All writing efforts, including ones that don’t fit so well in other existing categories.
• Manor Road is great, too • [1 MIN READ] Twenty-one recorded runners took off from the horse stables at the top of Forbidden Dr with one newbie in tow, Lynette. She’ll get to Shawmont Avenue eventually—what with her sights on a first marathon with Philadelphia in November—but that run was to be an 8-miler … More Run Report: 6/14/25 (#190a: ZY Weekly Newsletter 6/14/25)
• Certainty amid uncertainty • [<2 MIN READ] Every marathon training cycle I’ve gone through lately has seemed to bring something unprecedented. With Philadelphia coming up 11’23’U (Sunday), this one has me needing to work especially hard on pace and bringing weekly mileage in line. Since the last marathon, Delaware Running Festival Marathon (04’06’U), I’ve … More Working Toward Philadelphia Marathon: 2025’11’23’U (#194: ZY Weekly Newsletter 8/23/25)
• But I made it too easy • [1 MIN READ] “Hey, Calvin, check out these leopard-skin tights! You could wear them.” “You’re right! They’re awesome! Who couldn’t use a pair of leopard-skin running tights?” And so the conversation went. Or some variation of it. They were on the discount rack at the running store … More She Did Me Wrong, Stacey Did (#319: 2025’08’27’W)
• Getting the details right • [1 MIN READ] Under other conditions, the comments would have been: “Drinking club with a running problem? It’s raining: Let’s go. Then, let’s pour.” Under last week’s conditions, though, it was raining mighty hard. One runner messaged me with: ‘Bail’. The others didn’t message at all but just…bailed. Four … More It’s Pouring: Let’s Go. Then, Let’s Run. (#318: 2025’08’20’W)
• Now just a little older and more familiar • [2 MIN READ] Hanging out again post-run at The Pizza Wheel, I looked at the name of our young server on the bill. Sometimes restaurant staff use other people’s logins, so I confirmed it with her as we made to go. Meredith took the opportunity … More You’re My Neighbor (#317: 2025’08’13’W)
• Communities in community • [2½ MIN READ] At Black Men Run Wednesdays Five years ago (virtually to the day), Train Dave and I joined Black Men Run Philadelphia as the inaugural Growlers travel team. We attended a 2nd time in 2020 then went on hiatus while we waited for the Growlers Group Run to … More Good Times with BMR for Wednesdays and Juneteenth (#316: 2025’08’06’W)
• This one our AK home base • [5 MIN READ] For the nearly 10 years I’ve been a part of ministry in the Copper (River) Valley, I had gotten used to The Willows, the house we rented from Cross Road Medical Center. The place was kind of strange because of the sanitary feel of … More A Very Fine House*
• A couple of thoughts from experience • [1½ MIN READ] I’ve learned a few things about negotiating grief. Two came to mind recently when I was with friends going through the process. Having gone through a few deaths of people I love, including someone very recently, I was able to sit in sympathy with … More Handling Grief
• Getting past just appearances • [2 MIN READ] When my new colleague arrived at the summer conference (SuCo) for my new organization, Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), Jon was wearing an Orlando Half-marathon 2024 running shirt. That got us talking immediately, but only briefly as we worked on getting into our respective rooms. The … More Discovered
• Mom was da balm • [1 MIN READ] When I was a kid, I was prone to muscle pain in my calves. The sensation of a nagging headache in my legs would keep me from falling asleep at night. The solution was to go to my parents’ bedroom and wake my mother. She would … More Leg Pain
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