Friday, December 10, 2010

RRT 109: Vegan Running

This evening, we had a Runner's Roundtable discussion on vegan running. Show hosts included well known podcasters Megan (Run Vegan Run), Gordon (This Running Life) and Jake (Run Like Health) as well as bloggers Margaret (Flutter-bys) and Amanda (ChemE Runner).

Have you ever wondered what veganism is? Why people decide to become vegan? How it influences health, fitness and running? If so, this is the show for you! Come along with us as we discuss the ins and outs of being vegan and an endurance athlete. We will discuss what veganism is, how it applies to health and the advantages and disadvantages of this lifestyle.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

RRT 108a: Karaoke, Joe Garland and the Imeldas

After a bit of trouble with the original Open Mike show, we reconvened and did a second one, episode 108a. We talk about recent episodes about the heart and form and nutrition. We ended up peaking into one anothers' closets and discovered lots and lots of shoes. We had Westy's Running in the chatroom and Mark U, Craig J., and Paul on the line with host Joe Garland.

Mark U adds: During the show, there was a brief discussion of the down-side to taking anti-oxidants while training. Lo and behold today's post in the excellent Sweat Science blog addresses exactly that point. Recommended read: Antioxidants block gains from endurance training.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

RRT 108: Open Mike

Unfortunately it was only Joe Garland on the Open Mike, and he cut the show short. It happens. He recommended that folks listen to last week's episode on Nutrition, and spoke about about local trails.


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

RRT 107: Nutrition Discussion with Nancy Clark

What are the key elements of appropriate nutrition for active runners and athletes? Recognizing that many runners' prime motivation is their desire to maintain or lose weight, how do they do so without impairing their health or their athletic ability? What are the key guidelines in properly tapering before a race? Do runners' nutritional requirements vary by gender, with the extent of exertion and/or age? During a race how should a runner optimally fuel and hydrate?

We discussed most of these nutrition-related questions, and many others in this episode of the Runners Round Table, which featured special guest Nancy Clark, internationally known sports nutritionist. The show was hosted by Mark Ulrich, Toni Harvey, Colin Hayes, Craig Macfarlane, and Margaret Suddeth.

Nancy answered all of our questions, and in the wrap-up section encouraged us to find a sports-dietitian via http://scandpg.org so-as to work with us individually and to answer additional questions. This site lists Members of Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN), who are experts in nutrition for athletic performance, fitness and weight management, cardiovascular health, wellness, and in the prevention and treatment disordered eating and eating disorders.

Finally, Colin Hayes' excellent Runnin' So I Can Eat song, a clip of which was played on today's show, is available for free download from his site: http://resurrectedrunner.com/

[Click Here to Listen to RRT 107]

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

RRT 106: Training Basics


A fun show. On training. With Steve Magness, Paul Butler, Julie Threlkeld, and Russ Porter. Hosted by Joe Garland.

Now that the racing season is just about up (and good luck to those with target races, such as Philly, still to come), we thought it would be a good time to step back and think about, and discuss, training approaches as we look to 2011. Do you get a book? Do you get a coach? Do you rely on a higher authority?

What's worked for you, and what hasn't? Are you ready to take it to a higher level and build on what you've done already?

Listen to RRT 106

There comes a time in a runner’s career when she decides that just going our for runs every day, or every other day, is not getting her where she wants to go. Sure, literally, but we’re talking bigger picture. We thought it’d be worthwhile to give an overview of what you might consider in taing that (figurative) next stop, i.e., to pick a training program.

When I’m asked about training approaches, I suggest that people pick up a copy of Daniels’ Running Formula. I do this not to necessarily endorse Daniels’s approach but to have people read through the background section on physiology and the various systems that need to be stressed for improvement. Speed, distance. Tempos, repeats. MP runs, progression runs.

Daniels is also a proponent of periodization. In broad strokes, you break down the year into two 6-month periods and divide those periods up into quarters, and train differently throughout, building to a target race.

I am most familiar with Daniels, but have had exposure to other books, which have similar approaches (e.g., Pfitz/Douglas). I’m interested in hearing what other approaches are out there (e.g., Higdon, Hudson, FIRST).

