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...
Embracing Poverty
The last two months or so have been an interesting experience. Due to a lot of miscalculations, we’ve been rather poor lately. It’s a strange twist to our hobo adventures in that we’ve been able to look at our situation with a degree of objectivity without falling into a serious panic. It’s taught us a great deal about ourselves and others that may be in a similar situation.
So how did we slip into poverty?
It Read More...
Squirrel Wipe Trail and Ultra Book Hits the Virtual Shelves!
NOTE: Since this post, I’ve released the final expanded edition of the book, which adds many new sections and MUCH better editing. It is also available in .mobi (Kindle) and .epub (pretty much everything else) formats for ebook readers. The previous version that was available here is no longer available, though you CAN download the free sample following the links below. If you bought the original, continue to share it freely.
I will include links to Read More...
Trail and Ultrarunning Book: Experimentation With a Different Distribution Model
I’m finally nearing the release of the trail and ultrarunning book I started with the Squirrel Wipe project. It’s been a long journey mostly because I almost completed it in October, then punched my computer, bricked the hard drive, and lost the entire manuscript. It was a VERY painful lesson.
It took quite some time to rewrite it, but it’s close to finished. I learned many lessons from the process of writing the various editions of The Read More...
Running, Crossfit, and Jiu Jitsu: What is the Common Ground?
It should come as no surprise that I’m quickly becoming obsessed with jiu jitsu. I went from taking one or two classes per week to obsessively searching the ‘Webz, watching videos, reading books, creating a journal, blogging, and training 4-5 times per week.
What’s the appeal?
I tend to be drawn to difficult physical tasks. When I started barefoot running, Crossfit, and ultrarunning a few years ago, I was attracted to the inherent challenges. Not only Read More...
The Plight of the Serial Hobbyist
I’ve spent the last few months trying to figure out why I seemingly lost motivation to run. Over time, I came to a few conclusions ranging from burnout to “distraction with life circumstances.” Lately I’ve come to a different conclusion-
Running has always been a hobby. I’m an undeniable serial hobbyist. Interest in hobbies increases rapidly, plateaus, then wanes.
It’s less about the actual activity and more about the process of learning. Here’s a graph that Read More...
Bad Idea #4: Bust Your Ass Today So You Can Relax When You Retire
This story perfectly illustrates the point:
“A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
“Not very long,” answered the Mexican.
“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked, “But what do you do with Read More...
We Build Our Own Cages
This post was inspired by a Bruce Lee quote from the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
For the last three months, Shelly and I have been camping out in Southern California. The experience has given me time to reflect on our travels. Specifically, I’ve had a chance to assess what I learned over the previous two years. The lessons could easily fill a book (upcoming project, perhaps?), but one in particular stands out:
Any particular Read More...
Merrell M-Connect Review: The Road Glove 2
The Road Glove II is the fourth shoe in Merrell’s M-Connect lineup I’ve reviewed. This shoe is an update for the original Road Glove (read that review here.)
Merrell’s idea behind the M-Connect lineup is to produce a line of shoes that meets the needs of as wide of an audience as possible while still maintaining the basic principles of minimalism. The result is an increase in specialization of specific models from one generation to the next. The Read More...
Merrell M-Connect Lineup- The Vapor Glove
Innovation in the shoe marketplace doesn’t happen very often. I’ve been reviewing minimalist shoes for somewhere around seven years. During those seven years, precious few shoes have stood out as being truly innovative game-changers.
The original Vibram KSO- it was the first minimalist shoe that actually fit the shape of the foot.
The Terra Plana Vivobarefoot EVO- it was the first good minimalist shoe without separated toes that was designed for running.
The New Balance MT10- it was Read More...
