Morning on Dartmoor, November 2020 For many, the first of January is a day of reflection, anticipation, planning, and taking stock. For runners, and athletes of all kinds, it can be a day to start a new logbook, make a race schedule, set goals, or reshape a training plan. In our different ways, we try … Continue reading Interval
I completed my 12th ultramarathon race last weekend -- the 32 mile TARC Fells Winter Ultra Trail Race just north of Boston, MA. It wasn't my fastest race (not by far), but I had fun, finished it in good style, and was honored to share the experience with 5 of my student athletes from Sterling, … Continue reading Ambition
On my morning run today, knowing I might need some external motivation, I listened to last year's interview with Sally McRae by Julia Hanlon on Julia's Running on Om podcast. My tired legs may have yielded somewhat slower miles on that run, but Sally's thoughtful reflections on her Western States 100 training led me onward … Continue reading What do we love?
We've all been there -- a few extra moments to linger on a mountaintop, taking the long way home, waiting for the sunset, or staying one more night before heading home from an adventure. It can be hard to admit when our cherished, blissful, and sometimes profound and life changing moments end and it's time to … Continue reading The Intensity of Experience
There are just under 3,000 hours left before I set out on my 500-mile run on the Arctic Trail in northern Scandinavia in August. I like thinking about the time in hours: I can visualize and wrap my mind around an hour pretty easily, whereas 4 months can seem a lifetime away. If I think … Continue reading 3,000 hours
I completed my first ultra-distance trail run (or rather, speed hike) in August 1989. I started at 4:00 am at Carter Notch Hut, the eastern-most of the Appalachian Mountain Club's system of mountain huts in northern New Hampshire, and started to run westward toward the Presidential Range, Zealand Valley, Franconia Range, and finally, Lonesome Lake … Continue reading Dreams
On Wednesday, Jen and I hiked up the Sheep Gulch Trail from near Winfield to Hope Pass, which at 12,600 ft, is the highest point on the Leadville 100 course. Runners cross the pass at mile 44.5 and again at mile 55.5 as they return from the turn-around point at Winfield. The climb and … Continue reading Road to Leadville: Dispatch #4
Finally, Leadville! I took a short (6.5 mile) acclimatization run on Tuesday afternoon along the Leadville race route on the north shore of Turquoise Lake. At almost exactly 10,000 ft, the lake trail was a great run to start getting used to the thinner air here. We scouted a few key spots on the race … Continue reading Road to Leadville: Dispatch #3
After only 48 hours, it already feels as though I've been in Colorado for weeks. Although I haven't kept track, I think this is my 12th trip to Colorado as an adult -- and 13th if you add my family's cross-country van trip in the 1970s. Over the years, these mountains have come … Continue reading Road to Leadville: Dispatch #2
"Why are you going to Colorado?" "To run in a hundred mile race" isn't really a great answer. It's much more complicated. And much harder to explain. In the week leading up to the Leadville Trail 100 (which starts at 4:00 am Mountain Time on Saturday the 20th), I'm going to explore some … Continue reading Road to Leadville: Dispatch #1
Climate Run 