It's hard to appreciate the Earth when you're down right upon it because it's so huge. It gives you in an instant, just at a position 240,000 miles away from it, (an idea of) how insignificant we are, how fragile we are, and how fortunate we are to have a body that will allow us to enjoy the sky and the trees and the water ... It's something that many people take for granted when they're born and they grow up within the environment. But they don't realize what they have. And I didn't till I left it.'' -- Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 and 13. Greeting Fellow Runnersâ The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,403 km, thatâs 238,857 miles. To put that into perspective, itâs exactly 2,462 miles or 3,961 km between New York and Los Angelesâso the moon is 156 times the distance away from the Earth as New York is to LA. When the Apollo Astronauts went to the moon, they noticed a few things which probably should have been obvious and expected. First, the moon is dead; Buzz Aldrin stepped out of the lunar lander, looked around and gasped âMagnificent desolationâ. He witnessed first hand that the moon is beautiful, but void of life. The second thing the astronauts noticed when they looked back at the earth was that it was the only thing in the sky that had any color. It shone of deep blues, white wisps, dark greens and browns. The Earth was, in fact, a magnificent oasis of life. The third thing the astronauts realized when they stood on the surface of the moon was that, if they lifted up their arm and stuck out their hand, holding it out to towards the little blue bubble that was hanging in the lunar sky, they could cover the entire Earth with their thumb. Everyone who has ever lived was hidden behind that thumb. The entire history of the human civilization was hidden behind that thumb, every creature that had ever swam, crawled, slithered , hopped, walked, or flew had lived (or were living) their whole lives, hidden behind that thumb. Wally Schirra, the astronaut who flew around the earth on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions once said âI left Earth three times. I found no place else to go.â Think about the profoundness of that statement. He found no place else to go because there IS no place else to go. Seen from space, this little blue bubble we run upon is our home and is very likely to be the only place in the entire Universe that we will ever be able to live. I know that weâre talking about going to Mars and we can imagine a future where we terraform planets or create starships to take our descendents to extra-solar planets over the course of a millennium; but this one planet that we live upon is a precious bubble of life in space. Itâs our home, itâs small, and we have to take care of it. But today, Iâm going to suggest that before we can take care of this little blue bubble that we first take care of each other. Perspective might be the key to that. Iâm a science fiction fan. I love âStar Trekâ and âStar Warsâ and anything to do with space travels and alien encounters. Iâve often wondered what alien visitors to Earth would think as their spaceship got close and they saw this little blue bubble of life. Wouldnât they assume that all of the intelligent creatures of the indigenous civilizations on this planet lived in peace and harmony as a single tribe of the human species? Wouldnât they believe that conflicts would be rare on such a tiny world where global cooperation was the only logically sensible way for such creatures to co-exist. Wouldnât they expect that such creatures, born of the same species, evolved from the same ancestral lineage, and with essentially similar physical featuresâwould live, love, share and care for each other throughout their short lives? On this podcast, Iâve tried to make the point that if weâre going to live up to those expectations (and as the so called intelligent self aware species on this planet, I think we should probably make peace, love and understanding a common goal) and if thatâs a noble and good goal, then it has to start somewhere. Whereâs it going to start? With religion? Maybeâbut religious differences hasnât been particularly effective with the whole âensuring world peace thingâ over the last thousand years. Iâm saying that as a devote practicing Roman Catholicâreligion without the underlying foundation of tolerance, understanding, acceptance, charity and love for all of the people on this little blue bubble, no matter how they worship or what they believeâisnât helpful to a world in desperate need of peace. Will the goal of such peace start with governments? UmmmâIâm not very good with understanding the whole socio-political strategy of the modern world, but Iâm pretty sure there are a few wars going on that started because âSo and So said that So and So had weapons and the other guy called So and So part of the axis of evilâandâahhhâmy head it going to explode!! No: world peace and the idea of a planet of creatures living together in harmony is not going to start with any of the traditional avenues of diplomacy, it has to start WITH US. You are a runner. You are now running in a global event with friends from all over the world. We all have our differences, we all carry our baggage of fear and shame, anger and frustration with usâbut thatâs okay: thatâs part of being human. The one thing I can say that we have going for us, as runners, is that we do not hate. Today weâre not individuals from other countries and cultures: today we are all runners: fellow runners. It doesnât matter what you look like, how you dress, or what you do in your spare time. Right now, this moment, you are out sharing an experience with other human beings who are feeling the same heart pounding exertion that you are feeling. And itâs a good feeling, tiring, yesâbut think about it: we are living our lives to the top as the good animals we were always meant to beâout here, we can imagine a world full of friends who believe in the ideals of love, joy and peaceâout here we can afford to be a little idealistic and possibly naiveâbecause weâre running a race that transcends borders, cultures and rules that have been set in place to keep us apart. You are a runner; and when you live your life as part of a community where you have friends all over the world, as you do, you begin to appreciate each other more, you begin to see the world from each others eyes and perspectives. If each of us, running across the Earth could imagine the view of our planet from the surface of the moon, or Mars or from the very edge of our solar system and beyond, weâd have to appreciate how precious this little blue bubble really isâand more importantly, how precious we are to each other. You and I are fellow runnersâand we set positive examples for every human being that lives on this little blue bubble in spaceâand when it comes to having a world full of healthy, happy, peaceful, kind, generous and thoughtful creaturesâit all starts with us. Show Links: http://www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com Send me your WWFR Race reports steve@steverunner.com or record an audio report: +1 206-338-3211 The song âNew Prayerâ was by Black Lab Download it for FREE at http://blacklabworld.com/marathon Ambient music included in this episode came from Aaron English, Amb26 and Adhesion.

