Loading...

PODCAST

The Stubborn Tortoise

People often ask me why I love trail running. It"s all about the stories. You meet a different kind of person on the trails: connects with nature, doesn"t mind slowing down if someone is in need, says, "Good job, runner." Trail runners are competitive, for sure. But it"s also egalitarian. Seldom will you find the elites separated from the regular folk. Everyone gets lost at some point. Everyone falls. These are our badges of passage. This is my take on trail culture. Logo: Kevin Stich Music: "Our

sports running

All Episodes

00:25:20

Getting the Good News

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/09/28

I was given clearance to travel, row and -- drum roll -- run, as of last week.Don't worry: I'm not crazy enough to try running at 6 weeks post op, but I may try a run-walk soonish.I'm also eyeing either the 5K or 10K on Nov. 14 at El Taco Loco -- hiking, or maybe a tiny bit of running. My friends, Orly and Kathy, are doing the 50K and coming up for that weekend. I figure I may as well give it a shot. And, I have a DNF of a 10K in February to atone for. We will see.

en

00:41:28

The Road Away From Chardonnay

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/09/20

Sept. 20 marks 14 months without alcohol.After the pandemic, my desire to drink more accelerated. I tried taking off a set number of days, but that didn't seem to help. Tried drinking on certain days. Nope.I was tired of how I felt and looked and didn't want to live the rest of my life relying on alcohol.Luckily, I didn't hit rock bottom—I just scraped it a few times.So, I drank what was left at my house and never bought more. I still haven't. This is that story, plus a shoutout at the end for

en

00:38:24

Pre-surgery intel and other stories

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/09/14

I figured I should outline how I got to the part about the hip replacement without you having to listen to three years' worth of podcasts.I also slide in a tale about a bad neighbor and the death of one of our beloved community cats, Negrita.Gonna try to do these weekly again.

en

00:41:18

Hip, Hip, Hooray

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/09/07

Corny headline, I know.I'm back. I got a new hip while I was gone. It's adjusting well, despite having to sleep on my back. But I was walking without an assistive device four days post-op. I've definitely been pushing it, but you know me: I'm not a happy sit-still kind of person.There were a couple of post-op hiccups, but things are progressing better than expected. I walked a mile today, which felt OK, despite the hip flexor feeling tight. I've been riding my indoor bike and

en

00:21:22

I Have Seen My Future and I Didn't Predict This Stuff

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/04/20

We all wax romantic about how we will age gracefully and actively...until the day comes when stuff unexpectedly goes wrong. You diligently grind through workouts, attempting to eat right and all that jazz, and then, suddenly, your gene pool says, "Not so fast."How I'm coming to terms with a few things I would never have predicted. My advice: try not to fixate on the problem. I'm still working through this.

en

00:26:34

It's All in the Hip

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/03/30

Well, the hip arthritis has progressed and I may have to consider replacement. Waiting to find out. Plus, going hangry at a suburban conference, a little political frustration and a movie I walked out of.Photo: Actual X-ray of my severe osteoarthritic left hip.

en

00:16:15

Don't Skip Leg Day and Other Stories

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/03/02

When you're training for and doing ultramarathons, there aren't enough hours in the day to strength train. So, like a lot of people, I skipped it. I did some cursory stuff, but, as I am now finding out, it wasn't enough.I'm back at physical therapy once again, doing millions of squats, clamshells, and lunges, because I didn't do them before. Or at least enough of them.Turns out, afflictions like arthritis can be ameliorated by strength training. It' something we know, deep

en

00:32:51

Things going awry all at once

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2026/02/16

Trying not to have a first-world pity party, but I've had a few major setbacks. Fold in my already-dark mood surrounding my birthday and you get a sort of saddish tale.Appliance failure, plumbing gone wrong, I DNF'd a 10K, no one really helped me celebrate a Big Birthday, and just the realization that I'm getting old...er.

en

00:30:50

The Flu as a Parting Gift

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/12/29

It's no one's fault but mine, but I managed to get the flu over Christmas. Coughing, nose-blowing, feeling crappy. It's the first time that I can remember having this as an adult.I'm improving, but relieved to not be doing Snowdrop this year, because of this.Looking back and ahead a little.Here's to a better 2026!

en

00:35:32

Two, count 'em, two, adventures

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/11/16

I saw an acupuncturist who gave me some stern advice that I'm not sure about, but her work was good and I will see her again.I also did the Wild Hare 10K, which went well, save for me wiping out before mile 2. I finished within my second goal time, because I missed the first one.Contemplated my future races and have decided I should keep it short -- at least for now.

