Episode 44: Inclusion & Independence, with Marko Cheseto

Episode 44 can be found on Apple, Spotify, Anchor and Google and most podcast apps!

Marko Cheseto in training near his home in Florida

https://marathonmarko.com/about/

Follow Marko on Instagram @marathonmarko

Have you ever met a person who is so incredibly filled with positivity, you know that they cannot fail no matter what is thrown at them?  That is Marko Cheseto in a nutshell, and in this interview he discusses why this comes naturally to him, based upon growing us with challenge as part of every day in rural Kenya. Yes, Marko is a world record holder, a para-athlete and spokesman for social justice, but he is also an abundantly proud father and husband whose naturalized citizenship is spoken of with honor, but who still clings to and supports rural Kenyan villages that he also calls home. Part of his attitude and willingness to engage in "difficult" things is due to his humble community origins, and lessons learned about success coming from hard work, daily progress. Each time he has put in the work required, things happen. This analogy carries later into the episode about the hard work our nation has ahead of uniting and facing age-old problems. Not only was he a collegiate athlete at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, but he used this experience to learn and travel across the United States, soaking in the diverse cultures of the US and appreciating the opportunity. He was a successful collegiate athlete, but his true successes came amidst one of the greatest challenges to his life and running career: losing both of his feet to frostbite after being stranded in the ice while on a run in Alaska, for 56 hours! It was not until 2018 that he found his stride again in competitive running, this time as a dual prosthetic blade runner in the New York Marathon, finishing in an incredible 2:52:33 in his debut marathon. However, 2019 would be come his record-setting year as he finished Boston in 2:42.24 and went on to set the world record on the Chicago Marathon course in 2:37.23.

Marko has a great deal to share with us in terms of racial and social justice, and how we should look at the concept of independence. He recalls that Kenya won its independence as an entire nation in 1963, but the United States where he is currently a citizen might not consider itself to have full independence until all are free. Indeed, one of our founding principles "Out of many, one" (E pluribus unum) can only be true if all people are free and equal within this system of government.  Reflecting on recent events of unspeakable violence and injustice against people of color in the US, he gives us a challenge as well as some simple steps to do "the next right thing". He also has three beautiful children whom he hopes to raise with his wife in an  era when bi-racial children have nothing to fear, and our institutional systems work for them rather than against them. Sometimes, an outsider's perspective can be just what we need to see ourselves more clearly, and it is definitely clear we are better for having Americans like Marko join our ranks to shed light and positivity in a time when so many are lost, depressed and searching for answers. 

Marko continues to surprise and impress organizations, schools and runners across the country where he speaks and runs, especially in his home state of Florida and at recent Run Disney events. From his website, anyone can look into booking him for speaking tours or supporting his charity of building schools in rural areas of Kenya, please check it out! 

Feel free to message/follow us and share your corner of running culture @runninganthropologist on Facebook or Instagram.

Episode 43: Congrats to and Wisdom from GRADS, featuring Katalina Cunningham & Trey Morris

Episode 43 is available on most podcast Apps, including Google, Spotify, Apple and Anchor...

In this episode we take time to listen to the experiences of two recent high school graduates, who are sure to inspire. You will definitely feel both of our guests' passion to serve in their chosen field and goal-setting vision far beyond this Spring semester, and wisdom far beyond their years, which perhaps has carried their positivity and made them such stellar models for peers during this difficult time.  

Katalina Cunningham has taken part in a 3 year preparatory Biomedical program and enrolled as a full time dual enrollment with Winter Park High School earning college credit the last two years. She is also Salutatorian of her high school and has some advice about finding body-mind-spirit balance and engaging in family time & family fitness during isolation. She also shares a few ways that the Class of 2020 are memorable and unique, a defining gift that will be carried with them throughout life. Rather than seeing Covid19 as being denied things, her attitude is much more about abundance, "How can we creatively change and start new traditions?", which perhaps was so at many other high schools and a good practice for all of our institutions. You will definitely feel her passion for the future and desire to serve in this podcast, including a dream to work with Doctors without Borders. We wish her all the best at Rollins College and beyond!  Listen to her Speech on Youtube

Trey Morris (far left) is also looking forward, to a career of service in the US military as an officer.  Due to enter West Point this fall, his fitness and leadership have ultimately led him towards seeking to share his gifts in this way. Having been an excellent high school runner at Berkeley Prep and finished in the top XC runners in the state of Florida, he knows that endurance and goal setting will transfer to other areas of his collegiate and professional life. He also notes the small window of opportunity and magic that is necessary to pull together diverse individuals, and believes that the energy of a team working towards a goal is one that has the potential to apply to many other areas of life, providing motivation and passion. Overall, Trey offers some wisdom to others treading this path behind him, about the importance of hard work and sticking with it, as well as supporting one another in difficult times. Trey has been both his XC and track teams' captain, and says he "had the privilege of spending four years with an incredibly tight team". We wish him luck at the United States Military Academy (USMA), and in all his future service!

