I'll give you a Dad joke.  What kind of animal do you need to take with you on a trip to the Himalayas?  A Yak of all trades… On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – The Boston Problem - http://runrunlive.com/the-boston-problem   Voices of reason – the conversation Kate Williams, CEO Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions, through annual membership and everyday actions. Last year, the network of 1800 members in more than 40 countries gave $24+million to environmental nonprofits. Kate stepped into her role at 1% for the Planet in May 2015 bringing a strong track record as a leader:  Professionally, Kate served as Executive Director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and as founder and owner of the Vermont Yak Company prior to starting at 1% for the Planet. In addition, Kate served on the Board of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for eleven years, two as chair. Kate has also served on the boards of the Northern Forest Center and Shelburne Farms (current), and served as an elected member of the Town of Waitsfield Select Board, serving three years a chair of that board. Kate earned a BA at Princeton University where she majored in history, and an MS at the MIT Sloan School of Management where she focused on organizational systems. Kate is a master's distance runner and kitchen gardener. Kate lives in Waitsfield with her husband and two children. Links would be to our website: (our podcast) MISSION We bring dollars and doers together to accelerate smart environmental giving ORIGIN Ever wonder how 1% for the Planet began? It all started when two businessmen met and bonded over their shared love for the outdoors. Realizing their responsibility to protect our planet, they decided to give 1% of their sales back to the environment—whether or not they were profitable.   In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a global movement.    “The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world's problems.” — YVON CHOUINARD IN HIS BOOK “LET MY PEOPLE GO SURFING”   Soon after our inception, 1% for the Planet's mission began to resonate across the globe. The idea was simple: because companies profit from the resources they take from the earth, they should protect those resources. Realizing their responsibility, brands such as Brushfire Records, Klean Kanteen, New Belgium Brewing, Honest Tea, Caudalie and many more followed suit to join the movement.   Our network is global and diverse, proving that anyone can make a difference. From the individual members who give back by donating to and volunteering with local environmental nonprofits to singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, who joined our network in 2004 to protect the shores of his home state of Hawaii—everyone has a 1%.   We connect our members with high-impact nonprofit partners that align with their values and add to their brand story. In doing so, we take the time to get to know what's really important to our members. Through our partnership advising process, we learned that member, Klean Kanteen cares deeply about a myriad causes, which include connecting young people to the wonder and science of our world through environmental education. Beginning in 2008, Klean Kanteen's support of NatureBridge is one of our longest-standing partnerships.   Today, we have more than 2,000 members, in over 45 countries, coming together to protect the future of our planet.   Section two – The Ruminating Brain– Outro Well, my friends, ruminated to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-415, which is a small miracle.  Two weeks after Leadville I went ahead and ran the Wapack Trail 18 miler.  I couldn't stop myself.  I had a perfectly reasonable plan.  I would do a couple hard weeks with speedwork and then treat Wapack as a long training run.  This was a wonderful idea on paper, but not so much in execution.  What I had not considered is that going into a technical trail mountain race like Wapack with tired legs result in spending a lot of time with your face in the dirt.  Yeah, If you don't lift your toes you eat dirt.  I probably fell 7 times. Then I shut it down hoping for a big bounce for the BeanTown Marathon last weekend.  I felt pretty fit and strong for the race but I only had 18 miles in me. I raced hard and hung in as long as I could but I just didn't have the legs.  Duh.  It was a 6 loop course in a park, by the ocean in southern Mass.  Pretty course with some gravel roads and a little hill in each loop.  That little hill started really getting to me by the 4th loop and I just couldn't hold the pace. Another classic Chris Russell 15 minute positive split. 18 miles at race pace and 8 more at a stumble.  I'm not terribly upset about it because I felt like I was close.  These last few cycles I haven't made my time but every one of them felt like they could have gone either way. Next up for me is Baystate.  I'm chilling this week to recover.  I was super beat up after this race. I've got a very sore hip and still have that tendonitis in my butt.  If I can get healthy I'll load up on the long runs for a couple weeks and get some speedwork in.  The challenge is going to be staying healthy. I can tell I'm a bit over trained.  And, now, I'm officially out of qualification.  If I want to run Boston this year I'll need a waver bib. Oh, and I signed up to pace another half marathon.  I'm going down to Nantucket with Gary two weeks before Baystate to pace the 1:50 group with him.  Should be pretty. And that's a good two-weeks-out workout for a marathon.  As usual, I'm hopeful and still plugging away, but I'm only in my first year of this age group so I've got to qualify 3 more times at this level before I age up 10 minutes. And what about Ollie-dog?  He is growing like a weed.  As I was writing this he was crying to go out.  I just came back in so I figured he was just bored. But, as all good puppies do, he proceeded to march into the living room and show the rug that he did indeed really need to go out.  Good thing we haven't got around to changing the carpet yet.  He's a maniac.  When he's not chewing on you he's stealing something of yours to chew on.  He like ice cubes and anything he is not supposed to have.  He's going to be a great dog if I can ever break him.  Right now he's a wild animal.  It's nice to have the pitter patter of little hooves in the house again.   And I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-415 – Kate Williams – Yaks and the Planet (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4415.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-415 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Today we have a great conversation with Kate who is the CEO of 1% for the planet.  I owe you a bit of backstory here, so try to keep up.  When I first started the podcast 11 years or so ago I was a bit worried about mixing my professional world with my running world.  I’m a pragmatist.  I made the decision early on that if the podcast ever caused conflict with my regular career the regular career would win.  I had this nightmare scenario of sitting in a board meeting and someone saying “You had time to do this stupid marathon race report, explain to us why you missed your numbers again?” As an insider to our endurance lifestyles I get it.  I know what we do is additive to our careers.  What we do doesn’t make us worse at our day jobs it makes us better.  I believe that.  But my beliefs weren’t what I was worried about.  It’s like the old joke about marriage; “Would you rather be right, or be happy?”  I would rather be able to pay my bills than be sanctimonious. I was never that guy.  Because no one at work gives a crap about your training or your marathon times.  I built a wall between what I did for a living and my podcast adventures.  Which confused and intrigued my listeners.  Here I am talking about airplanes and board meetings and hotel stays and clients, and never sharing what I actually did for a living.  I would get questions.  What do you do for a living?  So, I made something up that fit the evidence.  I told everyone that I was a contract killer (that explained all the travel), but that my cover job was a yak farmer.  And if you have the patience to go back and listen to those early episodes you’ll find all the yak farming jokes.  Here’s the thing, I have never even seen a live yak.  I just randomly picked the most absurd profession I could think of.  Fast forward to a couple weeks ago.  I was in LinkedIn doing whatever it is you do in LinkedIn and I came across Kate’s profile.  Here is this out-doorsy, masters runner person with an ivy league education and one of the jobs on her resume is “Yak Farmer”.  I could not resist.  I reached out to her and got her on for this interview.  Which turned out to be apropos and extremely beneficial because she leads an organization that addresses the intersection of business and the environment – a topic that I have done much rumination on.  Why can’t we be business friendly and environmentally friendly at the same time?  Why are those two things antithetical?  I think you’ll like our conversation and I’m grateful that this silly podcast thing has led me to engage with another outstanding individual who I would have never otherwise had the opportunity to meet.  In section one I’m going to ruminate on the Boston Marathon some more. In section two I’m going to ruminate about rumination.  And, I hope you enjoyed my attempt to be funny with the Leadville race report.  Sorry for the salty language.  Hope the kids weren’t listening.  To make up for it I’ll give you a Dad joke.  What kind of animal do you need to take with you on a trip to the Himalayas?  A Yak of all trades… On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – The Boston Problem - http://runrunlive.com/the-boston-problem   Voices of reason – the conversation Kate Williams, CEO Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions, through annual membership and everyday actions. Last year, the network of 1800 members in more than 40 countries gave $24+million to environmental nonprofits. Kate stepped into her role at 1% for the Planet in May 2015 bringing a strong track record as a leader:  Professionally, Kate served as Executive Director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and as founder and owner of the Vermont Yak Company prior to starting at 1% for the Planet. In addition, Kate served on the Board of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for eleven years, two as chair. Kate has also served on the boards of the Northern Forest Center and Shelburne Farms (current), and served as an elected member of the Town of Waitsfield Select Board, serving three years a chair of that board. Kate earned a BA at Princeton University where she majored in history, and an MS at the MIT Sloan School of Management where she focused on organizational systems. Kate is a master’s distance runner and kitchen gardener. Kate lives in Waitsfield with her husband and two children. Links would be to our website: (our podcast) MISSION We bring dollars and doers together to accelerate smart environmental giving ORIGIN Ever wonder how 1% for the Planet began? It all started when two businessmen met and bonded over their shared love for the outdoors. Realizing their responsibility to protect our planet, they decided to give 1% of their sales back to the environment—whether or not they were profitable.   In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a global movement.    “The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world’s problems.” — YVON CHOUINARD IN HIS BOOK “LET MY PEOPLE GO SURFING”   Soon after our inception, 1% for the Planet’s mission began to resonate across the globe. The idea was simple: because companies profit from the resources they take from the earth, they should protect those resources. Realizing their responsibility, brands such as Brushfire Records, Klean Kanteen, New Belgium Brewing, Honest Tea, Caudalie and many more followed suit to join the movement.   Our network is global and diverse, proving that anyone can make a difference. From the individual members who give back by donating to and volunteering with local environmental nonprofits to singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, who joined our network in 2004 to protect the shores of his home state of Hawaii—everyone has a 1%.   We connect our members with high-impact nonprofit partners that align with their values and add to their brand story. In doing so, we take the time to get to know what’s really important to our members. Through our partnership advising process, we learned that member, Klean Kanteen cares deeply about a myriad causes, which include connecting young people to the wonder and science of our world through environmental education. Beginning in 2008, Klean Kanteen's support of NatureBridge is one of our longest-standing partnerships.   Today, we have more than 2,000 members, in over 45 countries, coming together to protect the future of our planet.   Section two – The Ruminating Brain– Outro Well, my friends, ruminated to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-415, which is a small miracle.  Two weeks after Leadville I went ahead and ran the Wapack Trail 18 miler.  I couldn’t stop myself.  I had a perfectly reasonable plan.  I would do a couple hard weeks with speedwork and then treat Wapack as a long training run.  This was a wonderful idea on paper, but not so much in execution.  What I had not considered is that going into a technical trail mountain race like Wapack with tired legs result in spending a lot of time with your face in the dirt.  Yeah, If you don’t lift your toes you eat dirt.  I probably fell 7 times. Then I shut it down hoping for a big bounce for the BeanTown Marathon last weekend.  I felt pretty fit and strong for the race but I only had 18 miles in me. I raced hard and hung in as long as I could but I just didn’t have the legs.  Duh.  It was a 6 loop course in a park, by the ocean in southern Mass.  Pretty course with some gravel roads and a little hill in each loop.  That little hill started really getting to me by the 4th loop and I just couldn’t hold the pace. Another classic Chris Russell 15 minute positive split. 18 miles at race pace and 8 more at a stumble.  I’m not terribly upset about it because I felt like I was close.  These last few cycles I haven’t made my time but every one of them felt like they could have gone either way. Next up for me is Baystate.  I’m chilling this week to recover.  I was super beat up after this race. I’ve got a very sore hip and still have that tendonitis in my butt.  If I can get healthy I’ll load up on the long runs for a couple weeks and get some speedwork in.  The challenge is going to be staying healthy. I can tell I’m a bit over trained.  And, now, I’m officially out of qualification.  If I want to run Boston this year I’ll need a waver bib. Oh, and I signed up to pace another half marathon.  I’m going down to Nantucket with Gary two weeks before Baystate to pace the 1:50 group with him.  Should be pretty. And that’s a good two-weeks-out workout for a marathon.  As usual, I’m hopeful and still plugging away, but I’m only in my first year of this age group so I’ve got to qualify 3 more times at this level before I age up 10 minutes. And what about Ollie-dog?  He is growing like a weed.  As I was writing this he was crying to go out.  I just came back in so I figured he was just bored. But, as all good puppies do, he proceeded to march into the living room and show the rug that he did indeed really need to go out.  Good thing we haven’t got around to changing the carpet yet.  He’s a maniac.  When he’s not chewing on you he’s stealing something of yours to chew on.  He like ice cubes and anything he is not supposed to have.  He’s going to be a great dog if I can ever break him.  Right now he’s a wild animal.  It’s nice to have the pitter patter of little hooves in the house again.   And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-414 – Matt Part 2 – The Ironman (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4414.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-414 of the RunRunLive Podcast.   I'm trying to get this one out early this week because this weekend is the Leadville 100 Trial race – “The race across the sky”.  I'll be flying out Thursday night to pace Eric over the weekend.  Truly, this has all the earmarks of an adventure (with a capital A).  This is the thing I really dig about longer endurance events.  Whether a marathon, multi-day relay or and ultra, you really have no idea what's going to happen when you toe the line.  There os that middle road, the one you are planning for, or more appropriately guessing at, that travels a clean but relatively uninteresting path, where everything stays within expectations.  That middle road where nothing weird or memorable happens.   You just run your miles and bask in the warm glow of an expected job well done.  You trained.  You showed up.  You ran.  You finished.  You wipe your hands, note the effort in your log, check the box and move on.  That is the less interesting path without much adventure.  But there is always a chance, I'd say better than 50/50 that something goes sideways.  There are those glowing, multi-colored traces that arc off of the main path at crazy angles into the unknown.  This is where the good stuff happens. Adventure is when you show up for a 12-person relay and there are only 8 runners.  Adventure is when you start throwing up 75 miles in.  Adventure is when you roll that ankle or crash your bike in the early miles.  Adventure is when that storm blows in with its driving wind and hail.  Adventure steps in and tears up your well-made plans. Adventure wipes the slate and resets the score. It strips you of your smug comfort and your middle of the road expectations.  But, my friends, adventure is not catastrophe.  Adventure is not some evil, beady-eyed thug stepping out of a side alley to blacken your eyes and steal your money. No, my friends, adventure is an opportunity.  Adventure strips away our silly human thoughts of predetermination and let's us draw on deeper pools of resource and strength that we didn't know we had.  Adventure, you see, leads to fulfillment.  Adventure is where the “Epic” lies.  Adventure to the shores of new worlds, and to the walls of Troy. Adventure is a tool to flush out the human spirit.  We, endurance athletes, we hardy few, we celebrate Adventure. “You are better than you think you are, and can do more than you think you can.” – Ken Chlouber On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Form series Chapter Three -   Voices of reason – the conversation Matt Schorer Matt is father, husband and triathlete from upstate NY who recently made the successful move to reclaim his health.  Matt is currently training for the Lake Placid IronMan in Late June of this year.     Section two – Thoughts on Seneca's Letters– Outro Well, my friends, you fixed your form and fixed your sites on the new horizon, which, by the way, was the name of a NASA probe that made a flyby of poor old demoted king of the kuiper belt but no longer a planet Pluto, and then, even more astoundingly cool, Ultima Thule which turned out to be two big chunks of accreted dust bunnies from the birth of the solar system 4 billion years ago, to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-414, which is in some small way astounding in itself. For me the weirdness that is my life continues.  I try to not struggle against the current so much.  I try the choose, as much as I cah the rocks to bump against on the way.  I will be pacing Eric this weekend at Leadville.  And, don't anyone tell him, but I'm terrified.  My training has been shyte (it's not really bad language if I use a non-U.S. dialect).  I've still got that damn rattle in my lungs from whatever that airplane cold was, I'm thinking consumption, or maybe grippe, or apoplexy – but I'm no doctor.  And I have the great personal responsibility to guide a dear friend through 38 miles of dusty Colorado trail, at night, over a pass that tops out at 12,600 feet.  I may die.  I would rather die than not support a friend who needs me.  People often over estimate my ability, but, thankfully they also underestimate my insanity – so it balances out.  Assuming I survive this adventure I am actually registered for a series of hard races, that I'm also not prepared for.  Screw it. Why change my approach now and do the smart thing?  That might work but it's a boring narrative.  I'm going to call this a training run.  A nice long hike in the woods.  Good for building strength and base aerobic fitness, right?  Then in a couple weeks I'll run the Wapack trail race and that's another nice strength builder.   Which is stupid because a week after that I'm signed up for a marathon to see if I can't get a qualification time before the Boston registration window closes.  Ya never know.  It's happened before.  Remember when I rolled out of that 6-hour Spartan race in 2017 and requalified at Portland?  Or when I turned my training for an Olympic tri into a qualifier at Baystate in 2018?  It happens.  I have a history of doing better when I'm not focused. I'm also signed up for the Baystate Marathon in October which would give me 6-7 weeks of training to make another good show.  I still have some tendonitis in my ass.  My knee is still crunchy from crashing in June.  The machete injury healed fully, so at least I have that going for me.  Maybe the $1,000 emergency room visit was worth it.  Although my wife is of the opinion that I should have gone to the Redi-clinic or stitched it up myself.  And I may be patient zero for some new form of zombie plague that starts as a juicy night cough you can't shake.  So – everything is status quo over here at the RunRunLive HQ.  And honestly I'm happy to be alive.  But, I can hear you scream, “Chris, no one cares a wit about your constant stream of whinging about running.  What about the puppy?” As we speak Ollie the border collie is what? 10-11 weeks old?  He's growing like a weed.  He bites everything and everybody.  If it exists it goes in the mouth.  He's sleeping through the night mostly in his crate, but usually sleep in the couch in the vicinity and that calms him down.  He's a random poop and pee machine, but we're working on it.  He is teaching us patience.  I've realized how much older I am since I last had a puppy or a baby in the house.  They have two speeds – all ahead full and sleep.  He likes to destroy Yvonne's perennials. He like to chew on rocks.  He likes to steal my socks.  The other day I walked out to my garden with him.  I picked a pile of produce.  Tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.  He stole one of my cucumbers and gleefully kept it away from me as I grumbled and fumed and chased.  He capered away with a sparkle in his eye. I ended up freezing that cucumber so he could use it as a chew toy.  He's probably a month ahead of where Buddy was at this age.  Buddy was the runt of the litter, a sad little dog that grew into his wonder.  Ollie is the class clown, full of energy, bravado and clever impishness. Does he run? Yes, he does.  He's traversed the mile-ish trail with me at a trot a couple times now.  He's not quite sure what we're doing but he hangs with me and has plenty of juice left over at the end.  At the end of the day I'm happy to have this little, warm ball of fur weaving around my legs and trying to knock me down so he can bite my face.  I need that.  I miss that. And I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-414 – Matt Part 2 – The Ironman (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4414.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to episode 4-414 of the RunRunLive Podcast.   I’m trying to get this one out early this week because this weekend is the Leadville 100 Trial race – “The race across the sky”.  I’ll be flying out Thursday night to pace Eric over the weekend.  Truly, this has all the earmarks of an adventure (with a capital A).  This is the thing I really dig about longer endurance events.  Whether a marathon, multi-day relay or and ultra, you really have no idea what’s going to happen when you toe the line.  There os that middle road, the one you are planning for, or more appropriately guessing at, that travels a clean but relatively uninteresting path, where everything stays within expectations.  That middle road where nothing weird or memorable happens.   You just run your miles and bask in the warm glow of an expected job well done.  You trained.  You showed up.  You ran.  You finished.  You wipe your hands, note the effort in your log, check the box and move on.  That is the less interesting path without much adventure.  But there is always a chance, I’d say better than 50/50 that something goes sideways.  There are those glowing, multi-colored traces that arc off of the main path at crazy angles into the unknown.  This is where the good stuff happens. Adventure is when you show up for a 12-person relay and there are only 8 runners.  Adventure is when you start throwing up 75 miles in.  Adventure is when you roll that ankle or crash your bike in the early miles.  Adventure is when that storm blows in with its driving wind and hail.  Adventure steps in and tears up your well-made plans. Adventure wipes the slate and resets the score. It strips you of your smug comfort and your middle of the road expectations.  But, my friends, adventure is not catastrophe.  Adventure is not some evil, beady-eyed thug stepping out of a side alley to blacken your eyes and steal your money. No, my friends, adventure is an opportunity.  Adventure strips away our silly human thoughts of predetermination and let’s us draw on deeper pools of resource and strength that we didn’t know we had.  Adventure, you see, leads to fulfillment.  Adventure is where the “Epic” lies.  Adventure to the shores of new worlds, and to the walls of Troy. Adventure is a tool to flush out the human spirit.  We, endurance athletes, we hardy few, we celebrate Adventure. “You are better than you think you are, and can do more than you think you can.” – Ken Chlouber On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Form series Chapter Three -   Voices of reason – the conversation Matt Schorer Matt is father, husband and triathlete from upstate NY who recently made the successful move to reclaim his health.  Matt is currently training for the Lake Placid IronMan in Late June of this year.     Section two – Thoughts on Seneca’s Letters– Outro Well, my friends, you fixed your form and fixed your sites on the new horizon, which, by the way, was the name of a NASA probe that made a flyby of poor old demoted king of the kuiper belt but no longer a planet Pluto, and then, even more astoundingly cool, Ultima Thule which turned out to be two big chunks of accreted dust bunnies from the birth of the solar system 4 billion years ago, to the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-414, which is in some small way astounding in itself. For me the weirdness that is my life continues.  I try to not struggle against the current so much.  I try the choose, as much as I cah the rocks to bump against on the way.  I will be pacing Eric this weekend at Leadville.  And, don’t anyone tell him, but I’m terrified.  My training has been shyte (it’s not really bad language if I use a non-U.S. dialect).  I’ve still got that damn rattle in my lungs from whatever that airplane cold was, I’m thinking consumption, or maybe grippe, or apoplexy – but I’m no doctor.  And I have the great personal responsibility to guide a dear friend through 38 miles of dusty Colorado trail, at night, over a pass that tops out at 12,600 feet.  I may die.  I would rather die than not support a friend who needs me.  People often over estimate my ability, but, thankfully they also underestimate my insanity – so it balances out.  Assuming I survive this adventure I am actually registered for a series of hard races, that I’m also not prepared for.  Screw it. Why change my approach now and do the smart thing?  That might work but it’s a boring narrative.  I’m going to call this a training run.  A nice long hike in the woods.  Good for building strength and base aerobic fitness, right?  Then in a couple weeks I’ll run the Wapack trail race and that’s another nice strength builder.   Which is stupid because a week after that I’m signed up for a marathon to see if I can’t get a qualification time before the Boston registration window closes.  Ya never know.  It’s happened before.  Remember when I rolled out of that 6-hour Spartan race in 2017 and requalified at Portland?  Or when I turned my training for an Olympic tri into a qualifier at Baystate in 2018?  It happens.  I have a history of doing better when I’m not focused. I’m also signed up for the Baystate Marathon in October which would give me 6-7 weeks of training to make another good show.  I still have some tendonitis in my ass.  My knee is still crunchy from crashing in June.  The machete injury healed fully, so at least I have that going for me.  Maybe the $1,000 emergency room visit was worth it.  Although my wife is of the opinion that I should have gone to the Redi-clinic or stitched it up myself.  And I may be patient zero for some new form of zombie plague that starts as a juicy night cough you can’t shake.  So – everything is status quo over here at the RunRunLive HQ.  And honestly I’m happy to be alive.  But, I can hear you scream, “Chris, no one cares a wit about your constant stream of whinging about running.  What about the puppy?” As we speak Ollie the border collie is what? 10-11 weeks old?  He’s growing like a weed.  He bites everything and everybody.  If it exists it goes in the mouth.  He’s sleeping through the night mostly in his crate, but usually sleep in the couch in the vicinity and that calms him down.  He’s a random poop and pee machine, but we’re working on it.  He is teaching us patience.  I’ve realized how much older I am since I last had a puppy or a baby in the house.  They have two speeds – all ahead full and sleep.  He likes to destroy Yvonne’s perennials. He like to chew on rocks.  He likes to steal my socks.  The other day I walked out to my garden with him.  I picked a pile of produce.  Tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.  He stole one of my cucumbers and gleefully kept it away from me as I grumbled and fumed and chased.  He capered away with a sparkle in his eye. I ended up freezing that cucumber so he could use it as a chew toy.  He’s probably a month ahead of where Buddy was at this age.  Buddy was the runt of the litter, a sad little dog that grew into his wonder.  Ollie is the class clown, full of energy, bravado and clever impishness. Does he run? Yes, he does.  He’s traversed the mile-ish trail with me at a trot a couple times now.  He’s not quite sure what we’re doing but he hangs with me and has plenty of juice left over at the end.  At the end of the day I’m happy to have this little, warm ball of fur weaving around my legs and trying to knock me down so he can bite my face.  I need that.  I miss that. And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-413 – Morgan Writes in the Wilderness (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4413.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello, my friends and welcome to episode 4-413 of the RunRunLive Podcast.   We've got a great show for you-all today. A couple weeks ago I interviewed Morgan.   I really enjoyed the interview.  You'll hear the story in the conversation, but the brief version is that I get the privilege to read a lot of books by athletes, and seldom does the writing do justice to the story. In most cases there is just too much exposition and too much linear narrative.  Morgan's book, “Outlandish” is the exception.  She is good at her craft. And I dig that.  Also, note that about 17 minutes into the interview my phone crapped out and we had to reconnect to finish it. In section one I'll give you a nice stand-alone audio on good running form.  I'll also post it as a separate file so that you can have it to listen to independently when you're out and about on your feet. In section two I'm going to finish talking through the “Happiness Curve” which I completed last week while traveling.  It has been an action-packed couple weeks since we last talked.  I knocked off 16 miles with my Sunday-Morning Buddies on that one Sunday that was really hot and humid.  It was pretty awful.  I got home, took a shower and immediately napped for 2 hours.  I fought through it though and that was a good confidence builder. I was down in Memphis at a client last week, (the week of the 21st of July 2019 – for those of you who are time traveling – or are interested aliens from another dimension and need a way-point).  I got a couple decent runs in on the sidewalks.   Had some dicey travel coming back and didn't end up getting to bed until 4:00 AM on Friday morning. But, of course I was still at work at 9:00!   Then Saturday, Yvonne and I drove out to North Central PA to meet up with Greg to pace the Conquer the Canyon ½ marathon. I know what you're saying, “this is normal Chris stuff”, but wait for it… The big news is that we stopped to see a puppy litter on our way and came home with a new puppy!  Yup, an eight-week border collie.  