Phedippidations

This episode celebrates the 7th anniversary of this podcast, the first episode of which was published on Independence Day, July 4th of the year 2005. As you’d expect, my life is very different today than it was back then, in many ways better, in other ways…different; but I’m not complaining.  This is Life 2.0; the world has moved on, and so have we all. One major point of improvement in my life is the many friends I have been so fortunate to make, as a direct result of this goofy little podcast.   There have been days, sometimes weeks, where I haven’t felt like stepping up to the microphone.  There have been days and weeks when I haven’t felt like running.  The thing is; with your friendship, kindness and support: I’ve been inspired to run and motivated to podcast…to share with you my thoughts, opinions, observations and yes: even the tidbit details of my life; because when you run together you share something special…and even though this is a digital audio reproduction of my voice, somewhere in the world right now, some of our fellow runners are out on the road, getting their miles in and sharing the experience. Conversations, Meditations, and Explorations for and about runners. Phedippidations isn’t dead, but what it was seven years ago is but a ghost of what it has become. Thank you for running with me this far; but we’re not even half way there, and we have a long…long way to go. Links: The song “Go” was by Stray Palace - http://straypalace.com/ “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” by Stars - http://starsthenorth.com/ “At Home” by Crystal Fighters - http://crystalfighters.com/ “Out Loud” by Black Lab - http://blacklabworld.com/ “The Ballplayer” by Joe Purdy - http://joepurdy.com/ “I’m Not Afraid” by Remy Zero - http://remyzero.com/ “Born Again” by Richard Ashcroft - http://richardashcroft.co.uk/ “Unextrodinary Man” by Animal Heart - http://animalheart.bandcamp.com/ BEHOLD: http://neilbearse.com ONLY IF YOU LIKE IT: Phedippidations is supported every month through the very kind and sincerely generous financial support of 27 fellow runners:  William, Vera, Katie, Heather, Ryan, Jan, Chaise, Andie, Gordon, Scott, Mike, David, Jeff, Colin, Jason, Diane, Manuel, Al, Ron, Mark, Martha, Greg, Jim, Maddy, Tim, Bill and Kevin.  THANK YOU! {http://support.steverunner.com}

The universe is different for runners, because we have a far more personal relationship with it. Non-runners can jump on a bike, in a car, on a boat, strap themselves into a plane or a rocket, and discuss the many miles they’ll travel in shorter periods of time: but a runner has to work at it. A runner has to take her or his own body, with only the fuel pumping through our own blood streams across the distances of miles and many miles…we are creatures who move under our own power across distances that many of our species no longer treks through.   This is kind of a big deal.   I wanted to talk to you about space and time because when you’re out there, on the road, you are running across a beautiful blue planet that every form of life we have ever known about, has ever lived upon.  We assume that there is life on other worlds, but we don’t know that for certain. What we do know for certain is that we have this one life, limited by a short duration, and we can chose to live it without passion, just getting through our days, waiting until it’s eventual end: or we can BURN, we can savor each moment, find joy in small moments every day, and live our lives to the absolute top.   I propose we chose the latter.  I say we burn, that we shine as blinding lights for others, making the universe just a little bit better than it was before we got here, and letting our light shine brightly, blindingly on others, inspiring them to live their own lives to the top, not with fear or envy and sadness, but with true joy: joy for having this time, this short, sweet time, to live and love and dance and run and drink it all in like a Grand Crus Bordeaux, because life is too short to drink cheap wine and far too precious to wallow in gloom. I’m not telling you something you don’t already know.  But if this podcast meant anything to you, I hope you’ll think deeply about your place in the universe and the incredibly wonderful opportunity you have, as living, breathing matter; as a part of the universe that has evolved to know itself, and how great it is to be alive.   Burn fellow runners, burn like the stars we are born from, burn like you’ve only got 0.16 seconds of life to live, and burn through the disappointment, pain, suffering, sadness, and exhaustion that you will experience: because this is our time, now…today, and this is the only time you’ll ever get on this side of the mortal coil to be a good animal, to achieve true happiness and to savor the time of your life. Links: http://visav.phys.uvic.ca/~babul/AstroCourses/P303/BB-slide.htm http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/02/what-is-time/ http://www.eliserd.com http://nutritionsuccess.org  http://www.irunnerblog.com/category/nutrition-nerd/ Happenings: June 16th: Liberty Loco –http://arunningskeptic.blogspot.com  July 7th – 8th – The Run For Stone - http://www.runforstone.blogspot.com SEE NEIL BLOG, BLOG NEIL, BLOG: http://neilbearse.com ONLY IF YOU LIKE IT: Phedippidations is supported every month through the very kind and sincerely generous financial support of 24 fellow runners:  Vera, Katie, Heather, Ryan, Jan, Chaise, Andie, Gordon, Scott, Mike, David, Jeff, Colin, Jason, Diane, Manuel, Mark, Martha, Greg, Jim, Maddy, Tim, Bill and Kevin. THANK YOU! {http://support.steverunner.com} Follow me on:  Blog: http://steverunnerblog.com Twitter: http://twitter.steverunner.com Facebook: http://facebook.steverunner.com Plus: http://plus.steverunner.com Pinterest: http://pinterest.steverunner.com Stream: http://stitcher.steverunner.com Jux: http://jux.steverunner.com Apple App: http://iapp.steverunner.com Android App: http://android.steverunner.com Support: http://support.steverunner.com “A Matter of Time” by Chris Yale - twitter @chrisyale - website: http://chrisyale.com

