Night falls early at base camp. The sun goes down, the human noise begins to subside, and the night sounds begin to creep. After a long day of running, rain assembly, and general insanity I climbed into my tent at 9:10 p.m. in order to prepare for the Percy Warner Ascent on Monday. (If you’re […]
After months of planning, I finally launched Brad’s U.S. Trail Adventure. I awoke at 6:30 a.m., grabbed my gear, had a quick bite of breakfast with the Mom and Dad, and his the road. I had a 2-hour drive to Lexington, Kentucky where I was slated to run 6-8 miles on the Legacy Trail, a […]
I sent an email to a friend of mine today explaining why I’m embarking on this 11 state, 7 park running/camping trip. She’s become rather important in my life recently, and I find myself sharing not only the events of life but also the reasons behind those events. That’s not easy to do. It’s hard […]
I spent the day booking my reservations, which has only made my desire to hit the road even more pronounced than it is now. (I say this with one exception: Alabama. The park I was trying to book has only one phone line and no website. I started calling when the park opened, and 8 […]
After weeks of kicking around itineraries, I’ve finally settled upon the course for the southern part of Brad’s US Trail Adventure. (You can see the whole map here, including the places I won’t be going). Many of these trails are in Runner’s World’s “25 Best Trail Runs in America” series that I stumbled upon several […]
For years, I prided myself on my ability to pick up and leave without a second’s thought. My life was set up in such a way that I could be out the door and gone without leaving a trace in about an hour. There were many reasons for it — youth, drinking, the exploration bug […]
I’m sitting in at my living room desk, gear surrounding my feet, a binder of information sitting next to me, and Brad’s U.S. Trail Running Adventure Google Map open behind my blog. In less than two weeks, I’ll leave Muncie behind for the summer and set about my journey to Austin, Texas, where I’ll be […]
5280 feet above sea level. One mile high, according to the football stadium. Everyone warned me that running in Denver was going to be challenging. “Drink lots of water,” I was told. “Expect to run 1-2 minutes slower,” I was told. “Make sure you let me know how you feel after,” one person asked, laughing. […]
In 67 days, I shall line up on the track at Appalachian State University with several hundred runners and begin a grueling 26.2 mile run through the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina as part of the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. I’m anxious about this race. We only have 5 1/2 hours to finish as our […]
My former student – and The Invictus Writer – David Ake finally got me out to the shooting range today. It was a cold, dreary day but that hardly dampened our spirits. He’s an excellent teacher and an honor to his country. (He’s a veteran of the second Gulf War.) Here’s my first attempt to […]
Grades don’t matter. This is what I tell my students ever week throughout the school year. Education is about the process, I tell them as they roll their eyes, not the product. I implore them to focus on squeezing out every bit of knowledge from their assignments. I want them to attack uncertainty without fear […]
If you’ve followed my blog at all, you know that I have a deep and meaningful relationship with Mr. Hank Moody (and Charles Bukowski, the writer the show Californication is based upon). At his highest, Moody is a sharp, witty writer examining the human condition while balancing his on-again/off-again relationship with girlfriend Karen and his […]