The Extra Mile - The Official Charity Miles Podcast

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Meet Brogan Graham, co-founder of the November Project, a free fitness movement that was born in Boston as a way to stay in shape during cold New England months. It has since spread to 49 chapters, and thousands of people all over the world.

Brogan is also a new father. (Like me.) So, instead of focusing on the standard questions that Brogan usually gets on podcasts, I thought I'd ask him about the new adventures of being a dad, how that has changed his perspective, and what's next for him and the November Project.

There are a few things that make this podcast unique…

1. I met Brogan at 5AM at the base of Cowles Mountain outside of San Diego. Cowles, as you can see below, climbs 1,591 feet, in about 1.5-2 miles. To put some perspective on that, my favorite trail-run in upstate NY climbs about 1,000 feet in 4 miles. So, this was steep!

And we went up and down 4 times. (Not just Cowles, there were one or two other peaks in there.) So, if you like heavy breathing, you're gonna love this

2. The trail was single-track and rugged too. So, instead of running side-by-side, we went single-file. Because of that, I gave the podcast recorder to Brogan. You can hear him really well, but it may be difficult to hear me. Which is okay, because Brogan is the interesting one here.

3. Our last time up the mountain, I could tell that Brogan wanted to go faster than I could keep up. So, I just let him go with the podcast recorder, not knowing what he might say or do. Well this is where the magic happens. (It's at about 1:14 into the podcast.)

It takes Brogan about 25 minutes to reach the top. (I'm much slower, following up about 7 minutes later.) And in that 25 minutes you will hear what makes Brogan (and the November Project) so special. He is putting out. And as he flies up the mountain, you'll feel it. You'll hear his steps and his breathing. You'll hear a few places where the trail gets really steep. You'll hear the energy exchange between him and other people who, by this time, have come out for a morning hike. You'll even hear some Geronimo war cries.

This is what I had in mind when I started this podcast. You can get to know someone so much better on a run, than you can over a cup of coffee (or sitting across from each other in a podcast studio). So many of my best friends are people who I've gotten to know on a run, even when we weren't talking with each other, just running with our steps and breath in sync…

Or even when we're not in sync, when one of us leaves the other in the dust, and then waits for the other with a big high five at the finish line. Which is what happens here. We shared an experience, the effort, the moment, the morning. We got each other out of bed early, and pushed each other when almost everyone else was still asleep.

I realize that a bunch of heavy breathing might not be for everyone. In which case, feel free to fast forward that 30 minutes of the episode. But if you want to share this moment with Brogan, if you want something to push you a little harder on your long run, if you want to be inspired to walk just a bit further, then these 30 minutes are for you.

Huge thanks to Brogan for sharing this morning with me, and all of us. And huge thanks to all of the November Project members who are also part of the Charity Miles family. Thanks to all of you for continuing to inspire us every day. #JustShowUp #EveryMileMatters

The post Brogan Graham, Co-Founder of the November Project on Fatherhood, Showing Up, Starting a Movement and What's Next (Full Interview) appeared first on Charity Miles.

In this episode, I march with Noah Barnes, and his father Robert. Noah is 11 years old. He has Type 1 Diabetes. And he is marching diagonally across the United States from the southern tip of Key West, Florida to the most northwest tip of Washington State. No joke!

This episode is in two parts: the first part was recorded in April when I marched with Noah outside of Nashville, Tennessee; the second part is from this week when I marched with him again as they approached Denver, Colorado.

Noah has marched over 2,400 miles so far. And he's got about another 1,500 to go. You can follow Noah's progress live at NoahsMarch.com. And if you're as inspired by him as I am, please drop him a note on his Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

I feel so tremendously honored to have marched a few miles with Noah and his family. I hope that you'll all march some miles with them too. #EveryMileMatters

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The post March (Don't Walk) with Noah Barnes an Eleven Year-Old Boy Who is Marching Across The United States appeared first on Charity Miles.

In this episode, I walk with Sarah Robb O'Hagan in the busy rush hour of New York City. Sarah has been the President of both Gatorade and Equinox, and she is now the CEO of Flywheel Sports. She is also the author of a book, Extreme You, which is all about finding your passion and going really deep on it. Big thanks to Sarah for taking the time to walk with us. #EveryMileMatters!

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The post Be Extreme with Sarah Robb O'Hagan, Author & CEO of Flywheel Sports appeared first on Charity Miles.

Subscribe on iTunes / Subscribe on Stitcher / Subscribe on Google Play Two weeks ago, we had the honor of joining Sarah Hartman, Executive Director of the Ironman Foundation at the finish line of Ironman Boulder, from 10PM to midnight, cheering on the day’s final finishers. If you’re looking for some motivation, something to pump you...

