4 Feet Running

Third time's the charm with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik runs the New Bedford Half Marathon for the third time after almost bursting an eyeball the first time and bonking the second time- It doesn't smell like fish and garbage in lovely New Bedford this year- Nik's been training like a machine, and so has Dan -- as long as he follows his weird assortment of mojo habits- Dan's the man-purse and Nik goes bottle-less- Weirdos spotted in New Bedford: some guy in teeny-weeny shorts, another guy pointing a leaf blower at concrete under a bank drive-thru, a third guy leering at a baby and somebody's wallet- Nik has a fantastic race, much to everyone's pleasure: See the map, elevation, and more on Garmin Connect!- They take a quick jaunt around the historical area of New Bedford- Should runners get a job? Judge for yourself- Details coming soon about the 4 Feet Running book club!- They read fantastic feedback from lots of great listeners(3.23.09)

Coming right up: small Philly run with Cheez Whiz, no mushrooms, no onions, and an extra-large order of 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan take a quick weekend trip to Philadelphia to see their family- Apologies for taking so long between episodes, but there were on bedbug patrol- Also trying to determine what all of Nik's Gramma's bizarre kitchen implements do- If you're ever in the City of Brotherly Love, watch out for a Chili's waitress and a hotel valet who shake down Massachusetts tourists for extra big tips- They take a run up the Rocky stairs (well, Dan tries to, anyway)- Both Nik and Dan are doing fantastic with their running -- yes, they actually do talk about running- Monkey-poop coffee is good to the last plop- Pat's? Geno's? Pfft. Nik and Dan think best steak sandwich is the Portuguese steak sandwich- They read a mountain of email, with Special Guest Star Gordon(3.10.09)

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's 4 Feet Running's Super 5K race! This week:- Nik and Dan head to beautiful Narragansett, R.I., for the Super 5K- They prove to be invincible to cold weather, but Nik's kryptonite: rocks in her shoes- Hammer Nutrition? You CAN touch this- Dan takes his new Garmin 205 for a spin and loves how it helps his new Uncle Higgy schedule- "You don't see this many people in tights unless it's a race"- "The people I run with in races tend to be sort of elderly and a little bit broken-looking"- It's a battle of the dueling Garmin tracking websites, with MotionBased vs. Garmin Connect(check out both logs to compare & contrast)- They read tons of great e-mail from wonderful people(2.13.09)

Make way for 4 Feet Running! This action-packed week:- Nik, Dan, and the dogs run 3 miles in Boston's Public Garden and Common- Nik starts her San Diego Marathon training plan and is liking it, except for a tiny little pain in her shin that comes & goes- Constant snow and ice keeps frustrating them, and work gets in the way of Dan's running (really, trust me)- They may have witnessed a horrible crime in the middle of the Public Garden- The difference between cable exercises and kegel exercises- Rest In Peace: Dan's NikePlus Sportband. In a related development, Dan gets an early birthday present- Who would win in a fight: a monkey or a unicorn?- Want to support the move to get Dan's chubby bum out on the road? Buy your "DAN GO RUN" gear here at Cafe Press- They read tons of great email from wonderful people(2.2.09)

Get ready to freeze your behind off with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan go for a staggeringly cold 3-miler in Providence (the ritzy part, not the crappy part)- They discuss Yak Traks, which is appropriate because there's thick ice and snow everywhere- Dan's got two great new coaches, but his trick knee is acting up again- Nik does the Core Performance technique but still can't remember the guy's last name- They wonder why there are multiple words for "stretching" in the fitness world- Special Guest Star: Lewis from Starbucks, when Nik and Dan warm up with a nice hot mocha- They take the plunge and actually set up Buckeye Outdoors accounts ... for their dogs- Great feedback-o-rama from lots of listeners(1.19.09)

Ring in 2009 with a double-dip audio-video special of 4 Feet Running for the New Year! This week:- Nik and Dan are sick with coughs and colds, but are headed out for a run to start the new year right- They consider giving their dogs Stanley and Myrna their own Buckeye Outdoors accounts- Santa got them some really cool presents, both running and non-running related- Nik has the most annoying alarm clock ever invented- They refuse to be optimistic about 2009- But they're still making lots of running plans for the next year, from marathons to running plans to Core Performance routines to hopping-and-skipping exercises- Nik and Dan take a brief look back at their running year that was 2008, and a look ahead at their new challenges for '09- They get feedback from some fantastic listeners(1.2.09)