You’re out on a five mile run, the sun is setting and the stars are beginning to shine.  You are traveling a measureable distance across a tiny blue bubble in space that has been in existence for 4.5 billion years within a universe that was created out of nothing 13.7 billion years ago.  It would be easy to feel small.   If you took the time to contemplate your short life and insignificant size…you could easily ask yourself the questions “Why am I here?” “What is the point of my existence?” “Would the Universe miss me if I was suddenly gone”? The answers will come to you eventually, but when I’ve asked myself those very same questions over the past year: my answers seemed clear to me:   I am here to observe and be observed.   The point and purpose of my existence is to make the universe that I observe better… and the Universe would not care if I was suddenly gone…but the Universe doesn’t care about anything…unless, of course you’re talking about other people, people who I care about and who care about me…because the fact is that you and I, are a part of the universe.    Links: The RELATIVE size of planets and stars: http://www.rense.com/general72/size.htm http://htwins.net/scale2/ Happenings: June 16th: Liberty Loco –http://arunningskeptic.blogspot.com  July 7th – 8th – The Run For Stone - http://www.runforstone.blogspot.com HEY, LOOK OVER THERE!!!: http://neilbearse.com ONLY IF YOU LIKE IT: Phedippidations is supported every month through the very kind and sincerely generous financial support of 18 fellow runners: Katie; Jan, Chaise, Andie, Gordon, Scott, Mike, David, Jeff, Colin, Jason, Diane, Greg, Jim, Maddy, Tim, Bill and Kevin.: THANK YOU! {http://support.steverunner.com} Follow me on:  Blog: http://steverunnerblog.com Twitter: http://twitter.steverunner.com Facebook: http://facebook.steverunner.com Plus: http://plus.steverunner.com Pinterest: http://pinterest.steverunner.com Stream: http://stitcher.steverunner.com Jux: http://jux.steverunner.com Apple App: http://iapp.steverunner.com Android App: http://android.steverunner.com Support: http://support.steverunner.com “The Galaxy Song” by Eric Idle “Alone in the Universe” was by David Usher at http://davidusher.com