 

Hope this helps and inspires many going through the same!

Please stay in touch... Subscribe, like & leave us a message on our FB/Instagram page @RunningAnthropologist

Episode 42: Outstanding Coaches & Teachers Tribute, featuring CJ Albertson & Adriane Wunderlich

Episode 42 is available on most podcast Apps, including Apple, Google, Anchor and Spotify!

CJ Albertson, nearing US Olympic Trials Marathon finish...

CJ Albertson has a number of accolades in his personal running career, but perhaps the ones he is proudest of are from his home town in Fresno, where he continues to coach or run almost every distance event available. He is Clovis Community College's head Cross Country and Track coach, and in this episode shares his experience transitioning to coaching and teaching- as well as how current pandemic has effected both and young runners, as well as what we can do. His positive attitude and competitiveness shine through, which is how this Clovis Community College track/cross country coach took 7th place in the US Olympic Trials this past February, and earned him a world record for the indoor marathon. He set the indoor marathon record April 13, 2019 in New York, completing 211 laps around the 200-meter track at The Armory's New Balance Track & Field Center in 2 hours 17 minutes 59.4 seconds.

CJ is a tenacious in all he does, including academics. Not only a trainer and coach, he now dons the title of professor, teaching in his field of Health and Science at the community college level. He shares some of the advice he has gathered about maintaining balance as a student athlete, and finding ones fullest potential as a runner. Lastly, we should note that Albertson has been signed over the past weeks by Brooks Running, which will allow him to continue his training as a professional athlete and Olympic hopeful well into the future!

Another amazing engaged teacher/coach, Adriane Wunderlich continually uses her position as an educator to reach out to potential athletes and educate with body-mind-spirit holistically. Adriane attended Indiana State University as an undergrad, where she ran varsity track and cross country, and went on to obtain her MA in Kinesiology & Exercise Science from Indiana State. She was called to move south, and went on to coach at both St. Leo University and Texas A&M University in assistant coaching roles. Currently she is at Tampa Catholic High School, as head Cross country and Track coach for both men's and women's teams, and has been there for the past 3 years. Overall, she explains how experience is the best teacher, and how suffering can be a great teacher, particularly when distance runners push themselves to serve a higher good, team or reflection.

Why so diversely engaged with students? She wanted this to be a part of her legacy and career. Because of this commitment, she returned to school to obtain her masters degree in theology, hoping to make her impact on youth more than just athletics, and be able to use faith as a jumping off point in both her teaching in the classroom and coaching on the field. Adriane shares why this time is especially difficult for some of her runners and the track team she was rebuilding, but also the creative ways in which students are coping. She also talks about the multitude of ways that the high school is honoring seniors and giving them a place to feel the weight of their accomplishments and culmination of the right of passage to college for so many.  

Links shared for young runners to explore teams, colleges and training:

https://directathletics.com 

https://www.tfrrs.org 

Follow us or send us a message @RunningAnthropologist on FB or Instagram, and see all episodes' information below.

Recent Articles on Albertson's US Olympic Trials and World Record:

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a27153030/indoor-marathon-world-record-falls-for-fourth-straight-year/

https://www.gocloviscrush.com/sports/mtrack/2019-20/releases/202003030fwr81

Episode 41: High School Senior and FL State Champ Ethan Geiger

Episode 41 is available on most podcast Apps, including Google, Apple, Spotify and Anchor

Geiger near the finish line, FLRunners Invitational

This episode is the first in our series listening to the experiences of coaches and high school/collegiate runners across the United States, and exploring how the pandemic has affected their lives, as well as lessons learned and encouragement they have garnered during this difficult time, to share with others.

Ethan Geiger (Robinson High School) had a record setting 2019 cross country season, and was set to have another this Spring in the 3200, aiming to break 9:00. However, Covid19 and the early closing of his Senior season after just 5 meets has left many question marks for him and his teammates, and all Senior athletes hoping to transition to a collegiate career this fall across the US. Additionally, due to the recruitment cycle and importance of accomplishment in Junior year of track and field, many high school athletes have been left in limbo as to what their college prospects will be next year.  Geiger shares in this episode what it is like balancing all of these concerns, encouraging fellow students now but yet looking forward to next year at the University of Florida. He tells us about his expectations for running collegiate track and cross country, which he will be a part of at UF.  