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan do the audio part of their Santa Dash 5K in snowy Fall River, if the fates allow- Dan uses various excuses as to why he doesn't run more -- but till then he'll have to muddle through somehow- Nik's streak of bad luck continues briefly, and is determined not to have a cup of cheer- Dan can't seem to nestle all snug in his bed when it's nestling time, and visions of sugarplums keep him awake- They talk about Christmas lights and decking the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, &c.- Nik wants to deck her bike with a new tire and winter trainer, fa la la la la, &c.- Figgy pudding is not mentioned anywhere in the show, but I thought I'd mention it here anyway- They read a whole Santa sleighful of feedback and get several voice messages from nice people- The annoying hiss you hear during the feedback portion of the show is the sound of the living room radiators at full blast -- sorry for the noise(12.17.08)

Which do you want first, the bad news or the good news? 4 Feet Running has both this week:- Nik and Dan go for a 4.5-miler through their neighborhood- They have the best running geek week ever, with Runner+ back, a newish Garmin, and challenges on Buckeye Outdoors- They have a terrible geek week also, as Nik's MacBook Pro lapses into a coma- Nik and Dan check out treadmills and do really, really long intervals through stores across southern New England- Reading treadmill reviews is very confusing, but they make the best of it- Nik and Dan have some goals in mind they'll work toward with or without a hamster wheel- They get feedback from some very nice people(11.26.08)

Santa Claus is stuck in a glass cage with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik, Dan, and listener John run the Edaville Rail Run 5-miler trail run in Carver, Mass.- Coming along for the ride are John's neighbor Jack, his daughter Amy, and Dan's work friend Jon -- so that's 3 Johns for the price of 1 right there- Edaville Railroad has a whole Christmas display going, complete with creepy Santa dioramas and transgendered elves- Nik's Garmin Forerunner 405 goes bye-bye- They also meet an older lady who's all banged up but who still runs the 5-miler- Dan starves his way across 5 hard miles, Nik's glucose levels plummet, but everyone else doing the race has a phenomenal time- Listeners share their Garmin woes- More Stanley the pointer dog hogging all the attention at the end- They get email and phone calls from very nice people(11.17.08)

Think global, run local with 4 Feet Running! This episode:- Nik and Dan go for the Zen Run 10K in Lakeville, Mass.- They talk about their World Wide Festival of Races runs, and why they prefer to call it the WWF- Fall's their favorite season, so they take advantage of it by being out among the various topiaries, lakes, cranberry bogs, and other features of nature- Then nature calls- Nature won't stop calling, so they take advantage of nature by having a pit stop in the woods- Nik discusses what it's like to go wheat-free, Dan wants manly-sounding shoes, and Myrna can't stop wheezing- They talk about their first-ever experiences with running- Nik and Dan get some great feedback from very nice people, and actually give some feedback to other very nice people(10.27.08)

4 Feet Running has a wicked good time at the Salem Wicked Half-Marathon! This jam-packed week:- Nik and Dan get lost in a thick, dark fog in America's spookiest city- Nik prepares to run the Wicked Half, her longest distance in a while thanks to some gastrointestinal & dietary issues- Speaking of which, she finally gets an answer as to what's wrong with her (sort of)- Dan realizes he's too neurotic to do Chi Running- They get recognized by a very nice listener- Dan hears a very angry half-marathoner refuse any sort of encouragement whatsoever in the strongest possible language- Nik has a great time at the race but misses her favorite socks- They also discuss some other interesting clothing choices in their childhood- They get some fantastic feedback(10.4.08)

This is take three of 4 Feet Running! No wait--take four. This week is jam-packed:- Nik and Dan explain their unexplained absence on a 4-mile run through their neighborhood: crappy luck- They decide to take the show biweekly for now due to life stuff- Nik continues her rivalry on the Million Feet Running Challenge with Nigel from Running from the Reaper- They review Chi Running by Danny Dreyer and Pose Method of Running by Nicholas Romanov- Nik explains how she's been running twice a day- Dan's got a slight case of dehydration and sleep deprivation, which is not unique to him in his office- They explain all this Bad Boys of Running vs. Bad Girls of Running business- They get feedback from some very nice people(9.18.08)

We're smokin' stew in a tent down by the river with 4 Feet Running! Or, as the French say, Quatre Pieds Courent! This week:- Nik and Dan do a 3-miler by the Fall River waterfront- They briefly meet up with their favorite newspaper hawker- Dan bids a frustrating farewell to the Crazy Man Running Store and finds a new shop- Nik is feeling better, stomachwise, which is helping her keep up with certain British podcasters on RunnerPlus challenges- They meet a regiment of French Revolutionary War re-enactors camped by the river, nice people who nearly bayonet a civilian- Nik and Dan can be Parisian taxi drivers- There's broken bicycle banter and chi chit-chat- They get some feedback from very nice people(8.28.08)

