RunRunLive 4.0 - Running Podcast

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-400 – David Crosses the Jordan (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4400.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello, my friends and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-400.  Yeah, that’s right, 400th numbered episode.  That’s something.  I still get the occasional letter form someone who has found inspiration or comfort in what you and I, my friends, do here on the RunRunLive Podcast.  And by George, if we’re still helping people or adding value, we’ll keep going! A couple notes about last week’s show.  I said Buddy was 14, which was technically correct, but he turned 15 this week.  The old dog.  He doesn’t like getting up in the morning now, especially when he has to troop outside in the freezing cold.  The other thing I forgot to add was that I got so flustered by the karmic peeing - pooping incident at the pet store that I forgot to use the coupon that I went home to get originally that started the whole thing. Ce’st la vie. I’m making some progress with my nutrition.  I’m going on over 30 days of pretty clean eating and starting to see some results.  My strategy was to start early and not wait until after the holiday.  This way even if I could only battle to a tie, I won’t be starting my spring training cycle in a hole.  If I look at data from previous years, I typically lose it big time in December and it costs me 5-10 pounds. If I have any chance of re-qualifying this year with the new standards, I’m going to have to be 10 pounds lighter going into the race. My legs and pacing continue to give me trouble.  Coach says it’s a hangover from the 100 miler.  I just can’t seem to find my easy zone 2 pace on the roads.  I’m working it.  Trying to be patient.  On today’s show we have our friend David Foss who took an adventure to the Dead Sea to run a trail marathon.  In section one I’ll probably give you a brief recap of my Mill Cities race. In section 2 I’ll talk about a book I’ve been reading.  I read a lot of books.  Reading is my go-to vehicle for absorbing content.  I have to be careful because I can be influenced by books as well.  I’ll read the latest book on XYZ and find myself all of a sudden trying to put XYZ into full blown practice.  My filter is not the best sometimes.  … This time of year is hard for a lot of people.  I don’t know why.  Maybe it’s the holidays force you to deal with family stuff.  Maybe it’s the cold and dark.  Maybe it’s something seasonal with our species.  I was reading an emotional outpouring from a woman on the social media site where she was really struggling.  She had abusive relationships, she was injured and she couldn’t shake the feelings of desperation and depression.  The walls closing in.  I suppose that’s one positive thing about social media is that people can use it to reach out to the community for help.  Sure enough there were a long trail of positive responses.  People trying to help.  It was a positive response to a cry for help.  111 responses as of last viewing.  I happened to notice a post that our friend who is in a related profession shared.  So I copied it and reposted it.  “Did you know that if you text "Home" to 741741 when you are feeling depressed, sad, or going through any kind of emotional crisis, a crisis worker will text you back immediately and continue to text with you? Many people, especially younger ones, prefer text to talking on the phone. It's a free service to anyone-- teens, adults, etc.-- who lives in the US. Depression is real, you are not alone.” 741741 I have not tried it, but I trust Greg – it’s in the show notes if you need it. I also responded that “We are all basket cases. Some of us just hide it better. And to Keep running.” Because on social media people only share their perfect worlds with their perfect relationships and perfect children and perfect race times!  Life’s not like FaceBook.  Life is rusty and lumpy.  Don’t get caught comparing yourself to someone else’s best day ever.  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 – Mill Cities Relay- http://runrunlive.com/mill-cities-relay-2018 Voices of reason – the conversation David Foss During the business day, David is a professional geologist and Massachusetts Licensed Site Professional, focusing on Brownfields redevelopment and the productive reuse of regulated hazardous waste sites.  After hours, David is an endurance athlete making time to test his limits and expand his horizons.  In 2012 he joined some friends for a New Years’ 5K and came to the realization that something was missing from his life.  He was a busy environmental professional, husband, and father of two, but what was missing was the time to clear his head, think, and get back to nature.  Endurance sports (road cycling, kayaking, and running) helped round out David’s world view.  Since that first 5K race, he has found distance running to be a path to happiness and mindfulness.  He has run 4 road marathons (one DNF), 2 trail marathons, 4 trail 50K’s, a 50-Mile race, and a 12-hour race.   After running 57-miles in 12 hours in the rain and dark, David shared the following blog post:  Suffering is Optional In 2015 David Followed the “Marathon BQ” training plan and grabbed that golden ring, running a 3:19 to qualify for Boston.  Running the Boston Marathon was an amazing, magical experience.  In contrast, this interview is a discussion of the Eilat Desert Marathon in the Negev Desert in southern Israel.  The Desert Marathon was an amazing experience - - and as different from Boston as can be imagined.  David is a regular contributor to “The Extra Mile Podcast” and shares his thoughts on running and life in the Spreaker podcast:  “Running Virtually” by Just-Plain-Dave. Section two – Fear – You can handle it - Outro Well, my friends you have spurred your camel through the eye pf the needle that is the the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-400.  I’m sure it was a biblical, real old testament, experience. Next up for me is the Groton Marathon.  It’s a made up race in the town I grew up in.  I’ve got a handful of people coming out to run with me.  