His individual cross country state title time was 15:26.35 on the Apalachee Regional Park course.  He was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida,and competed and won many other accolades over the past two years; Flrunners.com Race of Champions, FSU Pre-State Invitational winner and setting several other course records in the state of Florida.  However, perhaps his best attribute is his hard working attitude and humble approach to leadership, which comes through in this podcast interview.  We wish him and all his fellow students the best of graduations possible!

Links to further information, articles about Geiger:

https://fl.milesplit.com/articles/275050-ethan-geiger-named-florida-gatorade-xc-player-of-the-year

https://fl.milesplit.com/articles/270763-robinson-state-champ-ethan-geiger-goes-with-the-gators

https://fl.milesplit.com/articles/261066-the-first-time-the-fhsaa-state-finals-ended-on-the-3200m

Have an inspiring student athlete or coach in your life, perhaps a story to share? 

Please feel free to leave us a message here, and visit/like our Instagram / Facebook page @RunningAnthropologist

Episode 40: Give it a Tri! featuring Triathlete Coach Jeremy Richardson

Episode 40: Give it a Tri! featuring Triathlete Coach Jeremy Richardson is available on most podcast Apps including itunes, Goolge, Spotify and Anchor!

Jeremy Richardson, Founder of "Top Notch Tri"

The desire/encouragement has been building from many in our community for the Running Anthropologist project to cover a lesser-known corner of cross training potential and really a world onto itself (that includes running), that is... the triathlon, and its many diverse options (Sprint, Half and Full).  In this episode, we delve right into the culture and preparation of doing a Triathlon, and hear from a remarkable athlete and coach in this arena, Jeremy Richardson. Jeremy is a certified Ironman Coach and Physical Therapist, who comes from a competitive running background and made the switch to Triathlons in a long, hard process of slow gains, which he has learned a great deal from to become a competitive triathlete. Jeremy is World Ranked 6th in his age group for Ironman 70.3, is an Ironman Gold All World Athlete and has competed in multiple Ironman World Championships, as well as being an All-American USAT Athlete.

Jeremy also happens to be the operational manager for the Best Damn Race organization, which puts on unique large running events, and shares insight into our current situation of race cancellations, and keeping balance with training and motivation. He shares with us some wisdom and tips for training, and ideas for making the transition that stick for most, which he shares in his coaching programs. This opportunity for entering the cross training world is especially relevant to many during this time of limited running, and looking for new, exciting things one can do inside or near home in coming weeks and months!  Whether it is a new bucket list item or turns into a lifelong addiction, we hope that you are able to take this as a primer in triathlon culture, learning about what's involved, and options for training and completing in different types of triathlons.
You can find out more about his work and services at: https://www.topnotchtri.com/

Episode 39: Quarantine Backyard Ultra, Founder Dave Proctor and Winner Mike Wardian!

Episode 39: "Quarantine Backyard Ultra"-This episode can be found on most podcast apps, including Apple, Google, Spotify and Anchor!

Dave Proctor and his organization put together the second largest Backyard Ultra in history with the help of the distance running community, to raise our hopes and spread the word for all of us in quarantine, and they did it in just two weeks! From his home in Okotoks, Alberta (Canada) He shares about how he started running and what brought him into the Ultra world, as well as setting multiple Canadian running records, and starting "Outrun Rare" to help spread awareness for and gain help for people with rare diseases- research and treatment of them. He gives a few examples of the attempts he has made and plans to cross Canada running in the summer of 2021 (originally slated for this year before the Covid19 Crisis, so we can wrap our minds around it better. By the way, Dave also holds several noteable records himself, including the Canadian 48 Hour running record and 72 hour record with 500K completed! He provides advice for those of us who are having to stay home and get creative, so as not to divert our attention in negative ways, but focus on the positive. Lastly, he explains why the Quarantine Backyard Ultra came about specifically and why it had such a huge impact. You can find him at outrunrare.com OR @daveoutrunsrare on Instagram.

Mike Wardian's Treadmill- Elevation view during podcast recording

Mike Wardian, winner of the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, also chimes in as to why this was important for him, and the rallying of his community and family around the cause. He talks about the virtual community and the Ultra community that pulled together to make it happen, and the democratizing aspects of such a venture that reached everywhere, with zero competition from other Pro sports due to the current situation. Coming off freshly setting several world records and wins around the globe in Ultra events during 2019-early 2020, he also touches on what it's like to have big events cancelled and how we can get in some great workouts from home, including ways to stay motivated (tip: treadmill climbing the elevation of the Empire State Building), and find our own passion within running. He shares a virtual 5K opportunity coming up too, Little Sesame Adventures Virtual race. Mike is always inspiring and draws upon wisdom of races across the globe in comparing this Backyard Ultra and virtual running, and the opportunities it provides for all of us!  Mike can be found at his website mikewardian.com  OR  @mikewardian on Instagram.

