Technical question. Blisters, do you pop them or not?
I have blisters right now, I have two of them, and it's because I ran in the rain in wet socks, back in Arizona. But they're on the mend.

So you don't pop them?
Well, one I did. Here's a trick for blister popping: There's a butterfly needle, a very small needle like a pin with a hole in there, so when you lance your blister, all the pus drains out of the hole.

Can you make a blanket statement about popping or not?
I would say the general rule, don't pop unless you have to pop. If it's protruding so much that it's painful, then I'd say definitely pop it. But if it's close to your skin and it's not being exacerbated when you put your shoe on, I'd say try to ride it out. The best way to treat a blister is not to get one in the first place. I put Bodyglide on my feet. That works. And I have other friends that use talcum powder—anything to keep your foot dry. I don't like talcum powder. It cakes for me too much, but some people use it.

ON TRAINING WITH MUSIC

Do you train with an iPod?
I do, I use an iPod once in a while, and I like it—maybe only 20 percent of the time for running. A lot of time I'm running on trails and I want to clear my head and I don't want any noise. I want to enjoy nature and think things through. The other thing I do a whole lot of is I have a digital voice recorder and I do a lot of writing when I'm running.

What do you listen to?
A whole variety: 80s punk rock, Euro house music, chemical brothers, Lou Reed, a whole smattering of stuff.

ON HIS WILDEST EXPERIENCE ON THE ROAD

What's the craziest thing that's ever happened to you while running?
I was running not long ago in Marin and it was about 2:00 a.m., and I'm always cautious around that time of night because the bars in California let out at 2:00 a.m. People are on the backcountry roads out there because they don't want to be on the main thoroughfares because they're doing something they shouldn't be doing. And this car comes barreling down the road right for me, which I'm used to. This car keeps coming right at me, so I flash—I've got a reflective vest on, headlamp, a handheld light—I flash the light in their windshield. They kept coming right for me and they nearly ran me over. It was so close. They whizzed by, and I gave them the fist. I was kind of mad. And then they hit the brakes.

Oh no.
Yeah, and they threw it into reverse, right next to me. And I thought, "Oh my god, I'm dead. There's nowhere to go. I've met my destiny." And then this woman jumps out of the car, manic, and starts rifling around the passenger seat. I'm paralyzed with terror, thinking, "Is it a gun? Is it a knife?" And then she pulls out a copy of my book. And she looks at me and says, "You're him...you're the ultra-marathon guy. I thought I recognized you. You've got to sign my book!" I'm trembling with a pen in my hand…and she says, "Thank you, thank you!" And she throws it back in her car and drives off.