Hopefully the weather won’t be so dreadful this year.  There’s construction at the place we start and finish so I’m going to have to figure out how to put in another couple hundred feet somewhere! Or just cut the course short.  I mean who really cares, right? If you want to swing by Groton Massachusetts, we have all sorts of distances, not just the marathon.  I usually get 15 -20 knuckleheads from my running club to show.  I think David Foss is going to come up.  The dates work out well this year in that the marathon will be on the 30th so I get a day to recover for the Hangover Classic on the 1st.  Then I jump into some serious training for Boston.  January and February are the big months.  I’m going to talk to coach and see if we can’t load it up and get some good miles in.  I’d like to be over-confident going in.  Because, as we all know by now, you never know what the weather is going to be.  If you want to follow my training I use the Daily FitBook platform.  My Garmin data also updates Garmin Connect, Strava and Myfitness Pal – as far as I know.  … I love adventures.  I’ve been traveling most of my career and I always enjoy the spaciousness and freedom of business travel.  I haven’t been getting out as much as I like to in my last couple roles.  Which gives me less fodder for storytelling.  Thanks to David for sharing his travel adventure with us.  I felt like I was there.  I could feel the dry heat and smell the dust.  The dust of centuries.  The dust of civilizations. The dust of history. The first crusade went through where he was.  It was the only recorded time the Europeans used knights in full armor on heavy horse for a frontal charge.  It worked well the first time.  You can imagine how surprising it would have been to have these characters show up in your back yard.   A couple hundred of these guys in heavy armor charging down on you.  As far as historians know it was only used that once in the beginning of the first crusade. Turns out riding a giant horse around the desert in a full metal jacket wasn’t the most effective or flexible means of desert warfare.  I understand.  I get uncomfortable in phoenix riding around in a full suit of clothing.  Last week I was in the glorious Holiday Inn at the Cincinnati airport.  I was out at dinner with the client and say myself next to their marketing person who I will be working with.  Come to find out she’s running her first 50K that weekend!  You can bet she regretted broaching the topic of endurance running with me! You see, our tribe is everywhere, wandering over in deserts of Negev and over deserts in Hebron KY.  Groan all you want.  I own the Dad jokes. 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 4-399 – The Mindful Runner (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4399.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello, my friends and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-399.  This is Chris your host and today we are going get a bit emotional.  We are going to the dogs.  Our themes are Buddy the Wonder Dog and courage.  One of our longtime friends Janet inquired how Buddy the old wonder dog is doing so today we are going to tell some Buddy stories.  In the interview I invited Gary back on to talk about his new book on running.  I thought the timing was good with the holidays to give you another gift option!  What can you buy for runners that they won’t hate?  A book.  Lots of books on running.  Gary has a dream job of writing about running for a living.  I would have to become independently wealthy to do that.  As it turns out words are cheap, in my experience. I’m doing fine.  I haven’t made much weight loss progress but I’m eating healthier.  The weight will come off as I start building up miles in my spring campaign. I’m working with Rachel to lose some weight and get my nutrition right.  It’s hard through the holidays but I’m giving myself a long runway into the spring so even with setbacks I can ease my way into a good race weight for Boston.  And I’m working with Coach to build some strength.  My core is not as strong as I’d like.  My legs fatigue way faster than I think they should.  My aerobic fitness is good, but my legs can’t get near that aerobic barrier and hold it like they used to.  I went to the PT to get his opinion and there’s nothing wrong with me per se I’m just getting old.  I’m healthy and not injured.  With the shorter days I’ve been pushing my runs out into the evening.  I find this is a dead time for me anyhow.  I’m too mentally tired to do anything creative.  I find it nice and head-clearing to get out on the road in the cold and dark with my lights.  It’s peaceful.  Sometimes the stars are out, or the moon and it’s quite pretty.  … Like I said, we are going to spend some time talking about my old running partner Buddy the Wonder Dog today.  He’s doing OK.  He’s here with me now, sleeping.  The old saying is that you can’t teach and old dog new tricks. I beg to differ.  You can teach an old dog bad habits rather easily.  Buddy has never been given human food.  We never fed him from the table or scraps. I never gave him anything I was eating and as a result he never learned how to beg.  You could eat, he wouldn’t bother you.  As he’s gotten older I started to toss him a peanut now and then.  We let him have the morsels that fell on the floor and what have you.  I figured, hey, how long has he got left?  Let him live a little.  What’s the harm?  Of course, now it doesn’t’ matter what I’m eating.  A soon as I sit on the couch his nose is 3 inches from my food staring intently.  And any time we’re in the kitchen he’s underfoot on scrap patrol.  So, yes, you can teach an old dog bad habits.  The same is probably true for humans. 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 – Buddy in old age- http://runrunlive.com/buddy-in-old-age Voices of reason – the conversation Gary Dudney GARY DUDNEY has been publishing articles on running, trail running, and ultrarunning for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in all the major running magazines, such as Runner’s World, Running Times, Trailrunner, and Marathon & Beyond. For Ultrarunning magazine, considered the “voice of the sport” of ultra long distance running, he’s served as a regular columnist since 2008, and he has additionally supplied the magazine with dozens of uniquely quirky race reports.  