2015 was the first year that I was one of the 100 runners invited to run Badwater 135, “the world’s toughest foot race,” and ventured out to Death Valley in June to prepare and acclimate, and back again in July, to race. I was too nervous to fully appreciate the experience, although the imprint it made on my life, from…
Tag: endurance
Badwater Salton Sea – Against the Wind
The Badwater Salton Sea Story All great ideas have a history: for Chief Adventure Officer and Race Director Chris Kostman, the concept of challenging runners for 81 miles over a blend of road and trail in California, on a course with elevation reminiscent of Badwater 135, made sense. For this adventure, the starting point would be the abandoned Salton Sea…
Finance & Fitness: The Key to a Wholehearted Life
Many of us possess our own ideas on what it takes to achieve a wholehearted life. The term wholehearted is defined as showing complete sincerity and commitment, and its synonyms consist of adjectives such as positive, devoted, dedicated, and enthusiastic. In a time when society is often rushed, in debt, overweight, and disillusioned, who doesn’t want to attain a wholehearted…
Priorities
Most of us tend to spend our days scrambling from one event to the next, be it work, meetings, or extracurricular events. We live in a time of slotting activities in and striving to accomplish our daily tasks. Although I attempt to let daily situations dictate my priories, whether it’s work, family, or play, often, the lines blur—is it more…
Hardwork, Hustle, and Grit
In life, we tend to see the finished product—a book, a presentation, a company that is successful, a car driving along on the road, runners crossing the finish line of a race. Unless it is your book, company, creation, or race, one rarely glimpses the effort or intensity of an endeavor. As a society, we are not privy to the…
The Movement Miracle
(originally appeared in Huffington Post) In my early twenties, while working in publishing and pursuing my first graduate degree, I discovered running. At first, two miles was as far as I ventured. I ran the twenty blocks from my apartment on Manhattan’s upper east side up to 90th street and 3rd avenue and back. I loved the feeling of passing…
You Have to Want It: The Power of Commitment, Planning, & Adaptation
Last weekend I was reminded of something that I already knew: when you set out to accomplish a new and/or challenging feat, you have to really want to achieve it in order for it to become a reality. Beyond that, you need to have a plan and be committed to execute the plan, while cultivating open-mindedness so that you may…
Ancient Oaks 100: The Little Engine That Could – 12/16
Stu Gleman’s vision It is hard to imagine that this was my fourth time running Ancient Oaks 100. The thing about traditions is that they form, often without our realizing it. Ancient Oaks, founded by the late Stu Gleman, represents all things end-of-year and holiday to me. It’s a time to reflect over all that the year has been—and what…
Running Around the Clock: Halloween Javelina Jundred Style
If you’re an ultrarunner or aspire to be one, Halloween likely evokes thoughts of the Javelina Jundred (JJ100) out in the Sonoran Desert, in Fountain Hills, Arizona, where for the last 14 years the best costumed trail-run party in the nation has occurred. Howling coyotes, baby tarantulas, and rattlesnakes come out for the celebration, but mostly, it is the 600+…
Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd – October 14-16 2016
It starts with a hectic week – teaching, meetings, then a rush to the airport, delayed flights, and landing in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 1:00 am in the morning on Friday, checking into an airport hotel, desperate for a few hours of rest before the endeavor ahead. The story is not new; rather, it’s a depiction of the typical pre-race scenario…