Phedippidations

The Angel Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting ALS investigations at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In this show I run 5K race which serves to raise money to fight ALS.

Let’s face it, gadgets are cool…little shiny electronic things you hook up to your head, arms or body to measure one thing or another, or provide you with some sort of feedback is interesting and can even be fun. In this episode I talk about four of the latest gadgets and gizmo’s for runners.

The earth is 93 million miles from the sun, but humans are fragile creatures and if you’re pushing your body up to and past it’s operational limits during a long run, you need to defend yourself from the solar radiation that might turn your distance long run into a life threatening crawl.

The phrase: “To become a good animal” means to be the creature you were meant to be. As a runner, you are obligated to first be a good animal, before you can become a good human being.

In this episode I tell you about the thirteen essential vitamins that human beings require for good health. I also discuss a study that links antioxidents to a decrease in muscle damage after a marathon.

Terry Fox was a true runner in every sense of the word. In this episode I tell you the story of this Canadian hero who faced a life threatening disease with courage and defiance; and taught us all how to live our lives to the fullest.

In this episode I talk about the kindness of runners, and make the case that through their example the world is at least a slightly better place.

In this episode we discuss all things aerobic and the methods by which you can train your body to move faster across the planet.

In this episode we talk about marathon and race recovery, we talk about what you should and shouldn’t do in the minutes, hours and weeks following your target race.

What happens in Boston, stays in Boston…but you carry the memories with you. In this episode we talk about some of the things we couldn’t fit into the previous show.

Recorded on Patriots Day, I interview two officers from the Air Force Auxiliary, an organization I have represented at Boston for the past three years.

Despite his weakness on the field of battle, Steve Runner attempts to complete the 26.2 mile Boston Marathon, facing a barrier to glory that he never trained for, never anticipated, and was ill prepared to overcome.

The origin of the Boston Marathon, the heros, and the stories that defines it as one of the greatest road races in the world.

The short format show “Intervals” is not a new PodCast, rather it’s an extension of the previous weeks show, presented infrequently so listeners can hear more up-to-date information. I’ll have a few of these during the Boston Marathon.

Johnny Kelley ran the Boston marathon a total of 61 times in his lifetime, finishing 58 times. He won the event twice, and came in second a total of seven times. He was truly a man who defied age and a legend whom everyone loved.

The first 16 miles of the Boston Marathon are downhill, but it’s what happens coming out of Newton Lower Falls that separates the weak from the strong.

The majority of experts agree that you should stretch, but should do so consistently and rarely before a long run.

In this episode I run the Boston’s Run to Remember Half Marathon, a race dedicated to the memory of 294 Massachusetts Law Enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.

In this episode I talk about the importance of race volunteers, Terry from Knoxville interviews the volunteer coordinator for KTC and I come across something strange on my 18 mile run.

In this episode we talk about being alone on the open road, and how running can be the cure to true loneliness.

There is a mystique to the marathon that by it’s very name leaves an impression to those around you, and inspires others to follow in your footsteps. In this episode seek to answer the question “Why do so many runners chose to run a marathon?”

In this episode I talk about something called “running form” which is simply the way that you should move your body during the motion of running. It’s not enough to go out and “just run the way you feel”, you need to train yourself to run efficiently, in a way that’s fluid and relaxed.

In this episode we list safety tips for when you’re out running on the roads. We make the point that, compared to the mass of an automobile, runners are “small squishy things on legs” that need to take measures to ensure their own safety.

What is the “Runners High”, and is it real or imagined? In this episode we investigate the truth and fiction behind this “feel good” phenomenon.

In the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, Emil Zatopek won the gold in the 5K, 10K and then a race he had never run before: the marathon. In this episode we look into the life of this celebrated runner, one of the greatest athletes of all time.

However you approach your training runs or road races, you’ll find comfort in finding a ritual: a method of psyching yourself up to the task ahead of you. As you develop a familiar routine, you’ll feel more relaxed and at ease before you run.

Focus, concentration, internal conversation, planning and visualization are all key elements to a successful mind game in pushing your body past the limits of your own belief.

You need to determine the best training schedule for yourself that will help you meet and surpass your own goals. For some of you, just finishing a race of any distance will be a satisfying achievement

Those New Year resolutions we make for ourselves should be balanced with a promise of altruism. Use the occasion of this new year to help change the world for the better, both for yourself and for others.

Runners are both patient and understanding. We’ve found something to improve the quality of our lives and should make some effort to save the non-runners from themselves. We should not be afraid to be laughed at or ridiculed, if we can save another human being from the fate of inert uniformity.

