Tuesday, February 12, 2008

iFriends

Chit-chatting on my long runs with the folks in my training group invigorates me. It takes my mind off perceived effort and makes the miles seem shorter. Often times, one decent story (say, how my friend's son has given up diapers yet isn't quite potty trained) can last a mile. And once the tears dry up after learning that the little boy just wanted access his penis "so it dodn't faw aff," I can look around and say "Whoa, we're already on Main St!"

A few months ago, I found some iFriends (to coin a phrase), for my solo running days. While searching for free stuff on iTunes, I stumbled upon a podcast called the Extra Mile. It's a bunch of runners from all over the globe that submit stories & running updates, recorded while they are running. Some are advanced, some brand new, but all have that slightly stecato speech that you get when you converse on the trail. I love it. And it trips me out when I hear a car coming, then look around to find an empty street followed by the runner announcing "Hold on, I've got to cross this intersection." Most of the episodes run around 60 minutes (pardon the pun), so I can stretch a 45 workout into an hour with less mental resistance. They accept submission from practically anyone, so if I ever figure out how to carry a recorder in my bra, you might hear my voice one day...and we can advance from being e-friends to iFriends.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is so cool. I was never interested in this iPod trend that you kids seem to enjoy so much (picture me rocking in front of the fireplace, knitting needles clicking away...)but now I think I might just have to get my hands on one of them there gadgets.

Jumpin' On My Last Nerve said...

That is fascinating! I tend to listen to books while running (my running buddies think I'm nuts), so this sounds great. I'm going to check it out right now!

Kevin said...

Can't WAIT for the "bra run" submission!! ;-)

Kevin
www.theextramilepodcast.com