We talked about sources for gaining insight on training. As an example, Steve Magness, who was on the show, just published something quite nice in Running Times concerning stress, and its usefulness. I’m not a fan of articles about the-best-workout-you’ll-do-for-a-5K/10K/Marathon/whatever-PR, but I find useful insights in things like Steve’s piece and other recent articles that focus on an aspect of training. For example, there was a good recent piece about Kim Smith about associating with (as opposed to disassociating from) pain and discomfort during training. I also found an interesting piece by John Kellogg about training for older runners. Again, things that get filed away in my brain as a way to personalize my own training.
That said, I will be speaking about turning yourself over to a coach. In fact, one reason for putting off the show was that I was meeting with a potential coach, who I have since decided to hire. Her thoughts are similar to mine with her own little tweaks. Plus it helps with structuring my training.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

RRT 105: Interview with Ruth England

Amanda Lanza (http://chemerunner.blogspot.com/) hosted an interview with Ruth England of Rogue Running in Austin, TX (http://www.roguerunning.com/). In 2004, Ruth and two friends founded Rogue Running with the goal of applying elite level training concepts to everyday runners. They are an integral part of the Austin community, operating a specialty store, hosting race events and training hundreds of runners every year for marathons, half marathons, ultras and other goal races.

[Click Here to Listen to RRT 105]

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

RRT 104: Endurance Relays

Looking for a race that is a little different from your local 5K or marathon? Interested in relay races? Curious about what RAGNAR is?

We had a great talk around the table regarding endurance relays, discussing putting together a team, finding a team to join, and what to expect during the race and at the finish line.

Hosting was Dr. Dave (NeverNotRunning.com) who will be running RAGNAR Key West in January. Co-hosting was Mark U. (RunInAmerica.com), Colin Hayes (ResurrectedRunner.blogspot.com), Chris Russell (RunRunLive.com), and Amanda Lanza (ChemERunner.blogspot.com).

[Click Here to Listen to RRT 104]

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

RRT 103: Houston Hopefuls

This was a good one. A bunch of fast women talking running. Julie Threlkeld who produces HoustonHopefuls.com
(where you can read individual interviews), hosted



  • Julie Wankowski
  • Lori Kingsley
  • Jaymee Marty
  • Jen Hitchings
  • Jill Howard
all Masters women aiming to qualify for the women's marathon Olympic Trials ("OT") in Houston in January 2012. Just listen.

Jaymee, who got her OTQ in the heat of Chicago, spoke of her mental training as complementing her physical work, a topic she covered in an excellent post, Shifting Balance, worth a read by all runners.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

RRT: CII Open Mike

We had a nice chat. In the end, it was mostly about marathons generally and Chicago in particular as two guests, Mark of RunInAmerica blog and Craig shared their experiences. Here's a LetsRun thread: Chicago was warmer than people think. We spoke as well about the pros and cons of DNFing when things take a turn for the worse.

Paul called in from California and was pleased to get some tips for his upcoming adventure at the ING New York City Marathon. Mark recommended Liz Robbins's "A Race Like No Other" about, of course, that race, and host Joe Garland seconded the suggestion. EddieMarathon is excited about running Marine Corps on October 31; he did the race last year. Eddie offered to have people doing MCM with logistical questions to touch base with him, and he and Adam T will be hosting an event there on race week-end. For those with questions about NY, feel free to drop Joe Garland a line.

Mark also directed us to mantras of use to runners. Joe Garland offered one: If during a marathon you ask yourself why you are doing it, do not try to answer it since you may have trouble coming up with something convincing. Instead, simply tell yourself that there is an answer and you'll remember it after the finish.

It was pointed out that marathons are closing earlier and earlier. Several, including Chicago, Marine Corps, and Boston (even with its qualifying standard) close out early, and Craig sent on a link to a Wall Street Journal article that says Boston, which opens for registration on October 18, might be full by mid-November, before Philly (and perhaps before NY on Nov. 7). New York, on the other hand, fills by a lottery (with Marathon and Half-Marathon times getting people automatic entry as well).

The lesson: If you're interested in running a particular marathon, you'd better enter or you'll likely be shut out.

We also spoke a bit about training for old folks. Joe Garland pointed to a link to his blog in which he sets out a long piece by coach John Kellogg that discusses the different training approaches that runners over 40 should take. Joe's incorporated some of these ideas into his own training.