Craig Alexander took second in his first attempt at the Ford Ironman World Championship in 2007. As one of the best pure runners in the sport, he seems poised to possibly move up one spot in 2008 on October 11th to win the biggest prize in triathlon.

Presented by: Silverman When author/cyclist Joe Kurmaskie took off across the country with his two young sons in tow he learned an important lesson: You have to travel light. Of course, your definition of "light" tends to change as you cover hundreds of miles. Today on Endurance Planet we hear an excerpt from Kurmaskie's book "Momentum is Your Friend." Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman When author/cyclist Joe Kurmaskie took off across the country with his two young sons in tow he learned an important lesson: You have to travel light. Of course, your definition of "light" tends to change as you cover hundreds of miles. Today on Endurance Planet we hear an excerpt from Kurmaskie's book "Momentum is Your Friend." Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Triboomer interviews somebody who actually knows what he's doing.

These are some of the things that have been on my mind latelyârandom thoughts that I dwell upon while Iâm getting my miles inâand thatâs one of the great things about runningâit can sometimes be a time for you to reconnect with yourself, to dedicate the duration of your run to thinking about politics, hate, wine and enduranceâ.so letâs go for a run together, and indulge me the privilege of telling you what Iâm pondering today. Show Links: http://www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com Leave a message: +1 206-338-3211 Fdip featured blog of the week: http://running-with-coffee.blogspot.com The song âOnes and Osâ was by Geoff Smith http://thegeoffsmith.com

Presented by: Silverman Tom Prigg was a former infantryman who was lacking challenge and adventure when he re-discovered endurance sports. Now he's a man that appreciates the value of suffering. Today on Endurance Planet we hear about the lessons Tom has learned and we hear about Tom and his wife Jen's plans to climb icebergs! www.icevikings.org Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Tom Prigg was a former infantryman who was lacking challenge and adventure when he re-discovered endurance sports. Now he's a man that appreciates the value of suffering. Today on Endurance Planet we hear about the lessons Tom has learned and we hear about Tom and his wife Jen's plans to climb icebergs! www.icevikings.org Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Also on Competitor Radio: Interviews with Taylor Phinney, Julie Romias and Jason Lezak ...We filmed an hour chat with two-time Ford Ironman World Champion Normann Stadler in front of a Tri Club of San Diego audience of 300 about three weeks before Kona 2008. Normann has become one of the best interviews in the sport. Check out the radio interview here and if you’d like to see the video, go to www.mybobtv.blogspot.com . The video of the Johan Bruyneel interview is up there as well

