Why Am I Doing This? Oh, Yeah, the Payoff

During a flatter part of last weekend's long run, I chatted with a guy who's big into triathlons. He's doing Ironman Boulder this summer, and part of his preparation is a trip to an Olympic facility for two weeks to work with top coaches. He's about my age and the two-a-day sessions are, to put …

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Perspective Regained: Hills are Hard, But . . .

"I want you to push yourself on the hills," my Saturday running assignment read. "Dig deep and crest the hill before you let off the gas." Saturday's route would be a 14-miler that included several of the more punishing hills in the Ann Arbor area. In particular, the climb up to the Barton Hills Country …

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2016: New Year, New Dreams

I WALKED AROUND WITH A GLOW OF SATISFACTION. I had just won a race - a 5K trail race, as I recall - and I was trying to figure out how much to brag about it and to whom. Wouldn't do to be overly immodest, after all. Then I felt something nudge my head. My …

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From Couch Potato to Hustler

POP QUIZ: What's the hardest thing for a runner to do? (Hint: It isn't running fast, or running long.) ANSWER: Nothing. That is, the hardest thing an active guy like me can do is be inactive. And just how hard it is manifested itself today. Now, the term "active" can mean more than lacing up …

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