For next week, the show will have several HoustonHopefuls, Masters women trying to a 2:46:00 OT qualifier. And we spoke of one of those no-longer-hopefuls, Jaymee, who got her qualifier in the tough conditions of Chicago, and who told a fine tale about it. (Joe reproduces the as-it-happened chatter of Jaymee's followers on Facebook.)

The show went long; we're thinking one might be able to find 60 decent minutes in the thing. Might.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

RRT 101: Things to Remember and Know on your Marathon race day

On Wednesday, October 6th, host Mark U. (http://runinamerica.com) was joined by Chris Russell (http://www.runrunlive.com), Colin Hayes (http://resurrectedrunner.blogspot.com), Stephen Tarleton (http://www.irunic.com/), and Pete Larson (http://runblogger.com). This show was very topical with ongoing flurry of fall races, as the group shared our lessons learned concerning:
  • How to set a realistic, yet challenging goal finishing time;
  • How race-day weather and the runner's physical condition can - and should - change the goal time;
  • How the runner should adapt their pacing plan based on the course's elevation changes and their extent of "fade" in the late miles of the run;
  • Advantages/disadvantages of wearing an MP3 player during a race;
  • The panel's experience and advice with a number of fall marathons;
  • Key preparations in the weeks, days, and hours preceding the race.
Joining from the chat room were Craig Macfarlane, Joe Garland, MedScholarAdamL, Steve Melb, adamm9 and Guests 7, 8 & 9.

[Click Here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 101]_



Monday, September 27, 2010

RRT 100 - Run your own WWFOR!

Steve Chopper (host of the amilewith.me podcast) talks with Petra (www.petraruns.blogspot.com) and her husband Adam who are inviting UK runners to run together on their farm in Lincolnshire in 1.4mi loops.
Kris (host of the Geek Girl Runner podcast) and Jim "JayDub" (host of the B-HAG podcast) talk about their plans to run their own WWFOR in Sydney Australia!
From the chatroom, Iain (www.devoniain.blogspot.com) will be running (and more) at Ironman Hawaii in Kona for his race, and Craig McFarlane will be running the Chicago Marathon.

Its not too late to sign up for the Worldwide Festival of Races!       www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com 


In the UK we hope to join together with Steve Chopper, Adam and Petra, Mark Wheeton, Harry, Toni (www.drusy.blogspot.com), Shelia, Gary Wall (www.kinverkid.blogspot.com) and Paul (The Run Yank Run podcast). Photo is some of us running the Swift Half in May. email if you want to join the Lincolnshire Lollop this year (runnersroundtable@gmail.com)


[Click Here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 100]

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

RRT 99: Trail Running for the Urbanite

On September 22nd we discussed all things trail running for the city-dweller, including how to find urban trails, what shoes to use, trail races, when to drive to a trail and the all important, philosophical question: what is your position about running on golf courses?

Representing Los Angeles, we had Stuart from the Quadrathon blog and podcast. Amanda in Austin hosted the show, and hailing from Houston was Mark, author of the Run in America blog. Mike, host of the Westy's Running blog joined us from Minneapolis, and Chris from the RunRunLive podcast represented Boston, and many other cities that he visits. Amanda hosted, discussing Austin and Boston, and is the author of the ChemERunner Blog.

[Click Here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 99]

Friday, September 10, 2010

RRT98: Running Form (and some stuff on shoes too)

An interesting time, at least, was had by all as a panel discussed Running Form. Is there a take-away? It's not for us to say. We will say it's worth a listen.

Among the things we discussed:
  • Pete has some super slo-mo videos from Boston (the below stills are from them).
  • A study of Marine recruits on whether the type of shoes matter.
  • Mark had nice things to say about Evolution Running's video.
  • Mark also said using a techno-beat of 180 a minute helps increase the cadence; you can get it at PodRunner.com.
  • Brandon Wood had good information on Jason's site on the transition to a forefoot stride (if that's something you want to do).
On the issue of stride frequency, Steve followed up with this:

Also, I wanted to give some concrete numbers to Mark's question last night. I'm pretty sure it was Mark who asked me about the East African runner's stride frequencies. I wanted to give some concrete numbers. A runner, and now scientist, who I competed against in college sent me these results a year or so ago. He took 6 Kenyan's who ran at UTEP and measured a variety of biomechanical things at various speeds. These guys were top runners who grew up in Kenya then came over to the US for college to run, so it gives us an interesting glimpse into Kenyan running. The interesting thing with cadence measurments is that they measured it at a variety of speeds from pretty slow for them to relatively fast. When looking at the paces keep in mind that these guys are all 14min or faster 5k runners. Just to give you an idea on relative pace, the 7:40 would be a really slow jog. The 6:43= easy distance run pace, 5:58=normal distance run pace 5:22=steady, uptempo, marathon pace kind of effort. And 4:58 pace is probably right around threshold pace.
Pace per mile Avg. Cadence
7:40 175
6:43 181
5:58 185
5:22 191
4:58 196

"Distance runners and coaches seem to hate the topic of running form. Most subscribe to the idea that a runner will naturally find his best stride and that stride should not be changed." Steve Magness continues, "It’s my belief that the wide range of 'correct' ways to run has led to this apathetic attitude towards running form changes by most athletes and coaches. The argument that running is a natural movement that should not be corrected is easy to dispel."

Taking a look at Steve's series, Pete Larson put up on of his own, On Running Form. Pete took a look at some high-speed/slow-motion videos he had taken at Boston (those are the leaders in the photo) and drilled down to the $64,000 Question: What about heel-strike?

Meanwhile Jason Kehl's blog Geeks in Running Shoes (with Raymond King) got into the act, linking to Pete's blog and, in a separate entry, referred to Jeff Kline's posts about "the" proper form.

Mark U. wrote into his blog Run In America concerning the mid-foot/minimalist cause, his efforts to change his form and his improvement.

Hosted by Joe Garland. Give it a listen:

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

RRT 97: Yelling & Williams from Marathon Talk

On Episode 97, Steve Chopper and the team were joined by Martin Yelling and Tom Williams from the MarathonTalk podcast.

Martin (right), husband of 2x Olympic Marathon runner Liz, is a former British duathlon champ and is now a leading running and tri coach. Tom (below) is a an experienced marathoner and 7x ironman finisher.

Together they produce the fantastic "Marathon Talk" podcast.

The guys have also been helping the London 2012 organizers in utilizing the power of social media, blogs and podcasts in the lead-up to the Olympics, so know a thing or two about the power of podcasts when linked to athletics.

They had some interesting insights to share with the live panel of Toni, Mark U from RunInAmerica, Joe from RunWestchester, Craig, and AMileWithMe's Steve.

Joining us in the chatroom, in addition to the panelists, were Matt the DumpRunner, Danny Norman, Steve Runner, The Curio, Nigel Runner (possibly related to Steve!), Catarcher and MedScholarAdam.

There were also over 20 "guest" participants in the live chatroom as the team discussed the power of interactive new-media in creating a global running community.

[Click Here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 97]




Monday, August 23, 2010

RRT96: The Quest for the 50-Mile Ultramarathon

On Tuesday, August 24th, Eddie Marathon, Mike Westermeier, Ashland Dave, and Kevin Green discussed the road to tackling the 50-mile ultramarathon. If you have ever run such a distance or have thought about doing so or even if you think such an idea is a little (or a lot!) crazy, then check out the podcast with some fellow runners as they explored what goes into making such a commitment. Bring plenty of food and water for this one folks. We’re going long down trail!

The chatroom was buzzing with many fellow runners including: Dr. Smitty, Cewtwo, Carrie WtRS, Med Scholar Adam, Steve Runner, DirtDawg, Mark U, Patti Serrano, and Rob Maury.

You can find Eddie at his blog Eddie Marathon as well as on the Shock of the News podcast with his co-host Adam Tinkoff. Mike writes a great blog at Westy’s Running. Dave is the host of the podcast Running in the Center of the Universe. Kevin is the founder of Just Finish.

Come join us at the table!

[Click Here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 96]

Thursday, August 19, 2010

RRT95: Channelrunner.org

In this episode of the Roundtable THE Adam Tinkoff (new media legend and friend to everyone who calls themselves a runner…and human being) talks with both Simon and Nigel about their ground breaking new creation: Channel Runner, THE first and only internet radio station of running content in the world wide web. 