I don't know what I was thinking.  It's like having a new baby in the house.  He's starting to settle in now, but he's a terror.   God help us.  As I am editing this sitting on the steps in my front yard he wasthrowing up some grass he just ate, now he's rolling in it.  And...managing to be cute as hell in the process… Oh, and I picked up a cold traveling.  So I lost some more training time and the continuous sleep deprivation doesn't help at all! I'm still a bit of a train wreck in my training…or should that be ‘training wreck'. … I'll give you a story.  I posted a workout to Instagram.  One of my runs down in Memphis.  Nothing special just a sidewalk 8 miler out and back.  And one of the comments was that's a pretty good pace and distance…wait for it… for a guy your age!  That's it.  I've entered the “for a guy your age” club!  And, because my expectations are exceeding low, I'm happy with that. On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Form series Chapter Two -   Voices of reason – the conversation Morgan Sjogren Morgan Sjogren (“SHOW gren”) is a writer, adventurer, and former elite track athlete turned avid trail runner. A lifelong competitive runner, Morgan has raced sprints on the track to ultramarathons in the mountains, yet she prefers using running as a vehicle to explore wild places. Her writing focuses on human-powered adventure, public lands, conservation, history, travel and food. Find her writing and photography published by REI, Runner's World, Trail Runner, Patagonia, Archaeology Southwest, Sidetracked, Gear Junkie, Snowsports Industries America (SIA), The Gulch and Adventure Pro. Sjogren is the author of three books. The Best Bears Ears National Monument Hikes, the first guidebook devoted to the National Monument. Her forthcoming guidebook, The Best Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Hikes releases this year. Both are focused on educating the public to visit their lands with a conservation mindset. Outlandish is a sun-soaked starter manual to fueling your own epic. Through her riveting ersonal stories, flavorful recipes, and the book's gotta-go-there photographs, Sjogren shares her advice and lessons learned from years exploring the desert Southwest while living out of her canary-yellow Jeep Wrangler. Outlandish is a gorgeous guide to a more adventurous life. Section two – The Happiness Curve Final cut–     Outro Well, my friends, you packed your jeep with burritos and set out into the wastes for a long, soul searching, run and found yourself at the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-413, Was it cathartic? For the conquer the canyon ½ marathon,  I met Greg and was official alternate pacer for the 2:00 hour group.  It was fun to be able to coach people along and help them get through the race.  The key difference when you're pacing is that you aren't going very hard, so you can help others.  That's good, right?  That's sharing some of that wisdom.  If you're heads down racing you don't have the bandwidth to help other runners.  It was a pretty, wooded course along a packed gravel rail trail that follows a river through a canyon.  No hills.  Kind footing.  Decent scenery.  We had a bald eagle watching us at one point. I think the best part about pacing is that people come up to you afterwards and thank you for helping them.  That's cool, when someone thanks you for getting them through the rough spot and thanks you for getting them a PR.  And there you go, one of the keys to happiness: helping others.  My mileage has been pretty low.  I'm getting out 3 days a week.  I still feel that mountain bike dinger in my knee.  I rehabbed the hamstring pull I gave myself in that 5k a couple weeks ago.  And I'm just about through the other side of the airplane cold I caught traveling last week.  I've been doing 3 sessions a week of high-hamstring tendinosis exercises.  Trying to get my glutes and hips strong.  It's a couple sets of hip bridges, a couple sets of clamshells, and a couple sets of planks.  In between sets I do pushups and incline situps – so I'm keeping a bit of core strength.  I figure if I can still do a hundred pushups and 200 situps I can't be that out of shape, right? Next up for me is pacing Eric at Leadville in a couple weeks. Good thing I'm picking him up at 50 miles!  I have no doubt I can muscle through some Rocky Mountain High miles at 3.5 miles per hour.  I did a night run last night over to the ski area next to my house.  I ran over and did the ski hill, hike up, run down, hike up, run down – ended up with 10+ miles and about 2,00 feet of climbing.  At this ski area they have a tiki bar in the summer months with bad cover bands and the like.   The bouncers rode over on a golf cart to see what I was up to.  They could see my lights going up and down the mountain.  Told them I was training.  They weren't happy but they went away.  I guess it might not make sense to see and old guy humping up and down the double diamond late at night. Then I got up early this morning and ran part of the Wapack with Paul.   That was perfect.  Doing those technical mountains on tired legs was just the ticket.     I'll tell you a couple more stories to take you out.  First, was on the plane flying back.  I sit next to this guy, maybe a couple years younger than me.  Looks a bit squirrely, a bit nervous, so I ask him where he's going.  Turns out he's going to Boston to meet his daughter who he hasn't seen in 21 years, since she was 4 years old.  Felt like I had stumbled into a reality TV show! His story was that he had a drinking problem, left them and moved to California. Now he's cleaned up and the ex-wife had orchestrated the reunion.  No wonder he was nervous. I told him to not worry about the past and just be in the moment and this isn't about him, and he's going to do great.   Wish I could be a fly on that wall.  Then, final story, I'm at this brewery with Tim and Frank, two of my running buddies, in Lowell, catching up.  They let people bring their dogs in to this brewery.  It's all very Bohemian.  Bit of a hole in the wall.  I dig it.  I'm at the bar saying hi to this big goofy pit bull and there's a guy there, bit older than me. He leans down to pet the dog, turns to me and says “A lot of times they're afraid of me because they can smell the cancer.”  How do you respond to something like that?  Luckily, I happen to know everything, so I said, “You know, I've heard about that.” People are funny.  I was out at the race last week and no one said “Hey, you're that guy!” and no one asked me how many marathons I'd done. I didn't wear any Boston gear.  I was basically anonymous.  It was a different crowd. It wasn't about me.  If you want to be popular at a race, ask people about their accomplishments, ask them about their stories, listen intently, and then congratulate them when they tell you. Everybody has stories.  And I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-413 – Morgan Writes in the Wilderness (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4413.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello, my friends and welcome to episode 4-413 of the RunRunLive Podcast.   We’ve got a great show for you-all today. A couple weeks ago I interviewed Morgan.   I really enjoyed the interview.  You’ll hear the story in the conversation, but the brief version is that I get the privilege to read a lot of books by athletes, and seldom does the writing do justice to the story. In most cases there is just too much exposition and too much linear narrative.  Morgan’s book, “Outlandish” is the exception.  She is good at her craft. And I dig that.  Also, note that about 17 minutes into the interview my phone crapped out and we had to reconnect to finish it. In section one I’ll give you a nice stand-alone audio on good running form.  I’ll also post it as a separate file so that you can have it to listen to independently when you’re out and about on your feet. In section two I’m going to finish talking through the “Happiness Curve” which I completed last week while traveling.  It has been an action-packed couple weeks since we last talked.  I knocked off 16 miles with my Sunday-Morning Buddies on that one Sunday that was really hot and humid.  It was pretty awful.  I got home, took a shower and immediately napped for 2 hours.  I fought through it though and that was a good confidence builder. I was down in Memphis at a client last week, (the week of the 21st of July 2019 – for those of you who are time traveling – or are interested aliens from another dimension and need a way-point).  I got a couple decent runs in on the sidewalks.   Had some dicey travel coming back and didn’t end up getting to bed until 4:00 AM on Friday morning. But, of course I was still at work at 9:00!   Then Saturday, Yvonne and I drove out to North Central PA to meet up with Greg to pace the Conquer the Canyon ½ marathon. I know what you’re saying, “this is normal Chris stuff”, but wait for it… The big news is that we stopped to see a puppy litter on our way and came home with a new puppy!  Yup, an eight-week border collie.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  It’s like having a new baby in the house.  He’s starting to settle in now, but he’s a terror.   God help us.  As I am editing this sitting on the steps in my front yard he wasthrowing up some grass he just ate, now he’s rolling in it.  And...managing to be cute as hell in the process… Oh, and I picked up a cold traveling.  So I lost some more training time and the continuous sleep deprivation doesn’t help at all! I’m still a bit of a train wreck in my training…or should that be ‘training wreck’. … I’ll give you a story.  I posted a workout to Instagram.  One of my runs down in Memphis.  Nothing special just a sidewalk 8 miler out and back.  And one of the comments was that’s a pretty good pace and distance…wait for it… for a guy your age!  That’s it.  I’ve entered the “for a guy your age” club!  And, because my expectations are exceeding low, I’m happy with that. On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Form series Chapter Two -   Voices of reason – the conversation Morgan Sjogren Morgan Sjogren (“SHOW gren”) is a writer, adventurer, and former elite track athlete turned avid trail runner. A lifelong competitive runner, Morgan has raced sprints on the track to ultramarathons in the mountains, yet she prefers using running as a vehicle to explore wild places. Her writing focuses on human-powered adventure, public lands, conservation, history, travel and food. Find her writing and photography published by REI, Runner’s World, Trail Runner, Patagonia, Archaeology Southwest, Sidetracked, Gear Junkie, Snowsports Industries America (SIA), The Gulch and Adventure Pro. Sjogren is the author of three books. The Best Bears Ears National Monument Hikes, the first guidebook devoted to the National Monument. Her forthcoming guidebook, The Best Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Hikes releases this year. Both are focused on educating the public to visit their lands with a conservation mindset. Outlandish is a sun-soaked starter manual to fueling your own epic. Through her riveting ersonal stories, flavorful recipes, and the book’s gotta-go-there photographs, Sjogren shares her advice and lessons learned from years exploring the desert Southwest while living out of her canary-yellow Jeep Wrangler. Outlandish is a gorgeous guide to a more adventurous life. Section two – The Happiness Curve Final cut–     Outro Well, my friends, you packed your jeep with burritos and set out into the wastes for a long, soul searching, run and found yourself at the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-413, Was it cathartic? For the conquer the canyon ½ marathon,  I met Greg and was official alternate pacer for the 2:00 hour group.  It was fun to be able to coach people along and help them get through the race.  The key difference when you’re pacing is that you aren’t going very hard, so you can help others.  That’s good, right?  That’s sharing some of that wisdom.  If you’re heads down racing you don’t have the bandwidth to help other runners.  It was a pretty, wooded course along a packed gravel rail trail that follows a river through a canyon.  No hills.  Kind footing.  Decent scenery.  We had a bald eagle watching us at one point. I think the best part about pacing is that people come up to you afterwards and thank you for helping them.  That’s cool, when someone thanks you for getting them through the rough spot and thanks you for getting them a PR.  And there you go, one of the keys to happiness: helping others.  My mileage has been pretty low.  I’m getting out 3 days a week.  I still feel that mountain bike dinger in my knee.  I rehabbed the hamstring pull I gave myself in that 5k a couple weeks ago.  And I’m just about through the other side of the airplane cold I caught traveling last week.  I’ve been doing 3 sessions a week of high-hamstring tendinosis exercises.  Trying to get my glutes and hips strong.  It’s a couple sets of hip bridges, a couple sets of clamshells, and a couple sets of planks.  In between sets I do pushups and incline situps – so I’m keeping a bit of core strength.  I figure if I can still do a hundred pushups and 200 situps I can’t be that out of shape, right? Next up for me is pacing Eric at Leadville in a couple weeks. Good thing I’m picking him up at 50 miles!  I have no doubt I can muscle through some Rocky Mountain High miles at 3.5 miles per hour.  I did a night run last night over to the ski area next to my house.  I ran over and did the ski hill, hike up, run down, hike up, run down – ended up with 10+ miles and about 2,00 feet of climbing.  At this ski area they have a tiki bar in the summer months with bad cover bands and the like.   The bouncers rode over on a golf cart to see what I was up to.  They could see my lights going up and down the mountain.  Told them I was training.  They weren’t happy but they went away.  I guess it might not make sense to see and old guy humping up and down the double diamond late at night. Then I got up early this morning and ran part of the Wapack with Paul.   That was perfect.  Doing those technical mountains on tired legs was just the ticket.     I’ll tell you a couple more stories to take you out.  First, was on the plane flying back.  I sit next to this guy, maybe a couple years younger than me.  Looks a bit squirrely, a bit nervous, so I ask him where he’s going.  Turns out he’s going to Boston to meet his daughter who he hasn’t seen in 21 years, since she was 4 years old.  Felt like I had stumbled into a reality TV show! His story was that he had a drinking problem, left them and moved to California. Now he’s cleaned up and the ex-wife had orchestrated the reunion.  No wonder he was nervous. I told him to not worry about the past and just be in the moment and this isn’t about him, and he’s going to do great.   Wish I could be a fly on that wall.  Then, final story, I’m at this brewery with Tim and Frank, two of my running buddies, in Lowell, catching up.  They let people bring their dogs in to this brewery.  It’s all very Bohemian.  Bit of a hole in the wall.  I dig it.  I’m at the bar saying hi to this big goofy pit bull and there’s a guy there, bit older than me. He leans down to pet the dog, turns to me and says “A lot of times they’re afraid of me because they can smell the cancer.”  How do you respond to something like that?  Luckily, I happen to know everything, so I said, “You know, I’ve heard about that.” People are funny.  I was out at the race last week and no one said “Hey, you’re that guy!” and no one asked me how many marathons I’d done. I didn’t wear any Boston gear.  I was basically anonymous.  It was a different crowd. It wasn’t about me.  If you want to be popular at a race, ask people about their accomplishments, ask them about their stories, listen intently, and then congratulate them when they tell you. Everybody has stories.  And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-410 – Tim Vedder Qualifies (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4410.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello, my friends and welcome to episode 4-410 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  It's been an interesting and, I'll admit challenging, beginning to the summer.  It's been a few weeks since the Vermont Cities Marathon race.  I've spent that time trying to navigate the inevitable emotional trough and working how and what to do next.  Even as well worn an athlete as myself is not immune to the post-training cycle slump.  And, as is my habit, one of the ways I work through these things is by talking to you about them.  It's hard to see when you're in the Sargasso Sea of a slump, but it is a learning opportunity like anything else.  In the spirit of this I'm going to talk about some straight-on, tactical solutions to getting out of the blue doldrums in section one and talk a bit about balance in section two. Our interviewee today is Tim Vedder who goes into what it took in his Boston Marathon quest.  When I started this podcast a dozen or so years ago one of the things I wanted to do was expose every-day, average joe runners to the community, because that's who we are.  Average Joe and Jill's who occasionally roll out of bed at 5:00 AM to do hill charges in the freezing rain. What have I been up to?  Basically taking my own advice and letting loose of the tight grip I had on the wheel of life a bit.  I've been trail running, Mountain biking and lifting weights.  And I've been eating!  I felt a bit out of sorts being too skinny so I'm letting myself put a few pounds on.  Basically, I'm doing what I want to do, while still staying in good enough shape to be within reach of a race.  We'll talk more about what I've got on the race calendar at the end. … I got great feedback on my iPhone tips from episode 4409.  It seems I was not the only one getting annoyingly treated to the first song on my list every time I turned the truck on.  For more detail, the audio I found was a very peaceful and meek morning meditation routine from YouTube.  You can search in YouTube for “Peaceful Morning Meditation” and it will find something to fit the bill.   To get it off of YouTube and onto your computer Google “YouTube to Mp3”.  This will show you on-line apps that will convert the video to an audio and allow you to download it to your computer.  Then rename the Mp3 file aaaaaaaaaaaa.mp3 – this will cause it to be that default first song in your music library.  To get it into your iPhone go into iTunes and do “Add File to Library”.  Then, while your phone is connected to the computer you should be able to select this file to be synched, either by name, genre or artist.  (there's a icon of your phone in iTunes when it is connected and you click on that to set the sync rules).  Then you sync and the mp3 should be on the phone. There has been a lot of talk recently about digital diets and addiction to the phone apps.  You can track how much time you spend on social media or news and there are ways to set limits. The friends I have who have gone cold-turkey report that they have about a week of withdrawal, but by the second week they feel more in control and have more time.  Failing that I have some middle of the road tips for you around social.  I don't use Facebook that much, nor Twitter anymore just because I naturally don't find it all that interesting.  I do like Instagram.  But, here's my tip.  Only allow social apps to be used when you are connected to WiFi.  This means you can't use them randomly as you're out an about.  It removes the knee-jerk reaction to check your feeds.  It's a setting on your phone.  Go into the app and set it to NOT use mobile data connection.  It will keep you from looking at it in the car.  It's a good compromise.  Second tip is to turn on the Do Not Disturb while driving.  There's no reason to be checking you phone while you're driving.  Turning this on adds a barrier to phone use in the car.  Might save your life.  Third tip is to turn on a generous quiet time at night.  There is a Do-Not-Disturb setting that you can set your phone to silent between the hours of X and Y.  I set mine to 9:00PM to 6:00AM.  This keeps me from hearing or seeing anything you text to me at 10:00PM when I've nodded off.  Psychologists will always talk about setting boundaries.  The real risk with the technology is that it takes our boundaries away, and that is not good for your mental health.  You have the ability to take some of those personal boundaries back.  So, take them back.  On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Practical Slump Advice - Voices of reason – the conversation Tim Vedder Bio: Timm Vedder is a neonatologist in St. Cloud, Minnesota who also serves as a physician in the National Guard. He is married, with two awesome kids. His other athletic pursuits include trail running, triathlon, tennis, and CrossFit. Section two – Balance -   Outro Well, my friends you Successfully trained and qualified for the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-410, see you in Boston.  On the calendar I've got the ½ marathon pacing duty at the end of July. Then I've got Pacing duties at Leadville in mid-August.  I also signed up for a local “last chance to qualify” type marathon for September 8th.  We'll have to see if I run Wapack on Labor Day.  Then BayState in October.  I don't think with the weird assortment of races and training this summer I'll be fit to qualify, but I'm starting to doubt whether I have a clue about my own fitness.  The first 14 days of June I ran 5 miles a day as one of those slump-busting tactics.  My plantar fasciitis was acting up so I pivoted to bike riding, weight lifting and trail running.  My club had an ice-cream social over in Groton yesterday so I rode Fuji-san over, had a bowl of ice cream, chatted for a bit and rode back. 26 or so miles of road riding separated by ice cream eating.  You won't find that on your coaches training plan.  Then I rolled out early this morning for a 15 mile run with my buddies.  My theory is that I for Leadville I have to run on tired legs, so I bike ride on Saturday and long run Sunday.  I'm trying to get 3-4 longish trail runs in a week with a couple rides.  I'm toying with organizing an overnight run out in July.  This would be a 10 hour trail run where we start at 10:00 PM and run through to 8:00 AM for me that's probably 50K or more.  This falls under the category of if you do something stupid enough people will join you.  I did a similar 12 hour run last year as part of my 100 training and it was cool.  It's quite surrealistic.  Time goes by weirdly fast.  Enough random training talk.  I hope you are doing well as we move into official summer.  Thanks for bearing with me as some of these episodes come in a couple days late.  I do enjoy the writing, but I am in a place where balance has been hard to find.  … I watched my way through the Netflix original zombie series “Black Summer”.  As much as I appreciate a good zombie show, being a professional zombie hunter myself, this one had a lot of holes in it. They used every zombie trope and seemed to have a very small budget.  So remember, cardio and double tap and… I'll see you out there.   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-410 – Tim Vedder Qualifies (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4410.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello, my friends and welcome to episode 4-410 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  It’s been an interesting and, I’ll admit challenging, beginning to the summer.  It’s been a few weeks since the Vermont Cities Marathon race.  I’ve spent that time trying to navigate the inevitable emotional trough and working how and what to do next.  Even as well worn an athlete as myself is not immune to the post-training cycle slump.  And, as is my habit, one of the ways I work through these things is by talking to you about them.  It’s hard to see when you’re in the Sargasso Sea of a slump, but it is a learning opportunity like anything else.  In the spirit of this I’m going to talk about some straight-on, tactical solutions to getting out of the blue doldrums in section one and talk a bit about balance in section two. Our interviewee today is Tim Vedder who goes into what it took in his Boston Marathon quest.  When I started this podcast a dozen or so years ago one of the things I wanted to do was expose every-day, average joe runners to the community, because that’s who we are.  Average Joe and Jill’s who occasionally roll out of bed at 5:00 AM to do hill charges in the freezing rain. What have I been up to?  Basically taking my own advice and letting loose of the tight grip I had on the wheel of life a bit.  I’ve been trail running, Mountain biking and lifting weights.  And I’ve been eating!  I felt a bit out of sorts being too skinny so I’m letting myself put a few pounds on.  Basically, I’m doing what I want to do, while still staying in good enough shape to be within reach of a race.  We’ll talk more about what I’ve got on the race calendar at the end. … I got great feedback on my iPhone tips from episode 4409.  It seems I was not the only one getting annoyingly treated to the first song on my list every time I turned the truck on.  For more detail, the audio I found was a very peaceful and meek morning meditation routine from YouTube.  You can search in YouTube for “Peaceful Morning Meditation” and it will find something to fit the bill.   To get it off of YouTube and onto your computer Google “YouTube to Mp3”.  This will show you on-line apps that will convert the video to an audio and allow you to download it to your computer.  Then rename the Mp3 file aaaaaaaaaaaa.mp3 – this will cause it to be that default first song in your music library.  To get it into your iPhone go into iTunes and do “Add File to Library”.  Then, while your phone is connected to the computer you should be able to select this file to be synched, either by name, genre or artist.  (there’s a icon of your phone in iTunes when it is connected and you click on that to set the sync rules).  Then you sync and the mp3 should be on the phone. There has been a lot of talk recently about digital diets and addiction to the phone apps.  You can track how much time you spend on social media or news and there are ways to set limits. The friends I have who have gone cold-turkey report that they have about a week of withdrawal, but by the second week they feel more in control and have more time.  Failing that I have some middle of the road tips for you around social.  I don’t use Facebook that much, nor Twitter anymore just because I naturally don’t find it all that interesting.  I do like Instagram.  But, here’s my tip.  Only allow social apps to be used when you are connected to WiFi.  This means you can’t use them randomly as you’re out an about.  It removes the knee-jerk reaction to check your feeds.  It’s a setting on your phone.  Go into the app and set it to NOT use mobile data connection.  It will keep you from looking at it in the car.  It’s a good compromise.  Second tip is to turn on the Do Not Disturb while driving.  There’s no reason to be checking you phone while you’re driving.  Turning this on adds a barrier to phone use in the car.  Might save your life.  Third tip is to turn on a generous quiet time at night.  There is a Do-Not-Disturb setting that you can set your phone to silent between the hours of X and Y.  I set mine to 9:00PM to 6:00AM.  This keeps me from hearing or seeing anything you text to me at 10:00PM when I’ve nodded off.  Psychologists will always talk about setting boundaries.  The real risk with the technology is that it takes our boundaries away, and that is not good for your mental health.  You have the ability to take some of those personal boundaries back.  So, take them back.  On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Practical Slump Advice - Voices of reason – the conversation Tim Vedder Bio: Timm Vedder is a neonatologist in St. Cloud, Minnesota who also serves as a physician in the National Guard. He is married, with two awesome kids. His other athletic pursuits include trail running, triathlon, tennis, and CrossFit. Section two – Balance -   Outro Well, my friends you Successfully trained and qualified for the end of the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-410, see you in Boston.  On the calendar I’ve got the ½ marathon pacing duty at the end of July. Then I’ve got Pacing duties at Leadville in mid-August.  I also signed up for a local “last chance to qualify” type marathon for September 8th.  We’ll have to see if I run Wapack on Labor Day.  Then BayState in October.  I don’t think with the weird assortment of races and training this summer I’ll be fit to qualify, but I’m starting to doubt whether I have a clue about my own fitness.  The first 14 days of June I ran 5 miles a day as one of those slump-busting tactics.  My plantar fasciitis was acting up so I pivoted to bike riding, weight lifting and trail running.  My club had an ice-cream social over in Groton yesterday so I rode Fuji-san over, had a bowl of ice cream, chatted for a bit and rode back. 26 or so miles of road riding separated by ice cream eating.  You won’t find that on your coaches training plan.  Then I rolled out early this morning for a 15 mile run with my buddies.  My theory is that I for Leadville I have to run on tired legs, so I bike ride on Saturday and long run Sunday.  I’m trying to get 3-4 longish trail runs in a week with a couple rides.  I’m toying with organizing an overnight run out in July.  This would be a 10 hour trail run where we start at 10:00 PM and run through to 8:00 AM for me that’s probably 50K or more.  This falls under the category of if you do something stupid enough people will join you.  I did a similar 12 hour run last year as part of my 100 training and it was cool.  It’s quite surrealistic.  Time goes by weirdly fast.  Enough random training talk.  I hope you are doing well as we move into official summer.  Thanks for bearing with me as some of these episodes come in a couple days late.  I do enjoy the writing, but I am in a place where balance has been hard to find.  … I watched my way through the Netflix original zombie series “Black Summer”.  As much as I appreciate a good zombie show, being a professional zombie hunter myself, this one had a lot of holes in it. They used every zombie trope and seemed to have a very small budget.  So remember, cardio and double tap and… I’ll see you out there.   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Rachel -> Coach Jeff ->  