Ideas for The Tao of Running were shaped by the 60 one hundred mile races he’s participated in and the almost two hundred other long distance races he’s completed. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Kansas in English Literature and his fiction credentials include stories in Boy’s Life magazine and in numerous literary magazines and one published novel, Cries-at-Moon of the Kitchi-Kit. His second book on the mental side of running, The Mindful Runner: Finding Your Inner Focus, was just released on November 1 of 2018. Section two – Courage- Outro Alright, I appreciate you sticking with me through the emotional journey of  Episode 4-3989of the RunRunLive Podcast I’m sure it took great courage on your part.     I ran the Thanksgiving 5K with my daughter and a bunch of people from my running club.  I had a good time.  It’s always great to see friends and its always great to spend time with my kids.  I also decided to stop stressing out about pace and time.  This is just about the only 5K I run each year so it bothers me if I don’t’ race well.  When we woke up before the race it was 9 degrees Fahrenheit, which is very cold for this early in the winter.  There was a nice little breeze too.  So itf you’re one of those softies who believe in windchill it would have felt about zero.  There was no warming up.  I didn’t even bother.  I just went out at what felt like a good hard pace and tried to hold it.  I think I ended up with7:20’s, but who cares, right? I’ve been trying to follow a good morning routine with stretching, meditation, reading and writing and it helps.  I haven’t made much progress on my new book about startup sales, ironically because the startup I’m in is keeping me uber stressed out and busy.  Thanks for playing along.  Next episode will be our 400th official episode. I’ll have to think hard about what I want to do next.  … I decided to write that quick update on Buddy because I got an email from long time friend Janet inquiring for his health and wellbeing.  Let me tell you my Buddy story of the week.  Monday night I was getting ready to leave work.  It was after 6:30.  I had a need to pick up a bag of dog food, because we were almost at the bottom of the barrel.  This is ok, because the dog food store is on my way home.  Then I realized I have forgotten to bring the 10% off coupon for said dog food that I received in the mail and was quite excited about.  I believe the coupon algorithm in the great coupon generating AI computer typically only sends coupons when you don’t need something.  So, the universe has made an error in my favor and I aim to take advantage of it. I decide to go home first.  Which is not on my way.  But I can pick up the dog and take him to the pet store with me as an outing.  It’s one of the few places they allow dogs.  As I leave work it is sluicing rain.  Again.  Rainiest month in history.  (Like a normal week in Seattle or London.)  I get home and go to let Buddy out.  He’s been in the house all day.  He looks outside at the weather and digs in his heels.  “Like, it’s only been 8 hours, I can hold it.  I’m not going from warm bed to cold rain!” I push him out onto the wet front steps.  I do some quick things around the house.  I grab the coupon off the fridge and retrieve him for the trip to the store.  It’s still pouring rain.  I’m not dressed for it having just come from work.  He digs in his heels as I try to load him into the truck.  Armful of wet dog into the seat.  We drive off to the pet store to get the food.  It’s late.  No one is in the parking lot and the store is empty.  I unload the dog and lead him on the leash to the store.  He wants to wander around the parking lot and sniff everything.  It’s pouring rain, still.  We enter the empty store and I lead him back to the section where his food bags are stacked.  Leaving a trail of wet footprints.  I have to keep pulling him away from all the interesting things to sniff on the way.  I know to keep an eye on him because the pet store is full of pet smells.  There have been hundreds of other dogs in there getting groomed and trained and just wandering around.  I know if I don’t watch him, he may try to mark something.  It’s not that he has that bad habit, it’s just that his reptilian brain gets overwhelmed by the scent of other dogs.  For a dog nose that place must be the equivalent of technicolor.  I find the food and sure enough as I’m hoisting a 30-pound bag up onto my shoulder one handed with the leash in the other hand, he starts peeing on the floor.  Dammit! I yank him away and go to check out.  Now I have a moral decision to make.  A decision that requires courage.  Pretend it didn’t happen or confess to the young lady at the register.  And as I’m practicing doing things that scare me this month, I decide to come clean, so to speak.  She says they have “Sanitary Stations” just for this and asks if I want her to clean it up or would I like to do it myself – with the clear emphasis on ‘do it yourself’.  I grab a handful of paper towels from the sanitary station and the bottle of organic squirty stuff.  I mop up my friend the dog’s unfortunate leavings.  I have to make another trip to get more towels.  He was serious about his duties.  When all is as clean as it’s going to get we wander back to the register to retrieve the big bag of food.  I ask her if most people just ignore it and leave.  She says that mostly happens with poop.  Que the ominous foreshadowing. We exit the building.  It is, impossibly, raining even harder and colder.  Me in my dress pants and shirt with a big bag of food balanced on my shoulder like a suburban lumberjack and the leash in the other hand.  I decide to pause to let him sniff the pots outside the door.  I feel bad that I had to practice urinatus-interuptus on him in the store.  But he has other plans and begins to poop on the sidewalk in front of the store.  