Running the Groton Road Race was like running with an old friend I had never actually met, with one friend I had met before and another I’ve known for years through the running community of which I am a part. This was our pack.  Not in the lead, nor all the way at the back…but a pack of three friends running 6.2 miles through a beautiful colonial New England town.   Alett, John and I could have run at our own pace; we could have run with the goal of setting our own PR’s and attacking the course to the very best of our abilities…but for the three of us, good conversation and camaraderie was the goal for the day…and we ran together as friends, fellow runners…and most of all, as a pack. Links: http://runnewengland.blogspot.com/ http://www.runrunlive.com/ http://4feetrunning.blogspot.com/ http://grotonroadrace.com/ On Twitter: @petfxr @johnvaughn @painternik @misterfonzie @cyktrussell “A Dogs Purpose” By W. Bruce Cameron  Happenings: June 16th: Liberty Loco –http://arunningskeptic.blogspot.com  Whip it, Whip it social! (Networking this is): http://neilbearse.com ONLY IF YOU LIKE IT: Phedippidations is supported every month through the very kind and sincerely generous financial support of 16 fellow runners: Jan, Chaise, Andie, Gordon, Scott, Mike, David, Jeff, Colin, Jason, Diane, Greg, Jim, Maddy, Tim and Bill: THANK YOU! {http://donate.steverunner.com} Follow me on:  Blog: http://steverunnerblog.com Twitter: http://twitter.steverunner.com Facebook: http://facebook.steverunner.com Plus: http://plus.steverunner.com Pinterest: http://pinterest.steverunner.com Stream: http://stitcher.steverunner.com Jux: http://jux.steverunner.com Apple App: http://iapp.steverunner.com Android App: http://android.steverunner.com

We should be proud of we are, and act as a positive examples for others: but at the same time remain wary of vanity – because while we are certainly worthy of having pride in our actions and through our running: we’re not all that, and a bag of chips.

This is a story of passion, determination and guts in a marathon road race that is very much like the one you may have, or may one day run.  It’s a story that demonstrates the importance of experience, the rage against physical limits and the strength…of youth.

This was Ernest Hemingway, a man who inspired his readers to stand up against facists and bullies, while in many ways he tended to be somewhat of a bully himself.  Hemingway lived his life to the fullest, and set an example to everyone who knew him to turn to nature, both on land and sea.

The guy who said it was a “miracle that he had the courage to start” is full of crap.  Courage has nothing to do with starting a road race, and he’s a fool to push that slogan on new runners.

Treadmilling is not a bad thing.  But I think everyone listening to me understands that given the choice between running in place for an hour within your home, or at a gym and moving outside, under the sky, within the elements and across the ever-changing terrain of your place: the more significant way to exercise is the one that lets you better experience the world around you.

Today we’ll hear from six fellow runners (including myself) who will relate to you their personal stories about “Their First Times”.

Today is my 50th birthday.   I was born at exactly 7:48 PM Eastern Standard Time in the maternity ward of Milton Hospital on Reedsdale Road and Highland Street in the town of Milton, Massachusetts on January 19th, 1962. Turning 50 feels good, because it’s good to be alive.  The milestone reminds me to take a walk break in this race, and turn to look behind me to see how far I’ve come.  The past 50 years of life included great joy, terrible sadness, and the agony and ecstasy of blood, sweat and tears…but I wouldn’t trade any of it. Regrets I have, many in fact: but those regrets are all part of a life well lived: a life, lived to its top.

We're traveling back in time on this episode; through six and a half years in PodCasting AND BEYOND! 

When oenophiles think about wine, they rarely consider the sport of running with regards to it’s enjoyment; and when runners consider our passion for moving our bodies through space: the topic of wine is not chief among our hydration strategies.  Yet these two areas of interest have their complementary intersections.  In this epsiode we'll visit some "Cool Races in Beautiful Places" where wine grapes are grown. 

In the summer of 1975 I was a 13 year old skinny, big eared, pimply-faced teenager with a frown full of braces and a head filled with big ideas.  This was the first time I had ever been able to express my creativity to an audience greater than my immediate family, it was the first time I took a thought and converted it into something for others to experience.  My words, my story, my imagines, my voice and that of my friends Andy and James…we created a movie that entertained our family, friends and neighborhood for one magical night in the summer of seventy-five: The Summer of the Shark.

Part two of a series of episode where we prepare ourselves to win an argument with a non-runner!