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-394 – Liz runs on Venti (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4394.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-394.  Today's show is about empowerment.  There has been much ballyhoo around empowerment in the past few years, rightly so.  To my mind it is not about someone in charge, or society or culture stepping forward and blessing you with empowerment.  It is about you realizing that you have the strength, the gifts, the permission to be empowered. Just like ‘inspired' means to be filled with spirit, ‘empowered' means to be given or gifted power.  What we're going to realize is that we have the ability to give ourselves that gift.  This is a big part of how a good coach, and a transition to an endurance lifestyle, can transform your mindset by giving you, or more appropriately, revealing to you your own infinite power.  Today we have a chat with Liz, who is a runner, a coach and a mom.  Liz and I have spent some time running the roads of Groton together.  We talk about empowerment of her runners.  In section one I'll tell my Wapack Trail Race tail.  And in section two I'll talk about…I'll give you three guesses… That's right Empowerment! I'm ramping up my training for the Baystate Marathon in October.  Have been working on my speed and it's awful but I'm getting the workouts done.  At least the weather is turning a bit cooler now up here so I can avoid the soupy heat and humidity.  But the days are getting shorter in a hurry as well.  I'm doing some workouts at night in the dark.  I don't mind, I've always been a night runner.  I did a trail run one night last week and it was a clear moonless night.  Really pretty to be able to look up through the trees and see the stars splashed across the sky.  As we move into fall the Concord grapes are ripening.  The sweet-sour smell hits you as you pass by.  They are screaming florid grape smells at you as if to say, “We're still here! Your Vikings and colonials have come and gone, but we're still here!”  I have a key tip for you.  Something I learned from the 100 mile training.  When I run at night on the road I have always worn a headlamp.  I also try to wear something reflective or a blinky light on one arm.  In Ultra-running you carry a flashlight as well.  Remember what generation I'm from.  When I think flashlight I think about those 8-inch long cylinders with multiple heavy D-cell batteries that at best gave off a wan yellow glow.  Think horror movie flashlight.  When I started training overnights for the 100 I looked around for flashlights and discovered there is a whole new generation of cheap, bright, small, LED flashlights.  Companies give them away as marketing knickknacks.  They are so small and light you can hold them between your fingers and not even notice them.  This way you don't have to turn your head to illuminate something, you just point the flashlight at it.  When you're running into oncoming traffic you can wave the light around in their frame of reference to make sure they see you.  So, my friends, turn on your love light, and let it shine, shine, shine… On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills. M … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Wapack-2018 - http://runrunlive.com/wapack-2018   Voices of reason – the conversation Liz McHutcheon – Running on Venti Instrgram @runningonventi FB @runningonventi Twitter @runningonventi Things I like: Lay's Ruffle Potato Chips, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, Harry Potter Movie Marathons, travel and photography. I'm a runner (especially love the trails), coach, writer, and former CPA who knows a few things about Quickbooks. I'm a mom to two amazing and sometimes pain in the butt daughters who have taught me more about myself then any book. I've lived in Ireland where I got engaged and married. I'm vegan and love all animals especially my two Golden Retrievers, Thor and Ginger and my three cats, Fluffy, Bailey and Paris. I'm over 50 and I don't let that number tell me what I can and can't do. I've been to Paris more then any other city in the world besides Boston (where I live). I'm not afraid to try new things, go by myself to run the stairs at Harvard Stadium with November Project, go run a race alone in another state and listen to what my gut is telling me to do even if I'm not sure where my gut is taking me. So why Running on Venti? I do love coffee but it is more than about the coffee. It's about living your big, beautiful life and going after those BIG goals, one small and sometimes messy step at a time. Even when it's scary. It's jumping all the way in not just slowly getting used to the water. My favorite coffee to order: Iced Venti Decaf Americano with extra ice and coconut milk. Running Stats: 5K x lost count (PR 23:40), 10K x lost count (PR 54:35), 10 miler x 4 (PR 1:27), Half-Marathon x 7 (PR 1:49:11), Marathon x 3 (PR 4:51), 50K x 2 (PR 8:11). Section two – Empowerment - Outro Thank you my friends for joining me for Episode 4-394 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Do you feel empowered? I'm training now for the Baystate marathon.  Putting in some road miles. I feel pretty good. One thing I had taken my eye off of was my nutrition. I have been eating too much junk and drinking too much beer.  I started a new project with the goal of getting to the starting line of Baystate under 170 pounds.  I figure why waste this fitness I have by half-assing my preparation?  I have a quick story about worms.  I didn't get much out of my garden this year.  The varmints ate all my tomatoes.  I didn't get any squash and only a couple cucumbers. But my kale was great this year.  For some reason the cabbage worms never showed up and I've been eating kale salads every day for a month.  This week the worms have discovered my kale, not the cabbage worms, which are all green, the color of the plant, that makes them hard to clean off.  My wife the horticulturalist says these worms are Sod Worms.  They are green and brown with yellow and black stripes.  They aren't making a dent yet and they are easier to clean off because you can see them.  As the weather cools off they will be less active.  Hopefully I can still get my salads for a few more weeks, even if they have a bit of extra protein in them. I also have a family of caterpillars chewing through my parsley.  They are those big striped worms that turn into beautiful butterflies.  The butterflies are like royal blue monarch butterflies.  I'm letting them eat the parsley.  Seems like the right thing to do.  Karma and all. … I was listening to some poets talking about how movement is an act of meditation or prayer.  You make yourself a vessel and allow power to come through you.  Whether you that is the power of god or the power of the universe that we share.  You are a doorway.  Think of the relationship between movement and empowerment spiritually.  Moving through the stations of the cross.  Climbing the tower of a Buddhist monastery.   Each step is inserting a power (or a prayer) into the world. Think about that the next time you're out for a run.  Imagine you are a conduit for power and are injecting it into the world each time your foot rings the ground.  Think about that. And I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-394 – Liz runs on Venti (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4394.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-394.  Today’s show is about empowerment.  There has been much ballyhoo around empowerment in the past few years, rightly so.  To my mind it is not about someone in charge, or society or culture stepping forward and blessing you with empowerment.  It is about you realizing that you have the strength, the gifts, the permission to be empowered. Just like ‘inspired’ means to be filled with spirit, ‘empowered’ means to be given or gifted power.  What we’re going to realize is that we have the ability to give ourselves that gift.  This is a big part of how a good coach, and a transition to an endurance lifestyle, can transform your mindset by giving you, or more appropriately, revealing to you your own infinite power.  Today we have a chat with Liz, who is a runner, a coach and a mom.  Liz and I have spent some time running the roads of Groton together.  We talk about empowerment of her runners.  In section one I’ll tell my Wapack Trail Race tail.  And in section two I’ll talk about…I’ll give you three guesses… That’s right Empowerment! I’m ramping up my training for the Baystate Marathon in October.  Have been working on my speed and it’s awful but I’m getting the workouts done.  At least the weather is turning a bit cooler now up here so I can avoid the soupy heat and humidity.  But the days are getting shorter in a hurry as well.  I’m doing some workouts at night in the dark.  I don’t mind, I’ve always been a night runner.  I did a trail run one night last week and it was a clear moonless night.  Really pretty to be able to look up through the trees and see the stars splashed across the sky.  As we move into fall the Concord grapes are ripening.  The sweet-sour smell hits you as you pass by.  They are screaming florid grape smells at you as if to say, “We’re still here! Your Vikings and colonials have come and gone, but we’re still here!”  I have a key tip for you.  Something I learned from the 100 mile training.  When I run at night on the road I have always worn a headlamp.  I also try to wear something reflective or a blinky light on one arm.  In Ultra-running you carry a flashlight as well.  Remember what generation I’m from.  When I think flashlight I think about those 8-inch long cylinders with multiple heavy D-cell batteries that at best gave off a wan yellow glow.  Think horror movie flashlight.  When I started training overnights for the 100 I looked around for flashlights and discovered there is a whole new generation of cheap, bright, small, LED flashlights.  Companies give them away as marketing knickknacks.  They are so small and light you can hold them between your fingers and not even notice them.  This way you don’t have to turn your head to illuminate something, you just point the flashlight at it.  When you’re running into oncoming traffic you can wave the light around in their frame of reference to make sure they see you.  So, my friends, turn on your love light, and let it shine, shine, shine… On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills. M … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Wapack-2018 - http://runrunlive.com/wapack-2018   Voices of reason – the conversation Liz McHutcheon – Running on Venti Instrgram @runningonventi FB @runningonventi Twitter @runningonventi Things I like: Lay’s Ruffle Potato Chips, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, Harry Potter Movie Marathons, travel and photography. I’m a runner (especially love the trails), coach, writer, and former CPA who knows a few things about Quickbooks. I’m a mom to two amazing and sometimes pain in the butt daughters who have taught me more about myself then any book. I’ve lived in Ireland where I got engaged and married. I’m vegan and love all animals especially my two Golden Retrievers, Thor and Ginger and my three cats, Fluffy, Bailey and Paris. I’m over 50 and I don’t let that number tell me what I can and can’t do. I’ve been to Paris more then any other city in the world besides Boston (where I live). I’m not afraid to try new things, go by myself to run the stairs at Harvard Stadium with November Project, go run a race alone in another state and listen to what my gut is telling me to do even if I’m not sure where my gut is taking me. So why Running on Venti? I do love coffee but it is more than about the coffee. It’s about living your big, beautiful life and going after those BIG goals, one small and sometimes messy step at a time. Even when it’s scary. It’s jumping all the way in not just slowly getting used to the water. My favorite coffee to order: Iced Venti Decaf Americano with extra ice and coconut milk. Running Stats: 5K x lost count (PR 23:40), 10K x lost count (PR 54:35), 10 miler x 4 (PR 1:27), Half-Marathon x 7 (PR 1:49:11), Marathon x 3 (PR 4:51), 50K x 2 (PR 8:11). Section two – Empowerment - Outro Thank you my friends for joining me for Episode 4-394 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Do you feel empowered? I’m training now for the Baystate marathon.  Putting in some road miles. I feel pretty good. One thing I had taken my eye off of was my nutrition. I have been eating too much junk and drinking too much beer.  I started a new project with the goal of getting to the starting line of Baystate under 170 pounds.  I figure why waste this fitness I have by half-assing my preparation?  I have a quick story about worms.  I didn’t get much out of my garden this year.  The varmints ate all my tomatoes.  I didn’t get any squash and only a couple cucumbers. But my kale was great this year.  For some reason the cabbage worms never showed up and I’ve been eating kale salads every day for a month.  This week the worms have discovered my kale, not the cabbage worms, which are all green, the color of the plant, that makes them hard to clean off.  My wife the horticulturalist says these worms are Sod Worms.  They are green and brown with yellow and black stripes.  They aren’t making a dent yet and they are easier to clean off because you can see them.  As the weather cools off they will be less active.  Hopefully I can still get my salads for a few more weeks, even if they have a bit of extra protein in them. I also have a family of caterpillars chewing through my parsley.  They are those big striped worms that turn into beautiful butterflies.  The butterflies are like royal blue monarch butterflies.  I’m letting them eat the parsley.  Seems like the right thing to do.  Karma and all. … I was listening to some poets talking about how movement is an act of meditation or prayer.  You make yourself a vessel and allow power to come through you.  Whether you that is the power of god or the power of the universe that we share.  You are a doorway.  Think of the relationship between movement and empowerment spiritually.  Moving through the stations of the cross.  Climbing the tower of a Buddhist monastery.   Each step is inserting a power (or a prayer) into the world. Think about that the next time you’re out for a run.  Imagine you are a conduit for power and are injecting it into the world each time your foot rings the ground.  Think about that. And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-392 – Rhonda Marie Runs Tennessee (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4392.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-392.  This is Chris your host.  Well, it's been a couple weeks since we talked and a couple weeks since I finished the Burning River 100.  I'm back to full strength as near as I can tell.  I seem to have recovered very well and very quickly, probably because I hiked so much of the last half.  Today we speak with Rhonda-Marie who a blind ultra-runner who did something amazing this summer.  She ran the Last Vol State Run across Tennessee which is a 500KM or 314 mile race.  But she did it unguided.  You are going to love this interview.  My audio editor Dimitri even commented on how this one was super interesting. In section one I'll do some Q&Q on the Burning River race, a bit of a wrap up, if you will.  In section two I'm going to talk about kindness.  Because we all need more kindness in our lives.  My recovery is going very well.  I've started training again and have some races lined up that we'll chat about later.  The first week after the race I did mostly stretching and a couple bike rides.  The second week I started running again.  Two weeks from stumbling across the finish line in Ohio I went up with some friends and ran the Wapack trail course one-way with them.  We had a blast and I felt great.  Very strong.  What you look for when doing recovery runs after an ultra is unique.  When you go out it's not that your legs feel tired. Just the opposite.  When you first start the runs your legs feel great.  Unique to post-ultra recovery runs is that somewhere in that run your legs can go like throwing a switch.  It is all the more telling because you feel great up to that point, then your legs just disappear.   That hasn't happened since I started back in.  So I think I'm good.  If you listen to any interview or story of ultra runners, when they are asked what they learned, invariably the answer is that we are stronger than we think.  Our bodies are designed for this stuff.  All we have to do is train for it and ask our bodies.  Then we have to decide to do it.  Whether it's getting up off the couch for your first run, or stepping off the cliff edge into the yawning dark unknow of 100 miles, or 300 miles, you can do it if you decide to.  That's it.  That's what separates the finishers from those that don't start, the belief that you can do it.  You can do it.  Just decide to do it and it is as good as done.  That's the hard part.  The decision.  What hard thing are you going to decide to do today? On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills. M … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Fever Dreams -   Voices of reason – the conversation Rhonda-Marie Parke, Blind Runner · Other-abled athlete Rhonda-Marie Parke has 8% vision. Traditionally Rhonda-Marie runs accompanied by guides; runners who call out obstacles along the way. With these guides she's run races from Marathon distances to 100 mile distances. She has also completed several end-to-end runs of various Ontario trails including The Bruce Trail (885 km), The Avon Trail (110 km) and The Thames Valley Trail (112 km). Rhonda-Marie has also ventured to the infamous Barkley Marathons. Rhonda-Marie continues to work in her community to encourage and create space for inclusive sport. Accessing the Inaccessible In July of 2018, Rhonda-Marie Parke will attempt to run The Last Annual Vol State race without the aid of guide runners. Why Will Rhonda-Marie Proceed Unguided? "My whole life, I have had to follow - even if the direction has been my choosing." - Rhonda-Marie Parke Disability is diverse, dynamic, and ever changing. There is no such thing as universally accessible, especially in a 314 mile road race where cars are moving pieces, where animals are out and roaming, where fatigue, injury are all very very real; but then again, so is crossing the road to get to the library. Rhonda-Marie continues to show other-abled athletes that they can get involved in the sports of their choice. Rhonda-Marie also continues to encourage running events to think about how to make their events accessible to athletes of ALL abilities. Inclusion in sport is not a given, it's a process of adaptation and evolution of parameters. Ongoing conversation and community building is required. What Is The Last Obstacle? In addition Rhonda-Marie looks to bring light to a bigger issue facing those with disability - stigma. She continues to face intolerance when it comes to her participation in sport as some believe that there is no place for a blind athlete in such a dangerous event. Rhonda-Marie is confident in her athletic abilities and that through training and careful planning, there is no reason why she won't have the same chance at success as any other runner. Help us show that if they have the desire and the drive, other-abled athletes have every right to participate in sport. Please help us send Rhonda-Marie to The Last Annual Vol State. With your help, she will strive to overcome the Last Obstacle.   Section two – Into the Unknown - http://runrunlive.com/burning-river-100-into-the-unknown Outro OK my friends, you have stumbled along a highway shoulder to the end of episode 4-391.  Be careful out there. Rhonda Marie is amazing, right?  I felt seriously out of my depth with her.  I think I'm going to try to see if I can't guide a runner for Boston next year.  I am training again.  I signed up for a few races.  I'm going to run the Wapack Trail race on Labor Day weekend.  It's my club's race.  I'll go up early, help set up, park cars and then run the race.  I'm looking forward to it.  I should have good juice in my legs from all the miles I did this summer. Then I agreed to run a Ragnar the weekend of September 21st with my coach up in New York.  Treat myself to a little adventure! And finally, I signed up for the BayState Marathon again.  It's my go-to marathon for requalifying.  I'll take a shot at getting my number for 2020.  My buddy Brian is running it too.  We'll see if I can get enough speed back by the end of October. After the successful outing on the Wapack Trail I told coach I was ready to get back to work.  He gave me a couple workouts for this week, as if to test me.  I did a 1:40 step up run Tuesday.  I went into the run feeling dead and didn't have much hope for being able to step up to zone 3 effort for 30 minutes then up to zone 4-5 for an additional 30.  That's a hard workout.  I felt heavy but figured I'd just do what I could and see how long I could keep my legs turning.  As I stepped up the effort my legs were surprisingly strong.  I was able to hold a decent effort level for the last hour of the step up.  Looking at the results, I wasn't moving super fast but I'm happy with the effort 2 weeks out from the hundred.  Then Friday night I went down to my local track and knocked out some speed work.  I did a ladder of 2X600, 2X800 and 2X1000 and was able to hang in there.  The mechanics felt quite foreign.  I was leaning back too much and was swinging my arms around.  My butt muscles were sore afterwards.  It's going to take awhile to get some speed back, but I think I'll be fine.  … … I had a one day trip to Orlando this week.  It's a bout a 3-hour flight.  I got up early and flew down, we had meetings and lunch and flew back.  That put me out of the airport in Boston around 7:30 and getting after 8:00.  I was wiped so I figured I'd order a pizza to pick up as I whizzed by on my way out to the suburbs.  So, I called up Siri and asked her to call the pizza place for me.  I was in my truck on the highway and didn't want to be too distracted by the phone.  I got the guy on the phone and had the following conversation… Me: “I'd like to order a Mushroom Pepperoni Pizza.” Him: “Sure, name?” Me: “Last or First?” Him: “OK 15 minutes.” And he hung up. When I got to the pizza place I thought I'd ordered from I found out that Siri and I had different ideas on that.  She gave me the number of another pizza place.  It was late.  I was almost home.  I thought about just bailing out on the whole thing, but I knew, across town. 4 .4 miles away, a pizza place had made a pizza for me.  So I bit the bullet and drove over there.  Good karma.  When I got to the other pizza place, I went in, apologized for being late and asked if there wasn't a mushroom Pepperoni pizza here waiting for me.  He said, “What's the name?” I said, “I don't know.  You asked me for my name, I said ‘last or first', you said '15 minutes' and hung up.” He didn't have a Mushroom Pepperoni.  But, he did have a Sausage Pepperoni, for ‘Lester'.  We agreed that was probably it.  He felt bad about making the wrong pizza and gave me a discount.  I didn't tell him I never meant to order a pizza from him to begin with and was just barely able to drag p the will power to not stiff him.  And the karma balances out.  Even when ordering a pizza.  I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-392 – Rhonda Marie Runs Tennessee (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4392.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-392.  This is Chris your host.  Well, it’s been a couple weeks since we talked and a couple weeks since I finished the Burning River 100.  I’m back to full strength as near as I can tell.  I seem to have recovered very well and very quickly, probably because I hiked so much of the last half.  Today we speak with Rhonda-Marie who a blind ultra-runner who did something amazing this summer.  She ran the Last Vol State Run across Tennessee which is a 500KM or 314 mile race.  But she did it unguided.  You are going to love this interview.  My audio editor Dimitri even commented on how this one was super interesting. In section one I’ll do some Q&Q on the Burning River race, a bit of a wrap up, if you will.  In section two I’m going to talk about kindness.  Because we all need more kindness in our lives.  My recovery is going very well.  I’ve started training again and have some races lined up that we’ll chat about later.  The first week after the race I did mostly stretching and a couple bike rides.  The second week I started running again.  Two weeks from stumbling across the finish line in Ohio I went up with some friends and ran the Wapack trail course one-way with them.  We had a blast and I felt great.  Very strong.  What you look for when doing recovery runs after an ultra is unique.  When you go out it’s not that your legs feel tired. Just the opposite.  When you first start the runs your legs feel great.  Unique to post-ultra recovery runs is that somewhere in that run your legs can go like throwing a switch.  It is all the more telling because you feel great up to that point, then your legs just disappear.   That hasn’t happened since I started back in.  So I think I’m good.  If you listen to any interview or story of ultra runners, when they are asked what they learned, invariably the answer is that we are stronger than we think.  Our bodies are designed for this stuff.  All we have to do is train for it and ask our bodies.  Then we have to decide to do it.  Whether it’s getting up off the couch for your first run, or stepping off the cliff edge into the yawning dark unknow of 100 miles, or 300 miles, you can do it if you decide to.  That’s it.  That’s what separates the finishers from those that don’t start, the belief that you can do it.  You can do it.  Just decide to do it and it is as good as done.  That’s the hard part.  The decision.  What hard thing are you going to decide to do today? On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills. M … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Fever Dreams -   Voices of reason – the conversation Rhonda-Marie Parke, Blind Runner · Other-abled athlete Rhonda-Marie Parke has 8% vision. Traditionally Rhonda-Marie runs accompanied by guides; runners who call out obstacles along the way. With these guides she's run races from Marathon distances to 100 mile distances. She has also completed several end-to-end runs of various Ontario trails including The Bruce Trail (885 km), The Avon Trail (110 km) and The Thames Valley Trail (112 km). Rhonda-Marie has also ventured to the infamous Barkley Marathons. Rhonda-Marie continues to work in her community to encourage and create space for inclusive sport. Accessing the Inaccessible In July of 2018, Rhonda-Marie Parke will attempt to run The Last Annual Vol State race without the aid of guide runners. Why Will Rhonda-Marie Proceed Unguided? "My whole life, I have had to follow - even if the direction has been my choosing." - Rhonda-Marie Parke Disability is diverse, dynamic, and ever changing. There is no such thing as universally accessible, especially in a 314 mile road race where cars are moving pieces, where animals are out and roaming, where fatigue, injury are all very very real; but then again, so is crossing the road to get to the library. Rhonda-Marie continues to show other-abled athletes that they can get involved in the sports of their choice. Rhonda-Marie also continues to encourage running events to think about how to make their events accessible to athletes of ALL abilities. Inclusion in sport is not a given, it’s a process of adaptation and evolution of parameters. Ongoing conversation and community building is required. What Is The Last Obstacle? In addition Rhonda-Marie looks to bring light to a bigger issue facing those with disability - stigma. She continues to face intolerance when it comes to her participation in sport as some believe that there is no place for a blind athlete in such a dangerous event. Rhonda-Marie is confident in her athletic abilities and that through training and careful planning, there is no reason why she won't have the same chance at success as any other runner. Help us show that if they have the desire and the drive, other-abled athletes have every right to participate in sport. Please help us send Rhonda-Marie to The Last Annual Vol State. With your help, she will strive to overcome the Last Obstacle.   Section two – Into the Unknown - http://runrunlive.com/burning-river-100-into-the-unknown Outro OK my friends, you have stumbled along a highway shoulder to the end of episode 4-391.  Be careful out there. Rhonda Marie is amazing, right?  I felt seriously out of my depth with her.  I think I’m going to try to see if I can’t guide a runner for Boston next year.  I am training again.  I signed up for a few races.  I’m going to run the Wapack Trail race on Labor Day weekend.  It’s my club’s race.  I’ll go up early, help set up, park cars and then run the race.  I’m looking forward to it.  I should have good juice in my legs from all the miles I did this summer. Then I agreed to run a Ragnar the weekend of September 21st with my coach up in New York.  Treat myself to a little adventure! And finally, I signed up for the BayState Marathon again.  It’s my go-to marathon for requalifying.  I’ll take a shot at getting my number for 2020.  My buddy Brian is running it too.  We’ll see if I can get enough speed back by the end of October. After the successful outing on the Wapack Trail I told coach I was ready to get back to work.  He gave me a couple workouts for this week, as if to test me.  I did a 1:40 step up run Tuesday.  I went into the run feeling dead and didn’t have much hope for being able to step up to zone 3 effort for 30 minutes then up to zone 4-5 for an additional 30.  That’s a hard workout.  I felt heavy but figured I’d just do what I could and see how long I could keep my legs turning.  As I stepped up the effort my legs were surprisingly strong.  I was able to hold a decent effort level for the last hour of the step up.  Looking at the results, I wasn’t moving super fast but I’m happy with the effort 2 weeks out from the hundred.  Then Friday night I went down to my local track and knocked out some speed work.  I did a ladder of 2X600, 2X800 and 2X1000 and was able to hang in there.  The mechanics felt quite foreign.  I was leaning back too much and was swinging my arms around.  My butt muscles were sore afterwards.  It’s going to take awhile to get some speed back, but I think I’ll be fine.  … … I had a one day trip to Orlando this week.  It’s a bout a 3-hour flight.  I got up early and flew down, we had meetings and lunch and flew back.  That put me out of the airport in Boston around 7:30 and getting after 8:00.  I was wiped so I figured I’d order a pizza to pick up as I whizzed by on my way out to the suburbs.  So, I called up Siri and asked her to call the pizza place for me.  I was in my truck on the highway and didn’t want to be too distracted by the phone.  I got the guy on the phone and had the following conversation… Me: “I’d like to order a Mushroom Pepperoni Pizza.” Him: “Sure, name?” Me: “Last or First?” Him: “OK 15 minutes.” And he hung up. When I got to the pizza place I thought I’d ordered from I found out that Siri and I had different ideas on that.  She gave me the number of another pizza place.  It was late.  I was almost home.  I thought about just bailing out on the whole thing, but I knew, across town. 4 .4 miles away, a pizza place had made a pizza for me.  So I bit the bullet and drove over there.  Good karma.  When I got to the other pizza place, I went in, apologized for being late and asked if there wasn’t a mushroom Pepperoni pizza here waiting for me.  He said, “What’s the name?” I said, “I don’t know.  You asked me for my name, I said ‘last or first’, you said ’15 minutes’ and hung up.” He didn’t have a Mushroom Pepperoni.  But, he did have a Sausage Pepperoni, for ‘Lester’.  We agreed that was probably it.  He felt bad about making the wrong pizza and gave me a discount.  I didn’t tell him I never meant to order a pizza from him to begin with and was just barely able to drag p the will power to not stiff him.  And the karma balances out.  Even when ordering a pizza.  I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-391 – The Burning River 100 Adventure (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4391.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-391.  This is going to be a long one.  If this is your first time downloading please accept our humble apologies.  This is Chris your friend and host and newly minted 100-mile ultra-runner.  There’s a lot of context for all this, trust me, but you’re going to have to bear with me as I, (somewhat fittingly I might add), drop you into the culmination of this adventure.  This will be a 3 act play.  We will start with some exposition in the form of my last two weeks of taper and a brief recorded chat with my coach going into the race.  Act one will commence and the play itself will roll out across an ultra-long race report.  You might want to take this one in chunks or save it for your own multi-hour long run.  On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills. M … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Fever Dreams -   Voices of reason – the conversation Coach Jeff Kline “Coach” as he is referred to by athletes has been training runners and triathletes globally for 20 years. The Coach is the founder and designer of Daily Fit Book. Although he is fully committed to the development and growth of DFB he will take on athletes of all levels that show a commitment and a strong desire to achieve new dreams and goals. @dailyfitbook (twitter) fitbook2 (instagram)   Section two – Into the Unknown - http://runrunlive.com/burning-river-100-into-the-unknown Outro OK my friends, you have hiked for 16 hours through to the end of episode 4-391.  Nice work.  Have a nap.    That closes another chapter for us here at RunRunLive.  This summer is the 11th anniversary of starting the podcast.  It’s good to see so many people still listening and following.  What’s next?  I’ll more than likely run the Wapack 18 miler over Labor Day weekend.  I highly recommend this race, especially if you are training for a fall race.  It will make you strong! … When you take on these adventures, when you meet people, when you read books or any other interaction outside yourself there is a necessary exchange.  Every time you go outside yourself and rub up against something external you are changed.  This is one of the beautiful things about life.  You are always changing and growing.  You could think of these exchanges as an infection of sort.  Your body, mind and spirit absorb these influences and react to them.  The result is something new.  Something different.  If we are strong.  If we are open.  If we are positive.  These infections become enhancements.  They are additive.  They make us better.  We keep what fits.  We become stronger in the process.  Don’t be afraid to open up and embrace the external.  Swim upstream.  and I’ll see you out there! MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-391 – The Burning River 100 Adventure (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4391.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-391.  This is going to be a long one.  If this is your first time downloading please accept our humble apologies.  This is Chris your friend and host and newly minted 100-mile ultra-runner.  There's a lot of context for all this, trust me, but you're going to have to bear with me as I, (somewhat fittingly I might add), drop you into the culmination of this adventure.  This will be a 3 act play.  We will start with some exposition in the form of my last two weeks of taper and a brief recorded chat with my coach going into the race.  Act one will commence and the play itself will roll out across an ultra-long race report.  