Podcasting

Some of you told me the other day that you liked running, and that you would like to be able to put some English into your brain while you run. Great idea! 'Podcast' is the word.
What is a podcast? Sorry, but I had to go to the dictionary for that : " A podcast is a radio programme that is stored in a digital form that you can download from the Internet and play on a computer or on an MP3 player ". All the radio stations have podcasting sites, for example, the BBC, or CNN:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/
http://edition.cnn.com/services/podcasting/

BUT If you want something a bit more guided, the BBC has an excellent site, BBC Learning English, with all sorts of podcasts which you can download into your Ipod or MP3, and the good thing about it that you can also download the script (so you can read it when you do your final stretching!) . I do recommend this site.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/

I'd go for "Words in the News" as a regular feature, or "London Life" and "Weekender" in the archive (scroll down to the bottom of the page) . The episodes are always short (5 minutes approx.) so download as many as you can so that you don't run out of listening material (to run out of something, a nice double phrasal verb!)

I guess listening while you're running is a good idea because your mind is in a relaxed state so it can process and "digest" better whatever comes from the outside. Of course, you can also use podcasts when your're driving -or having a bubble bath with scented candles.

PS: Talking about phrasals, Face up to Phrasals is also a good section dealing with phrasal verbs, with short and illustrative sequences exemplifying a specific phrasal verb in context. This is not a podcast, so you need to be logged in to see this feature.

So thanks for asking and enjoy your running-listening!