Episode 23

Welcome to a very special Christmas episode of 4 Feet Running, episode 23! This week:

- Nice: Nik and Dan and their dogs go for a 3-mile slog down the slushy median of Commonwealth Avenue in Boston

- Naughty: Dan doesn't do so well at it

- Nice: Nik discusses her plans to do not one but possibly three marathons in 2008

- Nice: She also is planning to run various and sundry other races and do an icy New Year's Day ocean plunge

- Naughty: Speaking of things that are cold, Dan is super-grumpy because of bladder issues, traffic, and a startling lack of holiday cheer

- Very naughty: He restores it by trying to peek at his Christmas presents

- Very nice: They read some e-mails and mention some fans' blogs

Links to very nice people's blogs:
Shady Side Running
Gabs a Trucker
Sarah Austin
London to Paris 2008
How Far You Going
Running Riding and Things
Diet Snake Oil

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Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

Episode 22

Welcome to the 22nd episode of 4 Feet Running with Nik and Dan! This week:

- Nik and Dan go for a 2.5-mile run over the icy streets of Fall River

- Nik gets called "adorable" by the lady at the post office

- There's a great deal of confusion over one of Nik's presents, upon which Dan suddenly cancels Christmas

- They suddenly realize they're living in Mayberry, USA, as they meet lots of friendly people on the street

- Dan describes a pleasant evening of being stuck in stalled traffic for six and a half hours

- They talk neti pots, giant schnauzers and American Gladiators

- Nik and Dan bid farewell to podcasting guru Adam "Zen Runner" Tinkoff

Download this episode from iTunes, leave a comment or check us out on Podcast Alley, or give us a Digg. And feel free to send us e-mail or leave a comment here!

Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

There are no photos this week, so here are some videos instead!



Above is a video featuring the American Gladiator with the wicked awesome hair (who Dan remembered just after recording was named "Malibu").




And here's a video Dan made some time ago to go with a newspaper column he wrote, demonstrating how to use a neti pot.




And lastly here's a video we made some time before that featuring our dogs (unrelated but fun).

Episode 21

Welcome to the 21st episode of 4 Feet Running! This week:

- Nik and Dan go for a 3-mile run through the winter wonderland that is Fall River's Oak Grove Cemetery

- Dan unveils his new Hal Higdon-approved training plan

- Nik continues to recover capably from her marathon and begins to plan her next running season

- They talk about how nice snow is -- love it or leave it, crabby New Englanders

- But ice is slippery and unpleasant

- They discuss the upcoming Christmas holiday and how Dan's much more into it than Nik is (for reasons which are very sad)

- Nik and Dan also wonder which superhero has the best, or stupidest, super power

- Some very nice people send in some great e-mail

Stuff that's wicked fun to click:
Higgie
running in Hyannis

Download this episode from iTunes, leave a comment or check us out on Podcast Alley, or give us a Digg. And feel free to send us e-mail or leave a comment here!

Thanks for listening, and enjoy!


Nik and Dan have a veritable constellation of Christmas lights on their front porch. One of those small constellations.

Nik peeks out the window while Stanley tries to eat several bulbs off the Christmas tree.


Last year, Stanley liked to eat ornaments off the Christmas tree. This year, he's bigger and older -- so he will be able to reach the ornaments much higher up.

The newest jewel on Nik and Dan's Christmas tree is Dan's, a replica of a cherry-red Gibson EDS-1275 SG-style doubleneck electric guitar, with a 12-string neck and a 6-string neck, exactly the sort played by Led Zeppelin guitar god Jimmy Page (available for about $3,000 and change at better music retailers, in case you're looking for gift ideas)

Their banister is decorated in a glorious green that unfortunately doesn't mask the fact that the stairs need to be refinished.

We like Christmas lights. A lot.

The dogs don't care as much.

Episode 20

It's the 20th episode of 4 Feet Running! Hooray! This week:

- Start spreading the news: Nik and Dan run for 2 miles through New York City's Central Park

- They talk about their friend who literally ran away and joined the circus

- Nik feels better after a nasty cold left her in shambles after last week's marathon

- Dan's shoes announce their retirement

- They weigh the merits (culture) and demerits (cost) of living in Manhattan

- Nik and Dan wonder aloud exactly how tall Arnold Schwarzenegger is, given how much controversy there is on the subject

- Other oddities seen: Cirque du Soleil contortionists and ladies in fur coats drinking mimosas well before noon

Stuff that's wicked fun to click:
Cirque du Soleil's "Wintuk" show
Terry does mind-blowing tricks on a skateboard
How tall is Arnold Schwarzenegger...really?

