February is my birthday month, and it seems like lots of people have been raising money for charities and other great causes for their birthdays. I've decided to do something a little different. Instead of fundraising, I'm raising vertical gain! For 2019, I've taken on the goal of reaching 400,000 vertical feet of human-powered ascent, … Continue reading (Virtual) Glacial Climb Challenge!
Although I've kept track of my vertical gain while running, hiking, skiing, and climbing for many years now, it has never been my main focus. Until now. As I write about on the VN400K page, the 400,000 vertical foot goal for 2019 represents approximately 0.0001% of the 400 billion tons of glacier ice that are … Continue reading Velocity North 400k Challenge
I realized last week that we're within 80 days of the 2018 summer solstice! That means that as of today, there are only 73 days until I plan to get on my bike at the Vermont/Canadian border in North Troy, VT at 4:30 am on June 20th and head south along VT Route 100. … Continue reading Planning!
When I was in London for a few days with my son Orion after the 2016 Keswick Mountain Festival, we stopped in at the Charing Cross Road Foyle's Books and its overwhelming kilometers of shelves. As much as I wanted half the books in the store, we agreed to limit ourselves to one book each. My choice … Continue reading Goals
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
Tomorrow morning I leave from the southern terminus of the Nordkalottleden just north of the old mountain mining town of Sulitjelma. Nearly a year of preparation – physical, logistical, mental, financial – all lead to this singular effort: to run the 800 kilometers of the Nordkalottleden in good style, with reasonable speed, and without injury … Continue reading Climate Run — Here we go!
The countdown is on -- wheels up for Scandinavia on July 16th, and Climate Run 2017 gets underway on the morning of August 1st! We've been scouring online and paper maps of Norway, Sweden, and Finland to make sure every one of the 800 kilometers is accounted for. Much of the trail is visible in hi-res … Continue reading Ready? …Set? …Run!
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
I'm super excited to have partnered with Skida to bring you lightweight Climate Run hats in so many amazing spring colors. Each hat is made right here in Vermont by the fantastic folks at Skida, and each one has a sewn Climate Run label so you can show your support. These are perfect for cold morning … Continue reading Skida Hats! A new way to support Climate Run
Climate Run 