You might want to take this one in chunks or save it for your own multi-hour long run.  On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills. M … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Fever Dreams -   Voices of reason – the conversation Coach Jeff Kline “Coach” as he is referred to by athletes has been training runners and triathletes globally for 20 years. The Coach is the founder and designer of Daily Fit Book. Although he is fully committed to the development and growth of DFB he will take on athletes of all levels that show a commitment and a strong desire to achieve new dreams and goals. @dailyfitbook (twitter) fitbook2 (instagram)   Section two – Into the Unknown - http://runrunlive.com/burning-river-100-into-the-unknown Outro OK my friends, you have hiked for 16 hours through to the end of episode 4-391.  Nice work.  Have a nap.    That closes another chapter for us here at RunRunLive.  This summer is the 11th anniversary of starting the podcast.  It's good to see so many people still listening and following.  What's next?  I'll more than likely run the Wapack 18 miler over Labor Day weekend.  I highly recommend this race, especially if you are training for a fall race.  It will make you strong! … When you take on these adventures, when you meet people, when you read books or any other interaction outside yourself there is a necessary exchange.  Every time you go outside yourself and rub up against something external you are changed.  This is one of the beautiful things about life.  You are always changing and growing.  You could think of these exchanges as an infection of sort.  Your body, mind and spirit absorb these influences and react to them.  The result is something new.  Something different.  If we are strong.  If we are open.  If we are positive.  These infections become enhancements.  They are additive.  They make us better.  We keep what fits.  We become stronger in the process.  Don't be afraid to open up and embrace the external.  Swim upstream.  and I'll see you out there! MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-386 – Pat Runs Boston (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4386.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-386.  This is Chris, your host.  How are we doing on the fine spring day?  I love May.  Don’t’ you?  Up here in New England it’s a time of rebirth.  The trees and bushes go from brown to green in the span of a few days like one of those slow motion nature videos.  We are close by the summer solstice.  We get back all those long dark winter days.  The sunrise today is 5:19 AM and the sunset is 8:02.  Plenty of time to get stuff done!  It’s still cool in the mornings and hasn’t gotten hot yet during the days.  This is the week after Mother’s Day when those of us who have read the farmer’s almanac start planting our gardens, and those of us who are over enthusiastic have to replant what they killed by planting it two weeks ago! Today I have an interview with Pat who is from Calgary and ran his first Boston this year in the epic weather.  In section one I’ll give you a write up of the trail race I ran last weekend.  And in section two a quick book report on the second book in the Takeshi Kovacs series.  A real grab-bag of topics.  You might ask, Chris it seems like you’re just stuffing random topics into a show to make a deadline.  And I would answer no, I’m embracing a random universe, I’m satisfying the souls of the renaissance woman and men who are endurance athletes and well… a deadline is a deadline! My training for my first hundred miler is going as well as can be expected.  I topped out a couple 50+ mile trail weeks and now I’m in a recovery week to get the benefit.  With the long days I can go out in the morning in the forest behind my house.  I can be back before most people are even up!  It’s beautiful out there.  The trails are drying up nicely.  I take Buddy the elderly wonder dog with me for the first 2-mile loop and he loves it.  He’s a trooper.  In the morning it’s cool and the bugs aren’t out yet.  Let me tell you the story about Buddy’s soccer ball. Many moons ago when I was a soccer coach for my kids I ended up with a kid’s soccer ball in my bag of balls from the local field.  It was one of the little ones for little kids.  It eventually ended up in my front yard and became the dog’s soccer ball.  Buddy never popped it, he just played with it.  For a decade it was a fixture in the yard.  This spring, unknown to me, it disappeared.  A couple weeks ago I was out in the trails and there was Buddy’s soccer ball a ¼ mile from the house on the trail.  Then yesterday I was out and I saw it again, now maybe ¾ of a mile out on the trail.  It seems some friendly interloping dog came into our yard and took Buddy’s soccer ball for a carry in the woods.  The problem is that I don’t come back the same trail I got out.  But, yesterday it didn’t seem right to abandon it so I grabbed it and carried it with me as I was running through the woods. I was like some grade schooler goalie given a coach’s penalty.  “Take that ball with you and give me 20 laps!”  A muddy, half-deflated kid’s soccer ball isn’t as easy to carry as you would think.  I didn’t want to put it under my arm, like an American football, because it was quite muddy.  I had to sort of clench it in one hand.  It was a bit unwieldy. But, now it is back where it belongs.  Lying in the grass beside an elderly border collie… until a thieving rover roves by once more.  On with the show! … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Wapack and Back 2018 - Voices of reason – the conversation Patrick Hanlon Patrick Hanlon, 51, is an educator, writer and photographer based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has been a long distance runner for the last 9 years and can be regularly found running along the Bow River. He has completed 11 marathons including Big Sur, Edmonton, Calgary, Nova Scotia, Nashville and Boston. His account of the 2018 Boston Marathon can be read at:    Section two – Broken Angels – Outro Ok my friends you have stumbled down a rocky slope to the bottom of the mountain that was Episode 4-386 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Mission accomplished. Have a smoothie.  Throw in some extra Kale.  I started figuring out the logistics for the 100Miler.  It is the Burning River 100 in southern Ohio.  It starts on Saturday July 28th at 4:00 in the morning.  I am not going to try to guess a finish time but it will be some time Sunday Morning.  It’s a point to point.  They bus you out from the finish at 3:00 in the morning.  The course doesn’t look to bad.  It’s only got a few thousand feet of gain and loss over the 100.  So nothing like the Wapack.  The timing is a bit troublesome.  With that start time I’ll be running the last half of the race in the dark.  Doesn’t sound like I’ll be getting much sleep that weekend.  I haven’t decided if I’m going to drive out and get a hotel or maybe rent a camper or something.  I know I won’t be in any shape to drive afterwards.  And, this is where you come in.  I need pacers and crew. Who wants to come pace me through a section of the last 50 miles?  I’m going to be going super slow.  It’s going to be the middle of the night.  All you have to do is keep me on course and say encouraging things like, “Come on, you can barely see the bone protruding through the skin, rub some dirt on it and suck it up!” Shoot me an email and we’ll make a date. Guess what else?  I got my old motorcycle running this week.  Yup, that bike that I bought factory fresh in 1985.  It lives.  Here’s the story.  Last summer the clutch started getting soft on me and I didn’t have time, money or energy to attend to it so I just packed it away into the garage for the winter. I dropped it off last week at the shop and had them take a look.  With a clutch problem it can either be simple or hard.  It might be simply air in the line or fluid or a leak in a line.  Or it can be the slave cylinder or the oil seals where the clutch meets the engine.  I was a bit terrified that this was going to be one of those take the engine apart kind of things.  I know from experience that if this was a car that clutch could run me $1500 dollars and I wasn’t really excited about spending that on a $1,000 motorcycle.  I called the guy and asked if they had figured out what was wrong. He said, “You’ll have to call back later we’re still building the estimate.”  That sounded to me like I should start mentally preparing for the worst.  I called back.  My heart sank when he said, “I’m sorry but it’s the slave cylinder and an oils seal.”  Then he continued, reluctantly, “It’s going to be $238 dollars.” I heaved a sigh of relief and told him to go ahead.  Got to love the simple engineering of a Honda motorcycle! So, as it turns out, I’ll see you out there!   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-386 – Pat Runs Boston (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4386.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-386.  This is Chris, your host.  How are we doing on the fine spring day?  I love May.  Don't' you?  Up here in New England it's a time of rebirth.  The trees and bushes go from brown to green in the span of a few days like one of those slow motion nature videos.  We are close by the summer solstice.  We get back all those long dark winter days.  The sunrise today is 5:19 AM and the sunset is 8:02.  Plenty of time to get stuff done!  It's still cool in the mornings and hasn't gotten hot yet during the days.  This is the week after Mother's Day when those of us who have read the farmer's almanac start planting our gardens, and those of us who are over enthusiastic have to replant what they killed by planting it two weeks ago! Today I have an interview with Pat who is from Calgary and ran his first Boston this year in the epic weather.  In section one I'll give you a write up of the trail race I ran last weekend.  And in section two a quick book report on the second book in the Takeshi Kovacs series.  A real grab-bag of topics.  You might ask, Chris it seems like you're just stuffing random topics into a show to make a deadline.  And I would answer no, I'm embracing a random universe, I'm satisfying the souls of the renaissance woman and men who are endurance athletes and well… a deadline is a deadline! My training for my first hundred miler is going as well as can be expected.  I topped out a couple 50+ mile trail weeks and now I'm in a recovery week to get the benefit.  With the long days I can go out in the morning in the forest behind my house.  I can be back before most people are even up!  It's beautiful out there.  The trails are drying up nicely.  I take Buddy the elderly wonder dog with me for the first 2-mile loop and he loves it.  He's a trooper.  In the morning it's cool and the bugs aren't out yet.  Let me tell you the story about Buddy's soccer ball. Many moons ago when I was a soccer coach for my kids I ended up with a kid's soccer ball in my bag of balls from the local field.  It was one of the little ones for little kids.  It eventually ended up in my front yard and became the dog's soccer ball.  Buddy never popped it, he just played with it.  For a decade it was a fixture in the yard.  This spring, unknown to me, it disappeared.  A couple weeks ago I was out in the trails and there was Buddy's soccer ball a ¼ mile from the house on the trail.  Then yesterday I was out and I saw it again, now maybe ¾ of a mile out on the trail.  It seems some friendly interloping dog came into our yard and took Buddy's soccer ball for a carry in the woods.  The problem is that I don't come back the same trail I got out.  But, yesterday it didn't seem right to abandon it so I grabbed it and carried it with me as I was running through the woods. I was like some grade schooler goalie given a coach's penalty.  “Take that ball with you and give me 20 laps!”  A muddy, half-deflated kid's soccer ball isn't as easy to carry as you would think.  I didn't want to put it under my arm, like an American football, because it was quite muddy.  I had to sort of clench it in one hand.  It was a bit unwieldy. But, now it is back where it belongs.  Lying in the grass beside an elderly border collie… until a thieving rover roves by once more.  On with the show! … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – Wapack and Back 2018 - Voices of reason – the conversation Patrick Hanlon Patrick Hanlon, 51, is an educator, writer and photographer based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has been a long distance runner for the last 9 years and can be regularly found running along the Bow River. He has completed 11 marathons including Big Sur, Edmonton, Calgary, Nova Scotia, Nashville and Boston. His account of the 2018 Boston Marathon can be read at:    Section two – Broken Angels – Outro Ok my friends you have stumbled down a rocky slope to the bottom of the mountain that was Episode 4-386 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Mission accomplished. Have a smoothie.  Throw in some extra Kale.  I started figuring out the logistics for the 100Miler.  It is the Burning River 100 in southern Ohio.  It starts on Saturday July 28th at 4:00 in the morning.  I am not going to try to guess a finish time but it will be some time Sunday Morning.  It's a point to point.  They bus you out from the finish at 3:00 in the morning.  The course doesn't look to bad.  It's only got a few thousand feet of gain and loss over the 100.  So nothing like the Wapack.  The timing is a bit troublesome.  With that start time I'll be running the last half of the race in the dark.  Doesn't sound like I'll be getting much sleep that weekend.  I haven't decided if I'm going to drive out and get a hotel or maybe rent a camper or something.  I know I won't be in any shape to drive afterwards.  And, this is where you come in.  I need pacers and crew. Who wants to come pace me through a section of the last 50 miles?  I'm going to be going super slow.  It's going to be the middle of the night.  All you have to do is keep me on course and say encouraging things like, “Come on, you can barely see the bone protruding through the skin, rub some dirt on it and suck it up!” Shoot me an email and we'll make a date. Guess what else?  I got my old motorcycle running this week.  Yup, that bike that I bought factory fresh in 1985.  It lives.  Here's the story.  Last summer the clutch started getting soft on me and I didn't have time, money or energy to attend to it so I just packed it away into the garage for the winter. I dropped it off last week at the shop and had them take a look.  With a clutch problem it can either be simple or hard.  It might be simply air in the line or fluid or a leak in a line.  Or it can be the slave cylinder or the oil seals where the clutch meets the engine.  I was a bit terrified that this was going to be one of those take the engine apart kind of things.  I know from experience that if this was a car that clutch could run me $1500 dollars and I wasn't really excited about spending that on a $1,000 motorcycle.  I called the guy and asked if they had figured out what was wrong. He said, “You'll have to call back later we're still building the estimate.”  That sounded to me like I should start mentally preparing for the worst.  I called back.  My heart sank when he said, “I'm sorry but it's the slave cylinder and an oils seal.”  Then he continued, reluctantly, “It's going to be $238 dollars.” I heaved a sigh of relief and told him to go ahead.  Got to love the simple engineering of a Honda motorcycle! So, as it turns out, I'll see you out there!   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-373 – Bill Sycalik Runs the National Park System  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4373.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to this autumn edition of the RunRunlive podcast.  I’m a bit tardy with this one because of a perfect storm of scheduling priorities.  Like I said I have a new gig in the city where I have been figuring out the commute and putting in long hours, plus I’ve been in the final stages of a training plan with those long runs and hard workouts.  Time has been short and logistics has been challenging for writing and recording.  But, this is not the ‘whine about things’ podcast.  No this is the RunRunLive podcast where we talk about transformational power of endurance sports.   Today we interview Bill Sycalik from Run the parks – you may have seen him in that running magazine or heard him on a podcast recently – he’s got a good PR presence and it’s a great story.  It’s a good chat.  I like what he’s doing.  It’s a good transformational story.  Like I said in the interludes comment last week I’ve been hard pressed with a new professional gig.  I had two business trips this past week and have been putting in some long hours.  I’m not complaining, I love it and I understand that the first 90 days in any new position, whether it’s a contract or a new job or a new role in your current company – those first 90 days are a special opportunity that you need to seize.  And that can adjust your life balance.  So – here it is Saturday and I’m going to give you the present of a few hours of my thoughtful attention, my RunRunLive friends.   Training has been a struggle over the last couple weeks but I did get a nice long run in on the Wapack course and I’ve got another tomorrow.  Am I ready for the Maine Marathon in 3 weeks?  Of course.  I could roll out of bed on a random Tuesday and run a marathon.  Am I in race shape?  I give myself a solid B- on that.  My engine is still good but my legs aren’t keeping up as well.  The big news, I guess, is that I got my confirmation letter for the 2018 Boston Marathon.  This will be my 20th Boston.  I am qualified for this race.  For those of you who have been on this journey with me, or more correctly on your own journeys with me, we’ve seen some ups and downs haven’t we?  We’ve been witness to many things.  We’ve experienced the meat and marrow of many endurance happenings.  We’ve learned a lot.  What a long wonderful trip it’s been, huh? … Here’s a story from one of my first days in the new office.  I have been getting into the city early to beat the traffic.  Another team member showed up.  Just he and I, chatting.  I don’t know how we got on the subject, maybe it was a segue from the nice cool fall weather, but he starts telling me about the time he ran the Ragnar Relay on Cape Cod.  I nod and ask some clarifying questions like, ‘Did you have a 12-person team?  Did anyone pull up injured?”  Then he tells me about how he ran it with his Spartan buddies and about how obstacle racing is really his big thing.  I ask, “Do you run that one up in Killington?” He says, “Yeah, I love the Beast.” I say, “Good for you, that’s a tough race.” He says, “Yeah, I did it in like 9 ½ hours.” And the point of my story is that I didn’t say a word about myself.  I just complimented him on his achievements.  Because, I try not to be ‘that guy’ in the office.  I always have tried not to be ‘that guy’ that people avoid because ‘that guy’ always drives the conversation back to himself.  Let people celebrate their lives and achievements.  Don’t always be playing ‘who’s got the biggest’, even if they stumble into your domain of expertise.  Celebrate with them. It’s not about you. … But just for the record…Remember back when we ran the Ragnar as a Brooks sponsored ultra team with 6 athletes and won it?  And, yeah, remember when I talked to Joe DeSena about his Spartan stuff last year and he gave me an entry to the Killington Beast and a ran it in 6 ½ hours as a 54 year old? But, it’s not about me, is it! Hah! On with the show. … I’ll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don’t have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member’s only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – 2017 Wapack Trail Race - Voices of reason – the conversation Hi Chris, Thanks again for the opportunity to be on the podcast. I think it was a good discussion. I attached a few photos. One Rocky Mountain, the other USVI. Links National Parks Marathon Project - Generosity.com Crowdfunding Page - If you want to include it - I'm Brand Ambassador for Hammer Nutrition (), Gnarly Nutrition (), Teatulia (), Footbeat () and Running Buddy () Social media is below in bio. Bio Bill Sycalik is the founder of the National Parks Marathon Project, his full-time effort to run a self-directed, self-managed, self-measured 26.2 miles in all 59 U.S. National Parks. Until June 2016 Bill was a management consultant leading large technology projects in New York City. Unfortunately, his passion for health, fitness and the outdoors were out of synch with his profession and location. He wanted to break from the corporate world and get back to nature. When he read about the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, as a marathon runner, Bill thought what better way to experience the parks than covering 26.2 miles in each one. He saw an opportunity to promote the National Parks, reconnect with the natural world through long trail runs and inspire people to get out and move in our country’s unspoiled wilderness. So, he quit his job and started running the parks. Bill ran 48 marathons in the past 54 weeks completing all the parks in the lower 48 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is now planning to visit the parks in Hawaii, American Samoa in Alaska. To learn more about Bill and the project go to www.runningtheparks.com. To connect with Bill and join him at a park please reach out via Instagram (@runningtheparks), Twitter (@runtheparks) or Facebook ().… Section two – The First 90 Days - http://runrunlive.com/the-first-90-days Outro Ok my friends you have run through various national parks in various states to the end of episode 4-373 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Please wipe that dirt of your feet before you come in.  I drove up to Quebec for an appointment this week and the leaves are starting to turn.  It’s a pretty drive but there is nothing up there in northern NH and VT.  Since the paper mills left there really isn’t much industry.  There’s no traffic either.  You can just set the cruise control and nap for a couple hours. Having had an office in Quebec City for a number of years I know this route very well.  And, I know that if you want to you can cut through Franconia Notch.  There are a string of mountain hiking trails in there, smack dab in the middle of the Presidential Range of mountains.  I pulled off, threw my kit on and went for an afternoon run/hike up the falling waters trail up the side of Mt. Lafayette.  It’s a super difficult trail.  You can’t really run it.  The rangers call it ‘falling people trail’ because of all the tourists they have to drag out.  It’s really pretty though.  Runs right up a cascading brook.  Not runnable per se but certainly works your legs and gets your HR up.  I only fell once on the way back down.  Like I said I’m still trying to figure out the rhythms of my new gig.  We are all in the same boat.  We all get the same 24 hours.  You just have to figure out the rhythm that works to balance everything.  You have to remember that any change like this causes stresses that you may not be aware of.  They can manifest in ways you’re not aware of.  Just got to keep your head right and try to get enough sleep! I did get a club membership in the building and that should give me more flexibility to work out around the traffic or even just to shower and start exploring Boston with my feet.  I’ve never actually lived in the city and hence really don’t know my way around the city proper much. When I’m not traveling I’ll see if I can’t seize that opportunity to fill in some blanks.  I’ve missed a few workouts with the travel and the exhaustion but I do what I can.  That’s the secret, do what you can.  I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-373 – Bill Sycalik Runs the National Park System  (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4373.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to this autumn edition of the RunRunlive podcast.  I'm a bit tardy with this one because of a perfect storm of scheduling priorities.  Like I said I have a new gig in the city where I have been figuring out the commute and putting in long hours, plus I've been in the final stages of a training plan with those long runs and hard workouts.  Time has been short and logistics has been challenging for writing and recording.  But, this is not the ‘whine about things' podcast.  No this is the RunRunLive podcast where we talk about transformational power of endurance sports.   Today we interview Bill Sycalik from Run the parks – you may have seen him in that running magazine or heard him on a podcast recently – he's got a good PR presence and it's a great story.  It's a good chat.  I like what he's doing.  It's a good transformational story.  Like I said in the interludes comment last week I've been hard pressed with a new professional gig.  I had two business trips this past week and have been putting in some long hours.  I'm not complaining, I love it and I understand that the first 90 days in any new position, whether it's a contract or a new job or a new role in your current company – those first 90 days are a special opportunity that you need to seize.  And that can adjust your life balance.  So – here it is Saturday and I'm going to give you the present of a few hours of my thoughtful attention, my RunRunLive friends.   Training has been a struggle over the last couple weeks but I did get a nice long run in on the Wapack course and I've got another tomorrow.  Am I ready for the Maine Marathon in 3 weeks?  Of course.  I could roll out of bed on a random Tuesday and run a marathon.  Am I in race shape?  I give myself a solid B- on that.  My engine is still good but my legs aren't keeping up as well.  The big news, I guess, is that I got my confirmation letter for the 2018 Boston Marathon.  This will be my 20th Boston.  I am qualified for this race.  For those of you who have been on this journey with me, or more correctly on your own journeys with me, we've seen some ups and downs haven't we?  We've been witness to many things.  We've experienced the meat and marrow of many endurance happenings.  We've learned a lot.  What a long wonderful trip it's been, huh? … Here's a story from one of my first days in the new office.  I have been getting into the city early to beat the traffic.  Another team member showed up.  Just he and I, chatting.  I don't know how we got on the subject, maybe it was a segue from the nice cool fall weather, but he starts telling me about the time he ran the Ragnar Relay on Cape Cod.  I nod and ask some clarifying questions like, ‘Did you have a 12-person team?  Did anyone pull up injured?”  Then he tells me about how he ran it with his Spartan buddies and about how obstacle racing is really his big thing.  I ask, “Do you run that one up in Killington?” He says, “Yeah, I love the Beast.” I say, “Good for you, that's a tough race.” He says, “Yeah, I did it in like 9 ½ hours.” And the point of my story is that I didn't say a word about myself.  I just complimented him on his achievements.  Because, I try not to be ‘that guy' in the office.  I always have tried not to be ‘that guy' that people avoid because ‘that guy' always drives the conversation back to himself.  Let people celebrate their lives and achievements.  Don't always be playing ‘who's got the biggest', even if they stumble into your domain of expertise.  Celebrate with them. It's not about you. … But just for the record…Remember back when we ran the Ragnar as a Brooks sponsored ultra team with 6 athletes and won it?  And, yeah, remember when I talked to Joe DeSena about his Spartan stuff last year and he gave me an entry to the Killington Beast and a ran it in 6 ½ hours as a 54 year old? But, it's not about me, is it! Hah! On with the show. … I'll remind you that the RunRunLive podcast is ad free and listener supported.  What does that mean? It means you don't have to listen to me trying to sound sincere about Stamps.com or Audible.. (although, fyi, my MarathonBQ book is on audible) We do have a membership option where you can become a member and as a special thank you, you will get access to member's only audio. There are book reviews, odd philosophical thoughts, zombie stories and I curate old episodes for you to listen to.  I recently added that guy who cut off is foot so he could keep training and my first call with Geoff Galloway.   “Curated” means I add some introductory comments and edit them up a bit.  So anyhow – become a member so I can keep paying my bills.   … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio and articles. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … Section one – 2017 Wapack Trail Race - Voices of reason – the conversation Hi Chris, Thanks again for the opportunity to be on the podcast. I think it was a good discussion. I attached a few photos. One Rocky Mountain, the other USVI. Links National Parks Marathon Project - Generosity.com Crowdfunding Page - If you want to include it - I'm Brand Ambassador for Hammer Nutrition (), Gnarly Nutrition (), Teatulia (), Footbeat () and Running Buddy () Social media is below in bio. Bio Bill Sycalik is the founder of the National Parks Marathon Project, his full-time effort to run a self-directed, self-managed, self-measured 26.2 miles in all 59 U.S. National Parks. Until June 2016 Bill was a management consultant leading large technology projects in New York City. Unfortunately, his passion for health, fitness and the outdoors were out of synch with his profession and location. He wanted to break from the corporate world and get back to nature. When he read about the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, as a marathon runner, Bill thought what better way to experience the parks than covering 26.2 miles in each one. He saw an opportunity to promote the National Parks, reconnect with the natural world through long trail runs and inspire people to get out and move in our country's unspoiled wilderness. So, he quit his job and started running the parks. Bill ran 48 marathons in the past 54 weeks completing all the parks in the lower 48 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is now planning to visit the parks in Hawaii, American Samoa in Alaska. To learn more about Bill and the project go to www.runningtheparks.com. To connect with Bill and join him at a park please reach out via Instagram (@runningtheparks), Twitter (@runtheparks) or Facebook ().… Section two – The First 90 Days - http://runrunlive.com/the-first-90-days Outro Ok my friends you have run through various national parks in various states to the end of episode 4-373 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Please wipe that dirt of your feet before you come in.  I drove up to Quebec for an appointment this week and the leaves are starting to turn.  It's a pretty drive but there is nothing up there in northern NH and VT.  Since the paper mills left there really isn't much industry.  There's no traffic either.  You can just set the cruise control and nap for a couple hours. Having had an office in Quebec City for a number of years I know this route very well.  And, I know that if you want to you can cut through Franconia Notch.  There are a string of mountain hiking trails in there, smack dab in the middle of the Presidential Range of mountains.  I pulled off, threw my kit on and went for an afternoon run/hike up the falling waters trail up the side of Mt. Lafayette.  It's a super difficult trail.  You can't really run it.  The rangers call it ‘falling people trail' because of all the tourists they have to drag out.  It's really pretty though.  Runs right up a cascading brook.  Not runnable per se but certainly works your legs and gets your HR up.  I only fell once on the way back down.  Like I said I'm still trying to figure out the rhythms of my new gig.  We are all in the same boat.  We all get the same 24 hours.  You just have to figure out the rhythm that works to balance everything.  You have to remember that any change like this causes stresses that you may not be aware of.  They can manifest in ways you're not aware of.  Just got to keep your head right and try to get enough sleep! I did get a club membership in the building and that should give me more flexibility to work out around the traffic or even just to shower and start exploring Boston with my feet.  I've never actually lived in the city and hence really don't know my way around the city proper much. When I'm not traveling I'll see if I can't seize that opportunity to fill in some blanks.  I've missed a few workouts with the travel and the exhaustion but I do what I can.  That's the secret, do what you can.  I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

Michael is the Managing Director of Wapack Labs and the Co-Founder and CSO of Kyrus. Paul and Michael (Santarcangelo, that is) pick his brain about startups, the startup lifestyle, and his experience in the security field. Tune in to Startup Security Weekly to hear his story! Full Show Notes: http://wiki.securityweekly.com/wiki/index.php/SSW_Episode18 Take the Security Weekly Survey: www.securityweekly.com/survey Visit http://securityweekly.com/category/ssw/ for all the latest episodes!

