I’ve had alot of time to think about how I’d conclude, this: my 300th episode...and I guess it makes sense for me to briefly comment on something I said in episode 1: When I talked about the horrible feeling of dropping the ball and losing the 1977 championship baseball game of the Weymouth Farm League for my team, The Red Barons.
The essay I wrote and read was my way of explaining why, after that crushing loss, I sought to involve myself only in sports that celebrated individual achievement.  I wrote:
“It's probably no coincidence that I've never played in a team sport since.  I chose, instead, to direct my athletic attentions to the Cross Country and Track teams, as well as the individual medley events on the swim team.  I involved myself in sports that didn't require team camaraderie; I selected athletics that rewarded individual success without the dependency of others.”
Seven years and 300 episodes later; I’ve come to realize how wrong I was....that this sport I love so much, this running is one that depends on camaraderie, it thrives on the dependency of others, it improves with friendship.
We’re all going to experience bad days.  Life is pain...but life is also filled with such beauty and hope.  As runners, we share a common experience and this is not something we should keep for ourselves...there’s no good that can come by keeping for ourselves.
I have a New Hope...a certain longing for a better world, a dream that we can all be happy, healthy and loved. John Lennon wrote that he was a dreamer...but he’s not the only one...Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about his dream for justice and equality, Mahatma Ghandi wrote "What is true of the individual will be tomorrow true of the whole nation if individuals will but refuse to lose heart and hope."
Running, as with life, is not an individual sport.  It is my new hope that you and I can inspire others to become fellow runners...to become better human beings and friends.  
For my part, I’ll use Phedippidations to promote that agenda.  I may drop the ball from time to time, but this is no longer an individual sport, and with you on my team...our new hope will become a new reality.
I’m Steve Runner, reminding you to run long and taper.