The RunRunLive 4.0 Podcast Episode 4-451 – Dylan Runs and Writes    (Audio: link) audio:http://www.RunRunLive.com/PodcastEpisodes/epi4451.mp3] Link MarathonBQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks - Intro: Hello my friends and welcome to episode 4-451 of the RunRunLive Podcast.  How’s everyone doing?  Spring has arrived up here in New England.  We will lose the last of the snow today.  There is one dirty little pile in the lee of my stone wall in the front lawn that has been tenaciously hanging on.  The weather has been fabulous these last two weeks.  Up into the 50’s and 60’s Fahrenheit.  What we call mud season up here.  Quickly followed by allergies and black flies, and settling into mosquitoes.  But, in all seriousness, It is a interesting thing to be able to watch.  The animals know it’s spring before we do.  Less than a month ago it was snow and single digits but the birds knew spring was coming.  You could here them in the mornings busying up new nests and beginning the process of raising the next generation.  I was walking Ollie on morning this week and I had to pause and marvel at the noise.  This time of year, we have what are known as vernal pools.  That’s where the water gathers during the spring melt in glacial hollows.  They only manifest this time of year.  They are ephemeral pools of water.  They dry up by late June.  Because of their ephemeral nature they have no fish in them.  Because there are no fish the local amphibians and insects run riot like partiers on a South Beach spring break.  I had to stop and listen because the level of noise from the frogs coming out of this vernal pool was so loud.  Where less than 30 days ago it was frozen solid. Life finds a way.  We all find a way.  I am still laid up with the sore knee.  It’s been 4 weeks off running.  I did try a little bit of running but it needs more rest.  I have experience with these things.  It’s typically 6-8 weeks, unless there’s real damage, then it could be 6 months.  I’m ok with that. With these nice days I wish I could be out in the woods with Ollie.  I’ve been riding my bike more as the weather improves.  It will take me a couple weeks to get my bike legs back.   I’m lucky enough to have a lot of experience with both road biking and mountain biking, and to have enough equipment to do both without an large expenditure! In between I’ve been doing core workouts and long yoga sessions.  Today we talk to Dylan who is a writer of young adult fiction.  I ran into Dylan through our friend Ann who we’ve had on the podcast.  Dylan is a runner and I talk to him about running and writing.  In the back of my mind, I have always wanted to be a writer, because I enjoy the process and get great satisfaction from the work.  This has always been true.  At one point I was pursuing journalism in college but realized that wasn’t going to provide the standard of living I wanted, and instead I turned to business.  This project of RunRunLive came from my desire to write again.  It forces me to write something for every show.  I think the lesson here is that you can still pursue those things you’re passionate about, throughout your life.  You can clear a space for whatever that is and still put boiled potatoes on the table.  There’s always a tradeoff.  Or you can choose to go all in, like Dylan and make a career out of it. It’s your decision.  It’s not an either/or decision.  It’s and either/and decision.  Let’s face it, there are millions of us runners who will never win a race.  But we still have that passion.  We still like to get out and find our own personal edge and derive that satisfaction. My new podcast, After the Apocalypse, is letting me play more in science fiction than I have before.  I probably won’t win a Hugo award from it, but I’m learning stuff and enjoying the process. That’s the lesson.  Find a way to explore things that you might be passionate about.  There’s always a new adventure on the horizon. On with the show.   About Zero ZE