Michael Tanji of Wapack Labs joins us for an interview. In startup news, what mistakes to avoid in product development, how to measure success, the 5 habits you should abandon as your startup grows, and much more. Stay tuned!

Michael Tanji of Wapack Labs joins us for an interview. In startup news, what mistakes to avoid in product development, how to measure success, the 5 habits you should abandon as your startup grows, and much more. Stay tuned!

Michael is the Managing Director of Wapack Labs and the Co-Founder and CSO of Kyrus. Paul and Michael (Santarcangelo, that is) pick his brain about startups, the startup lifestyle, and his experience in the security field. Tune in to Startup Security Weekly to hear his story! Full Show Notes: http://wiki.securityweekly.com/wiki/index.php/SSW_Episode18 Take the Security Weekly Survey: www.securityweekly.com/survey Visit http://securityweekly.com/category/ssw/ for all the latest episodes!

Spartan up! A first timer takes on the Beast.  (Audio: link) [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/SpartanUp.mp3] Link The funniest line of the day was when I was flying down an open field descent passing people in big clumps.  I yelled “Come on people you're being passed by a 54 year old guy!” A lady looks at me sideways and responds “Yeah, but not a normal one.” I took that as a compliment.  The great herds of hikers I passed were mostly pretty cranky about it.  I don't get it.  If you're out there you might as well enjoy yourself.  I suppose if you're at the end of your rope and some hairy, half-naked old guy flies by yelling “Weeeeeee!” it might piss you off.  … It wasn't easy, but it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done.  I was a bit out of my element but I raced the Spartan Beast as best I could and did relatively well.  I met my primary goal of not dying and my secondary goal of not injuring myself.  I did get nicked up and was a bit sore.  It will be a couple weeks before all the bruises, scrapes and scratches heal.  But nothing broken or sprained.  I ran this event as a bit of a lark because they reached out to me and offered an entry.  My daughter Teresa wanted to come along and do the sprint so I signed her up too and I was glad for the company.  We made the drive up to Killington, VT Saturday morning.  I raced on Saturday and she raced Sunday morning so it was another nice endurance adventure weekend for us.  Having been offered a complimentary entry I figured I'd get my money's worth and run one of the events with a higher difficulty level.  When you look at the advertised events it starts with the Sprint, moves up to the Super and then up to the Beast.  The Sprint is advertised as 5k distance, the Super is a 10K and the Beast is around a ½ marathon.  There's a special shirt / 3-part medal if you do all three.  There are also longer events like running the ‘Ultra-Beast' which is the Beast twice and the Agoge which is a special multi-day event. Not knowing much about Spartan races I signed up for the Beast event which is listed as 13 miles and 30 obstacles.  I mean, it's only a ½ marathon, right?  How long could it take? How hard could it be?  I have my best adventures when I don't pay attention too much.  I'm in decent shape this summer and could jog any given ½ marathon in under 2 hours so I figured I'd do this in under 4 hours, right?  Two weekends previously I ran the very difficult Wapack Trail race which was 18 miles of technical single track over 4 mountains, twice in just about 4 hours.  At the end of July I ran a hot trail marathon in around 5 hours and that's twice as far as this Beast, right?  You see my logic here.  I looked at the Spartan training plans and they were, frankly, terrifying with hundreds of burpees, squats and pullups.  It was like something out of a gladiator movie.  Or that old “” I watched a few videos of races and it looked reasonably engaging but some of the athletes were clearly not in the best of shape.  I asked Coach to give me some Spartan specific training but, honestly, he thought it was stupid idea.  He basically gave me the same training he always does, maybe with a bit more yoga and core work.  I can honestly say I think I did more burpees on the course then I had done in all my training.  To summarize, I went into this Spartan Beast race having no idea what I was getting into and without training for it.  Guess what?  I did really well.  That's right.  I excelled.  I came in 10th in my age group out of 106 old guys. I was 220th out of 2296 males and I was 252 out of 3,213 overall.  And I think that's just the finishers.  They pulled a large number of people off the course due to injury and time limits.  How is this possible?  How did my tired, old marathoner butt out perform all these millennial cross-fitters?  It's simple.  I actually trained for the race.  They didn't.  It turned out the obstacles were 1% of the course.  99% of it was technical, mountain, trail running.  Well it was technical, mountain, trail running for me.  It was a miserable death march for all those well-chiseled, millennial cross-fitters who spent their training flipping tires and doing hundreds of pullups. I can honestly say, with a large dose of irony, that I was probably the only one who trained well and course specifically in the whole crowd.  I was able to fake the obstacles and play to my strengths.  I just rolled off Wapack and the Indy Trail marathon.  I WAS trained for this race.  I think another advantage I had was a certain familiarity with long races and suffering.  I can go pretty deep into the suffer locker when I need to and still compete.  I got the impression that these folks weren't as familiar with the sweet suffering of a multi-hour endurance event.  Don't get me wrong.  If I had to compete in the global tire-flipping, box-jumping games I wouldn't last 60 seconds.  I just happened to luck into a course that was basically a long mountain race.  Still, it took me 6 ½ hours to get through the course.  Mostly because of the 3-4 near vertical ascents of the mountain we did.  It was slow going.  Especially in the last couple hours when I was out of fuel.  What I discovered, (as I was getting ready in the parking lot), was that the average open participant takes 7-9 hours.  Really?  I had no intention of staying out there that long.  I told Teresa 4-6 hours max.  I mean it's only 13 miles.  The organizers told all of the waves starting after noon to carry headlamps and glow sticks but I thought that was just more ridiculous Spartan hyperbole.  It turns out it wasn't.  When I was leaving the venue that night you could see the long line of headlamps trooping along the slopes on the mountain.  Those technical descents would be really difficult in the dark.  Glad I wasn't out there.  There was some controversy because they let people start the Beast up until 2:00 PM, knowing the average cross fitter takes 7-9 hours.  Then they pulled them all off the course at 9:00.  Those people were a bit miffed at having paid a couple hundred bucks and traveled to Vermont only to get forcibly DNF'ed.  This was the ‘Open' division.  There is also a ‘Competitive' and an ‘Elite' division.  I toyed with entering as competitive, but then I got over myself and went with open.  The advantage of the competitive division is less traffic on the course and people generally know what they're doing.  The advantage to the open division is that they are far less strict about how you approach the obstacles.  The volunteers really didn't care if we did obstacles correctly or did all the penalty burpees for not completing the obstacles.  I think I could have run around the obstacles and no one would have stopped me.  … It was a nice, warm sunny day when Teresa and I rolled into the venue.  We had to pay $10 for parking (on both days).  There were shuttle buses to the starting area.  I got kitted up before we went on the bus.  Looking at the weather I decided to go shirtless.  I had the same Hoka road shoes that I used in my other trail races. I had my water back pack – I had considered trying to ‘live off the land' but there didn't look to be much support on the course and I didn't want to run out of water.  I had three old Gu's that I threw in the pack for fuel.  I didn't want to carry a bunch of stuff because of the obstacles.  Any extra stuff would have to be dragged through the course.  Instead of a hat I made a hippy-helmet out of an old bandana with a chilli pepper motif.  I didn't wear a watch or sunglasses.  I put my wedding ring in a zippered pocket in my pack – I have lost a little weight and it's not so tight anymore and I didn't want it coming off in an obstacle. .  They made you wear a headband with your number on it and a timing chip on your wrist.  I put on a pair of Zensah calf sleeves as well. Everyone I saw had either calf sleeves or tall calf socks.  I figured they knew something.  I threw a pair of running gloves in the pack in case my hands needed protection.  I went with my tried and true Brooks baggie shorts with the liner and the man-thong tech undies. I greased up the pointy bits.  That was it.  We were off.  Teresa helpfully painted a large Spartan logo on my belly, because, hey, when in Rome.  I joined the queue-up for the 12:15 open Beast wave. There looked to be around 100 or so competitors in my wave.  The first thing they do is make your climb over a 4 foot wall to get into the corral. That's a nice touch. Then an announcer whips the crowd into a frenzy.  I was chatting with some folks who came in from Ohio, a husband and wife and their friend.  I related how it was my first Spartan race and I hadn't trained much but was a runner.  They said “You'll be fine, just don't go out too fast.” But their eye's seemed to say “you have no idea how much trouble you're in.” With much hoopla were sent en masse on our way.  The first obstacles were 4 foot high beams that you had to vault.  I stopped to help a woman who could get over them.  In retrospect, she probably didn't' finish.  One of the early obstacles was to crawl under barbed wire.  There were two of these on the course.  I found these hard because it tore up my knees to army crawl through the dirt.  I had to take my pack off and push it ahead of me, which was a pain and got it all dirt covered.  Many people roll like logs under the barbed wire.  This seemed to work for them but they kept kicking me in the head in the process as I was moving pretty slow.  My strategy on the obstacles was to get as much help as I could, take my time and not get injured.  Another signature obstacle early in the race is the Bucket Carry.  You get handed a plastic 5 gallon bucket.  You have to fill it up with gravel and carry it up, around and down the hill.  It turns out all my yoga and core was good for these carrying things – or maybe it's all the years I've spent running through airports with bags – but I found this really easy and you can see me smiling in the photos.  I'm having a blast.  There were a constant series of walls you have to climb over of different heights.  I managed the shorter ones, but with my ability to do 3 pullups I had to get help getting over the tall ones.  In the open division getting help is encouraged. Teamwork is part of the Spartan value system.  Good thing too, because without help I would not have made it through many of those obstacles.  It was a warm day.   The course was dry from lack of rain.  I was glad to have the water pack because I was working hard and sweating.  They did manage to engineer in some mud pits in the second half of the race, including one that you had to go completely underwater to get under an obstacle, but these were quite manageable.  The big water obstacle was an actual open water swim about half way around the course.  I say ½ way because it was about 6 miles in but time-wise this was probably 1/3 of the way through.  Like many ultra-type events they back loaded much of the difficulty and the back half of the course took much longer.  It's a mental game. They like to throw hard stuff at you when you're tired and think you're almost done.  I knew the race played this way from reading Joe's book.  One manifestation was to have an obstacle right after every hard climb.  Another was to have nonsensical mile markers along the course. The actual distance was somewhere between 14 – 15 miles.  If you were watching for mile markers you were playing a fools game because they were purposefully random to mess with you.  The water obstacle was a lake near the start line around 6 miles in.  You hit this after running (well I ran) down the mountain and you're well warmed up by then.  It's preceded by a tall climbing obstacle.  These climbing obstacles were all super easy, unless you were afraid of heights.  I joked that we had playground equipment in the 70's when I was a kid that was worse.   When you got to the shore line they stuffed you into one of those big orange life jackets.  Which, prevents people from drowning, but also prevents those of us with a background in triathlon from swimming.  The water was advertised as 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  More hyperbole.  I would guess it was around 65 or 70 but cold enough that when people go from running down the mountain into the water they immediately cramp up to holy hell.  I started cramping too, but knew what was up and just tried to relax my legs.  I wasn't getting any propulsion from my kicking anyhow with the shoes on.  The best strategy seemed to be to float on your back and use your arms to avoid the leg cramps and the lean on giant life jacket.  When you got to the middle there was a bridge with rope ladders hanging from it.  This was called the Tarzan bridge.  You were supposed to climb the rope ladder and swing across dangling rope hand holds to the other side.  Swimming in cold water and climbing the rope ladder was no problem but I just don't have the hand grip strength to swing from ropes and plummeted back into the water after my second grip. This is where I ended up doing my first 30 burpee penalty.  I ended up doing 90 on-course penalty burpees.  Twice for these dangly obstacles and once for being a total spaz in the spear throw.  I did all the burpees I was assigned. I didn't do them well, but I did them.  Mine were more like the down-dogs I had trained for than the clean Spartan burpee.  Another advantage of being in the open division.  Then they made us swim/wade another ¼ mile to get back on the trail and the really hard climbing that was to come.  One obstacle I am tremendously proud of is the rope climb.  This is just what it sounds like.  You climb a rope 20 feet and ring a bell.  The last time I had done this was in 8th grade.  And as a chubby kid with no upper body strength I was awful at it.  But this time I wanted to do it. I set my goal to at least try every obstacle and give it my best. For some reason I had out run the pack and was alone at the rope climb.  I chose a rope.  I stood and slowed my breathing.  I took a deep breath and centered my hands to my heart with my eyes closed.  Then I climbed that rope and rang that bell like a champ.  I may have screamed “F-You, rope” in some sort of mindless exorcism of eight grade demons.  After the water obstacle the majority of the competitors seemed to be spent. They were all walking.  Every time I came to a flat spot in the trail there would be 20-30 people lounging around resting.  Not me.  When the trail opened up I was psyched to have running room and took off at a trot.  Why walk?  You're going to get there faster running and you use a different muscle set.  I had been choking down a Gu every hour or so when I felt my energy flagging.  And they helped.  I also brought some Endurolytes with me in a sealed plastic canister but they got all broken up from the jostling but they were gone about 3 hours in. Due to my lack of proper preparation and poor expectation setting I brought enough supplies for a 4 hour race and ended up going 6 ½ hours.  I was hitting the wall in those last couple hours.  Nothing I haven't felt before.  Even in my current lean state I've got plenty of fat to fall back on.  Not really much I could do except keep moving forward. Then it got hard.  About 3 ½ to 4 hours into the race we headed up the final climb.  Up until this point we had climbed parts of the mountain 2-3 times already.  It alternated from trooping up the ski slope to scrambling up some gnarly single path technical in the woods between the slopes.  And when I say gnarly I mean it.  Very steep, loose dirt, roots, rocks and trees.  In places you could use your hands to pull yourself up.  They even had ropes in particularly steep spots.  What made these technical sections hard was you could only go as fast as the person in front of you and there were few opportunities to pass.  Technically it's known as “the theory of constraints” – which is a fancy way of saying everyone moves as fast as the slowest person.  You'd have to pick your spots and try to jump by people.  Otherwise it was a conga line of slow moving feet.  It made it hard to choose a good line and get a rhythm going.  The one potential upside was all the young cross fitter booty in cross fitter booty shorts I had to eyeball from six inches away all day long.  That wasn't awful.  They may not know how to trail run but they look good in their clothes.  Going down was the same gnarly single path but you could build up momentum and get by people easier.  A couple times I tucked in behind the ultra-runners who seemed to have some sort of implied passing right and just followed them.  Once I figured it out I was just brazenly running the left fringe of the trail blowing by people by the score.  I'd yell “Ding! Ding!” or “Out of control old guy!” (that got a couple chuckles) or “Coming through!” but overall they had no sense of humor and yelled at me unless I said “on your left!” I'm not used to people being so cranky at a trail race.  But these weren't trail runners.  And this is the big reason I placed relatively high.  They walked.  I ran.  And I have to tell you it was fun bouncing through the woods, swinging from trees and passing people.  Some of the open field descents were too steep to run.  You had to do that shuffle hop movement where you're basically out of control and just touching the ground to slow down every once in a while.  This was dicey because the pack was thick and everyone else, especially later in the race was not handling the descents with much dignity.  Apparently they were having knee and quad burnout because they were fighting the downhills.  They were stopping a lot, walking backwards or sideways and even scooching down on their bums.  I had to avoid all this.  There were a couple steep sections where people would kick rocks loose and then those rocks would roll down the hill at velocity like 2-3 pound missiles.  Everyone would scream “Rock”.  You'd hear “Rock!” and then “Owe! That really hurt!” I made it through all the hard stuff without falling except once in the woods where I went elbow deep into a mud hole where a spring came out of the mountainside.  Then as I was careening down one of the last descents in the open slope I caught a toe.  I was in open ground so I tried to tuck and roll and it worked I popped back up on my feet.  But, in the process I slammed my shin and my elbow on some rocks.  The shin really hurt.  There wasn't much I could do about it.  I pulled up my calf sleeves so I wouldn't have to look at the wound, gritted my teeth and kept running – hoping I didn't do too much damage. Then there was the last climb.  By this point we were well into the race.  I was well out of fuel and running on fumes.  It was a super steep 2 mile hike straight up the gondola path to the top of the mountain.  This was a death march for everybody.  It was just a long conga line 3-4 across slogging up the slope.  I will admit to stopping and resting a number of times on this ascent.  When we final clambered out into open ground at the very top of the mountain it was in the clouds and windy.  The spectators up there had coats on and were shivering.  The temperature dropped and being mostly naked you would think I'd be cold, but I was well into suffer mode and the cold air woke me up a bit.  Now I knew we were done climbing and the finish was down at the bottom of the mountain somewhere.  Of course there was an obstacle at the top of the mountain that had to do with carrying logs like suitcases which was no problem.  I caught my breath and took off down the fire road.  I leaned on my training again, cleaned up my form and ran.  I used my core and it felt awesome to be moving again after all that slow hiking.  … Coach kept telling me not to worry about the race, that the Kardashians could do it.  Could the Kardashians do it?  Yeah, if they had enough time.  Overall on the course I saw a number of people that really didn't look like they should be doing a race this hard.  I think the positive is that assuming you started early enough you could take as much time as you wanted.  You could take all day and work as a team and in that sense anybody could do it.  I did see people getting taken off the course for injuries.  Mostly knees and ankles.  I think some of them may have been faking an injury to get of the damn mountain! For all the out of shape types there was definitely the lean, cross fit archetype as well.  Lots of compact, fit looking people with six pack abs.  That's the Spartan community. This race was the culmination of a long journey for many of them, from the sprint, to the super and now their ultimate conquest of the beast.  I met people from all over the country. I passed one guy who had flown in from Australia.  I was wondering if I would see anyone with phones or earbuds on the course.  I know the Millennials love their phones but the obstacles make having wires a bad idea.  I didn't see any wires. I did see a couple wireless headphones, but the one surprising thing I came across was speakers.  At least 4 people I passed had speakers strapped to their packs and were blasting music.  I don't know how they managed the water obstacles with those.  Mostly it was millennial hip-hop music that I am too old to appreciate and I remember some Blink182 late in the race but I passed a dude up one of the scrambles and he was blasting some Lynyrd Skynrd.  I obligingly yelled “Whatdayall wanna hear?. Free bird!”  He said it was random and the next song might be Christian music.  We all agreed this climb would be an excellent place to convert people – the kind of place that made you want to ask God for help.  So yeah, that's a new one on me.  Speakers strapped to your backpack in a race.  To finish up the narrative I got to the bottom of the mountain, ready to be done with it.  But they put 5 obstacles in the last ¼ mile just to mess with you.    spazzed out on the spear throw and had to do 30 burpees which left me totally drained for the subsequent log carry.  I managed the Atlas ball carry.  I had no hope of the last dangly rope thing and did another 30 burpees (these took a while because I was running on fumes).  Then over the last A-frame climby thing and a final leap across the fire and I was done.  The picture I had of myself leaping over the fire in my head was much more flattering than the actual picture.  I look like a hobo fleeing a structure fire.  When we were watching the finish earlier some fit young dude literally did a flip over the fire.  That is styling.  Not me.  I'm the dirty hobo.  Was it hard? Yeah. Was it the hardest thing I've ever done? No way.  People who have worn their Garmins on the course clock it at 14.83 miles.  They also clock 6,700 feet of elevation gain.  That's more than a mile.  That's more than Wapack.  That's more than the Grand Canyon.  So, if you want to run this version of the Spartan race go get your lederhosen and start mountain training. The man who won the elite version of my race on Saturday was a 26 year old who did it in 3:32.  The woman was a 29 year old who did it in 4:34.  In my open division the winner came in at 4:15 the very last runner took 17 hours to cover the course.  That's a long day.  The average looks to be in the 8-9 hour range.  Just so everyone knows I want credit for the memorization obstacle.  The way that works is that you have to memorize a number early in the race and they are supposed to ask you for it later in the race.  Both Teresa and I had to memorize the number, and I took great pride in knowing that my familiarity with memorization techniques would give me the clear advantage.  But no one ever askes either of us for our numbers!  For the record Quebec-949-5373. We slept in an old hotel in White River Junction and grabbed some barbeque and a craft brew.  I earned it.  I had a bit of a hard time sleeping because I had so many open scrapes and wounds every time I rolled over my whole body lit up like tearing a Band-Aid off.  Teresa tackled the sprint the next day and due to robust genetics she placed 1st in her age group, proving all Millennials aren't soft.  I was getting around fine.  My quads were a bit sore but nothing like after a hard road marathon.  I could tell I went deep into the glycogen stores because I had the odd struggle with finding the right nouns.  As the week has progressed the scrapes are healing.  The nastiest is a rope burn on the back of my ankle from one of the traversing obstacles.  I was oddly body sore all over like I had been rolled up in a blanket and beaten with sticks.  Nothing hurt badly, but everything hurt a little. I'm content with 6 ½ hour finish.  Will I go back?  Maybe for the shorter races to get the other 2 pieces of the medal and complete the ‘trifecta'.  After all I started with the hard one.  Teresa and I had a nice adventure.  I got a firsthand look at the Spartan races.  I don't know about all the courses but this one, this beast in Killington, ran a bit like an ultra, maybe a 30k in effort level.  If you're looking for something interesting go ahead and try a Spartan.

