My wife and I don’t often travel without our kids. In fact, the last time we went away together alone was over 5 years ago! However, now that my youngest son is old enough to not need constant parental attention, I proposed the idea of a two-night getaway to celebrate both Mother’s Day and my […]
Marathon Training Update: A Lesson in Perseverance From My Son
May 5, 2013 By 7 Comments
Some weeks life aligns in such a way that running becomes secondary to other, more important/essential pursuits. Such it was that what was supposed to be the final big week of this marathon training cycle aligned with my final week of classes, final exam prep, and office/lab clean-out and packing. I’m giving a final exam […]
Fixing My Wife: Hip Pain, Neuroma, and Hoka Oh My!
April 23, 2013 By 70 Comments
My wife Erin is a source of much personal frustration. The frustration doesn’t stem from any particular aspect of our relationship (thank goodness!), rather I am frustrated with her as a runner. I just can’t seem to fix her. I have to be honest – my wife was a serious runner long before I ever […]
Leaving Academia: One Chapter Ends, Another Begins
April 22, 2013 By 75 Comments
One day last summer I had lunch with my friends Nate and Brett at a local burrito joint. During the course of our conversation the topic of my uncertain future had come up. Nate, an entrepreneur who followed his passion for motorcycles into a new career, said something that really stuck with me. I don’t […]
A Post In Which I Air My Excuses for Not Running Enough this Winter
February 25, 2013 By 37 Comments
I now remember why Spring marathons have always been my nemesis. Back in early January I was full of motivation – the winter had gotten off to a relatively tame start (continuing a 2-year pattern that I expected would hold), and I was coming off of a great summer training cycle plus a Fall in […]
What Motivates Me: Story of a Student
January 16, 2013 By 17 Comments
I gave the first lecture of the semester in my Exercise Physiology class yesterday. As I always do, I started the course by talking about why human beings should be active, and how our relative inactivity in modern society can be linked to a host of health problems. I discussed our evolutionary history, and talked […]
A Word of Thanks and A Look to the Future
December 23, 2012 By 79 Comments
Santa Claus icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia) About a month ago I wrote a post about how I needed to take control of my exceedingly busy and stressful life. I’m happy to report that I’ve decided to take my future by the horns and wrestle it in the direction that I think is right for me […]
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone: Yoga, Running and Life
December 3, 2012 By 8 Comments
I never thought I’d say this, but I went to a yoga class today. A real yoga class, with mats and music and mantra chanting and sweat and everything you’d imagine would come along with doing yoga in a studio. You see, my wife Erin is a yoga instructor and has been a yogini for […]
Contemplating Runblogger’s Future: Something’s Gotta Give
November 17, 2012 By 111 Comments
clock clipart sm 5cm (Photo credit: you get the picture) People have occasionally remarked that they can’t imagine how I’m able to manage everything that I do. As if being a tenured Biology Professor, Department Chair, and parent of three active young kids isn’t enough to fill my time, I’ve layered on top of that […]
Running More = Running Better?
May 30, 2012 By 11 Comments
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post about my own running, and since this is and always will be a personal blog, I thought I’d take a few moments to share something I’ve learned over the past nine months. I was listening to an NPR podcast interview with New York Times Phys Ed columnist […]
The Bad Run as an Early Warning Sign for Illness
June 8, 2011 By 11 Comments
Image via Wikipedia It’s been a busy few days here on the blog. My post from last Friday – ASICS versus Zero Drop, Maximalist versus Minimalist – sparked quite a bit of fruitful discussion, and I highly recommend you take a look at the post and the ensuing discussion in the comments (if you have […]
The Simple Joy of Being Active: Lessons Learned From Little Kids on My First Day as “Coach Pete”
September 12, 2010 By 10 Comments
Image via Wikipedia “Wow, my heart is beating really hard!” Those were the words that made this one of the best days that I have had in quite some time, and they were uttered by a 5 year old boy. Before I elaborate, let’s step back a bit for some background… A few weeks ago, […]
When in Doubt, Follow Your Passion
September 7, 2010 By 46 Comments
This post is going to be a bit off-topic from what I’ve been writing about of late, but it’s something that has been on my mind for awhile and I felt the need to share it. It’s not about running per se, but rather some thoughts on life and this blog that have come to […]
Fall and Spring Marathon Plans: What to Do About the Shoe?
September 1, 2010 By 21 Comments
I’ve had a few people ask me about my racing plans for the Fall/Spring, so I thought I’d write a post to list my schedule, and discuss a personal dilemma that I’m facing with regard to shoe choice – yes, these are the dilemmas that keep me awake at night! Right now, I’m planning on […]
My Interview on Predawn Runner
August 11, 2010 By 1 Comment
A few weeks ago I interviewed my dailymile buddy Greg Strosaker on the dailymile Community Blog. Greg graciously offered to reciprocate, and he just posted the contents of an interview he did with me on his blog, Predawn Runner. If you have any interest in learning a bit more about me, including how I became […]
