 Apple Watch - So Close Yet So Far

November 18, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, Gear

When I first started running I bought an Apple Watch to track my running, 5+ years later I’m still using an Apple Watch. I love its simplicity and while I’ve upgraded versions over the years, it has been a really solid watch for both normal wear and workout tracking. Each time I would start “growing” out of the Apple Watch–features were falling behind, or battery life wouldn’t last long enough–the next iteration of the watch would solve these problems, until this year. This year I started being coached by Nark Running & Strength and for many of my coach’s workouts it’s important for him to be able to see “splits.” Unfortunately, this Apple Watch feature is extremely sub-par and difficult to use…

How Short Is a Short Short Before a Short Short is Too Short

September 12, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, Gear

Back when I was a young lad, I attended a private Christian school. Like most reasonable schools, there was a dress code in place. Unlike most reasonable schools, our rules were a little more strict. I’m sure there were plenty, but the only dress code rule I remember was “no short shorts”. I personally didn’t care about the rule, you certainly wouldn’t be catching me dead in shorts that even bordered on short (Jams anyone?)…

Bless, Instead of Curse. Liberate, Instead of Oppress.

September 07, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Give, Life

It’s September and with September comes Labor Day Weekend. The coolness and smells of fall are slowly making their way into the air, a much needed relief to the heat of Summer. Labor Day not only signals the beginnings of Fall, but for New Yorkers with children, it marks the end of Summer and the beginning of school. Except this year, at least for the Capital District of New York, and more specifically, the urban schools in the area, no child will be going anywhere, everything is looking like it will be virtual this Fall…

Give: Mission Accomplished - #donateyourmiles

August 01, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Give, Life

It is super hard for me to believe that a month has passed by once again. It’s harder to believe that it’s been two months since I asked myself this question, “When the outrage ends, will you be someone who continues to make a difference?” While I’m on the third round of giving, this has nothing to do with how much I’m giving and everything to do with challenging myself to keep racism and inequity at the forefront of my mind, in my own unique way. Otherwise, I’m afraid I may forget and become complacent…

Give: Wizard's Wardrobe - #donateyourmiles

June 30, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, Give

With my final June run done it’s time to pause, count the miles and donate to something that is making a huge change in my local community. This month I racked up 150 miles and will be sending $150 dollars on to a South End children’s literacy program called Wizards Wardrobe…

Four Years In the Making or More Like 15

June 18, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

4 years ago Brad Smith and I embarked upon a journey to transform Simplecast from one of the many fledgling podcasting hosts to something much greater. The world of podcasting looked very different back then, although most of the core aspects of podcasting continue to remain unchanged. While Simplecast was a new venture for Brad and I, we’ve known each other for close to 14 years. During the Internet Stone Age we worked together for 7 years building PureVolume and then Virb, a DIY website builder for creatives (acquired by GoDaddy in 2013)…

Give: Donate Your Miles - #donateyourmiles

June 03, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, Give

I have a gut-level, nausea inducing, feeling in my stomach right now. I want it to remain, because those visceral sensations help shake me out of my general complacency. It’s easy to be distracted by the responsibilities around me, but when I open Twitter, or the news, I’m shaken out of it all. But what can I do? I don’t like doing things just to do them, but I want keep doing things long after the glaring need isn’t as glaring…

When the Outrage Ends

June 01, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

If history is any indication of the future, there will come a day when the racial protests, looting and violence will come to an end. Based on what we’ve seen in the past, there are three outcomes (maybe more?) that I see…

Running vs. Bicycling 💢🥊 FIGHT!

May 29, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

It’s hard for me to believe, but there was a time before running in which I bicycled exclusively. I commuted the streets of Boston, from my Somerville apartment to Beacon Street, to help build Virb with some extremely talented individuals (may it very soon rest in peace ☠️). Each day I dangerously, yet exhilaratingly, weaved through standstill traffic in Somerville and Cambridge to then ride along the Charles River, absorbing the views and eventually carrying my bike up three flights of stairs to the Beacon Street office. Bicycling was my obsession…

My Heel Recovery Journey

May 12, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

I can’t imagine anything worse than sustaining a running injury that sidelines my running. Nothing makes me more sad than to not be able to run. Unfortunately, I’ve had a few common runner’s injuries over the years. The most painful the IT band issues. The first time I experienced IT band pain was in the middle of a marathon. I tried to run through the pain (a really stupid idea), but it became so painful I couldn’t keep running…