Podcasts: My Long Run Entertainment

For years, I have listened to podcasts while on my long runs (or in the car, or cleaning the house, or…).

What’s a podcast?  Think of it as… a downloadable radio show.  No need to listen to it live or have a paid subscription anywhere.  You just download and go!   If you need more information on how to download podcasts, I’d recommend asking Google, since the details vary based on what device you’re using.  Instead, I’m going to tell you about the top three podcasts currently playing through my earbuds.

Serial – I first heard about this podcast thanks to Entertainment Weekly.  Serial is a podcast by the same people who do This American Life.  They take a non-fiction story and tell parts of it week by week, much like the serialized stories of old.  This isn’t like reading a chapter of a book each week though.  It’s much, much more than that.  The current story is about a murder from 1999.  The author is going through all sorts of old testimony and transcripts, reviewing maps and other information, and holding new interviews.  And it can all be heard on the podcast.  The 6th episode comes out this week, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.  Note that you really need to listen to this podcast in order, but thankfully, all of the old episodes are available.

Stuff You Missed in History Class – A production of HowStuffWorks.com, this podcast takes you through all sorts of historical events, probably ones you don’t know too much about.  From battles to interesting characters to disappearing ships, this one has something for everyone.  The podcast has been on for years, so there are hundreds of back episodes for you to check out and download.  I listened to way too many episodes of this podcast while painting my closet back in July.  Each episode stands alone, so if there’s a subject you’re just not into, you can skip over it without any trouble.

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided History – I found Sawbones through Stuff You Missed in History.  A doctor and her husband dig through history and discuss some of the ridiculous ways we tried to fix ourselves when sick or injured.  This one is always entertaining, though I struggled to make it through the cataracts episode.  I’m normally not squeamish, but ick.  I’m not sure what my favorite episode has been so far, but the pregnancy tests one was pretty good, as was the one on self-surgery.  It’s amazing the human race is still around.

Those are my big ones right now.  Not your cup of tea?  No problem!  There are podcasts about everything!  Running, triathlon, tv shows, current events, games, movies, the list goes on and on.

What podcasts are you currently listening to?  I’m always up to download something new.

Werewolf or Vampire?

Yesterday, we had an important debate.

Would you rather be a werewolf or a vampire?

Wolf looking a bit mean[46/365] Count Brickula

You have to choose one or the other, and no messing with the rules.  You can’t be a half-vampire or a hybrid of the two.  And in this world, vampires don’t sparkle.  Because that is just crazy.

Here are some of the factors we came up with:

Vampire pros:

  • Can fly (possibly as a bat, unsure of actual method)
  • Can move very fast
  • Eternal life

Vampire cons:

  • Sunlight
  • Eternal life (unless all your friends are vampires, this sounds sad)
  • Only eating blood, no food.

Werewolf pros:

  • Get to be human a good portion of the time
  • Can run fast and frolic in nature
  • Can potentially stock home with raw meat so hunting is optional.

Werewolf cons:

  • Can’t control transition
  • Questionable as to whether or not you can control who you kill while wolfed out

Now, there are other issues here that I’ve not touched upon.  But where do you fall on the werewolf/vampire debate?  Personally, I choose werewolf.  Perhaps the less sexy option, but I’m sticking to it.

 

Chrissy is FAMOUS!

I am so excited.  I just got back from our break room where I watched the lovely Chrissy on the Today Show sharing her Linzer cookies.  Chrissy and I lived across the hall from each other freshman year of college and then in the same tiny dorm for the rest of our college days.  With all the baking she managed to do in our tiny dorm kitchen, it is no surprise to me that she has many awesome cookie recipes.

I’m so proud of her for going on live national tv and not doing anything embarrassing.  Good job, Chrissy!

So today, go read her awesome blog, The Hungary Buddha Eats the World.  It’s a really cool blog where she picks a region and then cooks four things from that region – a breakfast, two entrees, and a dessert.  It is AWESOME.  And makes me wish I had spent more time with her in that tiny dorm kitchen so I could have picked up some cooking tips.

Seriously.  Go read.  It’s interesting, educational, and will probably leave you with a puddle of drool on your desk.

Spirit of the Marathon II

First, I must admit, I still haven’t seen the original Spirit of the Marathon.  I have Netflix, it’s in my queue, I just haven’t watched it.

My DVR is also 85% full, so clearly, I just have trouble sitting in one place and watching things.

But nonetheless, I went to see Spirit of the Marathon II last Wednesday.  Everyone talks about how inspiring and wonderful the first one was, so I had high hopes.

And… I was underwhelmed.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good movie and I wasn’t bored at all during it, but it wasn’t this awe-inspiring moment that made me want to go out and run a marathon.

I know a lot of people came out and thought “I must now go run the Rome Marathon.”  Now, this is just me, but my thought was “I’m sure it’s pretty, but it would be wasted on me.”  I’m not good at remembering race courses, and I’m sure Rome would be no different.

I did like the people they picked to profile, though the Marathon Goddess was definitely one of those people I would have wanted to punch during the race.  I give her a ton of credit for what she did, and I’m sure she’s an amazing, inspiring pace group leader, but she was just way too perky.  That said, 52 marathons in 52 weeks is amazing and I hope she raised her million dollars.

The cousins were hilarious.  So much fun to follow their story.  And I hope the movie has helped Ylenia’s store do better.  She’s famous!  Go buy from her!  I felt sad for Cliff that he seemed to be all alone in Rome.

I found myself really pulling for Vasyl and Epiphanie.  This race meant so much more for them than just finishing.  I was so impressed with Epiphanie’s story.  Winning in a race meant more money for her and her family, and it sounded like she spread that money around her community as well.  Such a different story from elite runners in other countries.  I’m sad that it sounds like she’s no longer competing, because I would love to see her on the international stage again.  That said, coaching is an amazing place for her to be.

I think maybe the reason the movie didn’t move me like it moves so many others is that I didn’t see myself in any of these runners.  These people are all incredible runners, clearly with bodies made for running.  Even those who struggled still pulled off incredible finishes, at least from my point of view.

Or maybe it was just that I didn’t feel like there was a big emotional climax.  I wasn’t feeling the nerves with the runners.  I didn’t really feel the finish line exhilaration.

Again, it wasn’t a bad movie.  It just wasn’t what I hoped it would be.

 

Find Your Greatness

If you’ve been watching tv during the Olympics (and not fast forwarding through commercials), you may have seen this commercial featuring 12-year-old Nathan.

For those of you who can’t hear the voiceover, here is the text:

Greatness it’s just something we made up. Somehow we come to believe that greatness is a gift reserved for a chosen few for prodigies, for superstars, and the rest of us can only stand by watching. You can forget that. Greatness is not some rare DNA strand. It’s not some precious thing. Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing. We are all capable of it, all of us.

I love this video.  I love the meaning behind it.  And I love hearing that Nathan and his mom have been inspired by the video and plan to work to get healthy.

Healthy.

Not thin.  Not skinny.  Healthy.

There have been commenters on the internet who have said this video mocks Nathan for being overweight.  I don’t think that’s true at all.  Are some people watching laughing at him?  Probably.  Are more people looking at him and saying “Hey, if he can do it, maybe I can too.”  I certainly hope so.

I love watching the Olympics.  I think the athletes are incredibly inspirational.  I have a soft spot in my heart for the distance runners.  They’re amazing.  At mile 20, they’re still running at a pace that I don’t think I could reach even for thirty seconds.  But I don’t compare myself to them – I take the inspiration from their dedication to the sport.

Just because I can’t be Olympic great doesn’t mean I can’t be me great.