Spartan up! A first timer takes on the Beast.  (Audio: link) [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/SpartanUp.mp3] Link The funniest line of the day was when I was flying down an open field descent passing people in big clumps.  I yelled “Come on people you’re being passed by a 54 year old guy!” A lady looks at me sideways and responds “Yeah, but not a normal one.” I took that as a compliment.  The great herds of hikers I passed were mostly pretty cranky about it.  I don’t get it.  If you’re out there you might as well enjoy yourself.  I suppose if you’re at the end of your rope and some hairy, half-naked old guy flies by yelling “Weeeeeee!” it might piss you off.  … It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  I was a bit out of my element but I raced the Spartan Beast as best I could and did relatively well.  I met my primary goal of not dying and my secondary goal of not injuring myself.  I did get nicked up and was a bit sore.  It will be a couple weeks before all the bruises, scrapes and scratches heal.  But nothing broken or sprained.  I ran this event as a bit of a lark because they reached out to me and offered an entry.  My daughter Teresa wanted to come along and do the sprint so I signed her up too and I was glad for the company.  We made the drive up to Killington, VT Saturday morning.  I raced on Saturday and she raced Sunday morning so it was another nice endurance adventure weekend for us.  Having been offered a complimentary entry I figured I’d get my money’s worth and run one of the events with a higher difficulty level.  When you look at the advertised events it starts with the Sprint, moves up to the Super and then up to the Beast.  The Sprint is advertised as 5k distance, the Super is a 10K and the Beast is around a ½ marathon.  There’s a special shirt / 3-part medal if you do all three.  There are also longer events like running the ‘Ultra-Beast’ which is the Beast twice and the Agoge which is a special multi-day event. Not knowing much about Spartan races I signed up for the Beast event which is listed as 13 miles and 30 obstacles.  I mean, it’s only a ½ marathon, right?  How long could it take? How hard could it be?  I have my best adventures when I don’t pay attention too much.  I’m in decent shape this summer and could jog any given ½ marathon in under 2 hours so I figured I’d do this in under 4 hours, right?  Two weekends previously I ran the very difficult Wapack Trail race which was 18 miles of technical single track over 4 mountains, twice in just about 4 hours.  At the end of July I ran a hot trail marathon in around 5 hours and that’s twice as far as this Beast, right?  You see my logic here.  I looked at the Spartan training plans and they were, frankly, terrifying with hundreds of burpees, squats and pullups.  It was like something out of a gladiator movie.  Or that old “” I watched a few videos of races and it looked reasonably engaging but some of the athletes were clearly not in the best of shape.  I asked Coach to give me some Spartan specific training but, honestly, he thought it was stupid idea.  He basically gave me the same training he always does, maybe with a bit more yoga and core work.  I can honestly say I think I did more burpees on the course then I had done in all my training.  To summarize, I went into this Spartan Beast race having no idea what I was getting into and without training for it.  Guess what?  I did really well.  That’s right.  I excelled.  I came in 10th in my age group out of 106 old guys. I was 220th out of 2296 males and I was 252 out of 3,213 overall.  And I think that’s just the finishers.  They pulled a large number of people off the course due to injury and time limits.  How is this possible?  How did my tired, old marathoner butt out perform all these millennial cross-fitters?  It’s simple.  I actually trained for the race.  They didn’t.  It turned out the obstacles were 1% of the course.  99% of it was technical, mountain, trail running.  Well it was technical, mountain, trail running for me.  It was a miserable death march for all those well-chiseled, millennial cross-fitters who spent their training flipping tires and doing hundreds of pullups. I can honestly say, with a large dose of irony, that I was probably the only one who trained well and course specifically in the whole crowd.  I was able to fake the obstacles and play to my strengths.  I just rolled off Wapack and the Indy Trail marathon.  I WAS trained for this race.  I think another advantage I had was a certain familiarity with long races and suffering.  I can go pretty deep into the suffer locker when I need to and still compete.  I got the impression that these folks weren’t as familiar with the sweet suffering of a multi-hour endurance event.  Don’t get me wrong.  If I had to compete in the global tire-flipping, box-jumping games I wouldn’t last 60 seconds.  I just happened to luck into a course that was basically a long mountain race.  Still, it took me 6 ½ hours to get through the course.  Mostly because of the 3-4 near vertical ascents of the mountain we did.  It was slow going.  Especially in the last couple hours when I was out of fuel.  What I discovered, (as I was getting ready in the parking lot), was that the average open participant takes 7-9 hours.  Really?  I had no intention of staying out there that long.  I told Teresa 4-6 hours max.  I mean it’s only 13 miles.  The organizers told all of the waves starting after noon to carry headlamps and glow sticks but I thought that was just more ridiculous Spartan hyperbole.  It turns out it wasn’t.  When I was leaving the venue that night you could see the long line of headlamps trooping along the slopes on the mountain.  Those technical descents would be really difficult in the dark.  Glad I wasn’t out there.  There was some controversy because they let people start the Beast up until 2:00 PM, knowing the average cross fitter takes 7-9 hours.  Then they pulled them all off the course at 9:00.  Those people were a bit miffed at having paid a couple hundred bucks and traveled to Vermont only to get forcibly DNF’ed.  This was the ‘Open’ division.  There is also a ‘Competitive’ and an ‘Elite’ division.  I toyed with entering as competitive, but then I got over myself and went with open.  The advantage of the competitive division is less traffic on the course and people generally know what they’re doing.  The advantage to the open division is that they are far less strict about how you approach the obstacles.  The volunteers really didn’t care if we did obstacles correctly or did all the penalty burpees for not completing the obstacles.  I think I could have run around the obstacles and no one would have stopped me.  … It was a nice, warm sunny day when Teresa and I rolled into the venue.  We had to pay $10 for parking (on both days).  There were shuttle buses to the starting area.  I got kitted up before we went on the bus.  Looking at the weather I decided to go shirtless.  I had the same Hoka road shoes that I used in my other trail races. I had my water back pack – I had considered trying to ‘live off the land’ but there didn’t look to be much support on the course and I didn’t want to run out of water.  I had three old Gu’s that I threw in the pack for fuel.  I didn’t want to carry a bunch of stuff because of the obstacles.  Any extra stuff would have to be dragged through the course.  Instead of a hat I made a hippy-helmet out of an old bandana with a chilli pepper motif.  I didn’t wear a watch or sunglasses.  I put my wedding ring in a zippered pocket in my pack – I have lost a little weight and it’s not so tight anymore and I didn’t want it coming off in an obstacle. .  They made you wear a headband with your number on it and a timing chip on your wrist.  I put on a pair of Zensah calf sleeves as well. Everyone I saw had either calf sleeves or tall calf socks.  I figured they knew something.  I threw a pair of running gloves in the pack in case my hands needed protection.  I went with my tried and true Brooks baggie shorts with the liner and the man-thong tech undies. I greased up the pointy bits.  That was it.  We were off.  Teresa helpfully painted a large Spartan logo on my belly, because, hey, when in Rome.  I joined the queue-up for the 12:15 open Beast wave. There looked to be around 100 or so competitors in my wave.  The first thing they do is make your climb over a 4 foot wall to get into the corral. That’s a nice touch. Then an announcer whips the crowd into a frenzy.  I was chatting with some folks who came in from Ohio, a husband and wife and their friend.  I related how it was my first Spartan race and I hadn’t trained much but was a runner.  They said “You’ll be fine, just don’t go out too fast.” But their eye’s seemed to say “you have no idea how much trouble you’re in.” With much hoopla were sent en masse on our way.  The first obstacles were 4 foot high beams that you had to vault.  I stopped to help a woman who could get over them.  In retrospect, she probably didn’t’ finish.  One of the early obstacles was to crawl under barbed wire.  There were two of these on the course.  I found these hard because it tore up my knees to army crawl through the dirt.  I had to take my pack off and push it ahead of me, which was a pain and got it all dirt covered.  Many people roll like logs under the barbed wire.  This seemed to work for them but they kept kicking me in the head in the process as I was moving pretty slow.  My strategy on the obstacles was to get as much help as I could, take my time and not get injured.  Another signature obstacle early in the race is the Bucket Carry.  You get handed a plastic 5 gallon bucket.  You have to fill it up with gravel and carry it up, around and down the hill.  It turns out all my yoga and core was good for these carrying things – or maybe it’s all the years I’ve spent running through airports with bags – but I found this really easy and you can see me smiling in the photos.  I’m having a blast.  There were a constant series of walls you have to climb over of different heights.  I managed the shorter ones, but with my ability to do 3 pullups I had to get help getting over the tall ones.  In the open division getting help is encouraged. Teamwork is part of the Spartan value system.  Good thing too, because without help I would not have made it through many of those obstacles.  It was a warm day.   The course was dry from lack of rain.  I was glad to have the water pack because I was working hard and sweating.  They did manage to engineer in some mud pits in the second half of the race, including one that you had to go completely underwater to get under an obstacle, but these were quite manageable.  The big water obstacle was an actual open water swim about half way around the course.  I say ½ way because it was about 6 miles in but time-wise this was probably 1/3 of the way through.  Like many ultra-type events they back loaded much of the difficulty and the back half of the course took much longer.  It’s a mental game. They like to throw hard stuff at you when you’re tired and think you’re almost done.  I knew the race played this way from reading Joe’s book.  One manifestation was to have an obstacle right after every hard climb.  Another was to have nonsensical mile markers along the course. The actual distance was somewhere between 14 – 15 miles.  If you were watching for mile markers you were playing a fools game because they were purposefully random to mess with you.  The water obstacle was a lake near the start line around 6 miles in.  You hit this after running (well I ran) down the mountain and you’re well warmed up by then.  It’s preceded by a tall climbing obstacle.  These climbing obstacles were all super easy, unless you were afraid of heights.  I joked that we had playground equipment in the 70’s when I was a kid that was worse.   When you got to the shore line they stuffed you into one of those big orange life jackets.  Which, prevents people from drowning, but also prevents those of us with a background in triathlon from swimming.  The water was advertised as 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  More hyperbole.  I would guess it was around 65 or 70 but cold enough that when people go from running down the mountain into the water they immediately cramp up to holy hell.  I started cramping too, but knew what was up and just tried to relax my legs.  I wasn’t getting any propulsion from my kicking anyhow with the shoes on.  The best strategy seemed to be to float on your back and use your arms to avoid the leg cramps and the lean on giant life jacket.  When you got to the middle there was a bridge with rope ladders hanging from it.  This was called the Tarzan bridge.  You were supposed to climb the rope ladder and swing across dangling rope hand holds to the other side.  Swimming in cold water and climbing the rope ladder was no problem but I just don’t have the hand grip strength to swing from ropes and plummeted back into the water after my second grip. This is where I ended up doing my first 30 burpee penalty.  I ended up doing 90 on-course penalty burpees.  Twice for these dangly obstacles and once for being a total spaz in the spear throw.  I did all the burpees I was assigned. I didn’t do them well, but I did them.  Mine were more like the down-dogs I had trained for than the clean Spartan burpee.  Another advantage of being in the open division.  Then they made us swim/wade another ¼ mile to get back on the trail and the really hard climbing that was to come.  One obstacle I am tremendously proud of is the rope climb.  This is just what it sounds like.  You climb a rope 20 feet and ring a bell.  The last time I had done this was in 8th grade.  And as a chubby kid with no upper body strength I was awful at it.  But this time I wanted to do it. I set my goal to at least try every obstacle and give it my best. For some reason I had out run the pack and was alone at the rope climb.  I chose a rope.  I stood and slowed my breathing.  I took a deep breath and centered my hands to my heart with my eyes closed.  Then I climbed that rope and rang that bell like a champ.  I may have screamed “F-You, rope” in some sort of mindless exorcism of eight grade demons.  After the water obstacle the majority of the competitors seemed to be spent. They were all walking.  Every time I came to a flat spot in the trail there would be 20-30 people lounging around resting.  Not me.  When the trail opened up I was psyched to have running room and took off at a trot.  Why walk?  You’re going to get there faster running and you use a different muscle set.  I had been choking down a Gu every hour or so when I felt my energy flagging.  And they helped.  I also brought some Endurolytes with me in a sealed plastic canister but they got all broken up from the jostling but they were gone about 3 hours in. Due to my lack of proper preparation and poor expectation setting I brought enough supplies for a 4 hour race and ended up going 6 ½ hours.  I was hitting the wall in those last couple hours.  Nothing I haven’t felt before.  Even in my current lean state I’ve got plenty of fat to fall back on.  Not really much I could do except keep moving forward. Then it got hard.  About 3 ½ to 4 hours into the race we headed up the final climb.  Up until this point we had climbed parts of the mountain 2-3 times already.  It alternated from trooping up the ski slope to scrambling up some gnarly single path technical in the woods between the slopes.  And when I say gnarly I mean it.  Very steep, loose dirt, roots, rocks and trees.  In places you could use your hands to pull yourself up.  They even had ropes in particularly steep spots.  What made these technical sections hard was you could only go as fast as the person in front of you and there were few opportunities to pass.  Technically it’s known as “the theory of constraints” – which is a fancy way of saying everyone moves as fast as the slowest person.  You’d have to pick your spots and try to jump by people.  Otherwise it was a conga line of slow moving feet.  It made it hard to choose a good line and get a rhythm going.  The one potential upside was all the young cross fitter booty in cross fitter booty shorts I had to eyeball from six inches away all day long.  That wasn’t awful.  They may not know how to trail run but they look good in their clothes.  Going down was the same gnarly single path but you could build up momentum and get by people easier.  A couple times I tucked in behind the ultra-runners who seemed to have some sort of implied passing right and just followed them.  Once I figured it out I was just brazenly running the left fringe of the trail blowing by people by the score.  I’d yell “Ding! Ding!” or “Out of control old guy!” (that got a couple chuckles) or “Coming through!” but overall they had no sense of humor and yelled at me unless I said “on your left!” I’m not used to people being so cranky at a trail race.  But these weren’t trail runners.  And this is the big reason I placed relatively high.  They walked.  I ran.  And I have to tell you it was fun bouncing through the woods, swinging from trees and passing people.  Some of the open field descents were too steep to run.  You had to do that shuffle hop movement where you’re basically out of control and just touching the ground to slow down every once in a while.  This was dicey because the pack was thick and everyone else, especially later in the race was not handling the descents with much dignity.  Apparently they were having knee and quad burnout because they were fighting the downhills.  They were stopping a lot, walking backwards or sideways and even scooching down on their bums.  I had to avoid all this.  There were a couple steep sections where people would kick rocks loose and then those rocks would roll down the hill at velocity like 2-3 pound missiles.  Everyone would scream “Rock”.  You’d hear “Rock!” and then “Owe! That really hurt!” I made it through all the hard stuff without falling except once in the woods where I went elbow deep into a mud hole where a spring came out of the mountainside.  Then as I was careening down one of the last descents in the open slope I caught a toe.  I was in open ground so I tried to tuck and roll and it worked I popped back up on my feet.  But, in the process I slammed my shin and my elbow on some rocks.  The shin really hurt.  There wasn’t much I could do about it.  I pulled up my calf sleeves so I wouldn’t have to look at the wound, gritted my teeth and kept running – hoping I didn’t do too much damage. Then there was the last climb.  By this point we were well into the race.  I was well out of fuel and running on fumes.  It was a super steep 2 mile hike straight up the gondola path to the top of the mountain.  This was a death march for everybody.  It was just a long conga line 3-4 across slogging up the slope.  I will admit to stopping and resting a number of times on this ascent.  When we final clambered out into open ground at the very top of the mountain it was in the clouds and windy.  The spectators up there had coats on and were shivering.  The temperature dropped and being mostly naked you would think I’d be cold, but I was well into suffer mode and the cold air woke me up a bit.  Now I knew we were done climbing and the finish was down at the bottom of the mountain somewhere.  Of course there was an obstacle at the top of the mountain that had to do with carrying logs like suitcases which was no problem.  I caught my breath and took off down the fire road.  I leaned on my training again, cleaned up my form and ran.  I used my core and it felt awesome to be moving again after all that slow hiking.  … Coach kept telling me not to worry about the race, that the Kardashians could do it.  Could the Kardashians do it?  Yeah, if they had enough time.  Overall on the course I saw a number of people that really didn’t look like they should be doing a race this hard.  I think the positive is that assuming you started early enough you could take as much time as you wanted.  You could take all day and work as a team and in that sense anybody could do it.  I did see people getting taken off the course for injuries.  Mostly knees and ankles.  I think some of them may have been faking an injury to get of the damn mountain! For all the out of shape types there was definitely the lean, cross fit archetype as well.  Lots of compact, fit looking people with six pack abs.  That’s the Spartan community. This race was the culmination of a long journey for many of them, from the sprint, to the super and now their ultimate conquest of the beast.  I met people from all over the country. I passed one guy who had flown in from Australia.  I was wondering if I would see anyone with phones or earbuds on the course.  I know the Millennials love their phones but the obstacles make having wires a bad idea.  I didn’t see any wires. I did see a couple wireless headphones, but the one surprising thing I came across was speakers.  At least 4 people I passed had speakers strapped to their packs and were blasting music.  I don’t know how they managed the water obstacles with those.  Mostly it was millennial hip-hop music that I am too old to appreciate and I remember some Blink182 late in the race but I passed a dude up one of the scrambles and he was blasting some Lynyrd Skynrd.  I obligingly yelled “Whatdayall wanna hear?. Free bird!”  He said it was random and the next song might be Christian music.  We all agreed this climb would be an excellent place to convert people – the kind of place that made you want to ask God for help.  So yeah, that’s a new one on me.  Speakers strapped to your backpack in a race.  To finish up the narrative I got to the bottom of the mountain, ready to be done with it.  But they put 5 obstacles in the last ¼ mile just to mess with you.    spazzed out on the spear throw and had to do 30 burpees which left me totally drained for the subsequent log carry.  I managed the Atlas ball carry.  I had no hope of the last dangly rope thing and did another 30 burpees (these took a while because I was running on fumes).  Then over the last A-frame climby thing and a final leap across the fire and I was done.  The picture I had of myself leaping over the fire in my head was much more flattering than the actual picture.  I look like a hobo fleeing a structure fire.  When we were watching the finish earlier some fit young dude literally did a flip over the fire.  That is styling.  Not me.  I’m the dirty hobo.  Was it hard? Yeah. Was it the hardest thing I’ve ever done? No way.  People who have worn their Garmins on the course clock it at 14.83 miles.  They also clock 6,700 feet of elevation gain.  That’s more than a mile.  That’s more than Wapack.  That’s more than the Grand Canyon.  So, if you want to run this version of the Spartan race go get your lederhosen and start mountain training. The man who won the elite version of my race on Saturday was a 26 year old who did it in 3:32.  The woman was a 29 year old who did it in 4:34.  In my open division the winner came in at 4:15 the very last runner took 17 hours to cover the course.  That’s a long day.  The average looks to be in the 8-9 hour range.  Just so everyone knows I want credit for the memorization obstacle.  The way that works is that you have to memorize a number early in the race and they are supposed to ask you for it later in the race.  Both Teresa and I had to memorize the number, and I took great pride in knowing that my familiarity with memorization techniques would give me the clear advantage.  But no one ever askes either of us for our numbers!  For the record Quebec-949-5373. We slept in an old hotel in White River Junction and grabbed some barbeque and a craft brew.  I earned it.  I had a bit of a hard time sleeping because I had so many open scrapes and wounds every time I rolled over my whole body lit up like tearing a Band-Aid off.  Teresa tackled the sprint the next day and due to robust genetics she placed 1st in her age group, proving all Millennials aren’t soft.  I was getting around fine.  My quads were a bit sore but nothing like after a hard road marathon.  I could tell I went deep into the glycogen stores because I had the odd struggle with finding the right nouns.  As the week has progressed the scrapes are healing.  The nastiest is a rope burn on the back of my ankle from one of the traversing obstacles.  I was oddly body sore all over like I had been rolled up in a blanket and beaten with sticks.  Nothing hurt badly, but everything hurt a little. I’m content with 6 ½ hour finish.  Will I go back?  Maybe for the shorter races to get the other 2 pieces of the medal and complete the ‘trifecta’.  After all I started with the hard one.  Teresa and I had a nice adventure.  I got a firsthand look at the Spartan races.  I don’t know about all the courses but this one, this beast in Killington, ran a bit like an ultra, maybe a 30k in effort level.  If you’re looking for something interesting go ahead and try a Spartan.

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-348 – Kristy Jo and Power Foods!  (Audio: link) [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4348.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-348 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  I ran a bit long last episode with Mike.  I was up against a deadline so I just let it slide.  I’ll try to better this time. You may have noticed I started slipping cookies into the end of the show after the outro.  A ‘cookie’ in the lingo of the podcasting ‘biz’ is a blooper that I find particularly engaging.  Like last week when I either wrote into my script or spell checked in that Australopithecines had ‘disposable’ thumbs! That’s just too funny not to share.  Today we speak with Kristy Jo.  I love that name.  It’s like something from a TV show. Kristy shares some very good tips and tricks around her Power Foods nutrition plan. I read through her book and it’s quite sensible. I know this whole weight loss nutrition thing is a real challenge for so many people and I thought we’d give you some pointers from someone who has been through it all and get her approach.  I have been steadily losing weight as well.  I wrapped up my 30 day plan at the end of August but decided to keep it going.  My training is going really well at the lighter weight. I want to see where I can get to by the Portland Marathon next month.  Last episode I erroneously said I was down to 170 pounds. That was incorrect.  What I meant was 175 pounds, which is still good, because I started at 185ish.  I’m currently in the low 170’s with a body fat percentage of in the 10’s.  Body fat percentage is a much better metric than weight or BMI.  A good range for a guy my age is in the low teens.  All that aside what I’m really pleased with is how much better workouts feel and how well my heart is responding.  That’s how I define ‘feeling healthy’ and that’s what I’m going for.  We have a wonderfully hewn, well crafted, and individually designed for your specific needs - show for you today.  It’s a thing of beauty this show.  I had it hand crafted by virgin baby koalas just for you. In section one I’ll answer some rapid fire running questions.  In section 2 I’ll talk about the Wapack Trail race I ran over Labor Day weekend.  I was wondering if anyone was going to write in about my math problem when I told the story of the store clerk in Atlanta.  And I wasn’t disappointed.  For the record, I know that 30% plus 20% can be calculated 2 different ways.  When you combine a 20% discount with a 30% discount the answer is either 50% or 44% depending how you apply the discounts.  Glad to see you’re paying attention.  Makes me feel loved. There are a billion podcasts these days aren’t there?  It’s funny how the cycles turn.  Someone should do some research on it.  First it was just us hobbyists and the big news outlets.  Now everyone with a platform has gotten the message that a podcast is a must-have channel – especially the internet marketing folks.  Thank you for joining me on my journey.  You don’t have to.  I’m doing it because I like doing it. It allows me to practice my creativity and production.  It forces me to think critically about topics.  It allows me to interact with people I find interesting.  I explore topics and people that are interesting to me, that’s why I can keep producing for 9+ years and 350 shows.  I do it for myself.  At the same time, whenever I create anything I think about the audience.  I ask the question “Why do you care?”  This keeps me from getting too wrapped up in myself and allows me to add value.  If you don’t care I’m just an annoying old dude that you sat next to on a long flight and won’t shut up even though you put your headphones in and pretended to sleep.  I don’t want to be that guy.  I do have a membership option to defray the cost because I’m a capitalist at heart and not a charity!  I’m working on a proper set of books but as near as I can figure I spend about $1,500 a year on the podcast.  Consider buying a membership. I’m still working on a separate iTunes feed for it.  My guy in Nigeria can’t quite figure out how to make the remote header calls work with my wordpress plugin, but I’m working on it.  If you’ve known me for any length of time you know I’m patient.  When I decide to do something it takes on the inevitability of a glacier.  … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio Last week I uploaded two, count ‘em, two, book reviews.  One for the Neal Stephenson SevenEves scifi tome and another for Moonwalking with Einstein, a treatise on memory techniques. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Exclusive Access to Individual Audio Segments from all Shows Intro’s, Outro’s, Section One running tips, Section Two life hacks and Featured Interviews – all available as stand-alone MP3’s you can download and listen to at any time. For the cost of a pack of Clean and Clear , to, you know, remove that extra shine off your brow, you can be a member of the runrunlive support crew.  There is no shipping charge for membership and I just today fixed the bug in the annual membership signup process! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … How about some useful running information?  How about that?  Instead of all this waffling on about the creative act?  OK One of the workouts Coach gave me this week was a medium effort hill workout.  Many times you will run longer or faster hill workouts for leg strength or as a type of speed workout or threshold workout.  That’s not what this particular workout is for.  This is a workout to practice form. Hills are a great place to practice form because running uphill naturally forces you up onto your forefoot, to take shorter, more rapid strides and to lift your knees.  Hills bring the form to you.   For the medium effort hill repeat you are only doing 30 seconds. That’s long enough to get into your form but not long enough to stress you.  You do the workout at medium effort, so maybe a 7-8 on a scale of 1-10.  People always ask ‘how steep should the hill be?’  For these medium effort repeats you can actually answer that question.  When you get into the repeat itself your form should be clean.  If you’re having to lean forward or struggling to get your feet turning over – the hill is too steep.  When you run the repeat focus on pushing off rapidly from the forefoot.  Push your hips forward.  Run tall.  Keep your chin up, your shoulders high and loose and your hands high and loose.  Focus on the form, not the effort.  Don’t carry anything in your hands.  Jog down the hill and don’t start another rep until your heart rate settles down.  I usually leave my bottle at the bottom of the hill.  I stop when I get back, take a drink, walk a bit and when my HR falls under zone 2 I’ll ease into the next rep.  I also find a stick and scratch a tally mark into the dirt after every rep.  It makes a game out of it.  Do a set of 10-15 of these.  These are great, especially if you are trying to clean up your form.  Like I said a 4-6% hill will automatically help you clean up your form.  And I’m pretty sure the sine of that angle is the opposite over the hypotenuse, but I could be wrong.  Practice makes perfect.  Do your practice.  On with the show.   Section one – Running Tip Roundup - http://runrunlive.com/running-tip-roundup Voices of reason – the conversation Kristy Jo Hunt My Skype is "kristyjohunt." My home website is  but there is much under construction with funnels, and I fear not everything leads back to one congruent space. I would love to talk about my background with long distance running and why I got into it (disordered eating and thinking it would solve weight issues) to why I got out of it (chronic pain with my 50-degree scoliosis that I pushed through the pain due to the disordered eating habits and FEAR), as well as my coaching of long-distance athletes with meal structure and timing that we have found to be very successful and optimize their body weight and energy for better times. I will put my bio below: Kristy Jo Hunt is a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, published author, and natural Women’s Figure Competitor. After overcoming over a decade of disordered eating battles, she began a Facebook page in 2012. This Facebook page grew to be a full-blown education-based body transformation company called Body Buddies.  Her team of coaches helps people correct health issues, overcome disordered eating, achieve their goals, and reach their desired aesthetics. She is the author of the book series and recipe book line, The Power Foods Lifestyle, and founded the company, Body Buddies, a transformation and education coaching system. Body Buddies teaches strategic implementation of scientific principles using psychological profiling to help people make sustainable changes in their nutrition and fitness efforts. She hosts online group challenges, coaches clients one-on-one, and teaches seminars for athletic teams, corporations, and church groups.  