Phedippidations

The embarrassing things that can happen to our bodies may not be a good topic of conversation at a dinner party, but they are all a part of our human condition, and need to be understood and dealt with as we push ourselves past our physical limits, on the road.

Jesse Owens represented the United States in the 1936 Olympic Games, held in Berlin. It was here that he showed the world that human beings are endowed with unalienable rights, as well as incredible talent. Jesse proved that ethnicity and skin color were meaningless and that all men are truly created equal.

Let’s talk about what Phedippidations is, what I believe in, whether I am delusional, what running means to me, and what this podcast means to me. These are the thoughts that go through my head during a long run in the back country roads where these Phedippidations are born. Thoughts, opinions, observations and rambling diatribes are all composed while we’re out on these long distance runs across the planets surface.

You need to experiment with what you use to fuel yourself before, during and after a marathon. It is as important as stretching, and following your training schedule as you prepare your body for the miles you have before you.

These rules of running etiquette are common sense items that most runners follow without much thought. They can all fit under the single heading of “being respectful of our fellow runners‿ whether we’re out training, in a race, or just getting a few miles in with friends. It really comes down to that ol’ phrase “Do unto others as you as you would have done unto you‿.

Monitoring the rate at which your heart pumps blood around your body is one way to measure your cardiac fitness, but having a feel for your body’s perceived exertion is just as important. A heart rate monitor device may give you some useful information you can use to help improve your running performance.

Just as it is with any recipe, the one that will comprise your existence as a distance runner will be varied and unique. But just as you require eggs for an omelet, flour for cake and potatoes for making French fries…you will have basic ingredients required of you as you re-create yourself into an endurance athlete.

The stories about a runner’s first marathon are filled with emotion,well deserved pride, and a sense of satisfied accomplishment. You will hear how they set themselves a seemingly impossible goal that,through hard work, persistence, and an indomitable spirit they were able to achieve. These are changed people who have come to understand that nothing is impossible if they have the desire and dedication to run, quite literally, towards their goal.

There are 20,348 stories, from 20,348 runners who ran the 111th Boston Marathon this year, and each one is special, unique, inspirational, entertaining, and worthy of your interest. In this episode we hear from a few of our fellow runners, who ran 26.2 miles in a New England Nor’Easter.

The 111th Boston Marathon took place during a Nor’Easter, with major flooding, driving rains, cool to cold temperatures and a sustained wind of twenty miles per hour with gusts up to forty miles per hour. A record number of qualified entrant chose not to run the race, but the hearty few who accepted the challenge experienced the race of their lives. This podcast was recorded as I ran the Boston Marathon.