Run through the playground of America's rich and famous with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan go for a 3-miler down Bellevue Avenue in Newport, R.I.- They keep an eye out for Vikings and/or Chinese explorers- Dan tries out some new shoes that may or may not be working- Nik is feeling somewhat better, but her gastrointestinal doctor's nickname is a bit too appropriate- A quick update on their World Wide Festival plans- They have a little picnic in Touro Park, near the Chinese-Viking-settler monument- They get feedback from some very wonderful people- Keep your eyes peeled for an extra-special project(8.10.08)

elebrate 1 year running with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan run at night in Bristol, R.I., to escape the heat- They recap their yearlong adventures podcasting and in running- Dan's gone from a blob to an honest-to-goodness runner- Nik's working through her GI issues, and she doesn't mean an overseas deployment, unless "overseas deployment" is some sort of euphemism- They discuss the first podcasts they ever listened to, and their first experiences with running podcasts in particular- Dan gets the hard sell from a gym membership lady- He also describes a relaxing experience on the open water- They read feedback from some wonderful people- Stay tuned at the end for a special treat!(7.28.08)

These colors DO run with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan meet Special Guest Star John to run the Mattapoisett 4th of July 5-mile road race- They talk about Mattapoisett history, and how it's the nicest, most quaint town in southern Massachusetts- Running podcasts are the best -- all three of them are agreed on this- John describes what it's like to run a 10-mile-long 5K- Embarrassing race running stories aplenty, and what it's like to quit smoking after decades- Nik talks a little bit about gluten intolerance and her possible Celiac disease- They get a special message from Adam "Another Runner" Tinkoff and Austin Hastings- They read feedback and reviews from some very nice people- Special thanks to John for making it a great show!(7.14.08)

Just a quick run to the post office with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan go for an easy 3-miler through the neighborhood- Despite his second-to-last finish in his last race, Dan's going to try another race next week- Nik discovers she has something strange: reactive hypoglycemia- Meet (very briefly) Mike the Quizmaster Postman!- Nik goes into a little more depth about her shiny new Garmin Forerunner 405- They talk about their favorite new hobby: geocaching- Then they get feedback from some very nice people(7.2.08)

There's foreshadowing, suspense, and dramatic irony aplenty with 4 Feet Running with Nik and Dan! This week:- Nik and Dan run the Fairhaven Father's Day Road Race 10K- They predict it won't rain -- guess what happens?- Nik has mysterious trouble with her Garmin -- guess what happens?- Dan hopes he won't be in last place for his first 10K -- guess what almost happens?- They recover from their lousy races with a nice, relaxing walk, where everyone's a winner- Their dog Stanley has interesting (and expensive) food preferences- Nik shares her first look at the Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS sports watch- Dan wraps up his 10 in 10 in 10 Challenge (10 weeks, 10 pounds, 10K) and looks to the future with sunny optimism(6.24.08)

Have a very Vermonty time with 4 Feet Running! This week:- Nik and Dan and their dogs are in glorious Burlington, Vt., for a week- Nik prepares to run her 4th 26.2-miler, the Keybank Vermont City Marathon- It should be beautiful in Vermont this time of year -- all that snow...- Somehow Dan gets a free marathon T-shirt even though he doesn't run the race- They keep an eye out for Burlington nudists- Nik and Dan discuss their training plans, bicycling through Canada, science vs. yoga, and why no one ever runs out of Chapstick- Nik has a great time running the race- She talks about what it's like running 2 marathons in 1 month, and Dan talks about how he grunts when he runs- They get some great feedback from very nice people(6.6.08)

It's the 7th anniversary of 4 Feet Running! Almost. This week:- Nik and Dan celebrate their 7th wedding anniversary doing a 5-mile run with the dogs in Barrington, R.I.- Nik continues her tapering on the way to the Vermont City Marathon- Dan has sort of a lousy running week thanks to the rain- They discuss the early days of their courtship, which had a Sharks & Jets type feel, politically, until it became Sharks & Sharks- They talk about their future marathon travel plans, which may include Texas- Nik & Dan meet a guy still bitter about World War II- They get some coffee and kale soup and read some feedback from very nice people(5.21.08)