Running with the Pack Podcast » Podcast Feed

Stevie is back from vacation! Scott Sloan joins us this week to talk about running his first ultramarathon. We also talk about chafing, options for organic running fuel, Stevie’s beach runs, my upcoming triathlons, wetsuit flotation, and a few other topics.

This week, we cover a ton of topics including Stevie’s vacation plans, my bike update, body image, what to do when you’re injured (cross train and do a triathlon obviously), mud/adventure runs, margarita cliff blocks, gluten free life, Facebook mania, and more.

Stevie and I talk about my experiment with Teff cookies, Stevie’s elevated heart rate, some recent races and two personal records (kinda), the idea that personal records should expire as you change age groups, our new Facebook page, Jason’s new podcast, Simon’s race with his brother, Rebecca running nude (and fast), and a shout out to Iron Brandon for reaching the 100-episode mark!

Stevie and I talk about the Happy Valley Sprint Triathlon that I did on Saturday and the Firecracker 4K race that we ran on Sunday plus some upcoming events. Stevie also updates us on her progress through the Insanity Workout.

This week, we talk about Stevie’s two weeks of Insanity, my attempts to cook Seitan (aka wheat meat, gluten), what to do if you have asthma and want to run, the right way to use gels (with water please), Stevie’s new earbuds, and several race reports.

We start with shout-outs to listeners who have completed milestone events. Then we talk about green movements: mainly green ways to get technical shirts smell-free and my new Prius. We also talk about Stevie’s ear buds, her core workout, the Special Olympics, my recent trip to Denver, and more.

This week, we have a lot of short topics (summer running, fun races, endorphins, etc…) and then finish with a race report about the Black Bear Triathlon, which was my first Olympic-distance triathlon and my first open-water swim. Before the show, Stevie asked me how the Black Bear Triathlon went. The short version: Cold. Frightening. Wet. Intimidating. Demoralizing. Painful. Exhilarating. Amazing. Euphoric. Challenging. Enlightening. —– The longish version: The water was incredibly cold compared to what I was used to. I went in for a practice swim and nearly quit because of the water temperature. It triggered a strong panicky feeling, but Andrew made me go through with it. I’m glad he did. I had never done open water swimming before, so that was all new too. I had to contend with other swimmers and staying on course. I also got a friction sore on my neck from the wetsuit. I felt a little dizzy after getting out of the water, so I took my time in the transition area, ate a gel, said hi to Andrew, and then ran my bike to the mount area. It was raining while I was doing the bike course, so the roads were wet. I was obviously on one of the lowest-end bikes there and got passed by a ton of people. I saw some people with flat tires and a couple who wiped out – so I’m glad nothing like that happened to me. The race description said that the bike course was REALLY hilly and challenging. They weren’t kidding. I kinda suck on hills, even though I practice on a hilly route. It’s partially because my bike is cheap and heavy, partially because I have only been cycling for a year, and partially because the competition at this race was incredible – loads of people from Philadelphia and New York – many of whom have done Ironman events before. After one last killer hill, I made it into “T2” (second transition) from the bike to the run. I saw Andrew again – racked the bike, took off my helmet, gloves, and glasses, and put on my running shoes. The run was the easiest part. It was a nice flat two-loop course. I passed several people who had passed me on the bike portion. I had another gel and drank lots of water. I felt pretty strong. I had some pain in my back and a stitch in my side, but nothing unbearable. I finished the two loops and ran up to the finish line where they announced my name. The woman giving me my medal said “State College, Penn State, wooo!” which I thought was pretty cool. After the race, I caught up with Andrew, grabbed some snacks, got my gear from the transition area, and headed back to the car. Once there, I switched out of my triathlon gear, used a couple of Action Wipes, put on clean clothes, and we headed home. We stopped at the Powerhouse restaurant on Route 80 on the way home and had some of the best eggplant parm that I’ve ever had. I finished in about 3:11, which was 263 out of 364 people who started (so back of the pack). My goal time was 3:00, but all things considered, I’m very happy with how I did. I finished with a smile on my face. I learned a lot. I had a great time.

Stevie and I have both had car issues this week, tadalafil which maked us think about the relationship between running and transportation. We also talk about my Nike Free 5.0 shoes, Week 4 of the Insanity Workout, and my upcoming triathlon.

This week, order Stevie and I talk about running while pregnant, generic switching to the Nike Free shoes, cramping while running, eGels and other electrolyte replacements, the McMillan Pace Calculator, Knuetes shirt reviews, and many updates from our listeners who have been completing marathons and half-marathons. Some links we mentioned on the show: e-Gel Electrolyte Energy Gel Knuetes Shirts McMillan Pace Calculator

After running a 5K race to raise money for Special Olympics, Stevie and I sat down to discuss how we did, the Insanity Workout that I’ve been doing, and the pursuit of excellence. My time was 20:58. Stevie finished in 26:24. It was a great day!

After a hectic travel schedule, Stevie and I are back on the show. This week, we talk about exercise and stress, the Tussey Mountainback, Stevie’s new personal record for the 5K, and my progress on the bike. Good luck to the folks running the Boston Marathon on Monday!

Stevie and I talk about some mobile applications that help you track your runs, cialis my good and bad experiences on the bike, dealing with plantar faciitis, getting into spring runs, and looking forward to starting the Insanity Workout DVD program.

Stevie and I are back after a short break. In this episode, we talk about my first swim in a wetsuit, adjusting the sound levels, Stevie’s new (used) bike, cycling shoes, Tia’s marathon, Justin – our youngest listener, triathlon-legal strokes, the need for a “marathon contract”, getting black toenails from Vibrams, the idea that everyone deserves to feel like a champion, and more. Yeah – lots and lots of topics this week! I want to make special note of the section where we talk about needing a logo for this podcast. I’d like something that I can use to promote it through things like t-shirts, medals, coins, etc… See the 24-minute mark for some of our ideas. In the podcast, I say that I’m using RunTracker, but the name of the app is actually RunKeeper.

This week, decease we talk about the trio of triathlons that I have signed up for, decease my attempts to learn to breathe bilaterally when swimming, the Penn State Dance Marathon, and other topics sent in from listeners.

Okay, I finally admit that I have a chemical addiction. I’m flying on an endorphin high and loving it. We also talk about the 2010 Winter Olympics, Stevie selecting new shoes, and listener mail about triathlons, staying motivated, and more.