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Run just once around Dallas, Texas' fitness oasis, White Rock Lake, you'll lose count of the number of times you see white wires dangling from runners' ears. The ubiquitous MP3 player earbuds seem to be as essential equipment to the runner as a wristwatch. What do you think they are listening to? The latest dance single from the Black Eyed Peas or some hard driving rock guitar rifts of Metalica?Perhaps.
But just as likely as the modern runner is pounding the pavement to their favorite music they are also listening to podcasts titled, "Phedippidations," "4 Feet Running," and "Zen and the Art of Triathlon." Don't know what a podcast is? Well it's time to wake up and smell the new media.
A podcast, in short, is an audio talk show downloaded to your computer or mediaplayer over the internet just like a music file. Apple Computer's iTunes music service dominates the podcast offerings although podcasts can also be found a numerous other outlets like PodcastAlley.com and Podcast.com. In just a few years podcasting has evolved from an odd, funky blogging experiment into a broad medium with mainstream trapings. Podcast production and listening is rapidly growing just like Facbook and Twitter. Currently, in the United States, over 20 million people reguarlly listen to podcasts and that number is expected to be over 55 million by 2011. (Source: Mac News Word) Most podcasts are free to download or are available at a nominal cost.
Podcasts cover nearly every subject imaginable from food to football, parenting to policitcs, or real estate to religion. If there's a hobby, group activity, or social interest there's probably a podcast about it and that includes endurance sports. Today, the majority of the top-rated podcasts come from recongnizable media entities such as CNN, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. But for every slick, high-end studio produced podcast there are more being recorded by everyday Janes and Joes using no more than a handheld recorder and a personal computer in their living room.
A running partner anywhere
Jacob Miller, a 30 year-old salesman from Dallas says, "Listening to podcasts from runners about running while running is like always having somebody to run with." His favorite podcast is the popular "Pheddipidations" produced by Steve Walker (a.k.a. Steve Runner) of Oxford, Massachusetts. The weekly podcast has a friendly feel and covers conversational, and educational, subjects such as injury prevention, training methods, and biographies of running legends like Bill Rogers. He also mixes in his family life, personal race performances, and, as his tag line goes, "thoughts, opinions, observations, and rambling diatribes composed during distance long runs."
Greg Chance, a computer technitian and father of three from northern California, listens to running podcasts for a sense of connection and motivation. "If I'm having a tough day running and I'm listening to somebody talk about having a tough day too or maybe a about a good race it helps me to keep going," said Chance.
Running podcasts come in different styles from near and far
The latest count has over three dozen running-centric podcasts for download. Here are just a few of the most downloaded:
4 Feet Running, hosted by the husband and wife team, Nik and Dan, is about their training, racing, and life in New England with a couple of mischevious dogs.
Running from the Reaper, hosted by Nigel, he wants his listeners to put this podcast on your MP3 player and listen to him running in the English countryside.... oh, and bring your air guitar with you as well, you might need it.
A Mile with Me hosted by Chopper, calls his show the podcast you can quite litterally take in your stride - around the world and around your block.
The Runners Round Table is a weekly discussion of various running topics recorded live on TalkShoe.com. Runners from around the world share tips, tell stories, and keep each other motivated. Listeners can listen to the show as it's being recorded or download it a day or two later.
Run Run Live, hosted by Chris Russell, is a podcast for runners, wannabe runners and mid-packers of all shapes and sizes who just want to strap on their favorite pair of shoes and get out there!
Links to these podcasts and many more on running and triathlon can be found in the podcast directory at Running Podcasts.org
Later this week I will bring you part two of this three part series on exercising with podcasts. Next up is triathlon.
Comments
These days I listen to more podcasts than music.
Too bad there aren't move video podcasts about runnin.
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