en

00:30:22

I Have Become Fran

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/11/03

I hit a sad realization over the weekend: my arthritic hip won't let me attempt a half-marathon next month. After I ran-hiked an 8K on Saturday, the hip yelled at me all day and night, and I knew if I tried doing 13.1 miles on pavement, I would destroy what's left of it.So, I did what I considered the unthinkable: I dropped to the 5K.Immediately, I felt loss and like the character of Fran, in "Strictly Ballroom," the secretly talented ballroom dancer who is relegated to the

en

00:23:07

Rekindling the Love

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/10/27

It's been a few weeks, people. I know. Had a couple of eps ready to go and I changed my mind because I wasn't happy with them.In the past few weeks, I have rekindled my love of running, but also adjusted my plans for a couple of upcoming races out of an abundance of caution -- or pride.And one of you gets a shoutout. You'll just have to listen to find out. :)

en

00:55:36

"We Don't Have to Feel Alone as Runners."

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/09/30

Kate Mihevc Edwards used to run for no particular reason, except that she loved it. Then, she discovered the world of competitive running in college and ran numerous half marathons and 13 marathons -- three of which were Boston. On her son's first birthday, she went for a run, like always. As she returned home, her heart rate skyrocketed to 300 bpm. She was later diagnosed with a rare heart condition that sidelined any hope of returning to running.Meanwhile, she left her career in marketing and

en

00:22:24

Returning to Big Boy Races

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/09/09

Saturday marked the first time I've done what I call "Big Boy" trail races since last November.I was not especially trained for the hilly terrain, but gave it a shot.It was embarrassingly slow, included a downhill tumble, and I considered quitting a couple of times. Mind you, it was "only" a 5-mile (actually, 5.4-mile) distance.I finished, humbled but determined to keep going through challenging things instead of giving up.

en

00:23:36

I Guess I Should Train, Eh?

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/08/25

I'm signing up for races all over the place. I guess that means getting out of the house and actually running.Strangely, a memory came up on Facebook the other day. It was a photo of me and Orly (Hundo) with Normita looking on as we wrung out our socks midway through a 20-miler. I mentioned that I went out later and got in 3 more miles. (!) Those were the days when I was training for a 50-miler.I look back on that time and realize it likely won't happen again. But, I'm grateful to have

en

00:31:01

Season 7, People!

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/08/11

I arbitrarily decided to start the seventh season of the podcast because...why not?This week, I give some pro tips to beginners, share the experience of running my first trail race all year and why I think my two listeners (/s) like what I do here.

en

00:27:00

It's about time.

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/08/04

I did my first race of the year on Saturday. Wasn't great but wasn't awful. Emboldened, I've signed up for a few more races in the upcoming months.It's about time.Plus, a raccoon update and watch the video below for me doing "push ups" at Camp Eagle in 2016.**photo shot in 2017 at Mission Trails in the RGV at my going-away run. I found some race flags and decided to wear them.**

en

00:27:20

Lots of DRAMA

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/07/20

Geez, Louise, it's been a wild few days. My car began vibrating like it did last year when the front control arm/bushing (listen to me talking like I know what I'm talking about) cracked. I fear that the rear version is faulty and did not feel great about driving up to Killeen for last night's Hill Country Strong race. Putting the car in the shop on Wednesday after my summer class (Podcasting!) ends. Meanwhile, I look back at another time when another car failed me on the way to a summer

en

00:20:29

Giving Back

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/07/14

The Kerrville flood remains a horrific piece of Texas/national history. I have signed up for a couple of races to help give back to that community. I even kicked in some extra at HEB's fancy Central Market to help. I also signed up for a race in San Antonio next month called Poker 5K. I misremembered the name of the org benefiting from this. Also, a big shout-out to my dear friend, PJ Izaguierre, for all that he is doing for the recovery effort. He had to move the Colorado Bend race to another

en

00:14:05

The Dark

The Stubborn Tortoise ·

2025/07/06

I have been gutted all weekend by the news of the floods in Hill Country, my playground. I weep for the families of lost children and my former police-reporter sensibilities kicked in this morning when I thought of all of the funerals and small caskets.It's a little too much.There are a lot of factors that played into this disaster.Most are political, unfortunately.I can only hope this unites us to work toward our best interests instead of those that benefit the few.If you wan to help, sign up

en

273 results

Similar Podcasts

MMA Fighting

MMA Fighting

The Favorites Sports Betting Podcast

Playmaker and iHeartPodcasts

ESPN SportsCenter Update

ESPN

The Final Lap Weekly - NASCAR Talk Show

The Final Lap, Bleav

DraftKings Network Daily Bets

DraftKings Network