Email: mwardian@rocketmail.com

Instagram: @mikewardian

Twitter: @mikewardian

Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaelwardian

Episode 38: Mental Health and Motivation during Isolation: Therapist Dan McGann & Motivational Designer David Tai

Episode 38 is available on most podcast apps, including Apple, Google, Spotify and Anchor!

I. In this episode we first feature Dan McGann, a therapist who delves deep into our identity (as individuals, runners, members of society) and how movement can be utilized to generate a healthy mental attitude and habit building to combat anxiety and depression. He also touches on 3 key practices to building a daily routine, an especially important practice during isolation- The Three G's are one:  GROWTH, GIVING BACK & GRATITUDE.  Regarding noticing our thinking and goals for it: 20% on negative/problem areas and 80% on the solution/positive aspects of the situation. Please see more information in the graphics and links below for details of what we discussed and research / published books or articles in this area. RxRun The Film (about McGann's running therapy practice)
Dan's Star Wars Analogy- "The Force (80%)- Live in a place of faith of love & courage, or Dark Side- Live in a place of fear, anger... it's our choice!" (more links/info following II below)

II. Second, we feature David Tai- and his career & current research into motivation and what

David running Singapore's coastline

cognitive psychology / motivational design have to teach us at the University of South Florida. David spent many years of his life working with IBM and focused on improving motivation within an organization, as well as personally with regard to work/life balance. He found running to be pivotal in his own transitions to new ways of thinking, both for mental health and clearer thinking, and describes this "how to" process for us, including the FLOW Method to establishing new habits / ways of thinking. Originally from China, he also provides valuable comparative cultural perspectives on how the US and "the West" have dealt with the Covid-19 crisis as compared to China, lessons learned and differences in approach.  David's Commentary on "The Four F's of FLOW" (Short Video Summary) & national bestseller by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi:
"To create flow in what I do every day, I followed the 4Fs in Flow. The first F is Focus. I get focused by using my iWatch’s breath function to help me do deep breathing. I close my eyes and follow the iWatch breath rhythm to visualize one and only one task that I need to finish in 30 to 50 minutes. The second F is Freedom. During this stage, I free myself from any worries, distractions, and self-scrutiny and focus 100% on the at-the-hand task. For example, when I write, I do not do any editing but keep writing. When I read, I do not stop to take notes, but keep reading until I fully understand the article. The third F is Feedback. I use the 18-minute rule to give myself feedback on the progress I make throughout the day. I use 5 minutes to plan the day and 5 minutes to close my day. Then for each hour, I use one minute to reflect and plan the next hour. The total time (for reflection) is only about 18 minutes for any normal workday, which is a self- feedback system to enable me to see my progress toward my daily goals. The fourth F is the four percent challenge. Csikszentmihalyi (2014) described that the flow state is at the intersection of the optimal intersection of a challenge met by stretching one’s expertise. The rule is to aim 4% above one’s normal challenge and expertise." -David Tai

Dan McGann's presentation “The Mental Side of Running” https://www.slideshare.net/Dan_McGann/The-Mental-side-of-Running

The Four Logic Questions:

1) Is it true? (examine old patterns of thought that may be subconscious and

examine the facts with truth)

2) Where is the evidence? (Where is the evidence that the opposite

is true?)

3) What is the price you pay emotionally for holding on to that old

pattern of thought?

4) What will be better or different when you let it go? (What

becomes possible in your life today – tomorrow and in the

months and years ahead when you let it go?)

"I promote in my work each individual creating powerful and compelling reasons WHY? What becomes possible when you decide and act in the face of challenges? Then the HOW is much easier... Avoid Passivity, Encourage Activity"- Dan McGann

 The "Technology of How" Visual:

Books and Methods brought up by Dan in the Podcast:

The Gratitude Challenge, Dr. Joe Dispenza- Gratitude focus BLOG and Challenge (free)

Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, on Amazon by Dave Goggins, Audio or Print book

LOVING WHAT IS: Four Questions that Can Change Your Life on Amazon by Dr. Byron Katie

Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl- "In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning,Frankl said “Man can get through any HOW? if he has a strong enough WHY?...  I think this is why when you research runners who complete a marathon and those who drop out is that primary factor of WHY? – those who complete tend to have a strong and passionate WHY- (i.e. for my family, to raise money for a cause, etc.) and those who drop out tend to have very vague intentions." - Dan McGann