Whenever I’m out running or actually whenever I’m just walking about town I’m usually listening to my iPod (or iPhone). Most people listen to music but I’m much more of a podcast listener. Perhaps it’s my old-man tendencies but I like the fact that people are talking to me and I have to concentrate to understand what’s going on.
The biggest benefit I’ve found is on long training runs. When my mind is elsewhere, I don’t notice how far I’ve gone or if I’m tired. Although with my bad knee recently there hasn’t really been much of that! Nevertheless, I thought I’d share what are some of my favorites, you can see there’s definitely a slant towards two particular areas…
1. IM Talk (previously Ironman Talk – If you mention that you might have to do pushups)
A fantastically funny couple of guys. John and Bevan are Kiwi’s that talk triathlon (particularly Ironman) and have fun segments with training tips and excellent interviews with lots of pros. One of their biggest claims to fame was their serious discussion of the tri-taboo topic of “peeing on the bike”.
2. Competitor Radio
Bob Babbit and Paul Huddle are triathlon legends, Bob raced Kona before I was born and Paul’s finished in the top ten. They’re constantly on the official coverage of the race. In the podcast they spread their wings to everything endurance sports. Compelling interviews with all the really big names, and a few other folks too that you really should know about if you’re interested in endurance sports. Oh, and the usual question is, “How much can you bench?”
3. The Age Grouper
Another triathlon podcast, but this time from just a couple regular guys. Jeff and Eric don’t always take it seriously but they enjoy talking about it. They’re from the Chicago area and find a way to squeeze in some racing, the occasional Ironman and their regular lives.
4. This Week in Tech
Leo Laporte and a bunch of the other folks from the old television show “The Screensavers” from Tech TV get together and talk about anything that’s happening in the tech world. From Google+ to Facebook, Android to Symbian it’s all here. If you have only 90min and want to keep up with tech stuff. This is for you.
5. Diggnation
Kevin Rose (founder of Digg) and his old co-host also from The Screensavers get together, drink beer and talk/laugh about some of the top stories submitted on Digg. They’re always ridiculous and have made me burst out laughing while running numerous times. They’ve now moved to a video format which I don’t like as much since I have to watch it and can’t run while listening, but still one of my favorites.
