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Maybe Next Time. Maybe Not

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

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A story about thinking you'll have time to go back.

Adapted from: https://semi-rad.com/2025/04/maybe-next-time-maybe-not/

Music clearance through MusicBed
Song: Aries (ft Gollden) by Sun Rain

My newsletter about about adventure, creativity, running, and enthusiasm here: https://semi-rad.com/subscribe/
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/semi_rad
Buy my books, T-shirts, coffee mugs, merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/semi-rad
All of my writing and drawings: https://semi-rad.com/
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semi_rad/
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Brendan and Mike Talk Stories

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

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Mike Sowden and I had a lovely Substack Live chat about storytelling. Like I say in the video, I always point to Mike's Everything Is Amazing Substack as a shining example of how to have fun with writing and turn it into a career. What a wonderful human being (of course he would hate me saying that). Check out Mike's writing here:

https://everythingisamazing.substack.com/

We also mention my online writing course, which is here:

https://semi-rad.com/courses/
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A Regular Person’s Guide To Surviving An Ultramarathon

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

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(this is not professional advice)
Adapted from:

A Regular Person’s Guide To Surviving An Ultramarathon
https://semi-rad.com/2025/05/a-regular-persons-guide-to-surviving-an-ultramarathon/

Parking Lot Laps: A Rationale
https://semi-rad.com/2021/05/parking-lot-laps-a-rationale/

Race Report: Motatapu Ultra (2025)
https://semi-rad.com/2025/03/race-report-motatapu-ultra/

The Rut 50K In 4 Minutes (2024)
https://youtu.be/M4vJR8H0vjk?feature=shared

Race Report: Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100K
https://semi-rad.com/2023/12/race-report-ultra-trail-cape-town-100k/

Race Report: Tiger Claw 50K (2023)
https://semi-rad.com/2023/06/race-report-tiger-claw-50k/

The Rut 50K: A Race Report (2021)
https://semi-rad.com/2021/09/the-rut-50k-a-race-report/

All It Takes Is A Goal by Jon Acuff

My Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/7920795

My newsletter about about adventure, creativity, running, and enthusiasm here: https://semi-rad.com/subscribe/
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/semi_rad
Buy my books, T-shirts, coffee mugs, merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/semi-rad
All of my writing and drawings: https://semi-rad.com/
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semi_rad/
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The Creative Process #1

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

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My newsletter about about adventure, creativity, running, and enthusiasm here: https://semi-rad.com/subscribe/
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/semi_rad
Buy my books, T-shirts, coffee mugs, merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/semi-rad
All of my writing and drawings: https://semi-rad.com/
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semi_rad/

Music clearance through MusicBed
Songs:
the world is yours - Instrumental by skateshop
Is The Hugeness Translating? (Sunrise Version) - Instrumental by Floating Action
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In Which We Run An Ultramarathon To Celebrate 10 Years Of Running Ultramarathons

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

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10 years ago (in September 2015), Jayson and I ran our first ultramarathon race at the Bear Chase Race in Lakewood, Colorado. We decided to go back and run the 2025 Bear Chase 50K and catch up a bit.

Music clearance through MusicBed
Song: Feeling The Love — Instrumental by Lady Bri

Covid spike protein animation from Vecteezy.com

My newsletter about about adventure, creativity, running, and enthusiasm here: https://semi-rad.com/subscribe/
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/semi_rad
Buy my books, T-shirts, coffee mugs, merch: https://store.dftba.com/collections/semi-rad
All of my writing and drawings: https://semi-rad.com/
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semi_rad/
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My Favorite Things Episode 1: Bodie Johnson

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

💾

For My Favorite Things, I'm interviewing people about the books, movies, music, art, and other creative works that have influenced their lives. Episode 1 is Bodie Johnson. Bodie's favorite things are:

1. Paul Simon, Graceland (album)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgD_2-Ds0_gpHnMOnyYpuVCdAJ_9Olkv-
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/graceland/529574560
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4WoQ94qzwQj28n3nlSOVLB?si=ueQOJVGLR6WxoxI0KDl5gw

