Phedippidations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We need to recognize the fact that, through cultural changes, we have evolved. It is through modern humanities incompatibility with our natural environment that we are beginning to dysevolve.  The Dysevolutional Runner is one who lives in this environment of fast food non-pedestrian and embraces her or his inner hunter gatherer.  Professor Daniel Lieberman, Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, says that "Dysevolution is a positive feedback loop."  When we work to treat the symptoms of our lack of physical exercise and don’t take to the roads and run, we are making the problem worse. That’s why it’s so important for those of us who run to be positive examples for others; to be the good animals we have evolved into: homo sapien hunter gatherers endowed with the ability to run long distances to find our food across the open savannah; to serve Gods purpose for making the world a better place with these bodies that He has created through the process of evolution. Show Links: Mesa 1st NazareneCare of “

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

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

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