We Are Superman

Send us Fan Mail 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 hospi...

Send us Fan Mail 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 fr...

Send us Fan Mail 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....

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 he...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 housew...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 “mis...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 comi...

Send us Fan Mail 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 F...

Send us Fan Mail 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 we...

Send us Fan Mail 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?...

Send us Fan Mail 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 i...

Send us Fan Mail 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

Send us Fan Mail 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 ES...

Send us Fan Mail 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 orthope...

Send us Fan Mail We're heading into the winter months, so here is my best advice to achieve and enjoy getting lazy and out-of-shape before the spring. ;) Bill Stahl silly_billy@msn.com Facebook Bill Stahl Instagram @stahlor

Send us Fan Mail Many of you know my long history of injuries and surgeries.  More than 20 years ago, I had worked with a Feldenkreis practitioner who had noticed that I have a strong tendency to rotate onto the outsides of my feet (which unfortunately is still my tendency today), and favor my left knee due to the four surgeries I’d had to repair its ruptured quad tendon.  Therefore, on the suppos...

Send us Fan Mail As motivational coach and author, and frequent WASP contributor Gary Stotler describes, Halloween was often the beginning for him of two months of losing focus on his goals due to holiday eating and parties, family gatherings, and more.  We discuss ways to be true to yourself during this time of year and maintain the discipline it takes so you will not find yourself self-loathing...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready to get fired up with Shawn Anderson.  Shawn is a top-rated motivational speaker and bestselling author, who has twice bicycled across America, and walked across Spain, Portugal, Ireland, England, Italy, France, and Japan.  I love that he has gotten the mayors of more than 500 U.S. cities to issue proclamations each year to recognize November 1 as Extra Mile Day, a day re...

Send us Fan Mail The high school cross country team I help coach completed its season this past week at Regionals, and while none of the runners qualified for the State meet, there was a tremendous amount of progress.  Most of all, I enjoyed the opportunity to help provide these kids a positive experience, and that they did was evident at the end of the season.  I've had many experiences like...

Send us Fan Mail As you know, when I’m not running in the Leadville Trail 100, I work at the Winfield aid station at mile 50.  That’s where I had a very brief encounter with plant-based endurance runner Robbie Balenger, who was completing his summer-long Colorado Crush.  Robbie had previously run the Leadville Marathon as well as the Silver Rush 50-mile.  I’ve had runners who don’t run ultras gasp...