We Are Superman

You’ve just been plowed down by a truck while on a bike ride.  You’re laying on the pavement, spine shattered, unable to move your legs.  What’s among the first things you do?  You forgive the driver who ran you over. Perhaps it was Dean Otto’s experience having gone through a 12-step program for alcoholism that caused Dean to reflexively forgive that driver who stood over the mess he had caused. ...

Unable to process he and his wife suffering a miscarriage, Steve Claringbold literally stood on the precipice until an angel, in this case, a police officer, appeared out of nowhere and talked Steve down from leaping to his death.  After that, he finally started working on healing and finding better ways to grieve.  He took control of his mental health, lost a good deal of weight, and started runn...

I welcome again friend of the podcast Gary Stotler, motivational coach and author, whose last book Success is Spelled Action, a book on how to create consistent forward progress, I would highly recommend adding to your self-improvement arsenal.  He also has a new podcast series called Coaching Call with Amy you can find on GaryStotler.com/podcast or on platforms like Apple podcasts.  Did you know...

Hey folks, you’re about to have your breath taken away.  Karl Egloff is one of the pre-eminent mountain speedrunners in the world, holding FKTs, or Fastest Known Times – to not climb, but run – up and down many of the highest and most daunting peaks in the world, including Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, and Aconcagua.  Where it would take most of us many days to trek these mountains, it takes Karl m...

The athletes from the recently-completed Olympics are heading home and many into recovery mode.  Any athlete knows that recovery is absolutely essential to make forward progress.  I discuss here about a myriad of recovery modalities that are available to everyday athletes.  I  also have strong opinions on what is ailing the Olympics that is showing up in its low TV ratings, including competing on...

I have a treat for you today.  If you want to get super-motivated, keep listening.  As soon as I got done recording this episode with Hellah Sidibe, I headed out the door for a run.  Hellah’s infectious enthusiasm and positivity might just do that to you, too, so you might want to listen to this just prior to – or during – your workout.  Hellah grew up in Mali, a former French colony in West Afric...

I love a good challenge, and that's the way I look at foreign travel.  Languages I don't speak, different food and cultures, navigating transit systems, enduring the intricate Covid policies, and in this case, dealing with a potentially devastating crime.  I came through this trip to Europe feeling much richer for all of the experiences and very appreciative of the hospitality of my host...

Would you find it inspiring to listen to an episode about a guy who can run a 16:49 5K, a 1:17 half-marathon, and a 3:03 marathon?  Maybe a little.  How about if I added that he has done it as a double-amputee?  Oh yeah, that’s a lot different!  I randomly met Brian Reynolds last summer during the Leadville Trail 100.  We were both at Mitch Dulleck’s house on 4th Street not far from the finish lin...

Kevin Roth had a life-changing epiphany, packed up and moved to an idyllic place on the beach, and hung out a shingle calling himself a life coach.  Oh, you say you’ve heard this story before?  Wait, hear me out.  Kevin was a prominent folk singer who played with Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary, and wrote the theme song for the PBS children’s show, Shining Time Station.  He recorded mor...

This is a very special episode of the WASP, partly because I have a personal connection to our guest.  We often highlight inspirational stories about people making comebacks from things like addiction, obesity, and major injuries or illnesses.  I hope these have served very much to inspire you to improve your life and achieve your own epic accomplishments.  I’m willing to bet that we will never ha...

As you know, I love a good comeback story as well as people who have conjured up a unique, daunting challenge to tackle.  In this episode I chat with an old coaching friend, Karen Smidt, who is the long-time head cross country and track coach at Brighton High School, in a growing suburban, formerly rural, community northeast of Denver.  Karen is a Navy veteran, and has been the head librarian at t...

Running hills gives more bang for your buck than almost any other workout.  They can be part of your transition workouts - along with tempos and fartleks - to bridge you to speed workouts, or they can be to practice the specificity needed to run hilly races.  In this episode I share many tips for workouts you can do to prepare your body as well as form essentials and ideas if you live in an area w...