Presented by: Silverman Legendary author and runner Hal Higdon had a "neat idea" years ago to run all the way across Indiana. In his story entitled Road Warriors we find out what happens when neat ideas become realities. Today's podcast tells the story of the first two days of the ten-day quest. The entire tale is available via ZombieRunner at: http://www.zombierunner.com/writers/endurance_planet/ Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Legendary author and runner Hal Higdon had a "neat idea" years ago to run all the way across Indiana. In his story entitled Road Warriors we find out what happens when neat ideas become realities. Today's podcast tells the story of the first two days of the ten-day quest. The entire tale is available via ZombieRunner at: http://www.zombierunner.com/writers/endurance_planet/ Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

It was once thought to be impossible for any human being to run the distance of a single mile in less than four minutes. Roger Bannister knew that if he focused on the task, if he used both his medical knowledge and physical abilities in a good and effective training program he could break the four minute barrier, and accomplish the impossible. This is his story. Show Links: http://www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com PLEASE SEND IN YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR FDIP156 Audio Messages needed by no later than October 6th. Leave a message: +1 206-338-3211 Fdip featured blog of the week: http://arizonarock-n-rollmarathontraining.blogspot.com The song âImpossibleâ was by Luthea Salom. http://www.lutheasalom.com

A brief tour of the French Channel by El Hermitanio, and endearing character who lives besides the canal on property he grew up on, and has long since been abandoned. He lives with over 40 cats, and one dog. Author: ridingthespine Keywords: panama canal interview interesting people french channel guide bike tour Added: September 25, 2008

Presented by: Silverman This past July, Christine 'Lucy' Rusher, a wonderful, well loved member of the Beginner Triathlete community passed away suddenly after a very brief illness. She left behind a loving husband and two young sons. Christine was a long time, active member of BT and her illness and passing tremendously shocked and saddened many of us. To honor her memory, celebrate her life, express our joy for having known her and our sorrow for having lost her, BeginnerTriathlete.com and Endurance Planet have produced a special "BeginnerTriathlete of the Month" podcast. Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman This past July, Christine 'Lucy' Rusher, a wonderful, well loved member of the Beginner Triathlete community passed away suddenly after a very brief illness. She left behind a loving husband and two young sons. Christine was a long time, active member of BT and her illness and passing tremendously shocked and saddened many of us. To honor her memory, celebrate her life, express our joy for having known her and our sorrow for having lost her, BeginnerTriathlete.com and Endurance Planet have produced a special "BeginnerTriathlete of the Month" podcast. Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Maybe you've noticed it while watching a professional football game or during an Ironman. Elite athletes are using a variety of methods to cool a single hand in order to realize significant gains in performance. Why are they doing this and does it really work? Today on Endurance Planet we hear from Stanford researcher Craig Heller who made the amazing discovery. To see a video of Heller's new product at work, follow this link: www.harlequinproductions.co.uk/corecoolvideo.wmv Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Maybe you've noticed it while watching a professional football game or during an Ironman. Elite athletes are using a variety of methods to cool a single hand in order to realize significant gains in performance. Why are they doing this and does it really work? Today on Endurance Planet we hear from Stanford researcher Craig Heller who made the amazing discovery. To see a video of Heller's new product at work, follow this link: www.harlequinproductions.co.uk/corecoolvideo.wmv Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Also on Competitor Radio: Interviews with Brennan Lindner and Lesley Patterson...Dave Orlowski has completed only one Ironman World Championship in his life and he took third overall. This October he will be attempting his second ever Ironman World Championship. What’s the hook? Well, the first one Dave raced in was the first one ever back in 1978 and he cut off his blue jeans the night before so he had something to ride his Sears Easy Spirit 10 speed in. 30 years later he’s coming back to the Ironman to see if he can go faster than he did way back when.

