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 […]
Marathon Training Update: April 14 to April 20
April 21, 2013 By 4 Comments
I’m going to keep this one short since this has been an eventful week on multiple fronts. My main goals for the week was to get in a solid mid-distance run during the week and a strong 20 mile run today – everything else was secondary. The plan at the outset was for it to […]
Video: Boston Tribute at Fenway Park
April 20, 2013 By 19 Comments
It just hasn’t felt right to post normal content this week. Though I’m not from Boston, I grew up in Connecticut and now live in New Hampshire. My wife was born in South Weymouth, and my sister lived for several years in Somerville. I grew up going to games at Fenway with my family, I […]
Boston
April 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I was not in Boston on Marathon Monday. I’m mostly thankful for that, but part of me wishes I had been there since so many people that I know and care about were suffering through the events that took place yesterday. In talking with other runners over the past 24 hours, the common thing that […]
Marathon Training Update: April 8-14
April 15, 2013 By 4 Comments
After a great week of training last week, the current week started out well then fizzled a bit toward the end. I could feel fatigue starting to set in – hard training and an insane schedule for me and my wife were taking a toll. Opted to ease off a bit, and I think it […]
Altra Instinct Jr.: Wide, Flat Shoe For Kids Coming Soon
April 13, 2013 By 18 Comments
I’ve known the guys who started Altra Running for a long time. In fact, I had some conversations with one of the founders before they even launched their first shoe. One of the things they told me way back then was that they wanted to bring a wide, flat shoe for kids to the market. […]
Asics Gel Lyte33 v2 Running Shoe Review
April 10, 2013 By 37 Comments
It’s been a long time since I’ve worn an Asics shoe. Back when I first started running I had a pair of the 2100 series that I liked, but since moving to more minimal footwear Asics has simply not had a lot to offer a runner with my preferences aside from a few racing flats […]
Marathon Training: Long Run Hydration
April 9, 2013 By 23 Comments
Boston 2011 was not a good marathon for me. I actually don’t remember much of the actual race, but what I do recall is having massive problems regulating my body temperature. I remember drinking a lot, and pouring more than a few cups of water over my head to cool down. What I remember most […]
Factors Contributing to the Energetic Cost of Running: Great Article by Kevin Maggs
April 9, 2013 By 9 Comments
I just read an excellent article by Kevin Maggs of Active Spine and Sport and Running Reform. In the article Kevin summarizes the work of Dr. Roger Kram of the University of Colorado. Kram has spent much of his career dissecting the many factors that contribute that contribute to the energetic cost of running, and […]
Salomon Sense and Salomon Sense Ultra – A Comparative Review by Ben Luedke
April 8, 2013 By 10 Comments
The Salomon S-Lab design team partnered with ultrarunning champ Kilian Jornet to create the Salomon Sense. The team designed the shoe to be worn sockless by Kilian for the Western States 100 mile Endurance Run (which Kilian won in his second attempt – he decided to bring water bottles this time and try hydrating, good […]
Marathon Training Update: April 1-7, Making Progress!
April 7, 2013 By 9 Comments
I feel like I things started to click a bit this week – ran 5 out of 7 days, got in three strong quality workouts, and the toe seems to be almost back to 100%. The biggest validation that my training is starting to pay off came on my long run this morning – 18 […]
Newton Energy: New Running Shoe Coming this Summer
April 5, 2013 By 5 Comments
Newton Running is not a company that tends to release new shoe models very often. They have a pretty small lineup of shoes that occasionally see minor tweaks and updates, and I view this as a good thing. If a shoe works, don’t make major changes! I also see too many companies focusing their energies […]
Marathon Training: Long Run Pacing
April 3, 2013 By 23 Comments
I received a few questions in the comments section of my most recent training update regarding how my pace on my long run seemed pretty fast given my goal marathon pace of 7:45-8:00 min/mile. Rather than leaving a long comment in response, I figured I’d write a post explaining my approach to long runs, and […]
Do Vibram Fivefingers Increase Risk of Foot Stress Fractures?: Some Thoughts on Recent Research
April 1, 2013 By 41 Comments
A couple of weeks ago a study titled “Foot Bone Marrow Edema after 10-Week Transition to Minimalist Running Shoes” was published on-line by the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. The study created a bit of a stir in the news, with the typical hyped up headlines accompanying articles on the paper. “Barefoot […]