I say ‘no’ and try to pull him away but he manages to leave a trail of breadcrumbs, so to speak across the parking lot.  Eventually I wrangle him and the bag of food into the truck.  Now I’m stuck in another moral conundrum, but since I’ve already got momentum, I grab a plastic bag (that I keep in the truck for these types of outings) and stoop amid the puddles to undo the poo.  And that is my old Buddy story from this week.  There is no moral to it, but I think I earned some karma.  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 4-398 – Kat Comes Back   (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4398.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-398.  I was on Facebook Messenger this week and realized there were unread messages in there.  Some several years old.  I’m not sure if this was an artifact of some server upgrade or from when they pulled Messenger out into a separate app, but If you sent me a Facebook message and didn’t’ hear back, I apologize.  I usually respond to everything.  I like interacting. Hope I didn’t cause anyone to give up.  Today we talk with Katrin who’s story I found in my Boston Marathon Training group.  Some interesting stories in there.  I wanted to talk to her because she was able to accomplish something I have never been able to.  She was able to race herself into the hospital.  I don’t know about you, but I tend to give up way before I collapse on the course.  Don’t worry, it has a happy ending.  In section one I’m going to explore the concept of mastery.  In section two I’m going to talk about happiness and purpose.  I’ve been working on myself over the last couple weeks.  Not just physically but overall.  I’m working with Rachel on my nutrition, I’m doing some personal improvement work and I’ve got my morning routine going.  I go through cycles and I was ready for a reboot.  One of the things that popped up is I have another book in my mind that is begging to get out.  How blessed am I that these things just stand up and shout every now and then? I’ve just started but the topic is going to be Startup Sales.  It’s going to be for the entrepreneur who has a  started a company, with a great idea and great promise but has to learn how to sell that idea and promise.  This is my 3rd trip through the startup cycle and I think I could help a lot of people.  Not just the tactical ‘how to’ but the emotional wrapper that comes with navigating the choppy seas of a startup.  Much like I combined the tactical practice of speedwork with the ability to mentally survive the dark places of an intense training campaign in MarathonBQ.  I’m still in formulation mode, but if you have any good ideas or want to introduce me to a publisher or want to ride along as an editor or muse, let me know. … As you listen through today think about how you can focus on mastery and not just competence or getting by.  Listen to how Katrin was able to navigate the extreme learning of her two marathons.  Think about what you love doing, what your purpose is and why you are here.  And I’m glad you’re here.  Brilliant! 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 – Mastery- http://runrunlive.com/mastery   Voices of reason – the conversation Katrin Maesse My third marathon, two words: Boston Qualification!!!

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-397 – Molly Lives   (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4397.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-397.  How are we doing today?  Are you surprised to hear from me?  Well, I figured since I’ve been missing my publishing deadlines I’d make it a point to get this one out on time! I had some plane time and had a lot to get out of my head around the Baystate marathon I just ran – so let’s celebrate abundance together.  This one is going to be a bit of a gear change from last episodes’ rah-rah Boston qualification dialogue.  Today I reached out to my friend Molly who we’ve known from the on-line running community for a long time.  We ran the Mojo Loco in St. Louis together years ago. The Mojo Loco movement was a thing started by Steve Runner of fame where we would all get together in some city and run a relay race together.  No point other than just a bunch of runners from the online community getting together to meet in the protein form and hang out.  It was a great idea.  Someone should start that project again.  I always follow Molly’s adventures online.  It’s a unique age where we all live out in public through social media.  Molly is always entertaining.  Ironically, I probably would have described her as ‘comically neurotic’. And, I watched as she ran up against something that changed her life.  So, I wanted to talk to her about that and see what, if anything, we could profit from the conversation.  To wrap up last weeks show, Jonathan ended up positively obliterating the Atlantic City Marathon with a 3:11 finish.  That’s the power of focus.  He went from a 3:54 to a 3:11 in about 24 months.  I just read today on social media that he’s gunning for a sub-3 finish next fall.  My training partner Brian toughed out a 3:33 at Baystate to get his 2020 qualifier.  We had another long-time friend of the show finally get the sub-3:30 she’d been chasing for years at, I think Amsterdam.  Great examples of sticking with it and doing the work to get the goal.  My race?  Well, you’ll have to listen to the race report I’m wrapping around this episode. … When you have a situation like Molly’s it clears away all the bullshit in your life.  It makes me ask the question why we can’t get this clarity until it is forced upon us by some crisis?  We all have the power to do what we want, to do what is right and to do what makes us happy.  Why don’t we? It’s because we are too busy trying to live the life that we think we are supposed to.  No one gave us a manual on how to live a healthy life.  The manual we got was to keep in line and do all the ‘right’ things and at some point the reward would come.  It’s probably time to update the manual.  What I would add is… Don’t wait until your name is called.  Don’t pretend to be happy living the life you think you’re supposed to live.  You only get this one life.  You only get this one now.  