• I needed more friends • [1½ MIN READ] During a conversation with my 3 brothers, one asked a sincere question about what friendships looked like in our lives these days. He and the other 2 admitted they probably had no more than they could count on one hand. Not so many years ago, I … More Moving Beyond Acquaintanceships (#166: ZY Weekly Newsletter 8/24/24)
• Even the least of the Olympians • [1½ MIN READ] You have your own Paris Olympics highlights, I’m sure; some we SRC-ers compared early notes about. It’s not really weird how many of mine hover around the female athletes, given that a record percentage competed this year, 48%, that for Team USA was 53%. At the … More Gods Among Us (#165: ZY Weekly Newsletter 8/10/24)
• Better with the heat and humidity all the time • [1½ MIN READ] I hadn’t been getting accustomed to the heat. But I had an excuse. The heat has been exceptional, no doubt. The last full week of July saw the 4 hottest days [free access with registration] ever scientifically recorded. That fact comes … More Getting Better (#164: ZY Weekly Newsletter 7/27/24)
• Leaving You for Another • [2 MIN READ] The New York Times strikes again with a story for the ages about the latest, greatest running shoe. This one, I have to have. But first, NYT. I love it because its editors love a good story about running. Second, it breaks cutting-edge news. Third, it … More This Is It (#163: ZY Weekly Newsletter 7/20/24)
• Everyone needs a break sometimes • [1 MIN READ] As a past religious reader of the daily newspaper comics, I was shocked the first time I saw a cartoonist take a creative break. The comic was Doonesbury and the cartoonist was Garry Trudeau. I was in college at the time and it never occurred … More Hiatuses (#162: ZY Weekly Newsletter 6/29/24)
• Not likely to do it again • [1½ MIN READ] In an unparalleled effort for this Shawmonter, I ran 2 marathons in 2 weeks this past April. Social runner that I’ve become, I got sucked and suckered in by multiple competitors who wanted company both while training and racing. I didn’t PR or Boston … More A Productive Month (#161: ZY Weekly Newsletter 6/22/24)
• Not a mathematical piece • [1½ MIN READ] Six combined Shawmont regulars and visitors got together in April to run four marathons in 15 days. Sounds like some kind of ultramarathon relay: Really it was just a few runners who seriously wanted company to keep them motivated for Jersey City, Boston, Gettysburg, and Big … More Four by Five in Fifteen (#160: ZY Weekly Newsletter 5/18/24)
• Unintended consequences for one SRC-er • [1½ MIN READ] I was thrilled to read Mango Marjo’s Facebook post about placing 5th for her AG at Broad Street Run on 05’05’U. We have amazing runners in Shawmont Running Club! And as individual club members, we are always happy to improve. MM’s results were a little … More Runner Integrity at BSR (#159: ZY Weekly Newsletter 5/11/24)
• The personalities of one SRC-er • [1½ MIN READ] Among SRC members, OKhen occupies a unique niche in my consciousness. One is by association because he and Mango Marjo go together and that’s how I first met them a few years ago. It’s hard not to think it cool that they are both running … More Collaborator, Writer, Humorist, Producer (#158: ZY Weekly Newsletter 4/13/24)
• The usual taper effort • [<1 MIN READ] This marathon-training cycle has been unusual for me (04’14’U: Jersey City Marathon). The biggest part of “unusual” is that I’ve had 20-mile-range runs in my back pocket for 4 months beginning November: 2 18-22’s per each. As far as distance conditioning is concerned—even with a standard … More The End of an Unusual Training Cycle (#157: ZY Weekly Newsletter 3/30/24)
