Downloadable Reading of the Squirrel Wipe Book By Run Barefoot Girl
Trying to decide if you want to take the plunge and buy a copy of my trail running and ultra book “Never Wipe Your Ass with a Squirrel?” My friend Caity reads a sample on her Run Barefoot Girl! podcast.
Check it out here:
http://runbarefootgirl.com/2013/06/rbg-88-dont-wipe-your-ass-with-a-squirrel/
Check out Caity’s other podcasts, too. If you’ve never head her before, I guarantee you’ll immediately fall in love with her show!
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The Authentic Paleo Diet: Guest Post from Chris Pedersen
The following is a reposted article written by my Facebook friend Chris Pedersen. ‘m a big fan of experimentation, especially if it involves playing cards! Enjoy!
The Paleo diet has become popular among those wishing to begin making healthy choices in what they consume for their daily meals. GMO’s, additives, processing methods all cause suspicion in regards to the impact on health that modern food has. Health benefits aside, it is hard to argue against Read More...
A New Diet Book? And It Is 100% Free?!? WTF?
Yes, it DOES seem to good to be true! I’ve written a diet book and it’s completely free!
This is the only weight loss (or weight gain depending on your goals) you’ll ever need. AND IT’S FREE!
For your convenience, I made it available in a variety of formats including:
ePub- For most eReaders
Mobi- For Kindles
PDF- For computers and other assorted devices
Warning: For Read More...
Want to Lose Weight? Try the Brick Method.
My friends and I had an interesting debate on Facebook regarding weight loss. This was my original post:
Paleo, vegan, fruitarian, or any other fad diet and running, power lifting, step aerobics, Crossfit, bicycling or the thigh master. All are beholden to the same very basic principle of physical fitness:
Calories in > calories out = weight gain. Calories in < calories out = weight loss.
Want to lose weight? Eat less and move more.
The ensuing debate brought Read More...
What Makes You Faster- More Training or Greater Efficiency?
Let’s have a fun debate. You are a professional runner. You have to improve. You have two training options:
Train harder (which equates to running more/longer/faster in training.)
Work on more efficient movements (i.e., improving technique.)
Yes, yes… I know. More training almost always results in greater efficiency AND greater efficiency increases the ability to train at a higher volume. For the sake of the debate, choose one. There can be no “middle ground.”
What do you think?
Read More...
The Helicopter/ Neglectful Parent Dichotomy: Which is Better?
Read these two articles:
http://alameda.patch.com/groups/kate-bassford-bakers-blog/p/bp–please-dont-help-my-kids
Parent (or non-parents), answer the following questions in the “comments’ section:
1. Briefly (25 words or less) share your opinion on each article.
2. Which parenting style is closer to your own style?
3. Why do you think this topic is such a hot-button issue? In other words, why do we care so much about how other parents parent?
Also, feel Read More...
Going Running? Know Where to Find Water!
Given hot weather is upon us, it’s time to talk about water. Specifically… finding water. If you’re out on the trail and run out of water, the situation can go downhill quickly. Knowing where water sources can be found can, minimally, save your run. It could also potentially save your life.
I don’t have the time today to write an entire blog post, so I’m just cutting and pasting an excerpt from the Squirrel Wipe book.
Read More...
How to Become an Elite Ultrarunner
So you wanna be a great ultrarunner, huh?
I know the secret.
I know what you’re thinking. I am… or was… a half-assed ultrarunner on the best of days. On the worst of days, I was just showing up for the food.
What would I know about becoming an elite?
Luckily, I’ve gotten to know a lot of runners, both good and, well, bad. And there’s a definite pattern that led me to discovering Read More...
How to Stay Cool when Running: A Lesson in Human Thermoregulation During Exercise
How do we stay cool when running in hot weather? In my last post, I challenged race directors to reconsider the growing practice of including moisture-wicking technical shirts as race “swag.” That resulted in a slew of questions and comments ranging from skepticism to recommendations on staying cool when running in hot weather. I’m going to address all these issues here.
Let’s start by describing the issue. The human body generates a great deal of heat Read More...
An Open Letter to Race Directors: Please Stop Distributing Tech Shirts!
Dear race director friends:
I understand you have undertaken a thankless job. You put in countless hours to assure your event is well-organized. I also understand you receive a slew of dumbass requests. Hopefully some of you will consider this request even though it directly contradicts the accepted logic most runners ascribe to.
Please stop distributing moisture-wicking tech shirts.
Why you ask?
Quite simply, they’re endangering the lives of runners that falsely believe their Read More...
The Most Important Knowledge a Trail Runner Needs
Yesterday a friend posted a rather cryptic status in Facebook. Their spouse had left for a trail run hours earlier and was not responding to texts. It produced one of those sinking feelings you feel when bad shit starts to unfold. Based on the comments, it was obvious the friend had little information to relay to the authorities.
The situation also produced a hint of personal responsibility, much like a teacher feels when a former student drops Read More...
Benign Neglect: The Art of Under-Parenting
While doing some research for a new project, I came across the term “benign neglect.” As a parenting style, it involves allowing your kids freedom to well, be kids. Let them explore their world. Solve their own problems. Take their lumps when things don’t go so well.
And I like the nomenclature because it’s mildly antagonistic.
It perfectly explains the parenting strategy Shelly and I use. We let them play unsupervised, which often involves wandering around Read More...
The Summit Seeker Review
Why do we do the things we do?