Download this episode from iTunes, leave a comment or check us out on Podcast Alley, or give us a Digg. And feel free to send us e-mail or leave a comment here!

Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

Dan makes a very moody phone call from the corner of 5th and 31st streets in Manhattan.

The Lord & Taylor's on 5th is covered in hundreds of lights and has incredible window displays. Suck it, Macy's.

In this display, Santa is on a gondola ride for some reason. He's going to see where I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is made.


Nik stands in the frigid weather in Rockefeller Plaza. Tree doesn't look so big.

Wow, wait, that tree is big. It would totally crush that kid in the pink jacket if it fell. It did not, though.

Nik prepares to run 2 miles in Central Park, or 31 minutes, whichever comes first.

Dan asks passersby for spare change while waiting for the Garmin to work in Central Park.

The Manhattan skyline gleams in the sun like a ripped-off Rolex watch sold by a street vendor.

Episode 19

Welcome to the 19th episode of 4 Feet Running, and Part 2 of the 2007 Philadelphia Marathon spectacular! It's an extra-special show packed with laughs, heartbreak, adventure, romance, and glory! This week:

- All of Nik's training pays off for the Philly Marathon

- Nik and Dan wait in line at the marathon expo for her race number, an orderly process that devolves into pandemonium in a matter of seconds

- They attend the marathon expo and gather a bunch of swag

- Nik and Dan try out the Sleep Number Bed, as seen on TV

- They collect their thoughts before the big run and get psyched up

- Nik is herded into a group of several thousand people running through downtown Philadelphia

- She sees many of them peeing on downtown Philadelphia's bushes, just right out in the open

- Nik's thorough post-race report includes moments of juggling, beer-drinking, and one furious runner having the "worst day" of his life

- They read feedback from some very nice people

- Short video coming soon (I hope)!

Stuff that's fun to click:
The Philadelphia Marathon
Look up someone's race results
The Phedippidations podcast
It's Yuengling time
The story of another athlete who did pretty well in Philadelphia

Download this episode from iTunes, leave a comment or check us out on Podcast Alley, or give us a Digg. And feel free to send us e-mail or leave a comment here!

Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

Nik and Dan attend the 2007 Philadelphia Marathon expo at Temple University. Nik is there to pick up her race bib, while Dan scavenges for free crap.

Dan is ecstatic to have found a free racing bib, which he hopes to exchange for a T-shirt and a hot meal.

Nik gently reminds him that it's hers and makes her way to the expo floor.

The Liacouras Center's arena is packed with people selling racing shoes, clothes, bottles, accessories, energy bars, rice (!), Sleep Number Beds, and, in the foreground, "homeopathy" b.s.

Nik awaits the start of the race in the pre-dawn hours, right near the Eakins Oval in downtown Philadelphia. She is easy to spot in her cute green shirt.

This is one of the many times Nik thought they were actually starting the race, but they weren't.

After the race, she has her picture taken by Dan's sister (fuzzy arm at left) while wrapped in a Philly Marathon space blanket. Her marathon time: 4:37:45.

Episode 18

This is the 18th episode of 4 Feet Running -- and Part 1 of a very special 2-part 2007 Philadelphia Marathon spectacular! This week:

- Nik and Dan travel hundreds of miles across the unforgiving wilderness of suburban Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania

- They discuss, and eat, junk food

- Nik and Dan stop in Scranton, Pa., home of Dunder Mifflin Inc., which because of a snafu doesn't get recorded

- They take a 2-mile run through downtown Philly to get Nik nice and limber

- Nik prepares to run her second 26.2-miler

- It briefly becomes 4 Feet Painting as they get into a highbrow art discussion

- Make sure to listen next week to see how well Nik ran the marathon!

Stuff to click that's awesome:
- Artists aplenty at Artchive: check out de Chirico, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Giorgione, Titian, Mark Tansey, Rembrandt, Sargent, Duchamp, Klee, Mondrian, Bonnard, Andrew Wyeth, Van Eyck

- Luis Bunuel online and on IMDB

- Watch the full film of "Un Chien Andalou" (it's short, gross, and interesting)

- Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius in your spare time: (Fahrenheit - 32) x 5/9 = Celsius; or, even more fun: (Celsius x 9/5) + 32 = Fahrenheit

Download this episode from iTunes, leave a comment or check us out on Podcast Alley, or give us a Digg. And feel free to send us e-mail or leave a comment here!

