The Night the Trail Went Dark
We’re All Looking for a Little Light in the Darkness A few years back, I was running the Appalachian Trail outside of North Adams in western Mass. One of those crisp New England autumn evenings where the air’s sweet with the smell of foliage and silence fills the forest. I’d planned to be done well before sunset.But somewhere between […]
Running 544 Miles in Mudboots
A Lesson in Resilience In 1983, a 61-year-old Australian farmer named Cliff Young entered one of the toughest races on Earth — the Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon. That’s 544 miles. Six days of running. Nonstop.You’ll see how the resilience of Cliff Young is unparalleled and will challenge you to greater things. Cliff showed up in […]
Spring Into Action
100 Days of Action one Habit at a Time Spring is here. Writing from the foothills of the Los Padres Mountains, I’m surrounded by the vibrant greenery that’s emerging all around. This time marks the end of winter fallow—when the earth emerges recharged and prepares for the burst of growth that comes with warmer, brighter days. […]
The Habits of the Elite
Turning one habit into a 20-year passion When I started running 20 years ago, I never set out to develop a running hobby. I just thought it was something people did to lose weight. It began for me with a challenge from my friend Matt to run a short triathlon—a seemingly impossible test of the imagination for […]
It All Started in a Garden
The Garden of Life: Lessons in Patience, Growth, and Connection Let’s go back in time. I was five years old, and my world was small – no bigger than the walls of my home and the woods surrounding it. But there was something about Fred’s garden—the fenceline just beyond the trees—that drew me in. It […]
Spring Ahead in Time
Finding Beauty in the Disruption of the Time Change In just a few days here in the US, we’ll be setting our clocks ahead yet again. It’s the annual dance of daylight saving time—lose an hour, gain some light. The time change often feels like a big inconvenience. Fall back… spring ahead… it’s disorienting. But […]
What to Learn from a Falkland Postcard
From the edge of the map: the Falkland Islands, aka Islas Malvinas Back in February 2018, I had the unusual experience of passing through there on my way to the Antarctic Peninsula. It’s remote, isolated, and known more for the war between England and Argentina than for its epic birding. But looking past the rocky […]
What Makes Atlantis More Than Myth
Discovering life lessons for today within the ancient myth of Atlantis Legend has it that Atlantis was a prosperous civilization, filled with unimaginable wealth and beauty—until it sank beneath the sea, disappearing forever. While Atlantis may remain a legend, some believe Santorini—once home to the ancient Minoans—could be the real-life inspiration for the myth. Nearly […]
The 48 Mile Goggins Challenge: No Shortcuts
It’s not just about finishing, it’s about playing the game A while back, I took on the Goggins Challenge: running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours straight. Technically, I completed 50 miles in under 48 hours, but not as I planned. Here’s the thing: the value of a challenge isn’t always in the […]
What to Learn from a Sunset Run
Embracing the limits of time sets you free This week, I decided to go for a sunset run in Ojai, hoping to get some trail time in and, you know, find a bit of peace in the middle of this noisy world (because who doesn’t want both, right?). Sometimes, what you’re looking for shows up […]