The RunRunLive 3.0 Podcast Episode 3-252 – Zoe Romano – Unsupported Run Across the USA
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Introductory comments
Hello my friends and welcome to Episode 3-252 of the RunRunLive podcast. Hope everyone enjoyed their Saturnalia and winter solstice celebrations.
We have a great show for you today. I have a conversation with Zoe Romano, a young woman from Maine who decided, as a young woman to run across the USA unsupported.
You and I have been witness to a few of these run-across-the-USA stories. Many times they do it for charity or to call attention to something but what really fascinates me is the people like Zoe, who just decide one day to go. I’m fascinated with the psychology and try to get into this with her in today’s conversation.
What’s stopping any of us from pulling up stakes and going? What is this wild wanderlust in us? I think you’ll enjoy it. I did.
I also have a practical piece on heart rate training and continue building the ‘finding balance’ series with a foundational piece on understanding and defining self.
I hope these pieces don’t come off as too deep or instructional. I feel that it’s necessary for me to share the context of my life balance thoughts so you can see the logic tree behind what I’m talking about. It is intended to be thoughtful and helpful – so please take it as such.
It’s been an interesting few weeks for me since we last talked. As I speak to you here in New England the we have 8 inches – 20something CM – of snow on the ground and it got down to zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18C) last night.
We are past the winter solstice and theoretically the days are now getting longer but practically we are in the grips of the deepest part of winter. It is ‘throw another log on the fire’ and ‘another blanket on the bed’ time. These are the days when it helps to have body hair, like Buddy and I do.
I have been training. Coach has me doing 6 workouts a week; three of them long runs. I’ve been doing all of my runs on the forgiving surface of the trails but this is becoming quite challenging with the snow. Buddy and I had to break trail this week after the storm and could only manage 11ish miles in 2:15. It’s still a great workout but at some point it becomes non-specific to my running goals because the form and effort is so different.
I’ve got to start gradually moving onto the roads and see if my foot stays relatively pain free.
To catch you up, I have been distance running my whole life with an expansion of this hobby into marathons and longer distances over the last 15 – 20 years. I’ve run 30ish marathons including 14 Bostons and just love the distance. But I also love the training and the lifestyle. I like to put in the effort and run respectfully. Over the last almost two years I have been laid low with a persistent Plantar Fasciitis. This is a debilitating heel pain that prevents me from doing any quality road work, effort or miles.
But, our story does not end here. Our restless and resolute hero has nursed his battered old machine back up to 3 runs a week and is running this year’s Boston Marathon for Team Hoyt. One of my goals for the year is to re-qualify. This is very much attainable for me but in order to do it I have to be able to get some quality training in.
I’m easing into some road work and every day I deep self-massage the injury to break up the scar tissue. It’s an active recovery strategy that seems to be working. I do all my core workouts in bare feet now and spent as much time in my socks as possible when I’m working to keep strengthening those beautiful feet.
I ran the Hangover Classic 10k with my daughter on New Year’s but at her pace and we dove into the Atlantic Ocean afterwards for our tradition. It was just around freezing with a strong wind and the water temp was in the mid-thirties. Some folks think we’re crazy to go in the ocean on the first of January, but I like to think of it as a exclamation point on the old year and a kick off to the spring training season.
I’ve been working hard in the gym on my core workouts. I try to visualize the crushing fatigue and pain of turning onto Boylston street in the last mile of the marathon and imagine how much stronger I’ll be in that moment if I commit to my core and don’t slack.
Here’s a time-saving, quick tip for you. When you are going to the club or gym to workout make getting there part of your workout. Don’t stroll across the parking lot, jog into the gym and it will save you 5 minutes of warm up time.
Now let’s focus on this set – On with the show!
Section One:
Defining your ‘Self’
http://www.runrunlive.com/it-all-starts-with-self
Featured Interview
Thanks again, it was great talking to you. My blog is www.zoegoesrunning.wordpress.com, Facebook is Zoe Goes Running, and Twitter is @ZoeRomano
Section two:
Reasons to embrace heart rate training.
http://www.runrunlive.com/4-reasons-to-embrace-heart-rate-training
Outro
OK my friends that is the end, the pointy business end, of episode 3-252 of the RunRunLive Podcast.
Next episode, which I’m going to target for the end of the month, we have a great interview with Dick Hoyt of Team Hoyt. You’ll learn all about the Story of how Rick and Dick have made history by competing and changed many lives over the last 30 years in our sport.
As you know, I’m collecting for Team Hoyt this year for the Boston Marathon and will start actively soliciting with the new year. Please go to my web site at www.runrunlive;com and contribute $10, $20 or however much you are comfortable with to help me help Team Hoyt with their continuing mission. If I have ever given you a nugget of value or joy, here’s a chance to pay it back, and forward. Thanks!
As usual I’ve saved the best for last. Well not really. Over the holidays we found that poor Buddy the old Wonder dog had a suspicious tumor on his belly. I had him in so the vet could remove it today. He’s got miscellaneous lumps all over him. It’s all perfectly normal, they’re known as fatty tumors, but this one seemed different. I just talked to the doctor and he did really well and she’s 99% sure that this tumor was benign.
He’ll be off his feet for a week or so – which will make him cranky. He’s in really good shape because he’s been doing these 3 long trail runs with me every week.
Our Friend Eric who you remember successfully conquered Leadville this year was nagging me to read my second book of stories – the Mid-packer’s Guide to the Galaxy – into audio. I told him it was a huge time sync and no one bought them. But we made a deal that if he got $100 of venture capital I’d do it and each investor would get an audio book.
I created a Kickstarter project and of course the tenacious bastahd that he is he made quota in less than 24 hours – so now I have to do that! If you’re interested in the kickstarter project check the show notes for the link. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1838098095/the-mid-packers-guide-to-the-galaxy-audio-book I’ll start recording the stories and send them to the investors as they come out of production.
I’ve got to wrap things up for tonight because I need to go over to the gym and get my treadmill time in before the 5:00 PM New Years Resolutionaries clog the place up.
It’s a great time of year. It’s a time of rebirth and opportunity. So as you suck in those frigid gulps of winter air, rejoice…
And I’ll see you out there.
Chris,
Links for this show
Other products from Chris Russell you may be interested in
The Mid-Packer’s Lament
On Audio (Read by the author)
The Mid-Packer’s Guide to the Galaxy
Standard Links:
Contact:
Cyktrussell At gmail and twitter and facebook and youtube
Dial in number for RunRunLive is – 206-339-7804 (to leave an audio message for the show)
Bio
Chris Russell lives and trains in suburban Massachusetts with his family and Border collie Buddy. Chris is the author of “The Mid-Packer’s Lament”, and “The Mid-Packer’s Guide to the Galaxy”, short stories on running, racing, and the human comedy of the mid-pack. Chris writes the Runnerati Blog at www.runnerati.com. Chris’ Podcast, RunRunLive is available on iTunes and at www.runrunlive.com. Chris also writes for CoolRunning.com (Active.com) and is a member of the Squannacook River Runners and the Goon Squad.
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