Molly and I go for a Push-Run workout.

Running will not prevent you from developing cancer, but it may save your life by retarding itâs growth and by increasing your bodies natural resistance. Life is worth fighting forâand moderate exercise such as a 2 to 3 mile easy run every day is something that can both ease the stress from dealing with cancer as well as help us to fight against itâs uncontrolled growth. Researchers arenât sure how much exercise is needed to help prevent cancer, but they all agree that consistency is the most important factor. Cancer as a disease and as an idea is something we must fight against. Do not go gentle into that good night. Show Links: http://www.fitnessrocks.org http://medals4mettle.org goodybag@worldwidehalf.com http://www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com PLEASE SEND IN YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR FDIP156 Audio Messages needed by no later than October 6th. Leave a message: +1 206-228-3211 Fdip featured blog of the week: http://texasrunningjournal.blogspot.com The song âI Know Youâre Thereâ was by Matthew Ebel. http://www.matthewebel.com PLEASE VISIT: http://marcirunsthemarathon.blogspot.com

Presented by: Silverman Professional triathlete Hillary Biscay had had her fill of being a runner-up. So when she was past at the 19-mile mark of Ironman Wisconsins she said "not this time" and fought back. Today on Endurance Planet we hear from the amazing elite who has completed eight iron distance races this year alone. www.hillarybiscay.com Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Professional triathlete Hillary Biscay had had her fill of being a runner-up. So when she was past at the 19-mile mark of Ironman Wisconsins she said "not this time" and fought back. Today on Endurance Planet we hear from the amazing elite who has completed eight iron distance races this year alone. www.hillarybiscay.com Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Also on Competitor Radio: Interviews with Bob Roll and Steven Spitz... Mark Allen came back after a year sabbatical to win his sixth and final Ironman World Championship title in 1995. The fact that he was 13:30 down at the end of the bike ride to Germany's Thomas Hellriegel and had to run 2:42:09 in the marathon to win made it all the more special.

Presented by: Silverman Where does the greatest long distance runner in history get his inspiration? For Haile Gebrselassie the more important question is WHEN did he get his inspiration? Today on Endurance Planet, a Breakaway Friday edition, we hear an excerpt from The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie story. It's a story about how an event in one's youth can determine his future Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Endurance athletes are often asked, "Why do you do that?" The athletes ask themselves the same thing. Dan Sturn discovered an answer as he continued to run through a tough period in his life. On today's Endurance Planet, a Breakaway Friday edition, we hear Dan's story entitled "How Humans Fly" which is taken from the book "The Runner's High." Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Endurance athletes are often asked, "Why do you do that?" The athletes ask themselves the same thing. Dan Sturn discovered an answer as he continued to run through a tough period in his life. On today's Endurance Planet, a Breakaway Friday edition, we hear Dan's story entitled "How Humans Fly" which is taken from the book "The Runner's High." Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Where does the greatest long distance runner in history get his inspiration? For Haile Gebrselassie the more important question is WHEN did he get his inspiration? Today on Endurance Planet, a Breakaway Friday edition, we hear an excerpt from The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie story. It's a story about how an event in one's youth can determine his future Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

A podcast is so much more interesting, entertaining, informative and intimate than a radio show. When you subscribe to a podcast, youâre really joining a social club of like minded enthusiasts for whatever the topic of conversation may be. Running podcasts are special in that they can be listened to while you, yourself, are out on your runsâor on a treadmill, or in the car on your way to or from work, or after your run as you do chores around the house. A podcast is better than a radio show because itâs a conversation between the podcaster and you, produced and intended to be heard on a computer or, most naturally, an MP3 audio player with little ear bud head phones plugged into your head. You know all this because youâre not just a listener to Phedippidationsâyou are a fellow runner; weâre in this togetherâand there are other running related podcasts out there that are much better than this one, that I know youâll enjoy if youâll give them a listen. Show Links: All of the PodCasts discussed in this show can be found at http://www.runningpodcasts.org/ PLEASE SEND IN YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR FDIP156! Leave a message: +1 206-228-3211 Fdip featured blog of the week: http://www.andrewisgettingfit.com The song âIndependence Dayâ was the band Jesta, aka Bryan Page from the UK. http://www.jesta.co.uk

Camping under the stars, talking about trail running, quantum physics, and Zen.

