Dogs
The Ten Commandments of dog training.
No, my names not Moses!
September 20265 min read
The Blog
Miles, Dogs, and Bad Decisions
Personal essays from the trail. Some useful. Some cautionary. All true, more or less.
Running
The three goal plan and how it can keep you motivated to move on.
When reality sets in, have a plan. It would be nice to set a personal best every time we went out, but that is not reality. In ultra running you not only learn to embrace the suck, you also learn to deal with the unexpected. Notice I used the word unexpected and not setback. It is only a setback if we allow it to be. The three goal plan helps us stay motivated when those unexpected challenges arrive. And trust me they will arrive. I base my three goal plan of the olympic medal structure of Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Let me share mine for my next 100 miler coming up on November 21th. Gold: Finish under 25 hours, Silver: Finish under 27 hours, Bronze: Finish under 30 hours. Your three goal plan does not always have to be time based. For example, you may end up meeting someone running their first 100 miler who is struggling, so you decide to stay with them and see them through to the end (this can be more rewarding than any personal accomplishments). You have now made a new friend that will never forget the experience!! That sounds like solid Gold to me!! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other my friends!!
Coming soonOctober 2026
6 min read
Running
What Turning 60 Did to My Pace (And What I Did About It)
The short answer: it slowed down. The long answer involves a lot of data, a new appreciation for easy days, and the grudging admission that my 45-year-old self was not as smart as he thought.
August 20268 min read
Dogs
Why you have to get smarter as you age as an ultra runner
You are not going to get faster, so you need to do something!!
July 20267 min read
Life
How ultras have changed from a competitive race to a family reunion
If you want to really get to know someone in a 24 hour period, run 100 miles with them.
June 20269 min read
Life
Iowa Is Actually a Great Place to Train for Ultras
No, really. Hear me out. The hills are gentle, the gravel roads go forever, and nobody is watching you shuffle through mile 18 looking like a question mark. There's a lot to be said for anonymity.
May 20265 min read
More on the way
New essays go up when the training does — which is to say, irregularly, and usually after something goes wrong.