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Two weeks ago, we had the honor of joining Sarah Hartman, Executive Director of the Ironman Foundation at the finish line of Ironman Boulder, from 10PM to midnight, cheering on the day's final finishers. If you're looking for some motivation, something to pump you up on your next long run, this podcast is for you!

For those of you who don't know, and Ironman is a 140.6 mile triathlon consisting of: (1) a 2.4 mile open-water swim; (2) a 112 mile bike; and then (3) a full 26.2 mile marathon. Though I've done six of them, it still seems impossible as I type this.

But as you'll hear in this podcast, anything is possible!

In this podcast, you'll hear how Ironman and the IMF are changing lives and communities around the world. You'll also get to meet two Ironman legends, Scott Rigsby (the first double leg amputee to finish Kona), and Dave Orlowski (who finished in 3rd place in the very first Ironman, 40 years ago in Honolulu, Hawaii).

(By the way, here's a photo of Dave Orlowski in his jean shorts for the very first Ironman. He borrowed the bike!)

My interview with Sarah takes about 25 minutes. But then I just left my recorder running as she and I stay in the finisher's chute for over an hour until the last finishers cross the line. And that's where the real magic happens!

If you ever have the opportunity to attend an Ironman, go to the finish line from 10 to midnight. It's one of the greatest things you will ever witness or participate in. Whereas the race winners finished nearly eight hours earlier, the people finishing in these hours have been out there all day, since six in the morning.

Some of these athletes are in their 20's. Some are in their 70's. Some are finishing in their projected times. Others may have hoped to finish sooner, but had a rough day. (It was hot and windy!) But in all cases, these athletes have just written an epic story for themselves.

This podcast will PUMP YOU UP! You will feel the music. You will feel the crowd. You'll hear legendary Mike Reilly announcing every finisher as they cross the finish line: YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

Here's a rough outline to guide you through the podcast:

• Interview with Sarah Hartman, Executive Director of the Ironman Foundation.
• Special appearance by Scott Rigsby.
• Short interlude, as Sarah and I head into the finisher's chute to cheer on the finishers.
• Interview with Dave Orlowski in the finisher's chute. (Amazing!!)
• Cheering on all the finishers, with the final official finisher coming in a mad dash to cross the line with one second before the cutoff! EPIC!!
• Imagine: as even a few more racers finish after the official time cutoff. (They're each still an Ironman in my book!)

Huge thanks to Sarah and the Ironman Foundation for inviting me to share this experience with them. This was so much fun! #AnyThingIsPossible #EveryMileMatters!

The post Sarah Hartman, Executive Director of the Ironman Foundation: Anything is Possible! appeared first on Charity Miles.

This past weekend I was in Seattle, Washington with our partners at Brooks Running. It was an incredible weekend, and they introduced me to a few of their sponsored athletes who were gearing up for a big competition.

While the audio-circumstances weren't great for recording an interview, I was able to witness one of their pre-race track workouts. During the workout, I asked Colleen Bryant, one of Brooks' sponsored athletes to hold my podcast recorder as she ran a lap around the 400 meter track.

So this podcast is that lap. One quarter mile. 90 seconds. (A six-minute pace.) That's it. Listen and see if you can hear anything unusual about how this lap sounds…

#EveryMileMatters!

Last week, we had the pleasure of joining our new sponsor, TIAA Bank in Vail Colorado for the GoPro Mountain Games.

It was an incredible weekend all around. We did some trail running, mud running, yoga and climbing. We got to watch whitewater kayaking, slackline and even doggie long jumping!

By far, though, the highlight for me was getting to hang with one of our favorite bands, Playing for Change.

Playing for Change is an incredible organization that aims to bring people together through music.

They produce truly incredible videos, weaving together people, all over the world, performing some of our favorite songs. Below are videos from some of my favorite.

I first found Playing for Change about five years ago when I stumbled upon their performance of Gimme Shelter on YouTube. From there, I was quickly down the rabbit hole into all their other videos as well.

Then a few months later, I met their founder Whitney Kroenke at a conference. Turns out she and I went to college together and had some mutual friends. So we connected the dots and have become friendly ourselves over the years.

So, when I saw that they were performing in Vail last week, I was really excited. I went to the show on Friday night and saw Whitney's co-founder, Mark Johnson, who invited me backstage to meet the band. (I've never been that cool before!) He also invited me to meet them on Saturday as they played a few performances around Vail Village to promote their show that evening.