Presented by: Silverman How does a woman who works with AIDS orphans every day find solitude and peace? By taking part in endurance sports, naturally. Today on Endurance Planet we hear from Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd about her work in Albania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India and Brazil and about how running fits into it. www.aidsorphansrising.com Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman How does a woman who works with AIDS orphans every day find solitude and peace? By taking part in endurance sports, naturally. Today on Endurance Planet we hear from Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd about her work in Albania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India and Brazil and about how running fits into it. www.aidsorphansrising.com Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Yvonne Van Vlerken of Holland went 8:45:48 at Quelle Challenge Roth this summer, the fastest women's Ironman distance time ever. Along with her boyfriend, agent and top age group athlete Thomas Vonach, Yvonne came on to discuss her awesome season and to take a look at how she might do in Kona on October 11th.

Presented by: Silverman How many times have people heard about your endurance sports endeavours and asked, "Are you crazy?" Today on Endurance Planet, a Breakaway Friday edition, we hear a story about a man who always thought running was a crazy man's sport. Then he "lost it" a little himself and discovered that being crazy isn't so bad after all. The story is an excerpt from How Running Changed My Life, edited by Garth Battista. Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman How many times have people heard about your endurance sports endeavours and asked, "Are you crazy?" Today on Endurance Planet, a Breakaway Friday edition, we hear a story about a man who always thought running was a crazy man's sport. Then he "lost it" a little himself and discovered that being crazy isn't so bad after all. The story is an excerpt from How Running Changed My Life, edited by Garth Battista. Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a procedure that can postpone the condition of clinical death, where the heart has stopped beating and the victim is not breathing. There is no guarantee of successful resuscitation, but you can act as the heart and lungs of a victim to provide the body and brain with life sustaining oxygenated blood while waiting for a trained emergency responder or doctor to arrive on scene. The person you save through something like CPR may be a person who helps make the world just a little bit better, either directly or by enabling another to do so. Human beings have the potential to do good in the world, and every human life is worth saving for that reason alone. NOTE: The information contained in this episode is NOT intended to be medical advice, or to replace proper CPR training. Do NOT use the methods or techniques described in this episode to provide emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Please DO consider attending a CPR class and obtaining proper certification as a lay responder. Show Links: http://www.americanheart.org http://www.runnerssociety.com/4millionsteps.html Call me: +1 206-228-3211 Fdip featured blog of the week: http://batmans.blogspot.com The song âGood Hearted Manâ was by Roscoe Chenier http://www.black-and-tan.com

Presented by: Silverman Los Angeles based composer Cody Westheimer wasn't a runner when he began working on the musical scores for two running documentaries (The Runner and Ultramarathon Man.) But in the wake of losing his father he went out for a jog and soon found it was an incredible outlet. Now he's releasing his own documentary about that experience titled Running For My Father. www.runningformyfather.com. Today on Endurance Planet, Cody tells us about the film and his personal story. Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments

Presented by: Silverman Los Angeles based composer Cody Westheimer wasn't a runner when he began working on the musical scores for two running documentaries (The Runner and Ultramarathon Man.) But in the wake of losing his father he went out for a jog and soon found it was an incredible outlet. Now he's releasing his own documentary about that experience titled Running For My Father. www.runningformyfather.com. Today on Endurance Planet, Cody tells us about the film and his personal story. Play in Windows Media Play in RealPlayer Play mp3 stream Direct link to mp3 file Comments