Ear Candy - Podcasts for Long Runs

I like to run and bike by myself. While it is fun to occasionally spend time with others on an athletic excursion, I generally prefer my own company. I do like to listen to podcasts (not when I bike, but on runs). And for this blog, I figured I'd share a bit about podcasts I listen to whenever I am pounding the trails or pavement. Most of what I listen to is irreverent, mixes a bit of humor and politics, and has relatively explicit language. So if these characteristics are not your cup of tea, feel free to take a pass on my suggestions.

My favorite podcast is Lexicon Valley. The show is pretty much described by its title. It has a chatty, friendly vibe that really proves the point - learning can be fun. And I have learned a lot about language listening to the all-too-infrequent shows that are posted on Slate's website (also avail on iTunes) - http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/lexicon_valley.html

Another Slate.com podcast that is enjoyable is The Gist with Mike Pesca. The show is somewhat humorous and covers current events (both weighty and light). I enjoy the easy flow of the podcast as well as its POV. I will confess to skipping over a couple of the regular segments. For instance, to me, having a song a week by They Might Be Giants, is a bit much. I used to love the band, but honestly, too much cleverness on a weekly basis starts to grate on my nerves after a couple of rotations. But the show is very solid otherwise. It can be found here: http://www.slate.com/search.html?wpisrc=burger_bar#search=the%20gist

Those who remember Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla will like the Adam and Drew show on Carolla Digital. While the podcast is as self-indulgent as any other, it is just the sort of diversion that one can tune into (and out of) while on a long run. The two hosts are eminently accessible. Topics are drugs, sex, health, and a good dose of life-pro-tips. It is a fun show to add to your iPod. http://adamanddrdrewshow.com

Also on Carolla Digital is Penn's Sunday School. Magician, comedian, thinker, and atheist, Penn Jillete has created one of the most entertaining podcasts on the www. You don't have to be libertarian or atheist to enjoy this show. While a large portion of PSS is about all that goes on in the life of Penn, the show works because he leads a very interesting life, and has an interesting (if not always agreeable) take on the world around him. PSS is probably one of the top two podcasts I listen to on a regular basis. http://pennsundayschool.com

The main show that has been vibrating my eardrums lately during long runs is a spin-off of Penn's show called, Matt and Mattingly's Ice Cream Social. I really can't say enough good things about this podcast. After a couple of listens, you feel as if you are hanging out with old friends each time you tune in. I do have trouble listening to this on runs every now and then because I start laughing and it kills my pace. Here is a description taken from their website:

Twice a week, godless Las Vegas comedians Matt Donnelly and Paul Mattingly take on the news and issues of the day/week and end each episode debating a Jock vs. Nerd issue of the week/century. Matt Donnelly, co host on Penn Jillette's "Penn's Sunday School" podcast, and Paul Mattingly, co-host of the "Geek Shock" and "The Ugly Couch Show" podcasts combine to form a Voltron of hilarity. So in a drastic stretch of the imagination- this podcast is a Las Vegas Super Podcast. http://mattandmattingly.com 

Finally, Henry and Heidi. My friend and editor of RUN, Mark Robison, recommended this podcast to me. While I liked Black Flag as a kid, I was never a fan of Henry Rollins. But Rollins and his co-host Heidi May, put out a podcast that is worthwhile. The stories are a behind-the-scens peek onto the lives of some of punk rock's and the counter culture's icons. Rollins has done and seen a lot. And Heidi is the perfect person to draw the stories out of him. The show is earnest, informative, and ultimately endearing (not an adjective I ever thought I'd use in reference to Rollins, but it is appropriate). I would highly recommend listening to this podcast starting at episode 1. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/henry-heidi/id968474247?mt=2

So, if you are looking for some entertaining ear candy for runs, walks, jogs, hikes, or even simply mowing your lawn, the suggestions above should give you hundreds of hours of enjoyment.

A Modest Proposal

Like many people who love the sports of running and cycling, I have become increasingly disturbed by the rumors (and actual cases) of performance-enhancing drugs being used by athletes. It has gotten to the point in cycling where I no longer believe a winner acheived victory without the help of PEDs.* It is sad that cycling has sunk that low in my estimation. And, while running has always had its share of cheaters, I always assumed (very naively, as it turns out), that distance running was somehow exempt from cheating.

But with some top distance athletes being caught cheating, and others being accused, fans of distance running have to ask themselves what they are even watching. Are running sports becoming so tainted that the results are meaningless? Have we hit the point where we end up questioning every first-place finish or PR? I hope not. But I fear that is the direction we are heading even as oversight and testing seem to be strengthening.

Perhaps what we need are penalties that really mean something. Bans of a few years don't seem to be enough. Why not take actions that have real teeth? Why not try out lifetime bans for cheaters starting the very first time they are caught? Why should clean athletes have to worry about competing against someone who cheated ever again?