As a way to help many people for free, she hosts the Body Buddies podcast, YouTube Channel, and Social Media feeds where she shares tips and tricks to nutrition, exercise, and mindset training. Her greatest happiness comes from watching others succeed and overcome obstacles that previously prevented them from reaching their goals.  I would love to link to  in the show notes and I would love to offer my free gift to your listeners of my free book (they just pay shipping) at . Kristy Jo   Kristy Jo Hunt CPT/FNS/Author, Body Buddies  |  |  | Skype:  Section two Wapack 2016 -   Outro Well my friends you have nibbled your way on proteins, vegetables and carbohydrates through to the end of  episode 4-348 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Are you full?  Are you satiated?  Did you have to unbutton your jeans so all that good info would fit?  I’ve got a short turn around now and I’m heading out to do the Spartan Beast in Killington Vt.  I’m dragging my youngest along and she’s going to do the sprint on Sunday.  I was looking at the instructions and anyone who starts the Beast after noon needs to carry a headlamp and two glow sticks…And they pull you off the course if you haven’t finished by 9:00 pm.  Really? I have no intention of being on that course for 9 hours.  Am I missing something?  Coach is still trying to talk me out of it so I can focus on the Portland marathon on October 9th.  What I like about him is that he’s old-school.  He thinks every race is an Olympic qualifier.  But, I’m at the point in my life where I have to try new things and have some fun too.  That being said if I can maintain the diet and come out of Portland strong I’ll look at the calendar and see if there isn’t something serious to train for.  I’ve got to figure out if we are going to do the Groton Marathon again this year. … Many of you are running your goal races now or over the next few weeks.  Good luck with those.  Remember that the hay is in the barn and there’s nothing you can do in the last couple weeks to make up training.  As you are in your taper towards your race you can use a couple of the things we talked about here to help you stay sane.  As your training load gets lighter you have an opportunity and the time to do some of the fine-tuning things.  Think about practicing the mediation and visualization that we’ve talked about. Work in some easy yoga every other day to stretch and strengthen your machine. Do some meal planning around your taper weeks to go into the race lean and strong with a lot of energy. That’s how you apply the tools from the conversations we have here. That’s the real trick with all the content available to you.  You’re like a DJ.  You are the creative genius for your life.  You take all this stuff in and mix it to make your own sound, your own movie and craft your own story.  Make sure you get the ending right. And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-348 – Kristy Jo and Power Foods!  (Audio: link) [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4348.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-348 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  I ran a bit long last episode with Mike.  I was up against a deadline so I just let it slide.  I'll try to better this time. You may have noticed I started slipping cookies into the end of the show after the outro.  A ‘cookie' in the lingo of the podcasting ‘biz' is a blooper that I find particularly engaging.  Like last week when I either wrote into my script or spell checked in that Australopithecines had ‘disposable' thumbs! That's just too funny not to share.  Today we speak with Kristy Jo.  I love that name.  It's like something from a TV show. Kristy shares some very good tips and tricks around her Power Foods nutrition plan. I read through her book and it's quite sensible. I know this whole weight loss nutrition thing is a real challenge for so many people and I thought we'd give you some pointers from someone who has been through it all and get her approach.  I have been steadily losing weight as well.  I wrapped up my 30 day plan at the end of August but decided to keep it going.  My training is going really well at the lighter weight. I want to see where I can get to by the Portland Marathon next month.  Last episode I erroneously said I was down to 170 pounds. That was incorrect.  What I meant was 175 pounds, which is still good, because I started at 185ish.  I'm currently in the low 170's with a body fat percentage of in the 10's.  Body fat percentage is a much better metric than weight or BMI.  A good range for a guy my age is in the low teens.  All that aside what I'm really pleased with is how much better workouts feel and how well my heart is responding.  That's how I define ‘feeling healthy' and that's what I'm going for.  We have a wonderfully hewn, well crafted, and individually designed for your specific needs - show for you today.  It's a thing of beauty this show.  I had it hand crafted by virgin baby koalas just for you. In section one I'll answer some rapid fire running questions.  In section 2 I'll talk about the Wapack Trail race I ran over Labor Day weekend.  I was wondering if anyone was going to write in about my math problem when I told the story of the store clerk in Atlanta.  And I wasn't disappointed.  For the record, I know that 30% plus 20% can be calculated 2 different ways.  When you combine a 20% discount with a 30% discount the answer is either 50% or 44% depending how you apply the discounts.  Glad to see you're paying attention.  Makes me feel loved. There are a billion podcasts these days aren't there?  It's funny how the cycles turn.  Someone should do some research on it.  First it was just us hobbyists and the big news outlets.  Now everyone with a platform has gotten the message that a podcast is a must-have channel – especially the internet marketing folks.  Thank you for joining me on my journey.  You don't have to.  I'm doing it because I like doing it. It allows me to practice my creativity and production.  It forces me to think critically about topics.  It allows me to interact with people I find interesting.  I explore topics and people that are interesting to me, that's why I can keep producing for 9+ years and 350 shows.  I do it for myself.  At the same time, whenever I create anything I think about the audience.  I ask the question “Why do you care?”  This keeps me from getting too wrapped up in myself and allows me to add value.  If you don't care I'm just an annoying old dude that you sat next to on a long flight and won't shut up even though you put your headphones in and pretended to sleep.  I don't want to be that guy.  I do have a membership option to defray the cost because I'm a capitalist at heart and not a charity!  I'm working on a proper set of books but as near as I can figure I spend about $1,500 a year on the podcast.  Consider buying a membership. I'm still working on a separate iTunes feed for it.  My guy in Nigeria can't quite figure out how to make the remote header calls work with my wordpress plugin, but I'm working on it.  If you've known me for any length of time you know I'm patient.  When I decide to do something it takes on the inevitability of a glacier.  … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio Last week I uploaded two, count ‘em, two, book reviews.  One for the Neal Stephenson SevenEves scifi tome and another for Moonwalking with Einstein, a treatise on memory techniques. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Exclusive Access to Individual Audio Segments from all Shows Intro's, Outro's, Section One running tips, Section Two life hacks and Featured Interviews – all available as stand-alone MP3's you can download and listen to at any time. For the cost of a pack of Clean and Clear , to, you know, remove that extra shine off your brow, you can be a member of the runrunlive support crew.  There is no shipping charge for membership and I just today fixed the bug in the annual membership signup process! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … How about some useful running information?  How about that?  Instead of all this waffling on about the creative act?  OK One of the workouts Coach gave me this week was a medium effort hill workout.  Many times you will run longer or faster hill workouts for leg strength or as a type of speed workout or threshold workout.  That's not what this particular workout is for.  This is a workout to practice form. Hills are a great place to practice form because running uphill naturally forces you up onto your forefoot, to take shorter, more rapid strides and to lift your knees.  Hills bring the form to you.   For the medium effort hill repeat you are only doing 30 seconds. That's long enough to get into your form but not long enough to stress you.  You do the workout at medium effort, so maybe a 7-8 on a scale of 1-10.  People always ask ‘how steep should the hill be?'  For these medium effort repeats you can actually answer that question.  When you get into the repeat itself your form should be clean.  If you're having to lean forward or struggling to get your feet turning over – the hill is too steep.  When you run the repeat focus on pushing off rapidly from the forefoot.  Push your hips forward.  Run tall.  Keep your chin up, your shoulders high and loose and your hands high and loose.  Focus on the form, not the effort.  Don't carry anything in your hands.  Jog down the hill and don't start another rep until your heart rate settles down.  I usually leave my bottle at the bottom of the hill.  I stop when I get back, take a drink, walk a bit and when my HR falls under zone 2 I'll ease into the next rep.  I also find a stick and scratch a tally mark into the dirt after every rep.  It makes a game out of it.  Do a set of 10-15 of these.  These are great, especially if you are trying to clean up your form.  Like I said a 4-6% hill will automatically help you clean up your form.  And I'm pretty sure the sine of that angle is the opposite over the hypotenuse, but I could be wrong.  Practice makes perfect.  Do your practice.  On with the show.   Section one – Running Tip Roundup - http://runrunlive.com/running-tip-roundup Voices of reason – the conversation Kristy Jo Hunt My Skype is "kristyjohunt." My home website is  but there is much under construction with funnels, and I fear not everything leads back to one congruent space. I would love to talk about my background with long distance running and why I got into it (disordered eating and thinking it would solve weight issues) to why I got out of it (chronic pain with my 50-degree scoliosis that I pushed through the pain due to the disordered eating habits and FEAR), as well as my coaching of long-distance athletes with meal structure and timing that we have found to be very successful and optimize their body weight and energy for better times. I will put my bio below: Kristy Jo Hunt is a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, published author, and natural Women's Figure Competitor. After overcoming over a decade of disordered eating battles, she began a Facebook page in 2012. This Facebook page grew to be a full-blown education-based body transformation company called Body Buddies.  Her team of coaches helps people correct health issues, overcome disordered eating, achieve their goals, and reach their desired aesthetics. She is the author of the book series and recipe book line, The Power Foods Lifestyle, and founded the company, Body Buddies, a transformation and education coaching system. Body Buddies teaches strategic implementation of scientific principles using psychological profiling to help people make sustainable changes in their nutrition and fitness efforts. She hosts online group challenges, coaches clients one-on-one, and teaches seminars for athletic teams, corporations, and church groups.  As a way to help many people for free, she hosts the Body Buddies podcast, YouTube Channel, and Social Media feeds where she shares tips and tricks to nutrition, exercise, and mindset training. Her greatest happiness comes from watching others succeed and overcome obstacles that previously prevented them from reaching their goals.  I would love to link to  in the show notes and I would love to offer my free gift to your listeners of my free book (they just pay shipping) at . Kristy Jo   Kristy Jo Hunt CPT/FNS/Author, Body Buddies  |  |  | Skype:  Section two Wapack 2016 -   Outro Well my friends you have nibbled your way on proteins, vegetables and carbohydrates through to the end of  episode 4-348 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Are you full?  Are you satiated?  Did you have to unbutton your jeans so all that good info would fit?  I've got a short turn around now and I'm heading out to do the Spartan Beast in Killington Vt.  I'm dragging my youngest along and she's going to do the sprint on Sunday.  I was looking at the instructions and anyone who starts the Beast after noon needs to carry a headlamp and two glow sticks…And they pull you off the course if you haven't finished by 9:00 pm.  Really? I have no intention of being on that course for 9 hours.  Am I missing something?  Coach is still trying to talk me out of it so I can focus on the Portland marathon on October 9th.  What I like about him is that he's old-school.  He thinks every race is an Olympic qualifier.  But, I'm at the point in my life where I have to try new things and have some fun too.  That being said if I can maintain the diet and come out of Portland strong I'll look at the calendar and see if there isn't something serious to train for.  I've got to figure out if we are going to do the Groton Marathon again this year. … Many of you are running your goal races now or over the next few weeks.  Good luck with those.  Remember that the hay is in the barn and there's nothing you can do in the last couple weeks to make up training.  As you are in your taper towards your race you can use a couple of the things we talked about here to help you stay sane.  As your training load gets lighter you have an opportunity and the time to do some of the fine-tuning things.  Think about practicing the mediation and visualization that we've talked about. Work in some easy yoga every other day to stretch and strengthen your machine. Do some meal planning around your taper weeks to go into the race lean and strong with a lot of energy. That's how you apply the tools from the conversations we have here. That's the real trick with all the content available to you.  You're like a DJ.  You are the creative genius for your life.  You take all this stuff in and mix it to make your own sound, your own movie and craft your own story.  Make sure you get the ending right. And I'll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-346 – Joe De Sena on the Spartan Movement  (Audio: link) [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4346.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-346 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Thank you for listening.  Sometimes I don't hear from you for a while and I get lonely.  I wonder if anyone is listening.  I thought it might due to a lack of positive feedback.  I grew up in the 70's and we were all about positive feedback.  That's why baby boomers are so needy.  The topic of today's show is Spartan.  I interview Joe De Sena the owner of Spartan Races.  He's a tightly wrapped dude with one of those clear, focused minds and the work ethic to support it.  In the first section I'm going to talk through my initial impressions of the Spartan race and its training.  I have one coming up in September and I'm starting to worry about my fitness level.  I expressed my concerns about things like not being able to do more than 2 pullups to coach.  He says I'm taking it too seriously and, I quote, “A Kardashian could do that race.”  Except he's not the one running it! In the second section I'll think a bit on our fascination with Sparta and what it says about us.  My training is focused on strength and biking right now.  I gave my Achilles a week off after the trail marathon but not really because I was down on the Cape over the next weekend walking the beach and riding for hours.  It was great to spend some time with myself but I think I may have overdone it.  I tried to do a 1:30 run on the roads when I got back and I ended up walking back the last mile.  It was the heat and my Achilles.  Now I'm giving some more time to heal.  I'm stretching and massaging and rehabbing.  I'm spending time on the bike and working on my core.  It is a good time of year to be taking a break from running.  It's still super hot and humid.   Speaking of hot and humid I watched the Women's Olympic Marathon and I though Amy, Shalane and Desi did a really good job of running their plans.  They hung with the best runners in the world and all finished in the top 10.  They inspired me and I'm sure they'll inspire the next generation of American women.  Buddy the old wonder dog is doing well.  He's almost all recovered from his lump surgery.  That should make him more comfortable in the short run.  It's too hot for him.  He hasn't been running except for what he normally does when we go for walks off-leash in the woods.  This time of year we get a lot of thunderstorms rolling through at nighttime with all the energy in the atmosphere.  Katie brought his crate up to the living room and when it gets really bad we can put him in there so he doesn't hurt himself.  Thunderstorms make him mental.  He'll go into the tub in the girl's bathroom or into one of the closets and start digging.  We cage him up for his own protection. By the way, I went for the follow up visit with my heart doctor and there's nothing wrong with me that they can see.  Which is good.  That leads me to conclude that my issues earlier in the summer were due to the heat, jet lag and the case of pneumonia with the course of antibiotics.  Basically my body, mind and soul were out of synch! Which is why I'm focusing on doing a bit of foundational bio-reengineering this month. … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio Last week I uploaded an essay on why vacationing is so hard. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Exclusive Access to Individual Audio Segments from all Shows Intro's, Outro's, Section One running tips, Section Two life hacks and Featured Interviews – all available as stand-alone MP3's you can download and listen to at any time. For the cost of a pack of Clean and Clear , to, you know, remove that extra shine off your brow, you can be a member of the runrunlive support crew.  There is no shipping charge for membership and I just today fixed the bug in the annual membership signup process! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … My reengineering project is a 30 day 5AM project.  The anchor of this project is that I'm getting up early every day, as close to 5 AM as I can manage.  The other attributes of it are: No alcohol Work on my nutrition plan to get stronger, rebuild my healthy biome and get leaner. Work on my next book Post a daily accountability video to YouTube to keep the project going. It's been going well.  I haven't hit the 5 AM every day but I've been close enough to be within the spirit of the exercise.  I have eliminated alcohol and have been eating clean and focusing on foods that will have a positive impact on my insides.  This weekend I made Kvass, which is a fermented beet juice and pickles using the cucumbers from my garden.  I'm such a home body.  The work on the book has been doing a lot of circling the work and not actually doing the work, but I'm positive.  My creativity tends to come in bursts.  I've gotten the videos up each day consistently and you can see them if you're interested in that sort of thing at my YouTube channel which is Cyktrussell. (Chris yellow king tom – Russell with two esses and two ells…) I've really learned or relearned some valuable lessons from this project.  First thing is that when you're dealing with a stable system, like your body, even if it is stable in a place you don't like, you have to be careful with the quantity and magnitude of changes.  Any change you make is going to cause the system to oscillate.  A stable system is stable because it has inertia.  It doesn't want to change.  A stable system resists change and it has memory.  It's like a rubber band.  The more you pull the more it resists and it always pulls in an effort to return to the stable state. Biological/mental systems are not digital. You can't just expect to insert a stimulus and to leap to a different state.  When you insert a stimuli the system won't change digitally or even linearly.  It will wobble as the opposing forces push and pull.  The more things you try to change the more random the wobbling feels. In my project I was trying to change sleep patterns and nutrition and my coffee intake and my alcohol consumption all at the same time.  In the first 10 days my system wobbled.  There were days that I was starving.  There were days where I was so tired I couldn't think or function.  There were days when I felt depressed and defeated.  When you want to make changes in anything.  When you want to innovate in your life.  You have to be prepared to suffer through an adjustment period.  I have shared with you before the metaphor that says all projects follow a U-shaped curve.  When you first start the project it's all unicorns and rainbows and enthusiasm.  When you get to the middle of the project it turns into an endless-seeming, hopeless, slog of work.  As you get closer to the finish it becomes hopeful again. Another useful metaphor I heard recently is to picture yourself standing on a mountain top.  You have climbed successfully to the top of this mountain but now you want to innovate or improve to a new state.  Picture that new state as another, higher mountain top that you can see across the valley.  You know how to get there.  You have to go down into the valley and work your way to climb up the other side to get to this new peak.  That's what innovation is like.  Identify that next peak.  Keep the vision of that new and next peak in your mind's eye, even as, especially when, you lose sight of it in the tangled underbrush of the valley.  … On with the show. Section one – The Spartan Race and Training for it -  Voices of reason – the conversation Joe De Sena Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan Race, is also a living legend in endurance and adventure racing circles — he completed the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon, raced the 140.6 miles of Lake Placid Ironman, and finished a 100-mile trail run in Vermont, all within one week. In 2014, De Sena authored , that changed countless lives and revealed the secrets to developing the resourcefulness and mental determination needed to become a true Spartan. Section two About Spartans and Stoics -  Outro Well my friends you have carried, climbed and crawled through a mud pit to the end of Episode 4-346 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  I have a knock knock joke you can tell your kids.  Ready?  Knock knock… Who'd there? Old Lady Old Lady who? Hey, I didn't know you could yodel! One of the great cultural advantages to being at my stage of life is that I can tell Dad jokes.  Next up for me is the Wapack trail race.  Have you signed up yet?  Even though I'm rehabbing my Achilles right now I am looking forward to Wapack. It's my favorite kind of trail race.  It's long enough to be interesting at 18 miles but not long enough to worry about.  It's technical enough to be interesting with lots of single path and roots and rocks and mountains but that same technical nature keeps you from getting too serious.  And, it's nice and small with good people.  I'll just try to get in under 4 hours and use the Spartan core strength I'm developing to manage it.  The weekend after is the Spartan race.  I haven't figured out the logistics for that yet.  Then in October I signed up for the Portland Marathon.  And in December the 4th Annual Groton Marathon if we can pull it off.   I'm staying busy.  Life has its seasons.  One thing I'm wondering about is the Boston Marathon.  After training well and not getting my time last year I honestly don't know if I want to or deserve to run it in 2017.  I do still believe I can run a qualifying time.  It's a question of when to fit that into my life.  I'm certainly not going to run a qualifying time before September when the times are due.  I jump an age group in 2018.  I'd like to have at least 20 Bostons but I'd like to earn them.  I don't know.  I truly do not know.  It's probably time for a change.  A bit of learning I can give you kids, and I'll write more on this at some point is about how you age athletically.  When you look at the literature you see the ability of an athlete tailing off in a nice shallow straight curve.  It shows athletes slowly losing their abilities, measured in finishing times, as they age. The curve drops a couple percentage points at a time. In my experience that is not how it works.  Like everything else in the human experience this process is non-linear, it is unpredictable and it is specific to the individual.  What I've found is that I have lost my speed in chunks, mostly as the result of injuries.  The line is more like a series of waves.  Where after 50 or so each subsequent wave crests a bit lower than the last one. The real question is not the performance line.  The real question is the fulfillment line, the challenge line and the happiness line.  The tricky task at hand is how to continue to, as our friend Peter says, “Run with joy” as the performance line trends down and the waves of aging break relentlessly against the breakwaters of youth.  The answer I think is to remember to be grateful.  Grateful for the victories, grateful for challenges and grateful for the chance to get up today and breathe the deep humid air of this good earth.  Take a deep breath right now, my friends. That is life in your lungs.  Celebrate. And I'll see you out there.   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-346 – Joe De Sena on the Spartan Movement  (Audio: link) [audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4346.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-346 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Thank you for listening.  Sometimes I don’t hear from you for a while and I get lonely.  I wonder if anyone is listening.  I thought it might due to a lack of positive feedback.  I grew up in the 70’s and we were all about positive feedback.  That’s why baby boomers are so needy.  The topic of today’s show is Spartan.  I interview Joe De Sena the owner of Spartan Races.  He’s a tightly wrapped dude with one of those clear, focused minds and the work ethic to support it.  In the first section I’m going to talk through my initial impressions of the Spartan race and its training.  I have one coming up in September and I’m starting to worry about my fitness level.  I expressed my concerns about things like not being able to do more than 2 pullups to coach.  He says I’m taking it too seriously and, I quote, “A Kardashian could do that race.”  Except he’s not the one running it! In the second section I’ll think a bit on our fascination with Sparta and what it says about us.  My training is focused on strength and biking right now.  I gave my Achilles a week off after the trail marathon but not really because I was down on the Cape over the next weekend walking the beach and riding for hours.  It was great to spend some time with myself but I think I may have overdone it.  I tried to do a 1:30 run on the roads when I got back and I ended up walking back the last mile.  It was the heat and my Achilles.  Now I’m giving some more time to heal.  I’m stretching and massaging and rehabbing.  I’m spending time on the bike and working on my core.  It is a good time of year to be taking a break from running.  It’s still super hot and humid.   Speaking of hot and humid I watched the Women’s Olympic Marathon and I though Amy, Shalane and Desi did a really good job of running their plans.  They hung with the best runners in the world and all finished in the top 10.  They inspired me and I’m sure they’ll inspire the next generation of American women.  Buddy the old wonder dog is doing well.  He’s almost all recovered from his lump surgery.  That should make him more comfortable in the short run.  It’s too hot for him.  He hasn’t been running except for what he normally does when we go for walks off-leash in the woods.  This time of year we get a lot of thunderstorms rolling through at nighttime with all the energy in the atmosphere.  Katie brought his crate up to the living room and when it gets really bad we can put him in there so he doesn’t hurt himself.  Thunderstorms make him mental.  He’ll go into the tub in the girl’s bathroom or into one of the closets and start digging.  We cage him up for his own protection. By the way, I went for the follow up visit with my heart doctor and there’s nothing wrong with me that they can see.  Which is good.  That leads me to conclude that my issues earlier in the summer were due to the heat, jet lag and the case of pneumonia with the course of antibiotics.  Basically my body, mind and soul were out of synch! Which is why I’m focusing on doing a bit of foundational bio-reengineering this month. … The RunRunLive podcast is Ad Free and listener supported.  We do this by offering a membership option where members get Access to Exclusive Members Only audio Last week I uploaded an essay on why vacationing is so hard. Member only race reports, essays and other bits just for you! Exclusive Access to Individual Audio Segments from all Shows Intro’s, Outro’s, Section One running tips, Section Two life hacks and Featured Interviews – all available as stand-alone MP3’s you can download and listen to at any time. For the cost of a pack of Clean and Clear , to, you know, remove that extra shine off your brow, you can be a member of the runrunlive support crew.  There is no shipping charge for membership and I just today fixed the bug in the annual membership signup process! Links are in the show notes and at RunRunLive.com … My reengineering project is a 30 day 5AM project.  The anchor of this project is that I’m getting up early every day, as close to 5 AM as I can manage.  The other attributes of it are: No alcohol Work on my nutrition plan to get stronger, rebuild my healthy biome and get leaner. Work on my next book Post a daily accountability video to YouTube to keep the project going. It’s been going well.  I haven’t hit the 5 AM every day but I’ve been close enough to be within the spirit of the exercise.  I have eliminated alcohol and have been eating clean and focusing on foods that will have a positive impact on my insides.  This weekend I made Kvass, which is a fermented beet juice and pickles using the cucumbers from my garden.  I’m such a home body.  The work on the book has been doing a lot of circling the work and not actually doing the work, but I’m positive.  My creativity tends to come in bursts.  I’ve gotten the videos up each day consistently and you can see them if you’re interested in that sort of thing at my YouTube channel which is Cyktrussell. (Chris yellow king tom – Russell with two esses and two ells…) I’ve really learned or relearned some valuable lessons from this project.  First thing is that when you’re dealing with a stable system, like your body, even if it is stable in a place you don’t like, you have to be careful with the quantity and magnitude of changes.  Any change you make is going to cause the system to oscillate.  A stable system is stable because it has inertia.  It doesn’t want to change.  A stable system resists change and it has memory.  It’s like a rubber band.  The more you pull the more it resists and it always pulls in an effort to return to the stable state. Biological/mental systems are not digital. You can’t just expect to insert a stimulus and to leap to a different state.  When you insert a stimuli the system won’t change digitally or even linearly.  It will wobble as the opposing forces push and pull.  The more things you try to change the more random the wobbling feels. In my project I was trying to change sleep patterns and nutrition and my coffee intake and my alcohol consumption all at the same time.  In the first 10 days my system wobbled.  There were days that I was starving.  There were days where I was so tired I couldn’t think or function.  There were days when I felt depressed and defeated.  When you want to make changes in anything.  When you want to innovate in your life.  You have to be prepared to suffer through an adjustment period.  I have shared with you before the metaphor that says all projects follow a U-shaped curve.  When you first start the project it’s all unicorns and rainbows and enthusiasm.  When you get to the middle of the project it turns into an endless-seeming, hopeless, slog of work.  As you get closer to the finish it becomes hopeful again. Another useful metaphor I heard recently is to picture yourself standing on a mountain top.  You have climbed successfully to the top of this mountain but now you want to innovate or improve to a new state.  Picture that new state as another, higher mountain top that you can see across the valley.  You know how to get there.  You have to go down into the valley and work your way to climb up the other side to get to this new peak.  That’s what innovation is like.  Identify that next peak.  Keep the vision of that new and next peak in your mind’s eye, even as, especially when, you lose sight of it in the tangled underbrush of the valley.  … On with the show. Section one – The Spartan Race and Training for it -  Voices of reason – the conversation Joe De Sena Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan Race, is also a living legend in endurance and adventure racing circles — he completed the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon, raced the 140.6 miles of Lake Placid Ironman, and finished a 100-mile trail run in Vermont, all within one week. In 2014, De Sena authored , that changed countless lives and revealed the secrets to developing the resourcefulness and mental determination needed to become a true Spartan. Section two About Spartans and Stoics -  Outro Well my friends you have carried, climbed and crawled through a mud pit to the end of Episode 4-346 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  I have a knock knock joke you can tell your kids.  Ready?  Knock knock… Who’d there? Old Lady Old Lady who? Hey, I didn’t know you could yodel! One of the great cultural advantages to being at my stage of life is that I can tell Dad jokes.  Next up for me is the Wapack trail race.  Have you signed up yet?  Even though I’m rehabbing my Achilles right now I am looking forward to Wapack. It’s my favorite kind of trail race.  It’s long enough to be interesting at 18 miles but not long enough to worry about.  It’s technical enough to be interesting with lots of single path and roots and rocks and mountains but that same technical nature keeps you from getting too serious.  And, it’s nice and small with good people.  I’ll just try to get in under 4 hours and use the Spartan core strength I’m developing to manage it.  The weekend after is the Spartan race.  I haven’t figured out the logistics for that yet.  Then in October I signed up for the Portland Marathon.  And in December the 4th Annual Groton Marathon if we can pull it off.   I’m staying busy.  Life has its seasons.  One thing I’m wondering about is the Boston Marathon.  After training well and not getting my time last year I honestly don’t know if I want to or deserve to run it in 2017.  I do still believe I can run a qualifying time.  It’s a question of when to fit that into my life.  I’m certainly not going to run a qualifying time before September when the times are due.  I jump an age group in 2018.  I’d like to have at least 20 Bostons but I’d like to earn them.  I don’t know.  I truly do not know.  It’s probably time for a change.  A bit of learning I can give you kids, and I’ll write more on this at some point is about how you age athletically.  When you look at the literature you see the ability of an athlete tailing off in a nice shallow straight curve.  It shows athletes slowly losing their abilities, measured in finishing times, as they age. The curve drops a couple percentage points at a time. In my experience that is not how it works.  Like everything else in the human experience this process is non-linear, it is unpredictable and it is specific to the individual.  What I’ve found is that I have lost my speed in chunks, mostly as the result of injuries.  The line is more like a series of waves.  Where after 50 or so each subsequent wave crests a bit lower than the last one. The real question is not the performance line.  The real question is the fulfillment line, the challenge line and the happiness line.  The tricky task at hand is how to continue to, as our friend Peter says, “Run with joy” as the performance line trends down and the waves of aging break relentlessly against the breakwaters of youth.  The answer I think is to remember to be grateful.  Grateful for the victories, grateful for challenges and grateful for the chance to get up today and breathe the deep humid air of this good earth.  Take a deep breath right now, my friends. That is life in your lungs.  Celebrate. And I’ll see you out there.   MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-315 – Gary Allen and I talk running   (Audio: link)           garyallenLink epi4315.mp3   Support my Hood-to-Coast Relay for Cancer Research - https://give.everydayhero.com/us/chris-russell-hood-to-coast-for-cancer-research   Intro Bumper:   Hey there! This is Chris your steward for today’s ride along the colorful roadway of endurance sport. Practically, this makes for three podcasts in three weeks for you from the RunRunLive headquarters (Located in a dank cave in Western Pennsyvania that at one point in its history housed bandits, velociraptors and coal miners), just kidding, I’m actually in my home office.  I did have a trip to Denver, but it got canceled.   Episodes 4-313, 4-314 & 4-315 should be in your inbox, slightly out of order, due to a disruption in the space-time-chance-&-luck continuum.   mayflower-smallI seem to remember closing Episode 4-315 with the note that I intended to run a ½ marathon in Plymouth.  That would be two weeks ago now, and I did indeed run it.  First actual race for me since the heart procedure so my main goal was, as is my practice now, not to die and have fun.   My top concern was that I might pull something or otherwise hurt myself, given that I have not been doing much road work since Boston.   Coming off of Boston having run 8:30’s I figured that something in that range would be easy enough.  On the top end, if I felt good, sub-8’s would not displease the running gods.   I told coach to NOT taper me for the race, just treat it like a long tempo run.  I kept a nice training load right up to a bike and hard swim workout the day before.   A bunch of us from my club got up and drove down in the morning.  Brian had looked at the course map and said the first half was flat-to-down-hill, with big, long hill at mile 6 and then rolling hills to the end.   This was a first year race, but there were close to 2,000 runners.  The first mile was a bit jammed up, but I broke free and was feeling good enough spinning out the downs and flats, going a bit too fast, like I am wont to do.   I had my Garmin on but wasn’t looking at it, just running, chatting up the pretty girls, thanking the volunteers and having fun.  Looking at the data, those first 5 miles were in the 7:20 range, and that’s a bit fast (right now) with no taper, no training and a wonky heart.  I knew it was non-sustainable going into the hills.  My Heart rate was good – nice zone 4-5 effort but no flipping out into the 180-190 Afib range.   There was a water stop at mile 6 with porta-potties, so I stopped to have a rest, and reset my pace a bit.   There was a mile-plus hill from Mile 6, through the 10k and mile 7.  And it turns out this wasn’t the only one.  What Brian had called ‘rolling hills’ was a set of long steep hills over the last 10k that must have really beat up the back of the packers.   I just geared down and worked the hills, giving back some time but not suffering too much.  My legs weren’t all that peppy from the lack of taper.  I came in, according to the timing chip right on 8 minute miles, and looking at the data, my HR stayed in bounds for the most part, so I’m going to call that a win.   I mean, I could worry myself by remembering that I was trying to break a 1:30 ½ and ran a 3:23 at Boston 4 year’s ago, but that’s another season.  I feel like I’ die for a good run now, pun intended.   We’re done with the ‘happy-see-the warm-sun’ part of summer up here and into the ‘hot-sticky-horsefly-infested’ part of summer.  I was down in Atlanta last week when they were having a mini heat wave.  I got up in the morning to run and it was awful.  There was no oxygen in the air and I ended up coming back to the hotel soaked like I had been swimming.   Which is a pain in the butt, because then I had to pack up and get to work.  First, what you have to do is rinse out your wet stuff in the sink to remove some of the toxic man juice.  Then you roll them up in a couple towels and walk on them.  Then you put them in a plastic bag and pack them.   This worked ok except my Hokas were sweat soaked too.  I put them in a plastic bag and packed them but forgot about them until Tuesday this week and that was a horrible thing to have to put on those still-wet-festering shoes to go for a run. Ewwwww.   Then, after that Tuesday run I was soaked again, even though I exercised my rule of thumb that you can run shirtless under two conditions, 1) you have an attractive body or 2) you’re over 50.  When I got home I put those clothes directly into the washing machine, as a form of hazmat isolation.  But I didn’t run it because I wanted to wait until the morning.   My daughter decides to do some laundry.  She finds the wet clothes in the washing machine and decides that they must have been washed and puts them in the dryer!   Domestic adventures…       Today we have an interview with Gary Allen who we have talked to before in version one or two of the podcast many years ago.  Gary is the race director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon.  But, more relevant is that Gray is a bit of a historian for the local marathon scene having been involved at a near-elite level for many years, and still involved.   I’m hoping it come off as two old guys talking passionately about their sport, not two old guys bitching at the kids to get off their lawn!   In Section one I will continue my series of how to start running from scratch with a piece on how to build your support team that you’ll need as you progress.   In section two I’ll pull some nuggets from the book I read last week called “Happy is the new Healthy, 31 ways to relax and enjoy life now!”   …   I had a person I was interviewing ask me a question recently.  You know how it goes in an interview, where at the end I smile and say “Do you have any questions for me?”   They asked “Are you happy?”  I think the question was actually are you happy in your choice to work for this company?  Are you happy at the company?   I answered the question the way it was asked.  I said, “Well, first of all, I’m happy because I choose to be happy.  My happiness has nothing to do with where I work or who I work for.:”   Of course your environment does influence your emotions.  I get pissed off at work situations.  I get blind-sided by irrational people.  I have to deal with idiocy on the same scale as everyone else.   But, I try to remember that those are environmental things and really only effect my happiness if I let them.   On with the show!   Section one - Running Tips   newrunnerBuilding a support network - http://runrunlive.com/building-a-support-network-as-a-new-runner   http://runrunlive.com/back-to-basics-how-to-become-a-runner-from-scratch   Voices of reason – the interviews   Gary Allen – Race Director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon   Gary Allen - Team Run MDI founder & race director   gary at runmdi dot org Mount Desert Island Marathon • Half • Relay   "Get Real Maine: Run MDI"   The Mount Desert Island Marathon is the premier event of host running club Crow Athletics   1991 - CROW ATHELTICS IS HATCHED   The exact origins of Crow Athletics are not that difficult to trace. In the early 1990's a group of Mount Desert Island runners were heading to the now extinct Boston Primer, a 15 mile road race held in Readfield, ME. As they were traveling down I-95 heading south (in a Buick station wagon as big as a house) the car full of runners suddenly thought that running as a team might be fun. The various names thrown out for selection (most of which are not fit to print) ranged from the utterly ridiculous to generic and much over used terms such as roadrunners, striders, racing team, track club and so forth. By the time the crew drove through Newport, (which is incidentally 26 miles from Bangor) someone pointed out how knarly the crows are that line the highway eating dead things that we all seem to run over in our big Buicks. After passing another group of blackbirds that literally wouldn't get out of the road (even with a ton of Detroit's best iron heading for them), the team name for our day of racing at Readfield was born. "Road Crows". We won the team division and the team name was used loosely over the next decade.   Moving all the way forward to winter 2001-2002 another group of Mount Desert Island runners decided our island needed an organized running club. Again, many potential names were proposed and thrown out (most again, not fit to print -- why do runners think up such sick stuff?) Gary Allen, who was in attendance on the Readfield trip told the story of the original "Road Crows", and Crow Athletics as we know it today, was formed.   Our club has since slowly and steadily grown into one of the most forward thinking, fun oriented, outrageous running clubs in the universe! We love to point out to anyone who asks, 'Why crow?', that we runners (like crows) won't get out of the road, we're afraid of nothing, we are found in every state and nearly every corner of the world, and we are impervious to the weather.   Our members are of all abilities and hail from all over the US, Canada, and beyond. Some are among the best runners on the roads, while others run purely for fun! Our namesake mascot has even appeared as a tattoo on several Lifetime Members! We are a happy-healthyrecognized not for profit organization and annual membership dues (only $10 bucks) helps us to further our club and mission.   PS - Roadkill is a friendly little term we like to use in describing what we like to do to our race competition! CAW! CAW! CAW!   Section Two – Life Lessons   Book sample – Happy is the new healthy - http://runrunlive.com/happy-is-the-new-healthy   Outro   Ok my friends that’s it – the terminus of Episode 4-315of the RunRunLive podcast.  Those who arrive, survive.   One quick technical note:  At one point when I created a new version of RunRunLive a second podcast feed got added to iTunes.  If you search on ITunes for RunRunLive, two shows will pop up.  I’m going to ask Apple to eliminate one of them.  So if you find RRL-Feedthat the podcast disappears or you aren’t getting the fortnightly updates, go to iTunes and search again and subscribe to the other feed.   This is the correct iTunes Feed Link2   I bought new mountain bike for my daughter and last Sunday we went out for a ride.  I know all the trails around my house for miles and decided to take one that cuts behind the local ski hill.  It’s old farm road in the woods that runs behind one of the tubing hills.   I’m flying down this hill and I look up and there’s a rope across the trail about 3 feet of the ground.  I do some split second calculus and decide to lay the bike down and try to slide under it.  My intentions did not translate well and I bounced my noggin off the trail.   IMG_3213I had no idea where I was for a few minutes.  I gave myself a nice concussion.  Turns out I broke my helmet too.  I stopped taking the blood thinners and took it easy but I had a headache for a couple days.   It seems that they are running some sort of trial race over in the trails behind the ski area and had roped off the course.  I started to get a lot of comments on the social media that maybe I should stay out of the trails.  But, you can’t run scared.  You can’t live scared. You take the precautions you can, you wear a helmet and you don’t do anything stupid, but you can’t hide under a rock.   Remember, I’m looking for help with my Hood to Coast run the end of August.  I’m running to support Cancer research, because cancer sucks.  I’ll tell you what I’ll do.  I got a nice Team Hoyt running jacket from the Hoyts.  It’s a large.  It’s still in the wrapper.  Factory sealed. Pristine.   Biggest donation, let’s say $50,  in the next 30 days gets the jacket.   hoytjacketSupport my Hood-to-Coast Relay for Cancer Research - https://give.everydayhero.com/us/chris-russell-hood-to-coast-for-cancer-research   I’ve got a great trip planned.  I’m going to fly into Rapid City, SD and drive west over the divide to Portland.  I’ve got the flights and hotels booked.  It’s going to be a hoot.  I’m taking my wife with me to give her something to complain about.  Anyone live along that route want to catch a run or have dinner or coffee let me know.   You folks remember Bruce Van Horn from a couple episodes back?  He just launched a new book called ‘Worry no More’ that he’s offering pre-release on the Kindle for 99ø if you like his stuff. amazon link for Bruce's new book   I’m training away and my next race is the Olympic Distance Triathlon up in Winchendon.  I feel pretty good about it.  I’ve gotten a couple swims in the open water of over a mile and as long as they let me wear my wetsuit I’ll be golden.   I bought this wetsuit a couple years ago when I was entertaining doing an ironman.  I hadn’t really used it much because my foot healed and I switched back to marathon racing.  I’m using it now in the open water and oh my goodness it is like having the swim cheat code.  It hold you in a nice balanced position so you can swim straight and easy without any struggle at all.  Wonderful technology.   After that I haven’t signed up yet, but I’m leaning towards riding the Hampshire 100 again.  I have to do some work on my 29er and learn how not to crash so much – but It’s a good challenge and my bike legs are coming back.   The one race I’m realwapackly looking forward to is the Wapack Trail Race on Sept 6th.  This is one of my favorite races.  It’s a hard race.  18 miles of mountain, technical trails.  Not for the 5K crowd.  But if you can run a marathon, you can run the Wapack and you will not find many other races like this one.  Consider it. Try something new.  Have an adventure.  Come run the Mountains with me.   http://wapack.freeservers.com/   I’ve got two interviews recorded for the next two shows.  One is with Matt, from Manchester England who created a graphic novel around the Steve Prefontaine story and the other is with Tim who used my MarathonBQ plan this spring to qualify for Boston.   …   Buddy-2015Buddy is sitting in the front yard barking at me through the door as I write this.  He wants me to come outside and play.  He’s old now and his hips bother him.  I don’t take him on long runs or on the road but we still get out in the woods for shorter stuff.   He loves it.  He loves to explore the woods and sniff everything and wallow in the mud holes even if it’s only 2-3 miles.  He’s been a good running partner and a good friend over the last decade.  I’m going to miss him when he’s gone.  It’s going to be hard to celebrate the big part he played in my life without feeling the loss, and the empty space he leaves.   I remember the time in he and I and Brian did a practice run of the Wapack. 20+ miles in the mountains and we had so much fun.  I can picture the way he used to fly through the air to catch a Frisbee.   I’m going to go take him for a walk now.  Because he’s my brother and he deserves the moment no matter how busy I am.   And as you’re walking your dog, I’ll see you out there.   Closing comments   Support my Hood-to-Coast Relay for Cancer Research - https://give.everydayhero.com/us/chris-russell-hood-to-coast-for-cancer-research   Http://www.marathonbq.com   http://runrunlive.com/my-books

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-315 – Gary Allen and I talk running   (Audio: link)           garyallenLink epi4315.mp3   Support my Hood-to-Coast Relay for Cancer Research - https://give.everydayhero.com/us/chris-russell-hood-to-coast-for-cancer-research   Intro Bumper:   Hey there! This is Chris your steward for today's ride along the colorful roadway of endurance sport. Practically, this makes for three podcasts in three weeks for you from the RunRunLive headquarters (Located in a dank cave in Western Pennsyvania that at one point in its history housed bandits, velociraptors and coal miners), just kidding, I'm actually in my home office.  I did have a trip to Denver, but it got canceled.   Episodes 4-313, 4-314 & 4-315 should be in your inbox, slightly out of order, due to a disruption in the space-time-chance-&-luck continuum.   mayflower-smallI seem to remember closing Episode 4-315 with the note that I intended to run a ½ marathon in Plymouth.  That would be two weeks ago now, and I did indeed run it.  First actual race for me since the heart procedure so my main goal was, as is my practice now, not to die and have fun.   My top concern was that I might pull something or otherwise hurt myself, given that I have not been doing much road work since Boston.   Coming off of Boston having run 8:30's I figured that something in that range would be easy enough.  On the top end, if I felt good, sub-8's would not displease the running gods.   I told coach to NOT taper me for the race, just treat it like a long tempo run.  I kept a nice training load right up to a bike and hard swim workout the day before.   A bunch of us from my club got up and drove down in the morning.  Brian had looked at the course map and said the first half was flat-to-down-hill, with big, long hill at mile 6 and then rolling hills to the end.   This was a first year race, but there were close to 2,000 runners.  The first mile was a bit jammed up, but I broke free and was feeling good enough spinning out the downs and flats, going a bit too fast, like I am wont to do.   I had my Garmin on but wasn't looking at it, just running, chatting up the pretty girls, thanking the volunteers and having fun.  Looking at the data, those first 5 miles were in the 7:20 range, and that's a bit fast (right now) with no taper, no training and a wonky heart.  I knew it was non-sustainable going into the hills.  My Heart rate was good – nice zone 4-5 effort but no flipping out into the 180-190 Afib range.   There was a water stop at mile 6 with porta-potties, so I stopped to have a rest, and reset my pace a bit.   There was a mile-plus hill from Mile 6, through the 10k and mile 7.  And it turns out this wasn't the only one.  What Brian had called ‘rolling hills' was a set of long steep hills over the last 10k that must have really beat up the back of the packers.   I just geared down and worked the hills, giving back some time but not suffering too much.  My legs weren't all that peppy from the lack of taper.  I came in, according to the timing chip right on 8 minute miles, and looking at the data, my HR stayed in bounds for the most part, so I'm going to call that a win.   I mean, I could worry myself by remembering that I was trying to break a 1:30 ½ and ran a 3:23 at Boston 4 year's ago, but that's another season.  I feel like I' die for a good run now, pun intended.   We're done with the ‘happy-see-the warm-sun' part of summer up here and into the ‘hot-sticky-horsefly-infested' part of summer.  I was down in Atlanta last week when they were having a mini heat wave.  I got up in the morning to run and it was awful.  There was no oxygen in the air and I ended up coming back to the hotel soaked like I had been swimming.   Which is a pain in the butt, because then I had to pack up and get to work.  First, what you have to do is rinse out your wet stuff in the sink to remove some of the toxic man juice.  Then you roll them up in a couple towels and walk on them.  Then you put them in a plastic bag and pack them.   This worked ok except my Hokas were sweat soaked too.  I put them in a plastic bag and packed them but forgot about them until Tuesday this week and that was a horrible thing to have to put on those still-wet-festering shoes to go for a run. Ewwwww.   Then, after that Tuesday run I was soaked again, even though I exercised my rule of thumb that you can run shirtless under two conditions, 1) you have an attractive body or 2) you're over 50.  When I got home I put those clothes directly into the washing machine, as a form of hazmat isolation.  But I didn't run it because I wanted to wait until the morning.   My daughter decides to do some laundry.  She finds the wet clothes in the washing machine and decides that they must have been washed and puts them in the dryer!   Domestic adventures…       Today we have an interview with Gary Allen who we have talked to before in version one or two of the podcast many years ago.  Gary is the race director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon.  But, more relevant is that Gray is a bit of a historian for the local marathon scene having been involved at a near-elite level for many years, and still involved.   I'm hoping it come off as two old guys talking passionately about their sport, not two old guys bitching at the kids to get off their lawn!   In Section one I will continue my series of how to start running from scratch with a piece on how to build your support team that you'll need as you progress.   In section two I'll pull some nuggets from the book I read last week called “Happy is the new Healthy, 31 ways to relax and enjoy life now!”   …   I had a person I was interviewing ask me a question recently.  You know how it goes in an interview, where at the end I smile and say “Do you have any questions for me?”   They asked “Are you happy?”  I think the question was actually are you happy in your choice to work for this company?  Are you happy at the company?   I answered the question the way it was asked.  I said, “Well, first of all, I'm happy because I choose to be happy.  My happiness has nothing to do with where I work or who I work for.:”   Of course your environment does influence your emotions.  I get pissed off at work situations.  I get blind-sided by irrational people.  I have to deal with idiocy on the same scale as everyone else.   But, I try to remember that those are environmental things and really only effect my happiness if I let them.   On with the show!   Section one - Running Tips   newrunnerBuilding a support network - http://runrunlive.com/building-a-support-network-as-a-new-runner   http://runrunlive.com/back-to-basics-how-to-become-a-runner-from-scratch   Voices of reason – the interviews   Gary Allen – Race Director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon   Gary Allen - Team Run MDI founder & race director   gary at runmdi dot org Mount Desert Island Marathon • Half • Relay   "Get Real Maine: Run MDI"   The Mount Desert Island Marathon is the premier event of host running club Crow Athletics   1991 - CROW ATHELTICS IS HATCHED   The exact origins of Crow Athletics are not that difficult to trace. In the early 1990's a group of Mount Desert Island runners were heading to the now extinct Boston Primer, a 15 mile road race held in Readfield, ME. As they were traveling down I-95 heading south (in a Buick station wagon as big as a house) the car full of runners suddenly thought that running as a team might be fun. The various names thrown out for selection (most of which are not fit to print) ranged from the utterly ridiculous to generic and much over used terms such as roadrunners, striders, racing team, track club and so forth. By the time the crew drove through Newport, (which is incidentally 26 miles from Bangor) someone pointed out how knarly the crows are that line the highway eating dead things that we all seem to run over in our big Buicks. After passing another group of blackbirds that literally wouldn't get out of the road (even with a ton of Detroit's best iron heading for them), the team name for our day of racing at Readfield was born. "Road Crows". We won the team division and the team name was used loosely over the next decade.   Moving all the way forward to winter 2001-2002 another group of Mount Desert Island runners decided our island needed an organized running club. Again, many potential names were proposed and thrown out (most again, not fit to print -- why do runners think up such sick stuff?) Gary Allen, who was in attendance on the Readfield trip told the story of the original "Road Crows", and Crow Athletics as we know it today, was formed.   Our club has since slowly and steadily grown into one of the most forward thinking, fun oriented, outrageous running clubs in the universe! We love to point out to anyone who asks, 'Why crow?', that we runners (like crows) won't get out of the road, we're afraid of nothing, we are found in every state and nearly every corner of the world, and we are impervious to the weather.   Our members are of all abilities and hail from all over the US, Canada, and beyond. Some are among the best runners on the roads, while others run purely for fun! Our namesake mascot has even appeared as a tattoo on several Lifetime Members! We are a happy-healthyrecognized not for profit organization and annual membership dues (only $10 bucks) helps us to further our club and mission.   PS - Roadkill is a friendly little term we like to use in describing what we like to do to our race competition! CAW! CAW! CAW!   Section Two – Life Lessons   Book sample – Happy is the new healthy - http://runrunlive.com/happy-is-the-new-healthy   Outro   Ok my friends that's it – the terminus of Episode 4-315of the RunRunLive podcast.  Those who arrive, survive.   One quick technical note:  At one point when I created a new version of RunRunLive a second podcast feed got added to iTunes.  If you search on ITunes for RunRunLive, two shows will pop up.  I'm going to ask Apple to eliminate one of them.  So if you find RRL-Feedthat the podcast disappears or you aren't getting the fortnightly updates, go to iTunes and search again and subscribe to the other feed.   This is the correct iTunes Feed Link2   I bought new mountain bike for my daughter and last Sunday we went out for a ride.  I know all the trails around my house for miles and decided to take one that cuts behind the local ski hill.  It's old farm road in the woods that runs behind one of the tubing hills.   I'm flying down this hill and I look up and there's a rope across the trail about 3 feet of the ground.  I do some split second calculus and decide to lay the bike down and try to slide under it.  My intentions did not translate well and I bounced my noggin off the trail.   IMG_3213I had no idea where I was for a few minutes.  I gave myself a nice concussion.  Turns out I broke my helmet too.  I stopped taking the blood thinners and took it easy but I had a headache for a couple days.   It seems that they are running some sort of trial race over in the trails behind the ski area and had roped off the course.  I started to get a lot of comments on the social media that maybe I should stay out of the trails.  But, you can't run scared.  You can't live scared. You take the precautions you can, you wear a helmet and you don't do anything stupid, but you can't hide under a rock.   Remember, I'm looking for help with my Hood to Coast run the end of August.  I'm running to support Cancer research, because cancer sucks.  I'll tell you what I'll do.  I got a nice Team Hoyt running jacket from the Hoyts.  It's a large.  It's still in the wrapper.  Factory sealed. Pristine.   Biggest donation, let's say $50,  in the next 30 days gets the jacket.   hoytjacketSupport my Hood-to-Coast Relay for Cancer Research - https://give.everydayhero.com/us/chris-russell-hood-to-coast-for-cancer-research   I've got a great trip planned.  I'm going to fly into Rapid City, SD and drive west over the divide to Portland.  I've got the flights and hotels booked.  It's going to be a hoot.  I'm taking my wife with me to give her something to complain about.  Anyone live along that route want to catch a run or have dinner or coffee let me know.   You folks remember Bruce Van Horn from a couple episodes back?  He just launched a new book called ‘Worry no More' that he's offering pre-release on the Kindle for 99ø if you like his stuff. amazon link for Bruce's new book   I'm training away and my next race is the Olympic Distance Triathlon up in Winchendon.  I feel pretty good about it.  I've gotten a couple swims in the open water of over a mile and as long as they let me wear my wetsuit I'll be golden.   I bought this wetsuit a couple years ago when I was entertaining doing an ironman.  I hadn't really used it much because my foot healed and I switched back to marathon racing.  I'm using it now in the open water and oh my goodness it is like having the swim cheat code.  It hold you in a nice balanced position so you can swim straight and easy without any struggle at all.  Wonderful technology.   After that I haven't signed up yet, but I'm leaning towards riding the Hampshire 100 again.  I have to do some work on my 29er and learn how not to crash so much – but It's a good challenge and my bike legs are coming back.   The one race I'm realwapackly looking forward to is the Wapack Trail Race on Sept 6th.  This is one of my favorite races.  It's a hard race.  18 miles of mountain, technical trails.  Not for the 5K crowd.  But if you can run a marathon, you can run the Wapack and you will not find many other races like this one.  Consider it. Try something new.  Have an adventure.  Come run the Mountains with me.   http://wapack.freeservers.com/   I've got two interviews recorded for the next two shows.  One is with Matt, from Manchester England who created a graphic novel around the Steve Prefontaine story and the other is with Tim who used my MarathonBQ plan this spring to qualify for Boston.   …   Buddy-2015Buddy is sitting in the front yard barking at me through the door as I write this.  He wants me to come outside and play.  He's old now and his hips bother him.  I don't take him on long runs or on the road but we still get out in the woods for shorter stuff.   He loves it.  He loves to explore the woods and sniff everything and wallow in the mud holes even if it's only 2-3 miles.  He's been a good running partner and a good friend over the last decade.  I'm going to miss him when he's gone.  It's going to be hard to celebrate the big part he played in my life without feeling the loss, and the empty space he leaves.   I remember the time in he and I and Brian did a practice run of the Wapack. 20+ miles in the mountains and we had so much fun.  I can picture the way he used to fly through the air to catch a Frisbee.   I'm going to go take him for a walk now.  Because he's my brother and he deserves the moment no matter how busy I am.   And as you're walking your dog, I'll see you out there.   Closing comments   Support my Hood-to-Coast Relay for Cancer Research - https://give.everydayhero.com/us/chris-russell-hood-to-coast-for-cancer-research   Http://www.marathonbq.com   http://runrunlive.com/my-books