Phedippidations

I have been invited to run the 112th Boston Marathon, and today I’d like to invite you to join me through this goofy little podcast.  In this short format episode of Phedippidations “Intervals‿ I extend to you an invitation to follow my progress on Patriots Day, April 21st, 2008.  Also, I talk about my gratitude for the thoughtful gift of an invitational entry to this race from a good friend and the Massachusetts Wing of the Civil Air Patrol.

We run for ourselves, for our health, for our family and friends, we run to honor, to celebrate, to achieve, and to accomplish.  We run because we can…because at a very basic level we are good animals who were meant to move with purpose.  We are runners; no better or worse than those who chose to practice an alternate motion of sport, or dance, or action…but we all have good reasons for being out there…and while we might not always be self aware of why we’re doing it: when someone asks you the inevitable question; you might want to consider what your answer will be…who do you run for? Show Links: Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Irish Rover‿ was by The Blaggards  

My name is John.  Today I am going to take to the microphone and, on this special episode of Intervals, give you a sense of what it’s really like to live under the brutal and maniacal dictatorship of my Dad: Steve Runner. For today I hope to uncover the truth for you: that my father is a warped, twisted old man who refuses to buy me a puppy.  As you listen to this episode, I hope you’ll come to appreciate my plight and do everything you can to rescue me from a life with Steve Runner.

Because of my new intermittent schedule, this episode of Fdip has the distinction (and curse) of being the longest I’ve produced thus far.  The internet has created a way for runners to find and use resources for research, community, asking questions, sharing ideas, and for tracking our running performance.  Free online training logs are available for us to use to help us reach our running goals.  You should consider using an online training log to share your running log and upcoming schedule with a larger community of runners who can offer your advice, warn you in advance of injury and join you in your journey on the road. Show Links: Fdip Featured Blog: The song “Keep on Movin’‿ was by David Mansfield

To push yourself past your zone of comfort you need to smile, think positively, focus on something other than the pain and weakness and dedicate yourself to a higher purpose other than “just finishing‿.  Most of all, you have to have the insatiable desire to reach your goal by making your efforts on the road more important than just yourself.  If you can do this you will find that you can accomplish great things through your running, and be the runner and human being you’ve always known you could be. This episode ends with an announcement about the future of Phedippidations. Show Links: The song “All I Really Wanted‿ was by Jim Fidler

The Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training stands by their philosophy of training as being the best scientifically proven method to improve as a runner, and gain fitness as an athlete.  By limiting your time on the road to three intense workouts each week, and supplementing your training with cross training, they insist that you will become a better, more efficient runner…able to meet and exceed all of your running goals. Show Links: Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Wasting My Time‿ was by Matthew Ebel.

Running was adopted by a society who had been lulled into a false sense of security within the confines of their all too comfortable, technology empowered life of sedentary doom.  In America, as in other countries…technological advances negated our need to rise off the couch and hunt, gather and endure physical labor.  But as the population grew unhealthy and overweight, they turned to both the sports and medical experts for an answer…and that answer was so basic, simple and pure that the appeal to lace up a pair of running shoes could not be denied.  The explosion resulting from the first running boom was a revolution which continues today…a revolution which you and I are very much a part of, as we take back our bodies and our lives and become the runners we all were meant to be.  Show Links: Fdip Blog of the Week: The song “Revolution‿ was by Albert Aguilar

When confronted with all of the positive advantages associated with becoming a runner, it helps to consider all of the reasons why running can help you to become a better person, both physically and, in a sense even spiritually.  Because it’s all about living a happier life; a life filled with personal satisfaction along with the physical ability to participate in the world around you. Show Links:             Fdip Blog of the Week:   The song “Run‿ was by Hollow Horse at

ust about everything in this life offers hazards and benefits.  We balance comfort with pain, satisfaction with disappointment, and safety with danger every time we lace up our shoes and take to the road.  It’s quite obvious, to those of us who call ourselves runners, that the benefits of our sport far outweighs the dangers, it is important for us to be conscious of those hazards not only for our personal safety, but to allow us to logically counter the arguments that the non-runner might offer as an excuse not to join us on the road.  Show Links:          Fdip Blog of the Week:   The song “Remember‿ was by Black Lab at

In a very real sense, you and I are “the hope of the world‿.  We had some fun last year and some good times.  We made new friends, we enjoyed successes on the road, we had some amazing experiences both together and apart. The lesson to be learned from last year, and the year before that…is that next year, and the year after next…has the opportunity to be the best year of our life and the best year in the life of those around us. There were some terrible things that happened last year as well, but when we live our lives as good animals, behaving with social responsibility, then we are spreading hope…and that ensures that the years to come can always be better that those which came before.  Happy New Year!  Show Links: The song “Auld Lang Syne‿ was by the band Caledonix from Germany

Handwritten letters and cards, email messages and our written words written throughout the year and especially during the holidays are a way to keep in touch, to maintain that fellowship that we have with each other.  It’s the stories that are contained in those messages that help to educate and inform us, they help us to relate to each other and put our own experiences into perspective.  In this week’s episode, I’ll read to you some of the email messages that I have in my “in box‿, and invite you to hear the stories of other runners who are living their lives and experiencing their unique experiences all over the world at the very same time that you are.  We are members of a community where the cost of entry is your contribution of thoughts, opinions and observations with each other.

How can running slowly help us to achieve better performances later? It is particularly challenging to go from the relative intensity of pre-race workouts to a speed and pace that is much, much slower. However, if you come to the realization that many runners stagnate on a plateau of performances because they run too few miles, and these miles that they do run are are run too fast, then you open yourself up to the possibility of significant running improvement. Proper base training requires patience and discipline, and this week's guest host, Steve's running advisor John Ellis, explains how the hard part of this period of training comes with the dedication to running "easy."  Show Links:   Fdip Blog of the week:   The song “Starting Over‿ was by the band “Dark Horse‿ from the UK.  Check out their great music at

Today I will tell you the story of a great and compassionate warrior from the Oglala Latoka tribe named 'Makata Taka Hela'.  Billy Mills bravely faced loneliness and isolation in his college years, and went on to serve the country he loved in the United States Marines.  He is a warrior for justice, an advocate for the young, and a person of character and honor who respects the earth and speaks on the virtues of understanding across all nations, both those defined by governments, and those identified by their people: over 550 tribes within the continental United States. Billy Mills is not only a Running Legend, he is an American Legend. Show Links:  Fdip Blog of the week:  “As Sure as the Eagle Flies‿ was by Mo Pair from Austin, Texas.  “Ewa-shakin-tae‿ was by Joseph G Vincent from British Columbia, Canada

The Philadelphia Marathon is a fantastic race, run through and about an incredible city.  This was the best marathon performance of my life where my dreams for a sub four hour finish were possible and within my reach.  I have run 16 marathons prior to Philly, but was able to accomplish something on this day that has eluded me before.  In running through the streets of Philadelphia I gained a new confidence, increased my stamina and improved my endurance to ensure that I would never hit the “wall of doom‿ again.  Show Links:   The Song “Ordinary Day‿ was by Great Big Sea from St. John's in Newfoundland,

On Thanksgiving Day here in the United States, and in holidays around the world, we feel compelled to offer thanks for the receipt of our good fortune.  It’s a uniquely human need that we have to offer thanks for the good things which occurred to us in the previous solar orbit.  I’m taking a break from my podcast this week, but wanted to thank you for your thoughts, prayers, kind words of congratulations and encouragement.  Thank you for being a fellow runner and a friend, and thank you for helping me to come ever so closer to reaching my dream.