Carpe Diem: Live Your Dream

Here’s a young woman who caught the adventure bug full force, all triggered by an unforgettable mountain top sunrise. She went on to complete the Seven Summits in record time, and then moved on to a Greenland Icecap crossing. Just wait to hear what she has planned next!

Did I make it through the 2.4 mile swim, the 112 mile bike, and the 26.2 mile marathon? And if I did, how long did it take and what was it like? This episode is Part 2 of my Ironman journey and is the post-race debrief with my coach shortly after my first Ironman. 

As your host, I feel compelled to practice what I preach. Together with my coach, we tell the story of the nearly half-year journey to my first Ironman triathlon - actually, to my first triathlon of any kind. This is part 1 of a 2-part series, with this episode focused on the joys and travails of training leading up to race day, both from my perspective and my coach's. The experience wasn’t exactl...

Less well known, but arguably more beautiful and challenging than crossing the Greenland Icecap or skiing to the South Pole, this Norwegian guide describes what the month-long expedition across Svalbard is like. This remote arctic archipelago in the Barents Sea is out-of-this-world gorgeous.  Check out some beautiful photos on my website at gocarpediemnow.com or at rostilleguiding.com . And don’t...

Here’s a beautiful story of a person going from zero to one hundred on the athletic spectrum, transforming herself from a non-athletic desk jockey in front of a screen to a champion-level Spartan obstacle course racer. She captures her 8-year journey in a beautifully written book, and relates the essence of it in this episode.

Bike touring what might be the longest and most beautiful mountain bike route in the world was not in the plans for this guest – she really had no interest. But when her husband said he was going regardless, she decided to tag along. And what happened? She had the most gratifying experience of her life. This episode is a great example of the try-it,-you-just-might-like-it advice. And the descripti...

To run a marathon is a great accomplishment. If you do that, then it’s just 5 more miles to complete a 50k race. Then a mere 19 more to knock out a 50-miler. Now it sounds really hard, but double that and you have a 100-miler. Well, this guy has shaped his life around doing these 50- and 100-milers, a couple dozen of them. Hear how (and why) one does that, and what it feels like. And he might even...

Finally, for you skiers out their, our first episode about the sport. But this isn’t just your typical downhill or cross-country skiing. This is a ski touring adventure done by throwing a big pack on your back and forging a trail deep into the Swiss Alps to travel for a week from hut to hut. There's the famous Haute Route and other destinations, and plenty of descriptions of what you can expect if...

This middle-aged mother of two found open-water swimming to bring solace to life’s challenges. Listen to how one thing led to another until – much to her own great surprise – she ended up swimming the English Channel. It took over 19 hours, but proved a world of confidence for her and set the path for more great dreams to pursue.

A middle-age working mother who does ultra-distance winter racing by foot, bike and ski in the depth of winter in the coldest parts of North America. There's the Arrowhead 135 that she has completed nearly a dozen times, and the Iditarod Trail Invitational where she's pushing her bicycle for days through the snowy Alaskan trail used by the Iditarod dog sled race. Her grit is admirable, and her exp...

As we age, it becomes easier and easier to fall into a sedentary lifestyle as the body gradually atrophies. But it doesn’t have to be that way – at least not as soon and fast as we tend to allow. Listen to this man in his 70’s, how he went about qualifying for the Ironman World Championships, and how he deals with the challenges of aging. He's quite inspiring.

The best kind of adventure is one you make up on your own. This active, outdoor-loving retiree designed his own 1,700 bike-packing adventure with a unique twist that gave him a whole new appreciation of his home state. He also gives a beautiful explanation we can all use for defining what an "adventure" is, and he describes the slightly modified "Carpe Diem" philosophy that he and his wife have li...

The 2,190 mile Appalachian Trail. The 2,653 mile Pacific Crest Trail. And the 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail. These three epic trails traversing north-to-south across the U.S. are known collectively as the Thru-Hiking Triple Crown. The guest for this episode is a young woman who accomplished all three trails and she shares an amazing perspective on her adventures and on humans’ connection to...

Listen to a short summary of each of the 17 episodes from Season #1 of the Carpe Diem: Live Your Dream podcast. It will remind past listeners of the great adventures and lessons they heard once already, and provide new listeners a guide to the entire season. My guest's adventures included summiting Mt. Everest, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Swimming the English Channel, cycling across America...

Listen to how this world #4 ranked freestyle highliner cured her fear of heights and rose to the top of this rapidly emerging sport. The tricks are amazing and you’ll learn a lot about this fascinating world of balancing high in the air.

A coast-to-coast bicycle ride across America was just the beginning of this PhD student’s passion for cycling adventures. He then added the Tour Divide ultra-distance mountain bike race, a Guinness world record, and more.

This episode is a little different than my norm. An outdoor adventure to be sure, training and serving with the Navy Seals. This story exemplifies the bright, hardworking men and women pursuing their dream (in this man’s case, 2 dreams) in the service of our nation, and provides a simple formula for anyone’s success in life.

The Yukon River is out there – like really out there. Which, of course, attracts serious adventurers. My guest on this episode describes his 7-day journey traveling 1,000 miles of raw wilderness through Canada and Alaska, and explains why he chose to be the first to race it by standup paddle board.

The Leadville 100 isn’t the only ultra-distance trail race out there, but it’s a classic and one of the most epic. Covering 100 miles and 15,000+ vertical feet of elevation before the 30-hour cutoff is a great challenge for any runner.

Arguably the greatest waterway in North America, steeped in history and teeming with adventure. This episode touches on one man’s solo journey by canoe down the length of the Mississippi River, what he discovered about humanity, and the book he wrote about it.

The Iditarod dog sled race is considered one of the most challenging feats in human endurance. 1,000 miles across the wildest parts of deep-winter Alaska with no one to help you. Listen to how this determined woman accomplished her dream of mushing in the Iditarod.

What happens when a former Naval fighter pilot joins a sailing rally of 70 boats to cross the Atlantic Ocean? You can guess he crosses the finish line first, but listen in for more of this go-go retiree’s story about his race across the Atlantic. 

The four greatest deserts on Earth, each with a 200 km ultra-distance adventure race. This white-collar professional desk jockey completed them all, and took in some of the most epic scenery in the process.

It’s an incredible triathlon format: a 2.4 mile swim and 116 mile bike, followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon. Hear from a top world Ironman competitor and coach what it’s like and what it takes to finish one. He assures us most people can do it – with some hard work.

The 28 mile swim around Manhattan Island was the warm up. Then came the 20-mile Catalina Channel swim in the open Pacific. So why not complete the Triple Crown with the English Channel – so said this middle age working man with two kids.