Channel Runner is the most important thing to happen to New Media in a long time, and along with the video excellence of http://www.runcast.tv this streaming radio station is well positioned to take the content created by fellow runners to a new “audience” (spoken with the quotes firmly in place) of friends, as a means of expanding our community well beyond the current reach.

Channel Runner is a game changer, and as the year progresses we will find that the number of friends and fellow runners who are a part of our Running Community will expand past the tens of thousands into the hundreds of thousands and more!

Listen in as Adam talks with Nigel, Simon and some late comer named Steve on this special edition of the Runners Round Table!


Monday, August 16, 2010

A Few Good Ideas

A couple of weeks back there was a discussion on RunnersRoundTable about . . . RunnersRoundTable. The program, closing in on its 100th episode, is looking to enlarge its fan base and its contributor base.

After nearly two years of being administered by Lady H, the RRT is now a true community-effort. If you look to the right, you'll see a reference to RRT's new GoogleGroup. It is the headquarters for all things RRT. It's self-help:
  • You get an idea, old, new, borrowed, blue;
  • You get input from other group members;
  • You schedule a show in an open week;
  • You get your panel;
  • You act as the show's Timekeeper (a simple task).
The GoogleGroup page makes this simplicity itself. This is a community effort, from start to finish. We want, indeed need, everyone's input. Shows and topics people like. Shows and topics they don't.

Things may be a bit bumpy in this transition period as we all get accustomed to the new system, so bear with us. Better still, if you see an open week, grab it. And run with it.

Yes, there's always room for you at the Table. Now we're asking you to bring a chair.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

RRT 94: Running for a Healthy Heart

Join Dr. Dave, John Ellis and Steve Runner for a healthy discussion about one of the greatest benefits of running: Having a Healthy Heart. We’ll talk about ways to care for your heart, and what specific benefits running offers your cardiovascular system. Take heart and join us at the table as we talk all things heart related to running!
Links:

Monday, August 2, 2010

RRT 93: Running In The Heat: 8/4 @ 8


There was a good discussion in the hot-weather-running program among Amanda (ChemE Runner), a Boston-area native doing a 5-year stint (3 to go!) in Austin getting a Chemical Engineering PhD; Philadelphian Flo (GirlInMotion); and the multi-jurisdictional CoachAdam (having most recently spent time in southern India). Joe Garland hosted.

Some good stuff on this one, especially on the tricky issue of what to drink and how much of it to drink. Are you racing in the heat or just trying to train through it? Maybe you should prepare yourself for the former just in case you have a barn-burner in your target race, as they did in Chicago a few years back.

And as with so much stuff running, we're unique and we reacted to conditions in our own ways. But in the end, when you cross your red-line, STOP.

Special Round Table Metacast: The Future of the RRT

This is a very special, unscheduled episode of the Runners Round Table where we discuss how best to go forward with the “show”.

We need more runners to take ownership of the RRT, buy stepping up to become Time Keepers and Program Managers for the show.

YOU ARE QUALIFIED for this, and WE WILL TRAIN YOU on the simple, non-technical procedure for organizing, scheduling, recording, and presenting this important part of the Running Community.

Being a part of the Runners Round Table is rewarding and fun.  It gives you the change to meet and talk with friends and fellow runners all over the world.  It is through this that we come together to create and celebrate our community.

Please give this episode a listen and consider becoming a planner, manager and TimeKeeper for the RRT.  THIS IS YOUR PODCAST, and there’s always plenty of room for you AT THE TABLE.

In attendance: Toni Harvey, Mark U, Eddie Marathon and Steve "air quotes" Runner.

Friday, July 23, 2010

RRT 92: Compete or Complete?

Charlie (Running with Coffee), Mike (Westy's Running), Tim (RunDervRun), Eddie (Eddie Marathon), and Joe (RunWestchester) had a lively discussion on the events we enter and if we do so to compete or complete? If I work really hard to train but am still slow, am I an athlete? If I'm a guy and can't break 2:10 in the marathon, what's the point? Well, you just have to listen to find out.

We had a busy chat room and even had a special guest caller, although he called in as guest #9, we all knew it was really the ZenRunner. Here are a few of the folks who joined us (my apologies in advance to anyone I missed): Navy58, SteveRunner, CewTwo, ZenRunner, Aclements, theburnster, thecrazyrunner and fishadad.