This universal question is always at the forefront of my curiosity about others. Why do we make the decisions we make? What is the fuel that motivates us? I love seeking these answers n others because it helps understand my own self.
Runners are even more fascinating. Why do we run? In the case of ultrarunners, this question becomes even more pertinent. What drives us to run for Read More...
The Art of Bagging Groceries
Back in the day I worked at a now-defunct grocery store. I did a variety of jobs in pretty much every department. The various jibs required some unique skills like cutting a box with a box cutter without damaging the product, operating a price gun, and playing the “we have to get rid of this close-to-expiring milk by playing games with how people choose which one to grab” game. I also spent considerable time as a cashier, Read More...
Traditional Publishing Versus Self-Publishing: Which is Better to Spread Your Ideas?
So you want to see your ideas in print, huh?
Years ago, you pretty much needed to go through a traditional publishing house. Self-publishing, while theoretically possible, required a ton of difficult work. A prospective writer would have to recruit editors, typesetters, graphic designers, and printers to produce the book. Once produced, the writer then had to tackle distribution and marketing. It was a long, hard process that wasn’t especially effective.
The rise of technology has Read More...
The Less You Need It, The More You Get It: A Lesson From Squirrel Wipe
The older I get, the more I believe this statement rings true. Take any measurable variable. The more you need that particular thing, the less likely you are to get it. Stop needing something and it suddenly appears. The concept seems to work with just about anything- money, love, sex, potato salad… you name it.
Is it a real concept?
Who knows… it may just be an illusory correlation.
Still, this concept popped it in Read More...
What Motivates Us to Run?
Why do we run?
It’s a question runners are asked regularly, especially ultrarunners. In a sedentary society where the average person will circle a parking lot eighteen times to park 15 feet closer to the store, running seems like an unnecessary burden.
Yet millions of us spend hours and hours per week running.
What propels us to do this often-times difficult activity?
I’ve always been fascinated with human motivation. It hits at the fundamental Read More...
Building Better Schools: What is the Answer?
Over the last few months, I’ve explored the idea of going back into teaching. This has caused me to reflect on my previous 12 years in the classroom- specifically what lessons I learned about effective teaching. When I left the profession in 2011, I was burned out. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were doing more harm than good. I spent most of my last year reading about education reform from the likes of Gotto, Dewey, and Read More...
Dead Tree Printed Edition of the Squirrel Wipe Book is Available!
Apparently not everyone enjoys ebooks. Some people just like holding paper. It’s cool. I get it.
For those folks, I made a printed edition which is currently only available via Amazon. Here’s the link:
Wondering if the book is for you? Check out Chase Williams’ review of the earlier, shorter version:
http://chaserwilliamsisrunningaway.blogspot.com/2013/03/never-wipe-your-ass-with-squirrel-book.html
Trail Running and Ultramarathon Book is Finished!
I finished up the expanded and edited version of “Never Wipe Your Ass with a Squirrel: A trail running, ultramarathon, and wilderness survival guide for weird folks.“I’ve accomplished my goal of producing the least-serious-but-still-exceedingly-useful trail and ultra book in existence!
I added significantly more content than the original version, and my editing team did a wonderful job of eliminating the grammar and other errors. New table of contents can be found at the bottom of this post.
Eliminating the Cell Phone Bill and Using a Smartphone Without a Data Plan: Suck It, Verizon!
In an attempt to save money, Shelly and I decided to eliminate our crazy-expensive cell phone plan through Verizon. We were paying $190/ month for two smartphones with unlimited calls, text, and data. I decided to see if I could completely eliminate my plan while still maintaining some usability with my old phone. In essence, could I have smartphone capability for free?
Note- please don’t spam the comments section with your favorite cell phone plans. I will Read More...
Sticking to Your Guns Versus Chasing the Existential High
A few days ago, Dave, a frequent commenter, left a thought-provoking comment where he discussed a dichotomy of sorts between “sticking to your guns” versus “chasing an existential high” (paraphrased.) He was talking about my tendency to jump from one area of interest to another. This comment reminded me why I love blogging- the interactions with others leads to introspection, which ultimately leads to growth.
Dave’s comment specifically made me question how I felt about that Read More...
Merrell Trail Glove 2 Review
If you’ve been running for more than a year, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced this phenomenon:
You find the perfect running shoe.
The manufacturer “updates” the model by radically changing the design.
The shoe no longer works for you, which forces you to find another shoe.
It’s among the most common complains I hear as a shoe reviewer. Most of us have been there. It leads to all kinds of bizarre behaviors like hoarding bargain racks Read More...
Where Have All the Barefoot Bloggers Gone?
In response to my last post, Dave, a Canadian friend, noted most of the barefoot/minimalist bloggers seem to have disappeared. He mentioned Pete Larson’s most recent post discussing the secret to success as a running blogger. Pete makes a lot of great points that helps explain why so many barefoot bloggers, many of which are close friends, have seemingly disappeared.
Pete’s most relevant point hit the nail on the head- bloggers need passion.
Writing post Read More...
Your Perspective is Wrong: The Reason to Experience New Things
My last post on our temporary poverty situation led to reflection on a variety of things related to my experiences over the last few years. I’ve noticed a pretty distinct pattern, which is probably related to my serial hobbyist nature:
It’s nearly impossible to have a remotely accurate perception on any experience until you’ve been immersed in it for some time.
This idea manifests itself like this-
I try something new.
I glorify the experience, then write Read More...