Respect yourself, accept yourself and do what YOU want to do.  I don’t mean to go Tony Robbins on you, but unless you can come to grips with who you are and what you want the world is just going to spin by.  So get busy with that, would ya? 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 – Baystate part 1- http://runrunlive.com/vapor-flys-and-dead-squirrels   Voices of reason – the conversation Molly Marco Great links:   Imerman Angels   Gilda’s Club (Detroit— though they are in NY, LA, & others)   Look on Twitter for monthly chats regarding breast cancer & brain cancer, for example— using hashtags: #bcsm (breast cancer social media), #btsm (brain Tumor social media).    There are great organizations, depending on the type of cancer— and usually some fun races!   I just did Head for the Cure 5K in Detroit last month— that one is great! Do some google searches and you can find some great organizations near you.   Section two – BayState part 2 - http://runrunlive.com/vapor-flys-and-dead-squirrels Outro Thank you my friends for joining me for Episode 4-397 of the RunRunLive Podcast unless you gave up halfway through, then you’re not here anymore.  What am I going to do now?  I’m going to rest a bit.  Take some time off, gain some weight and get my head right, get my passion back.  Running, when you do it right is a clear a crisp beacon of passion.  When you do it wrong you get your ass kicked.  I’ve got some fun races in the fall.  There’s the traditional Thanksgiving 5K in Ayer.  Then the Mill Cities Relay with my club.  And, of course, the last Sunday in December, the 30th, we will gather for the Groton Marathon, which is a made up race of any distance and any pace you want to run with me and my friends up in Groton Massachusetts – you can visit the website at grotonmarathon.com. Come up and play with us.  Last weekend when I was in the pace pack people kept asking me how many marathons I’d run.  I didn’t know how to answer.  Do I count the ultras? Do I count those training runs that were longer than 26.2?  If that’s the case I think I ran 8 marathons over the summer! I’m going to continue to count Groton. Even though it’s a made-up race.  Come up and join me.  We’ll jog a casual 4:00 hour marathon and tell tall tales.  I told coach we have a full gym at the place I work now.  I told him he should teach me how to use the heavy bag because it always looks cool when people are kicking and punching it on TV! Next summer I think I’ll do a mountain biking cycle, I miss it.  Find an epic race that rewards endurance and doesn’t penalize lack of skill.  Before that I’ve got a qualified ticket to the 2019 Boston Marathon.  I haven’t requalified there since 2010.  Maybe that’s a worthy goal? … I have another trick for you when you are in uncomfortable situations where you feel like you have imposter syndrome.  This one is the ‘super-hero avatar’ trick.  It’s appropriate for Halloween.  Maybe I should have used it last Sunday! The trick is to think of someone real or imagined who is fantastic in these situations.  They are the superhero of whatever this situation you are afraid of. Picture them engaging the crowd, wowing the opposition, swaying everyone with their charisma and drive.  They are epitome of the pro you wish you were.  Got that person in your head?  Got them visualized?  Ok, now give them a name.  A cool name.  A superhero name.  Like “Crusher” or “T-Rex”.  Got it? Ok now next time you go into a situation that scares you think about how Crusher or T-Rex would handle it.  Visualize what they would do.  Now put their avatar in front of you like a projection.  Even better step into that projection like putting on a costume.  Live that situation through your super hero’s eyes and actions.  What would Crusher do in this situation?  What would T-rex do? Try that.  It might not help, but it’s fun. What the heck do you have to lose?  Life is short.  Live it like you mean it. And I’ll see you out there. MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks -

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-396 – Jonathan – This is my Olympics!   (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4396.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-396.  This is your friend Chris.  How are we doing?  It’s marathon racing season.  We just had Chicago, New York is in a couple weeks and every weekend hosts a plethora of regional races in these few contiguous weeks.  I myself am racing this Sunday at Baystate.  Jonathan, who we interview here today is racing at Atlantic City.  If you’ve been with the show long enough, you might remember I raced there a few years back as well.  It’s an interesting loop course that starts and finishes on the boardwalk.  If you’ve ever seen Boardwalk Empire on HBO that’s the boardwalk they’re talking about.  Today’s show is about focus.  So far in this, I guess we might call it a series of themes, we looked at empowerment and then last week endurance.  This week’s theme is focus.  As we talk through Jonathan’s journey listen to the focus that he brings to his training and his goal.  He’s like a berserker warrior in his single-minded focus on this achievement and he’s been able to have some success with this element of his approach.  So, obviously I’m going to tease apart the concept of focus in section two.  In section one I’m going to outline what I have learned over the years about how to take large chunks off your finishing time.  How to break plateaus, surprise yourself and get non-linear gains in performance.  (sounds like a new book). I’m as ready as I’ll ever be for the Baystate marathon on Sunday.  I’m fit, I got some decent training in and I have not real injuries.  I’m still heavier than I’d like to be optimally, but I’m healthy.  Looks like the weather is going to be decent but maybe a bit cold and a bit windy.  If it holds where it is it will be just about freezing at the start and there will be 10-15 mile per hour winds.  I’ve run this course n a windy day before and there are long stretches that are open to it.  With the BAA lowering the qualification standards, (or raising them, depending on your point of view), the race moved all the pace groups up 5 minutes.  