There have been articles over the last few years that seem to say if you can't compete you shouldn't be out there. Although it was an ad from Pearl Izumi that provided the basis for the show along with articles like these which we talk about during the show.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

RRT91 Dick Beardsley Running Camp

Listen in as Mike (Westy's Running blog), Albert (Albert Runs) and Lesley (Going the Extra Mile) chat with Dick Beardsley, elite runner, author, coach and motivational speaker about Running Camps. Also on the show were Chris and Kay, a couple of returning campers from Dick's Marathon Running Camp. The camp is held each September at Rainbow Resort in Minnesota with Marathon and Beyond magazine.

Dick is currently the third fastest American-born man in the marathon and joint winner of the first London Marathon in 2:11:48 (29 March 1981). But he's most famous for the race he didn't win (despite a 2:08:53 time!), one of the subjects of the 2006 book, Duel in the Sun by John Brant. And Dick has written his own inspirational autobiography Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race recounting the stunning race in Boston that made him a celebrity and the difficult years that followed and his about him is his climb back to health after becoming addicted to pain medication after a farm accident.

The Dick Beardsley Foundation was recently established to help individuals who cannot afford treatment for chemical dependency. The work of the Foundation allows Dick to travel around the country, talking to children about positive, active lifestyles, and being chemically free.

Click here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 91

Sunday, July 4, 2010

RRT 90 Overtraining Pitfalls

Toni (Drusy's Blog); Amelia, a health and fitness coach from Sydney, Australia (AmeliaBurton.com); Brooke from Memphis; Petra from Lincolnshire, host of her blog Petra runs; and Marathon Maniac/running trainer Tory (Journey Fitness and runtoryrun.com) from Seattle talk about the causes and symptoms of overtraining. Can running too much have a negative impact on your physiological, biomedical, and psychological health? Friends and family? And for women, even your fertility. For iron deficiency, John ellis recommeded reading this post  at pfitzinger.com In the chatroom were Nigel from Running from the Reaper podcast, Matt from the Dump Runners Club podcast, Adam from the True confessions of a Medical Scholar blog, Margaret from her Flutter-bys blog, John Ellis from The 22miler blog blog, Clewsy (@clewsy), Chris Russell host of the Run Run Live podcast, Colin from his blog, Resurrected Runner blog, and Craig @Craigmacfarlane.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

RRT 89 - Steve Runner Roast

Adam Tinkoff, (Burning2010 podcast) and Eddie Marathon (Shock of the News podcast) lead a "roasting" of Steve Runner with love, adoration and a side of ribbing for good measure in celebration of 5 amazing years producing the podcast we all love, Phedippidations.

Also contributing were Kevin (The Extra Mile podcast), Charlie (Cewtwo blog), Margaret (Flutter-bys Blog), Simon (theCurio), Brian (@Triboomer ) of the Stay Tuned Report podcast, John from the Poi, Gordon (Run to Disney podcast), Toni (Drusy's Blog), Norm Stumbler, Mark U (Run in America blog), Chris Russell (RunRunLive Podcast), Dan from 4FeetRunning and Shock of the News podcast, Stormin Norman, Garry Manhart (The Regional Runner podcast) and Ron (@Royboy21) ... and a few b-list celebs stopped by, Jenny McCarthy, Tom Cruise and Barry Bonds, Vino from the inter-Glactic race and special appearances of John and Lynn Walker.



CONGRATS TO STEVE:
There once was a boy born in Milton, Mass,
Who lucky for us grew up as a NON-bad ass,
Though he proved quite the geek,
And, couldn't care less that he was not chik!

This boy was born of the Walker clan,
But, a walker to remain was NOT part of his plan,
Since his boy John he and Lynn had,
And of his growing girth he KNEW to be bad.

So, he gave up his "Cheesy Poof" eating ways,
And of the doomed couch which had occupied his days,
And decided to become active in life, and all of its ways,
And he took-up his podcast mike for MUCH more than a phase.

For you see this geek was an engineer,
The radio kind, you dolt, so don't sneer,
Automating stations he had traveled the world,
Only a Red Sox Banner he had unfurled.

