Monthly Archives: September 2016

Separate ways

I had the best friend ever growing up in Pennsylvania. Our family moved to Lancaster when I was five years old. Within days, my mother somehow met up with a woman whose son was the same age as me. We … Continue reading

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Rehumanize yourself

Now that football players have come to the realization that they are not robots run by the NFL, the nation has been grappling with what it means not to stand during the National Anthem or recite the Pledge of Allegiance … Continue reading

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Keep this heart in mind

We saw Bonnie Raitt in concert a few weeks ago. She’s a truly amazing musician. I’d seen her once before, many years ago, in a double bill with Jimmy Buffett. She deferred to his raging fame at the time. But … Continue reading

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Before (and after) the frost

During a cross country season my sophomore year in high school, a friend and I were paired up to do an outdoor field biology project. His name was Doug Benson, I believe, who was a teammate and friend. The instructor … Continue reading

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When the autumn light leads to inner light

The last few days have been so pristine and beautiful here in Illinois it almost takes your breath away. The skies have been clear. Hardly any breeze. That led me to take a run in the forest preserve where the … Continue reading

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Moving on

  In 1973 my father made the decision to move our family from Elburn, a town in the cornfields of Illinois, to a city in the far west reaches of Chicago’s suburbia. The move hurt because I was sixteen going on … Continue reading

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The Biggest Loser

  Through the third week of the high school cross country season during my senior year in high school, I had not lost in a series of dual meets and triangulars. Then came the first invitational of the season, a … Continue reading

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It’s Ironman weekend I’m afraid

Last summer at this time, my significant other was in the final stages of taper for the Ironman in Madison, Wisconsin. She had trained through heat and rain and cold going all the way back through spring. I did a … Continue reading

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Please remember to flush, unless you can’t

  Those of us who run, ride and swim get to have our fair share of encounters with interesting bathroom options. At races the proverbial Porta Pottie landscape can range from wonderful… to wondering if you’re going to catch an … Continue reading

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What kind of running creature are you?

  There are millions of runners out there, all with individual running forms and methods. Yet we all tend to fall into categories. There are forefoot strikers and midfoot strikers and heel strikers and pronators and supinators. There are Chi … Continue reading

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