Clocking in for work at the oval office last Friday. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! Quick and timely announcement off the top this week: Later today, at 1:30 PM PST/4:30 PM EST, my friend and fellow writer of running-themed things, Sam Robinson, and I are going live on Substack to rap about running, writing, and the shifting landscape of the sport and industry. We’ll hit on the parade of fast times and falling records from across the running world of late, discuss recent trends in both the...
about 1 month ago • 9 min read
Sunday funday this past weekend with my teammates from the West Valley Track Club Masters squad. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! Whether it’s an indoor track race, a mid-winter half-marathon, or an early season ultra, at the top of the sport you’ve apparently gotta be ready to rip at all times these days or risk getting blown out the back. This is not a new revelation—things have been trending this way over the past decade—but in the past month alone we’ve seen two American records fall in...
about 2 months ago • 11 min read
Sun spot. Good morning! How is it February 4? Last month flew by in a frenzy and I can hardly believe we’re this far into the new year already. This seems like as good a time as any to share my recent appearance on the Freetrail podcast alongside my friend Dylan Bowman, who hosted me for what I believe is our fourth annual life, running, and career check-in. You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts (search for and subscribe to “the Freetrail podcast”) or at this handy link. Set some...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
Top o' the mornin' to ya. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! A couple weeks ago I hit record on a conversation with my friend and two-time podcast guest Ben Rosario, who last month announced he was stepping away as the executive director of HOKA Northern Arizona Elite, the professional running team he founded, coached, and was involved with in one form or another since early 2014. I’m excited to share that exchange on this month’s episode of the podcast, which you can listen to on your...
about 2 months ago • 10 min read
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” —Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! I usually try to write the introduction to the newsletter on Monday afternoon but Christine had the day off work yesterday, the weather was nice, and we took Tahoe to a local park for a hike. So, these are all the introductory words I’ve got for you this week. Let’s get right to it. Quick Splits — There’s...
2 months ago • 7 min read
Good morning! I was going to share an update about my current training but that’s neither important nor very interesting right now. It can wait until another day. Like many of you, I’ve been glued to the news of the wildfires that have been ravaging the Los Angeles area over the past week. And while I don’t live near where these blazes are burning, they have hit particularly close to home, affecting a number of people I care about in various ways. Two of those people, Jinghuan Liu Tervalon...
2 months ago • 8 min read
Ringing in the new year with some muddy trails. (Shot on my iPhone.) Good morning! I’m back from holiday break and feeling as good as I’ve felt in quite a while. Not working or having many obligations for the past 16 days was something of a novel experience for me, and even though I knew I needed it, I didn’t know how much I needed it until I had that first week under my belt. The past year had its share of challenges, to say the least, and finally getting the opportunity to take a long pause...
3 months ago • 10 min read
A couple weeks ago I wrote about my experience of “feeling stuck in the mud” at the U.S. Club Cross Country National Championships in Tacoma, Washington. I recently expanded upon those brief thoughts, and reflected upon what makes racing cross country so special, in this piece for Tracksmith’s Journal. (Photo: Michael Scott) Good morning! It’s the last day of the year and we’re going to wrap it up with a few highlights from the past 12 months of newsletters. Before we dive in, however, I’d...
3 months ago • 10 min read
“The tree is waiting. It has everything ready. Its fallen leaves are mulching the forest floor, and its roots are drawing up the extra winter moisture, providing a firm anchor against seasonal storms. Its ripe cones and nuts are providing essential food in this scarce time for mice and squirrels, and its bark is hosting hibernating insects and providing a source of nourishment for hungry deer. It is far from dead. It is in fact the life and soul of the wood. It’s just getting on with it...
3 months ago • 4 min read