That first Phedip was five years ago,
Initially a blog, but then BINGO!
For now two-hundred thirty eight episodes on,
We knew this show was no con!

For we liked as a friend this persnickety Steve,
And of his four-hour marathon we KNOW he'll achieve,
With coach and advisor John on his side,
'Fore long we KNOW he WON'T be denied!

This poem is our way of saying to Steve,
Congratulations!! Especially for helping to conceive,
Phedip, Runner's Roundtable and THE Extra Mile,
And we hope, that you'll stay a very LONG while!!

(Mark U)


Click here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 89

Saturday, June 26, 2010

RRT88 - HOW TO QUALIFY FOR BOSTON

Chris Russell, host of the RunRunLive podcast talks with with Jake, host of the runlikehealth.com podcast; Megan, host of the Run Vegan Run and Country Vegan podcasts; Josh host of the Speedy Sasquatch blog; Jessica, Christy host of 26milemark blog, Amanda and Jeff, owner and coach of PRSfit.com about HOW TO QUALIFY FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON, the mecca for runners.


Click here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 88

Sunday, June 20, 2010

RRT 87 - World Wide Festival of Races

Steve Runner of the Phedippidations Podcast hosted a race director's meeting for the 2010 World Wide Festival of Races!  This race is a free, non-commercial event for runners of all abilities, where everyone is invited to register, train and run with us in the spirit of friendship. If you’ve not yet signed up, check out http://www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com/.On the weekend of 9-10 October 2010 runners from around the world will 'virtually' come together to celebrate their passion for the sport they love by running The Worldwide Festival of Races Half Marathon, 10K and 5K distances.

 We had Kevin, from the Extra Mile Podcast, Steve C from the a mile with me podcast, and Terry from the Gravity@1053 podcast on the call. In the chatroom were Nigel from Running from the Reaper podcast, Krister from the Running the Narrow Path podcast, Adam from the True confessions of a Medical Scholar blog, Margaret from her Flutter-bys blog, Joe from The Middle Aged Athlete blog, Allterrain, Mark U from the Run in America blog, and Craig @Craigmacfarlane.


Click here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 87

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

RRT86 - Running to overcome


Mark U (host of his blog Run In America), talks about the healing power of running with Lisa (host of her blog Nurse on the Run), and Charlie (host of his blog Running with Coffee).

Each shares their story about how running has helped them to overcome adversities and challenges.

Referenced links within the podcast:

In the chat room we had Adam @MedScholarAdam (his blog), Butterflyrunner, and navy58.

Monday, June 7, 2010

RRT85 - NOT over the hill runners

Dan @passinthrough talks with Margaret @butterflyrunnr, host of her blog Flutter-bysMatt,@runnermatt host of the Dump Runners Club PodcastColin @resurrectedrunr, host of the Resurrected Runner Blog and Toni @drusy host of drusy.blogspot.com  talk about how to keep running... even when you may never break those lofty PRs of your past.  How to stay motivated and KEEP RUNNING!


In the chat room we had Charlie @cewtwo, host of the blog www.cewtwo.com; Joe Garland, host of his blog www.runwestchester.wordpress.com; Adam @MedScholarAdam, host of his blog trueconfessionsofamedicalscholar.blogspot.com; The Fire Runner, host of the blog www.thefirerunner.blogspot.com; Adam, host of his blog www.theboringrunner.com; Craig Macfarnlane @craigmacfarlane, and cydave.


Click here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 85

Sunday, May 30, 2010

RRT 84 - Open Mike - Half Marathon Advice

Steve Chopper, host of the "a mile with me" podcast, chats with Margaret @butterflyrunnr, host of her blog Flutter-bys, Joe Garland, host of the RunWestchester blog, Petra, host of her blog, Petraruns.blogspot.com and Toni host of her blog Drusy.blogspot.com about half marathons.

There were lots of people in the chatroom including Nigelrunner, host of the Running From The Reaper Podcast, Matt host of the Dump Runners Club Podcastt, Brian, host of the  "Triboomer" Stay Tuned Report Podcast, Gary Wall, who just completed his 50 mi at 50 run and blogs at Kinverkid.blogspot, Colin, host of the Resurrected Runner Blog and cyDave.