2. Alone In The Wilderness
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX_9Qrw9O4KmTFVPexbTFS3tcTUiYEuBm

3. [A photo of Bodie and his future wife, Sarah]

4a. Shakey Graves "Only Son"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RREksdhfcSw
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/only-son/1768801372
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4suuRsjVmSNJ5cpr169DK7?si=1cf3427eb5db4fb3

4b. Calvin & Hobbes "I'm Significant"
https://www.reddit.com/r/calvinandhobbes/comments/8axw47/im_significant/

5. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Publisher's page
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/140301/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-by-erich-maria-remarque-introduction-by-sebastian-faulks/
Amazon
https://amzn.to/4o2sHuW
Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/a/4216/9780449213940
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My Favorite Things Episode 2: Hilary Oliver

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

💾

For My Favorite Things, I’m interviewing people about the books, movies, music, art, and other creative works that have helped shape their lives. My guest for Episode 2 is Hilary Oliver, a writer and editor (who I happen to be married to). Hilary’s favorite things are:

1. Paul Simon, Graceland (album)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgD_2-Ds0_gpHnMOnyYpuVCdAJ_9Olkv-
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/graceland/529574560
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4WoQ94qzwQj28n3nlSOVLB?si=ueQOJVGLR6WxoxI0KDl5gw

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Publisher: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/charlotte-bronte/jane-eyre/9781454957027/
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/4216/9781454957027
Amazon: https://amzn.to/43cuN36

3. Daft Punk, Alive (album)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B38CY-4Rd6s
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/alive-2007/717067737
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7u6zL7kqpgLPISZYXNTgYk?si=hXEm6j7yRm6BFSzGklwMWA

4. Mark Rothko, Untitled (1968): https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2024/02/09/feature-sort-of-blue/

5. 20th Century Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JnFaltqnAY
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Attempting the Express Tour du Mont Blanc

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

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My friend Doug asked if I'd like to try a Run the Alps running tour this year, and I said, "Sure, how about the Tour du Mont Blanc in five days with a guy I barely know?" Here's how it turned out.

The tour: https://www.runthealps.com/tour/express-tour-du-mont-blanc-self-guided

Run the Alps website: https://www.runthealps.com/

Majell's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majellb/

Michel Poletti's trail running race: https://montblanc.utmb.world/

Music clearance through Musicbed
Tracks:
Floating Action - Dutronc
Floating Action - Burst of Ordinary Light (Instrumental)
Floating Action - Something So Blue (Instrumental)
Floating Action - Moving in A Perfect Arc (Instrumental)
Floating Action - Still a Part of Me (Instrumental)
Chavigrande - Completely Instrumental
Evan Hutchings - In A Hurry
Evan Hutchings - Make It Quick
Sonny Cleveland - You Got Me Running In Circles Instrumental
Jamie Drake - New Girl Instrumental
Human Pyramids - Cafe Hawelka
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My Favorite Things Episode 3: Ed Roberson

✇Brendan Leonard
By: Brendan Leonard

💾

For My Favorite Things, I’m interviewing people about the books, movies, music, art, and other creative works that have helped shape their lives. My guest for Episode 2 is Ed Roberson (https://mountainandprairie.com/ ). Ed’s favorite things are:

1. Liner notes from Jimmy Buffett’s 1990s albums

2. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/117457/the-rise-of-theodore-roosevelt-by-edmund-morris/
https://bookshop.org/a/4216/9781400069651
https://amzn.to/43ephgm

3. The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulf_Stream_(painting)

4. Tribe by Sebastian Junger
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sebastian-junger/tribe/9781455566389/
https://bookshop.org/a/4216/9781455566389
https://amzn.to/3WGVfhM

5. Road House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH3BMICpXyA

Other things we mentioned:

Jack Johnson's cover of Jimmy Buffet’s A Pirate Looks at Forty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBTeRecIUVY

The Rewatchables Road House episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bubCT1t3aJc
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