Enjoy!

Dan navigates while Nik drives. It's their "thing."

They enjoy the thrill of the open road and the chips and candy that come with it.

Kevin from "The Office" would love this sign.

Nik and Dan arrive in Scranton, having driven more than 2 hours out of their way to photograph an abandoned factory building that appears for less than 1 second in the opening credits of a television show. "Happy now?" she said. "Mmf," he said.


Nobody told the poor son of a bitches in Scranton that Dunder Mifflin is not actually real. We did see a few people who looked like Phyllis and a couple of Creeds.

They drive on to Philadelphia and check out their hotel room, which is much swankier than they had expected -- this is the view from their window as they keep an eye on the Masonic Temple. They tried to peek in their windows, but it was just a bunch of old guys drinking and talking about real estate.

Their hotel suite has a full kitchen, much to Nik's delight, as she can make all the damn oatmeal and boiled eggs she wants. Dan calls a grocery store to have a live chicken brought in and a couple sheaves of wheat.

Episode 17

Welcome to the 17th episode of 4 Feet Running! This week:

- Dan runs the Vasque Luv2Run 5K Trail Run on the Charles River in Brighton, Mass.

- Nik sits out the run while she tapers for the Philadelphia Marathon

- Somehow, Dan gets a little lost, which is only the beginning of a highly embarrassing week

- Nik and Dan try to talk like young whippersnappers

- She suffers from an acute case of non-running, work-related crankiness

- Dan introduces this phrase into your vocabulary: "take a digger"

- They discuss their plans for the next few weeks and read e-mail from very nice people

Things that are fun to click:
- Check your Real Age
- Vasque shoes
- The Luv2Run series


Download this episode from iTunes, leave a comment or check us out on Podcast Alley, or give us a Digg. And feel free to send us e-mail or leave a comment here!

Enjoy!

Dan sets off on the 5K trail run. Already, he's running behind. Sheesh.


Nik caught up with Dan while he was running. It was easy.

This tiny green blob appears to be him, wandering around aimlessly on the other side of the Charles River.

Dan finishes his second 5K race in record time (for him).


He purposely lagged behind so it'd be easier to find his name on the results sheet later.

Episode 16

Welcome to the spooky 16th episode of 4 Feet Running! This week:

- Nik and Dan celebrate Halloween with a 2-mile run through Salem, Massachusetts, witch capital of the world

- They see a haunted ghost walk featuring mostly live people

- Nik reveals that she didn't like candy as a kid (no, REALLY)

- Dan's vampiric past gets dragged into the light

- They witness an actual recreation of a witch trial in an actual recreation of a witch dungeon

- Some ghostly spectre scares the whatsit out of Nik

- Dan gets a "psychic reading," and they talk about why psychics are all 100 percent full of crap

Interesting links:
Salem's official Website
Haunted Happenings in Salem
Who is The Amazing James Randi?

Download this episode from iTunes, leave a comment or check us out on Podcast Alley, or give us a Digg. And feel free to send us e-mail or leave a comment here!

Enjoy!

Let's just get the "Bewitched" jokes out of the way early.

It's either a witch or a Puritan. The hats are really similar, frankly.

The Ghost Walk features hundreds of trick-or-treaters and some really amazing costumes (well, maybe not the lady in the blue shirt).

At the Salem Witch Dungeon, actresses depict a Salem witch trial.

Later, the actresses hanged each other. They're Method actresses.

This Native American band appears to have followed us from Faneuil Hall in Boston (see Ep. 11). Coincidence? Yeah, probably.

Nothing says "Halloween" like the Easter Bunny!

Salem's community of psychics get together for the Psychic Fair and Witchcraft Expo. Among the items for sale: "Dragon's blood," cauldrons, jewelry, crystal balls, an LP record of the Satanic Mass as performed by Anton LeVey, magic rocks, and other assorted crap that makes good paperweights.


We pause for a photo during our run through Salem.

Later at night, they were scared away from the Witch Museum's long line, so Nik and Dan got Ben & Jerry's. They had pumpkin cheesecake flavor ice cream, and it was delicious.