Click here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 84

Sunday, May 23, 2010

RRT 83: Running Blogs

From the moment Johannes Gutenberg pieced together the first printing press in 1440, the printed word has been helping to educate, motivate and inspire fellow runners all over the world to live a better life.

From the early days of CompuServe, GEnie, BiX, Bulletin Board Systems and Usenet in the last decade of the 20th Century: the “Web Log” (Blog) has gone far past its original purpose of an “online diary”.  Today there are over 112 million blogs (tracked by the search engine Technorati) being updated by people all over the planet; giving Blog readers an interesting and entertaining perspective that old mass media could never approach.

On this 83rd episode of the Runners Round Table, we’re going to talk about Running Blogs: listing MANY examples and discussing why this media format is so important to both the running community network and others who are contemplating lacing up their shoes to join us on the road.

What makes a “Good” Running Blog?  Why is a Running Blog such a powerful method of motivating and inspiring others?  How and does audio and video media change the way that Running Blogs are consumed?  What are the barriers to entry for would be Running Bloggers?  What are the best online services for blogging? Why should YOU start a running blog?

Pull up a chair as we look for the answers to these questions and more, with Steve Runner (host of the Phedippidations podcast, and his Intervals blog) at the controls (pray for us) along with Adam "Boring Runner" from , Eddie Marathon and THE Zen Runner (to keep Steve in line).

Here's a link to a BUNCH of great Running Blogs!  

Blogs mentioned:
http://resurrectedrunner.blogspot.com
http://RunInAmerica.com

Zen Runner Mentioned:
http://www.corsolameta.blogspot.com
http://www.geekgirlrunner.com
http://thesecretlifeofkris.com
http://draft.blogger.com

Steve Runner Mentioned: 
http://giverunning.org

Also at the table was:  cewtwo, craigmacfarlane, liferunner, MarkU, ResurrectedRunner, verbivore, DAGs, forty2atforty2 and quest262 .

Thursday, May 13, 2010

RRT 82 - Reasons NOT To Run A Marathon

Open a running magazine, listen to a running podcast, read a running blog, and there it will be. The M word. On the May 19, 4pm EST episode, we'll discuss whether one can in fact lead a rich and fulfilling runner's life without racing a marathon. Must it be the grail, the sine qua non, the McGuffin?

The panel will consist of folks who have run marathons. They've walked the walk. We'll see if they can talk the talk. Some have asked whether there is something more, and declined to define "more" as "longer." Hosting will be Joe Garland, who wrote about the debate on the first of the year and posted this for the show. He'll be joined by GirlInMotion's Flo (whose recent Boston was her swan song in the event and who's debated the issue herself), Mark U. of Run In America fame, Matt of the DumpRunners Club, and Colin Hayes of the Resurrected Runner. Colin did a somewhat disappointing 3:49:32 on May 15 and Matt was disappointed with a 3:03:59, and we'll be speaking about both of those.

So if you feel resigned to having long been herded to the "has-only-run-a-half" table at social events, perhaps you'll discover that that's where the cool kids are.


Thursday, May 6, 2010

RRT81 - Running to the Limits

We talked with freelance director, motivational speaker and cameraman, (AlexVero.co.uk), who made a bold new year's resolution in 2006 to leave the lad's life of drinking and smoking behind and  become a 2:20 marathoner in two years. He produced a video, “Running to the Limits” that documents his journey toward his goal. We talk about the root causes of Britain’s decline from having 100+ sub 2:20 runners in 1985 to just 5 in 2005, how to become really fast and what it means for Kenyans and Ethiopians to win big races.


You'll have to buy the video to find out if he made it! (here) and a portion of the profits will go to support a great charity to get shoes and healthcare to African young runners  http://www.shoe4africa.org/sendshoes.htm

Co-hosting are Paul (host of RunYankRun Podcast and runyankrun.blogspot.com), Lisa (nurseontherun.com)  and Toni (drusy.blogspot.com). In the chatroom we had Joe Garland (runwestchester.wordpress.com), Steve Runner (Phedippidations podcast), Trucker George, Margaret (@butterflyrunnr and Flutterbys blog), Matt (Dumprunners Club podcast) and Chris (@theTechGuyChris).



[Click here for Runners Roundtable - Episode 81]