It could even be implemented for a trial period - for example, anyone caught cheating in the 2017 calendar year would be banned from his or her sport for life. I wonder how many positive tests would result. I bet fewer when there was a real punishment on the line. All athletes would know where they stood. There would not be perceived favoritism, where someone gets a slap on the wrist while another athlete gets a more extreme punishment for more-or-less the same behavior. It would simply be over. You played the game. You cheated. You're out. No hard feelings, but you're out.

If the trial period was deemed successful, then the ban could be implemented permanently. And the penalty could easily be extended to coaches of athletes caught cheating as well. If I, as a coach, thought one of my athletes was using and I knew it would cost me my career, I might do a better job of keeping tabs on PED use and I might spend a bit more time preaching ethics and sportsmanship.

An appeal process could be instituted for the athletes who believe they were wrongly punted from their sports. The board overseeing the appeals process could be comprised (at least in part) of recently retired athletes who were proven to have been cheated out of a higher finish in important races or events, who later were given the medals/honors due to them. These athletes on the board would probably have a better understanding of the stakes as well as intimate knowledge of the bad actors within the sports.

Anyway... just my $.02.


*In cycling PEDs can now also mean 'performance-enhancing devices', as a searches for hidden on-board motors are gaining attention. 

Good Run With the Hawks and a Skratch Labs Product Review

Happy National Running Day! If you can get out for a mile that's great. If you can get out for 10, that is also great. I you are lucky enough to run in the sun, do it. If you are lucky enough to run in the rain, do that too. Just get out and enjoy the sport we all love. Now on to a quick run report and a review of a really unique product in the crowded sport drinks market.

I knocked out between 7 and 8 mi on Saturday morning with the Trail Hawks. It was a bit ironic, because we ran exclusively on roads at Clinton State Park. The trails are all sloppy messes. I was a little disappointed that we could not run in the dirt because hard surfaces (read sidewalks and roads) are not kind to my still-smarting hamstring. Although it was supposed to be, if not sunny, at least not raining, we took off in a misty-drizzle with wind out of the north, and a temp in the 50sF. While not the most pleasant conditions for running, the company was top-notch. With all of the rain the region has experienced, my EU trip, and my ongoing hamstring issue, I have not been out on too many group runs with the Hawks over the past couple of months. It was a real pleasure to see 15 or so Hawks ready to run at 7 a.m.  

I knew my final 2-3 miles would likely be alone - much of the group was going for 10-ish miles. I didn't want to aggravate my injury too much. And during the run, the pain level in my hammy alternately waxed and waned. But by about mile 6.75, I was ready for the run to conclude. 

One thing I did try out was Skratch Labs Matcha and Lemon Exercise Hydration Mix. My normal go-to drink mixes for running are Trace Minerals Research's Endure, and Hammer Nutrition's Heed. I always, in the back of my mind, question the overarching need for electrolyte-type drinks. But I always use them on longer runs (hey, I'd rather be safe than sorry). I will report that I really grooved on the flavor and dissolubility of the product. The matcha gives the drink a much more earthy flavor than I am used to in a sport drink - something that I found to be really refreshing. It tastes very green - a bit like tea mixed with wheat grass (in a good way). And there were no clumps to clog up the nozzle on my bottle. The pick-me-up in the mix seems to come from a) the sugar, which sadly, as in most mixes, is the number one ingredient and b) the caffeine that occurs naturally in the matcha. I will point out that the first sugar listed is cane sugar. Colorado-based Skratch Labs also uses real matcha and very few other ingredients for a pretty clean-looking label. The product is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and kosher, but not organic. 

One thing that struck me when looking at the packaging is that the Nutritional Facts Panel lists 38 servings per bag calculated at a half scoop each. Instructions on the bag, however, call for using a full scoop - effectively cutting the serving amounts per bag in half. So, for the roughy $20 I paid for the bag of powder (at Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop), I either have 38 or 19 uses that I'm going to get out of it.  Saturday morning I put about 3/4 of a scoop in my 20 oz hand-held bottle. It tasted strong enough, and again, I absolutely loved the flavor. Upon concluding the run, I went home and wrote to Skratch Labs to ask them about the serving-size question. On Monday I got a very nice email back, from a woman named Nicole, that explained what was going on. Here is part of it:

Because we use only all natural ingredients, we are considered a food product by the FDA (as opposed to a supplement**) and in accordance with their rules we had to go in increments of 8oz serving sizes on our resealable bag packaging. Nonetheless, in most of our sales information/website/nutrition facts/etc we reference a 16oz size, because honestly, how many athletes do you know drinking only 8oz of fluid? It's crazy. Thus, when we created what we call the "single serve" packets we reference 16oz per serving. I'm not sure exactly why the FDA allows us to do that on the single serves and not the resealable bags. 

So I am now a happy Skratch customer. I will report on their other flavors if I can be wrenched away from the Matcha/Lemon mix. I'll probably still try to squeeze 20-25 servings out of a bag (depending on the temperature and the length of the run). If you want to learn more about Skratch products, visit their website at: www.skratchlabs.com