That makes it easy for me.  I’ll just attach myself to the back of the 3:30 pace group and chill out.  This is typically a pretty big pace group, at least for the first half, so I can stay out of the wind.  Just try to idle until we hit that final stretch across the river and see how I feel – either hang on or drive it home.  … I seems old-hat to say that we all get the same number of hours in the day.  But, focus is how you find the leverage in what you have to achieve a goal.  Think of a magnifying glass.  Maybe when you were a kid you held that magnifying glass in your hand and noticed that the convex lens focused the light.  At a certain height and angle you found that focal point (or for our purposes ‘focus point’).  This focus point collected all the power of 3-4 inches of sun and condensed it to a point, that dot of light. Then you discovered that this dot of light had the intensity to start fires in the dry leaves or fry unsuspecting insect life.  Through focus you were able to take the same patch of sunlight that might warm your face and create overwhelming energy at one point. That’s the power of focus.  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 – Big Chunks! - http://runrunlive.com/big-chunks   Voices of reason – the conversation Jonathan Lieberman Just that I’ve reached low 180s lbs and will be attempting to BQ for 2020 on October 21 in Atlantic City! Thanks man! Here’s a pic from Philly RnR Half last week: The (much) shorter answer to your question of “How do I do it” re: training is my mantra “This Is My Olympics” (which I of course forgot to mention

The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-395 – Karen - From the Brink to Boston (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4395.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-395.  Today’s show is about endurance. Hopefully it will be available for you folks who are stepping into the Chicago marathon this weekend. Not that you would need a podcast to listen to at Chicago.  I mean, you’ve got 45,000 other runners to talk to.  You probably won’t catch Galen Rupp or Mo Farah.  You might be able to catch Joan Benoit Samuelsson, she’s going for the age group record as a 61 year old, but that’s doubtful as well.  Amy Cragg is out there with the elites as well.  I hear the weather is going to be bad.  High winds and maybe some rain.  I remember joking after Boston this year that if they had that kind of weather in Chicago it would be the apocalypse.  Hopefully it won’t be too bad and it will give everyone something epic to talk about.  Endurance is the theme today.  I talk with Karen who is a prime example of not giving up.  This is the second person this year who I have talked to with one of these incredible stories of rebirth.  In section one I’ll give you a primer on Achilles tendinitis (I made a video for this one as well because the stretches are hard to explain without a visual) and in section two I’ll wax poetically about endurance.  Since we last talked my training has run the gamut between horrible and wonderful.  Right after our last show I had to walk away from a long tempo run because I was just shot.   I was pretty down about it.  I don’t like giving up on workouts.  But I couldn’t hold the paces and my form was shot so I walked away 2 hours into a 3-hour workout.  But since then I have had a couple really good workouts.  I’ve been doing a lot of speed work and my tempo paces have come down to encouraging levels.  I have been consistently holding paces in the 7:30’s on my long tempo and that bodes well for the upcoming marathon. Some of you may have heard that you would have needed to beat your qualifying time by over 4 minutes this year to get into Boston.  As registration closed the BAA announced that for the 2020 race they are lowering all the standards by another 5 minutes.  For me that means I now need to run a 3:35 to make the standard, which is a hair over 8-minute miles.  … You may have gotten used to hearing my dog Buddy the border collie in the background of these recordings.  I had him into the vet last week for a check up.  He’s doing fine. He’ll be 15 in December. With the cooler fall weather he comes back to life and gets agitated.  He can’t really run anymore.  His hips are pretty shot. He can still move well and isn’t in any discomfort.  He’s in great shape for his age, but, like me, he doesn’t realize how old he is.  Living an active life has probably given him an extra 2 years with us to enjoy.  When I was walking down the sidewalk with him on the leash towards the vet a guy was unloading an old standard collie.  He had a ramp that he unfolded so the old collie could totter down out of his van.  This poor old thing could barely move. When he got the collie into the vet’s office he said ‘Don’t let him lie down or he won’t be able to get up.’ I asked the guy ‘How old?’.  Thinking this museum piece of a collie must be really old compared to Buddy.  The answer was 12.  Buddy was 2 years older than this poor old collie and trotting around like he owned the place, ready to go.  So – there ya go – lead an active life and you’ll have a much higher quality of life in the later innings. 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 – Achilles- http://runrunlive.com/achilles-primer Voices of reason – the conversation Karen Moore – From the Brink to Boston ‎ to   ·  Everyone has a story. I have been a runner most of my adult life. Have done marathons all through the years. Two and a half years ago while out for my run I got hit by a hit and run driver. I was found along the road side by a amazing man. I was unconscious, major head trauma, leg broken in three places, multiple cuts, bruises. After a very long 8 months I started walking to get strong. Soon I was doing a limp like shuffle jog. It was ugly but it was a start. My daughter always wanted to run a marathon with me. I was not going to let this person who hit me take this from us. Lots of stubborn runners strength kept me going. Never would have guessed it but two years after I ran a marathon with my daughter and almost qualified. Two months later in Philly I did it. What the power of love can do. Can not believe it is real. Scared, proud. My daughter will be my cheer leader. Her goal is to qualify this year in philly. Someone wake me.  —  feeling blessed. Section two – Endurance - Outro You know what I’m going to say, right?  Yup.  That’s it you have endured another episode of the RunRunLive Podcast.  That was number 4-395.   Episode 4-395 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  I’m in my taper for Baystate.  It’s on the 21st.  I seem to have gotten enough speed back and am confident that I have an opportunity to beat that new 3:35 standard.  We’ll see.  All you can do is put yourself in position to race.  You get to the starting line and the universe takes care of the rest, right? I have a tip for you.  When I first started running seriously I used to rely on a lot of sports drinks.  I used to power my runs with Gatorade and Power Bars.  But over the years I’ve come to find it easier, and heathier, to condition my body to run off its own fat stores with minimal intervention.  I still use fuel in races but only enough to keep the fire lit, so to speak.  Regardless of the fueling product you are using what I have found is that the recommended dosage from the manufacturers is always too strong, at least for me.  This goes all the way back to when I ran on Gatorade.  Full strength Gatorade gave me stomach issues.  My tip for you is to practice cutting what ever you’re using by half.  What ever it is.  If it says a scoop per bottle, just put in a ½ scoop.  This way it won’t impact your stomach.  You get used to it and you can meter your intake just as well with a lighter dose.  … Speaking of Buddy’s visit to the vet, I myself went to get a checkup.  I try to get in every year for a physical because I’m in that age group that gets some of those top ten diseases like prostate cancer and colon cancer.  It’s just good practice. I hadn’t been in for a couple years because of different urgencies in my life so I figured I should. No surprise I am boringly healthy.  My blood pressure is excellent.  My prostate is lovely.  It’s all good.  I joke to my doctor that I am an exceedingly uninteresting patient, and he tells me that I make his job easy.  Did you know that 75-80% of medical issues are lifestyle related?  The top 3 contributing lifestyle factors are of course diet, exercise and smoking.  Pretty simple.  It’s a game where you know the rules and have an 80% chance of winning.  What are you going to do with all that extra quality of life now that you know the secret? Shal we find out together? 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 4-393 – Gary and the Tao of Running (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4393.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Hello and welcome to the RunRunLive Podcast episode 4-393.  Today’s show is about resilience.  That’s the theme.  It’s more than just stubbornness, or courage, or grit, (which is the popular term now).  It is about all those things and more.  As endurance athletes and runners we have a front row seat to the practice of resilience across the arc of our lives. Today we talk with Gary who I met at the Burning River 100.  He was selling copies of his book “the Tao of Running”.  I took his card, and we connected this past week to chat about how to practice this courage, and enjoy it, in our training and racing. In section one I’ll talk about resilience in our running.  You can tell by now that I ‘v been thinking about this a lot.  Resilience is one of the keys to living a successful life, right?  In section two I’ll talk about an example of how to use resilience at work. I am running the Wapack Trail 18 miler this weekend.  I’m looking forward to it.  I think I can carry the fitness I built up this summer into the race and do well.  It’s a funny thing when you look at an 18 mile technical mountain race as an easy race!  Other than that I’ve been training away, trying to get some speed back.  Not that I ever had any real speed, it’s all relative.  I registered for my 21st Boston Marathon this week.  I used my Baystate time from last year of 3:33:33, which would probably get me in under the cutoff.  I’m guessing the cutoff is going to creep again this year and move closer to 5 minutes under the standard.  But, since I have 10+ years in I get to register early and cut the line.  Technically I could get in with a 3:39:59.  I can’t believe summer is almost over.  I hope yours has been splendid.  Mines been pretty good.  I got to ride my motorcycle more than I have in years. I have a back-road route that I take to work and back.  I sometimes think that maybe an old guy like me should not be riding the motorcycle so much.  My reaction times probably aren’t what they used to be.  Getting into an accident with a car on a motorcycle typically doesn’t end well for the motorcyclist. I’m basically a giant engine with a gas tank strapped to it traveling at high velocity.  As anyone who rides a motorcycle knows, the first thing people do when they learn that you ride is tell you their worst motorcycle story.  That friend who got obliterated on the highway by a distracted driver.  Here’s a tip; that’s not the least bit helpful.  Don’t do that.  On the back roads I’ve got different challenges than on the highway.  On a typical ride to or from work I’ll have one or two cars try to kill me.  But, I’m pretty good at seeing it coming so I avoid these inelastic interactions with the other commuters. As a bonus I get to shake my head at them and give them the ‘WTF” body language.  Mostly it’s people pulling out.  They just don’t see bikes.  There’s also a fair amount of running stop signs and not using signals.  You scan the landscape ahead of you and watch you the oncoming traffic.  You can read the ‘body language’ of the cars.  You get good at predictive analytics. You see a situation developing and make sure you’re not there when they do that stupid thing.  It’s like a video game.  One thing I’m seeing more of this year is people crossing the lines.  I know in Asia and certain metropolitan areas the lane lines are optional, but out where I live you’re supposed to stay on your side of the line.  