So, this podcast is basically my Saturday hanging with Playing for Change. Here's the setlist:

1. Intro: Three Little Birds (at the top of the Vail Gondola, a bit out of order)
2. Jam Session at the Base of the Mountain
3. Interview with PFC Co-Founder, Mark Johnson
4. Gondola Ride with Jason Tamba (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Pablo Correa (Colombia) (video below)
5. Stories of Me with Chance Powell
6. Featuring Emelise (a 12 year-old girl playing in Vail Village)
7. Saturday Night Live (two songs from their Saturday Night Show)
8. Shakedown Jam Session

This was one of the most fun days I've ever had. Here are some half-baked thoughts I've had since meditating on the experience:

1. What unites us is stronger than what divides us.
2. The diversity in the band– which you'll hear in their individual performances– is what makes them so awesome together.
3. The power of Chance. It was purely chance that I discovered PFC so many years ago. And purely chance that I met Whitney at that conference. And purely chance that TIAA Bank discovered us and invited us to share such an incredible weekend with them. And purely chance that PFC would be there in Vail that same weekend. I'm grateful for how all those chances came together into one of the most memorable experiences in my life. And it's not lost on me that one of the band members' name is "Chance". You'll get to meet Chance in the podcast, hear his incredible talent, and also two takes on his story– about how chance played a role in his own life too.
4. It's also not lost on me that I had this experience at Vail– one of the most visually beautiful places in the world– during the GoPro Mountain Games– some of the most visually spectacular events in the world. Yet, with all the beauty there was to see, the most beautiful part of my weekend is what I heard.
5. I'm dedicating this podcast to my 21 month-old son, Max. Max LOVES music– and loves PFC. I let him watch their YouTube videos all the time. He becomes entranced, dances and even shouts "Yay" at the end of the songs. Max also loves to play the drums and guitar. And whether or not he ever develops any talent (not a strong gene pool there), I do hope he keeps his love of music. And I hope that, thanks to the work of PFC and other organizations like them, he grows up in a more tolerant, just and peaceful world.

Huge thanks to Mark and the band for making me feel so welcome last weekend. #EveryMileMatters

Here are some videos I took during the weekend, the videos referenced in the podcast, and a few others that I really like:

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The post Playing For Change (Featuring Emelise): When The Music Comes Around appeared first on Charity Miles.

Last week, we had the pleasure of joining our new sponsor, TIAA Bank in Vail Colorado for the GoPro Mountain Games. It was an incredible weekend all around. We did some trail running, mud running, yoga and climbing. We got to watch whitewater kayaking, slackline and even doggie long jumping!...

Team, two weeks ago, I had the honor of walking with Diana Nyad and her partner Bonnie Stoll in Los Angeles.

Many of you know Diana Nyad as the incredible long-distance swimmer who became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida– at the age of 64!

To say this was a "long-distance" swim is like saying that a summiting Mt. Everest is a long walk. It's a death-defying expedition. Diana encountered sharks, deadly jelly fish, Gulf Stream current and more over 110.86 miles!

And now she's taking on a challenge that is death-defying in another sense: turning America into a nation of walkers.

She and Bonnie have co-founded a movement called EverWalk that aims to become the largest walking movement in history, where millions of people commit to getting away from their screens and into the great outdoors to walk – for mindfulness, for fitness, and for fun.

As a part of this movement, Diana and Bonnie are leading morning walks in the very park that we recorded this interview, as well as more epic 7-Day walks around the country.

Next week, in fact, they will be leading a 7-Day walk around Key West, Florida– where Diana finished her Cuba Swim. The plan is for the group to walk ten miles every morning and then to work for Habitat for Humanity every afternoon, specifically the Big Pine Key area that was devastated by Hurricane Irma.

Of course, this is a movement that we want to support. So, wherever you are, please walk some extra miles for Habitat in solidarity with Diana. And please click here to learn more and take the EverWalk pledge!

Team, as you'll hear in this podcast, Diana is a force of nature. I'm very grateful to her and Bonnie for walking with me. And I hope you'll all enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

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The post Diana Nyad: One of the World's Greatest Swimmers Walks the Walk appeared first on Charity Miles.

Team, in December I had the distinct honor of walking with THE Meb Keflezghi in Austin, Texas. Few people have accomplished as much as Meb has– either in sports, or any field. Even fewer people have transcended their own accomplishments to inspire millions the way Meb has.

After escaping a war-torn Eritrea as a child, Meb became a four time NCAA champion, a three time Olympian, and the only person to win the New York City Marathon, the Boston Marathon and an Olympic Medal. But, aside from being one of the most accomplished runners of all time, he is perhaps the most beloved.

And you'll hear why in this interview– not only in his story, but in his voice. Meb is gracious and generous with his spirit. And, although he recently retired from competitive running, he is finding new ways to be his own personal best, and to help others achieve their own personal best.

I'm tremendously grateful for Meb taking the time to share his story and wisdom with all of us. I hope that you're as inspired by him as I am.

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The post Meb Keflezghi: Grit and Grace appeared first on Charity Miles.