Filling the void
About my Crushing Iron podcast guest appearance
When I was in high school, I usually came home to an empty house after school. To help pass the time, I listened to the Don and Mike Show, a local talk radio show. It had some mild success in national syndication in the mid-nineties. The hosts, Don Geronimo and Mike O’Meara had acquired the “shock jock” label on a morning talk show called the Morning Zoo, prior to moving to the afternoons. On paper, their program was standard radio talk show fare—wacky stunts, prank phone calls, game shows, impersonations—but they also opened the doors somewhat into the failures and successes of their lives. They were more like buddies who told funny and entertaining stories. Their voices were reassuring and brought me laughter. This was no small thing to me, a lonely teenager struggling to make sense of the world.
Now a single father, I shouldn’t be surprised with myself I’ve again turned to talk shows to fill the void. These days, they’re called podcasts. Though I’ve got a few in my regular rotation, the Crushing Iron podcast takes me back a bit to my Don and Mike days. Aside from the fact that one of the hosts is also a “Mike”, the shows couldn’t be more different: syndicated daily rush hour shock jock radio vs an occasional conversation about triathlon between two guys-with-day-jobs. I look forward to the show not just for their perspective on a sport I also love, but for a similar kind of reassurance I sought out as a youngster.
This time, the conversation isn’t one-sided. The Crushing Iron guys asked me to come on their show and tell my story about why I’m training for Ironman Wisconsin. We recorded that show last week and now it’s live: http://crushingiron.com/turning-to-triathlon-when-life-turns-on-you.
Have a listen. I hope it helps fill a void for someone out there.
I’m doing Ironman Wisconsin on September 10, 2017. Follow me on my triathlon journey on Out and Back.