I don’t know why you need to drive on my side of the road.  I see this behavior as a biker and runner too.  It’s probably distracted driving.  People are drifting all over the road.  So, my friends, look twice, save a life.  Motorcycles are everywhere.  Relax.  There is no need to run that stop sign.  Tighten it up a bit and keep to your own side of the road.  We appreciate the effort.  Spread the love. I’m going to keep riding my bike.  I always figured that’s how I’d meet my maker.  Being distracted by a pretty girl on the sidewalk and burying myself in the back of a stopped truck.  But, I’m resilient.  Are you? 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 – Resilience - http://runrunlive.com/resilience   Voices of reason – the conversation GARY DUDNEY, Ultra Runner & Author , Thank you for the great podcast experience. The book is The Tao of Running: Your Journey to Mindful and Passionate Running and of course is available through Amazon or Barnes & Noble as a paperback, Kindle, or Audible version. The new book, coming out in November, is The Mindful Runner, Finding Your Inner Focus, which can be pre-ordered through Amazon right now. I have a website, , which has a lot of information for runners including all my past columns from Ultrarunning magazine and all my race reports from the past 20 years. Bio Blurb: GARY DUDNEY has been publishing articles on running, trail running, and ultrarunning for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in all the major running magazines, such as Runner’s World, Running Times, Trailrunner,and Marathon & Beyond. For Ultrarunning magazine, considered the “voice of the sport” of ultra long distance running, he’s served as a regular columnist since 2008, and he has additionally supplied the magazine with dozens of uniquely quirky race reports.  Ideas for The Tao of Running were shaped by the 65 one hundred mile races he’s participated in and the almost two hundred other long distance races he’s completed. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Kansas in English Literature and his fiction credentials include stories in Boy’s Life magazine and in numerous literary magazines and one published novel, Cries-at-Moon of the Kitchi-Kit. Book Blurb: The Tao of Running offers a fresh perspective on the mental side of running while entertaining with vivid tales of running adventures. Going well beyond the standard training and racing advice found in most running books, it guides runners to a wider understanding of how running fits into their own aspirations, goals, and life philosophy, and how running can transform their lives. The Tao of Running answers questions, such as:  How does running evoke mindfulness and lead to stress reduction? How is running a transformative existential experience? How does running teach fundamental lessons about goals, self-awareness, and self-improvement? How does running promote special friendships and new perspectives on life? No other book offers readers these multiple frameworks for understanding their running experiences along with lots of practical advice on getting the most out of running. Readers are guaranteed to gain a greater appreciation for the rewards and possibilities inherent in running.   Section two – One More Call - http://runrunlive.com/one-more-call Outro   I managed to get down to Cape Cod last week.  I got a 2:30 long run in on the beach.  I wanted to go up to Coast Guard Beach which has a long, unbroken, straight line of a beach.  But the logistics proved a bit of a hassle.  Instead I went out to the Coast Guard Light Beach in Chatham. I’ve been running there for years but It has become challenging to get enough distance.  The beach used to run for miles but now it has been washed away and you can only get out for a mile or so before you run out of beach.  I was standing there looking across the harbor opening trying to decide if I should swim across the 50 feet to the other side.  A girl in a boat offered me a lift.  I demurred.  Luckily it was low tide and I was able to cross the mud flats and cut through the old port over to the private beaches on the other side.  In Massachusetts you have access to any ocean beach, private or public, below the high tide mark.  I finally ran out of beach about an hour in, but was able to cobble together enough turns and crenulations to get 2:24 in before I made it back to my truck.  There were lots of families out and people walking.  It was quite busy.  There were old guys in dirty rubber coveralls working the low tide clam flats with rakes.  The families got ferried out in skiffs for these excursions.  The clammers had their own flat bottomed aluminum boats bobbing in the shallows.  The thought in the back of my mind was if it’s low tide now, am I going to be able to get back when I turn around?  Am I going to be able to beat the tide?  Sure enough when I got back to the Old Port the tide had erased the mud flats.  I figured I was almost back I could just run through the water.  I already knew the bottom was hard and it was shallow.  I had un-retired an old pair of Brooks Launch for the weekend and I could justify getting those wet.  But, I found a trail off through the bush that circumnavigated the mud flats and got me back to the other beach without have to take the plunge.  It added a little distance, which I needed anyhow.  I was quite pleased with how things worked out. Step into the trails and the beaches and all you adventures.  It will work out.  … Speaking of Cape Cod.  I found a home for my Spaulding Boys Wagon Tongue Baseball Bat from the 1800’s.  Yvonne and I went to a bar in Harwich Port to watch the Patriot’s game and grab some dinner.  It is named the Hot Stove Café.  It is baseball themed.  I was chatting with the owner.  It occurred to me that I was surrounded by ancient baseball memorabilia.  I told him I had something in my truck he might be able to use.  When I dropped it the next day he wasn’t around.  Which is perfect, because he couldn’t say he didn’t want it!.  Just goes to show you.  Everything works out.  Patience.  Mindfulness.  Practice.  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 -