It’s important to dress warm and in layers. The fabric available on the market today is on par with the most advanced space suits constructed by NASA.

Since it’s the season to be jolly and all that, I list four gadgets that a geekoid runner like myself would love to receive during the Holidays, or any time of the year that you’re in the mood to give.

I discuss eating for runners, and go through the basics that your Mom probably gave you as you were growing up. I mention some “fad” diets, and talk about an interesting study in the Britich Medical Journal that justifies a daily consumption of wine and chocolate! (How cool is that?!)

Bill Rogers is one of the most respected, influential distance runners in the United States, having won the Boston Marathon and New York Marathons four times each. He’s run a total of 57 marathons in all, 28 of them in under 2:15.

Diatribe – a noun meaning a bitter, abusive denunciation. From the Latin “diatribe” meaning learned discourse and the Greek “Diatribee” which itself is derived from the word “diatribeen” made up of the prefix “dia” meaning completely and Tribeen” meaning to run.

Each of us needs to find a way to fill the void, to recapture that incredible feeling we had when we were climbing that Mt. Everest of running events. The experience of the Marathon Blues is common, and the cure is as easy as lacing up your running shoes.

One of the things that makes the Cape Cod Marathon such a pleasure to experience, is the way the local residents come out to cheer, volunteer and entertain the runners as we work the miles. In this episode, I run the 2005 Cape Cod Marathon in Falmouth Massachusetts, attempting to set my second PR is as many weeks.

Too short of a taper period will leave you tired on race day, too long of a taper will leave you unprepared physically. In this episode I cover the basics about “tapering” as documented from the experts, and I confess to my own failures at properly preparing in the days before most of my marathons.

Listen as I run the first of two Fall 2005 Marathons, this time in Lowell, Massachusetts: home of the American Industrial Revolution. This is a very flat course where, despite hitting the eventual “wall” I attempt to set a new personal record in the Marathon.”

According to section 2.00 of the Major League Baseball rule book: A runner is an offensive player who is advancing toward, touching, or returning to any base.”

The human brain is a fascinating organ, and while few completely understand its true operation; some of its properties can be found in the way that it retains such high resolution memories from observations made during extreme physical exertion.

Of the many ways that we can prepare our bodies and minds for the act of running a road race, it’s the long slow run that is most effective, both physiologically and psychologically. Your body needs to change: BOTH muscularly and metabolically.

There’s an interesting behavioral quirk that many runners nurse and foster over the years, myself included. We develop this need to seek acceptable answers to our medical questions which meet our demanding requirements, rather than submit to the expertise of our own assigned doctors.

Life is meant to be pounding, screaming with sweat and power: explosive and breathtaking with all the energy you can bring to a boil. You are most alive, as a runner, living life to its fullest: on the road, as fast and far as you possibly can.

What is pronation, and why do we need to understand our unique running gait? I’ve often been told that I don’t pronate. Other runners have been found to pronate "too much". What does poor pronation mean to a runner, why is it a bad thing and what can be done about it are all questions answered (to some degree) within this weeks episode. Also: I run the Charlton Old Home Day 5 miler road race.

There must be a reason. There must be some compelling motivation to get any none runners out there to want to lace up their shoes and join the fun.

Seven thousand, five hundred twenty seven runners ran the 2005 SBLI Falmouth Road Race on Sunday August 14th and I beat four thousand eight hundred and sixteen of them

Rest encourages the natural healing force of our bodies to transform us into more perfect beings, able to run longer, faster and stronger. In this episode, I run on the hard packed sandy beaches along the Maine coastline from Ogunquit to Wells, soaking up the fresh air (which blasts my microphone), sun, sand, and most importantly REST!

Starting out on the road to running: In this episode I list a few suggestions to help you in your quest to become a runner. I also go on a long run in my home town, and answer listener mail from someone who is having calf pain.

Running and automobiles often do not mix well, and there have been too many occasions where I've almost been hit by a car. This Podcast "diatribe" attempts to point out this situation, and warn both runners and drivers alike to be alert out there.

An audio RunCast of my most recent five mile road race, where I record the event from start to finish and comment on what thoughts were rolling around my head during a hot summer run. This is about what it means to test myself and why I even bother to race.

My second PodCast, slightly better quality than the first (but not much better). Picking the right running shoe is one of THE most important choices you'll make as a runner.

This was my first PodCast, and if you listen to it you'll see what I mean. I hadn't a clue what I was doing, but wanted to experiment with getting something produced. My essay is about two events in my life that helped to shape me into a runner.

Thoughts, opinions, observations and rambling diatribes composed during distance long runs.