As I navigate a hazy running future with my knee, there is the possibility that that half marathons will no longer be part of my racing calendar. Truth be told, I’m actually better at races that go between 6-10 miles.  Those races don’t take near a toll on me as much as thirteen plus miles.  Nor do they require the same degree of mental focus as the longer half marathon. That’s likely the reason I prefer the half marathon.  For me, they represent the ultimate challenge in competitive racing...

It happened on Pre’s Trail in Eugene last month. Call it an epiphany. Call it a defining moment. Or just call it a good day. Regardless, I left that workout with a greater determination and goal. I wanted to run again. It was a cool, foggy morning. A soundtrack of late 1983 music kept me company on those sawdust trails as I alternated five minutes of running with three minutes of walking. Although it was a world removed from what I’d have been doing just six months earlier, I savored...

Be warned! This is only going to get sillier from here! It was a cold and dreary morning in my Oregon hometown last week. A steady rain left me completely soaked. Worse, my earbuds had just shut off - depriving me of hearing all of the Andy Gibb songs that not even slow torture could force me to confess to owning. In this moment of ultimate despair, I shouted out to the heavens, “ I wish I never started running !” After saying that, I suddenly see another runner just a few feet from me...