Before we get off of the topic of setting our actionable goals off in the strongest possible direction, I wanted to bring a guest into the Hive that will fire you up to achieve your 2022 wellness and fitness goals.  Dr. Matt Chalmers regularly works with people in all walks of life ranging from CEOs and pro athletes, to local-level competitive runners, weekend warriors, and housewives.  He is the...

I hope your 2022 is off to a good start.  To continue on the theme of adding ancillary exercises into your training program that I started with the year’s inaugural Power Play, I’m welcoming Coach Dan Herman into the Hive.  Dan followed a similar path to David, maxing out at 375 pounds and having an unhealthy relationship with food as well as with his self-body image.  He also had an inoperable de...

Happy New Year!  May 2022 be the year you crush some epic goals! First off, I do want to offer my sympathies to all of those affected by the wildfires in Boulder County.  So many people lost everything - almost 1000 homes were destroyed - and rebuilding lives will take a very long time.  If you are able to, please donate to help those in dire need to the Boulder Community Wildfire Fund at: www.com...

Happy New Year!  As we navigate through the holidays, and head into a new year, all under the spectre of another wave of Covid, I thought it would be worthwhile to bring into the Hive one of the foremost experts in dealing with substance dependence, mental health, and compulsive behaviors.  You may already know Coach Blu Robinson, the founder of Addict 2 Athlete, whose stated “mission is to establ...

Season's Greetings!  Gary Stotler and host Bill Stahl again reprise the Sober F*cking Christmas episodes from 2019 (with David) and 2020 where we talked about dealing with the holidays.  Of course, a lot in the world went haywire in 2020 and 2021, but many of the root causes of holiday depression haven't changed, and maybe got even worse during the pandemic.   Gary once weighed 400 pound...

Season's Greetings, everyone!  To be honest, the holidays have always frustrated my Type A personality  in that it's hard to get much accomplished.  But you can use this "slow" period to set yourself to be more productive in 2022.  In this short Power Play, I discuss a few thoughts about what you can do now to put yourself in great position to shine in the coming year. Bill Sta...

There are so many excellent reasons to run, both physical and mental.  Longtime WASP friend Gary Stotler and I talk about many of these reasons and perhaps you'll find some that resonate with you. Gary Stotler garystotler.com Facebook Gary Stotler Instagram @coachgarystotler Find his latest book, "Success is Spelled Action" on Amazon Bill Stahl silly_billy@msn.com Facebook @coachsta...

As you’ve already heard from me, I was in Ecuador in early- to mid-November on a trip lead by Tyler Andrews, whose many impressive FKTs landed him here on the WASP earlier this year.  There were six of us on this expedition, including my travel sidekick, Jack.  Our other leader was 22-year old Ecuadorian native Beto Dávalos.  I ran with Beto on an early day of the trip while we were getting acclim...

A lot of scientific research, that I fully support, backs the concept of periodization, which means alternating your training between hard and easy - whether it's day-to-day, season-to-season, or even year-to-year.  I've also anecdotally seen the value of taking advantage of your personal situation to up your training or tackle a race.  When is it worthwhile to do this? It has been a yea...

As we get into this season of hope, here is a story that should give you plenty of it.  I met Gary Cahill while he was running the American Heroes Run 100-miler in September.  He lives not far away in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, the gateway town to Rocky Mountain National Park.  While chatting and running with Gary, a very warm, affable, and cheerful man, I learned that Gary is a stage four su...

Join me on a little recap of my trip to fascinating Ecuador, including running up and down volcanoes, running in the cloud jungle, and around beautiful Quito. Bill Stahl silly_billy@msn.com Facebook Bill Stahl Instagram @stahlor This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit billstahl8.substack.com

David’s second-to-last podcast was with Dean Karnazes, a household name to most serious runners who know that he won seven of the tough Western States 100s.  While the average American might not know him by name, a large percentage know him when I mention that he ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.  Dean has a ton of other accolades, including winning the Badwater 135, an ESPY, and being nam...

I am fascinated by how nutrition can affect our health and the role it plays in many chronic and lifestyle diseases that plague our world, and so when I heard about Kristen Bowen and Living the Good Life Naturally, I didn’t hesitate to reach out.  She sent me a bottle of magnesium soak and I tried it with an open mind.  I don’t have health issues other than my ever-present orthopedic and running p...