Category Archives: Running

Schwanengesang

Ted Williams had been saying he would quit baseball every year for four years. By September 28, 1960, it was finally time, and Ted wanted more than anything to do something memorable at the end. In his last major league … Continue reading

Posted in Running, Sports | Comments Off on Schwanengesang

Swan Song Is As Swan Song Does

Motivated by the principle that no news gets old faster than sports news, I figured I’d better bang out this race report for the NorthCoast 24-Hour Endurance Run that I ran in two days ago, before even I don’t care … Continue reading

Posted in Running, Sports | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Swan Song Is As Swan Song Does

The Longest Race—Ed Ayres

Runner and writer Ed Ayres has written a new book about ultrarunning and the things ultrarunners think about: The Longest Race, lengthily subtitled A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance. I had the pleasure of … Continue reading

Posted in Re: Views, Running, Sports | Comments Off on The Longest Race—Ed Ayres

Not Half Bad

At age 69, my running these days consists mostly of alternating short bursts of slow running with short walks. If I’m rested and have my feet to the fire, I can run six miles or so continuously, but I rarely … Continue reading

Posted in Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged , | Comments Off on Not Half Bad

The Mettle to Medal

At the North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run in September of last year, Newton Baker placed first in our mutual age group. I logged the second greatest amount of mileage in that age group, but wasn’t a registered USATF runner, so … Continue reading

Posted in Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Mettle to Medal

About Legacy Posts

As of July 25, 2011, I have migrated over 130 articles from my Neologistics blog, where since August 2005 I have posted many unsorted articles, including items unrelated to editing, writing, or literature. The articles copied from the old site … Continue reading

Posted in Arts, Baseball, Editing, Film, Humor, Language, Legacy, Literature, Music, Opinions, Quotes and Quips, Re: Views, Running, Sports, Squibblings, Stories, Technology, Thoughts, Usage, Writing | Comments Off on About Legacy Posts

Running Only Four or Five Hours

Long ago I considered running the Mickelson Trail Marathon. It sounded like a good race to me, and besides, I hadn’t run a regular marathon in years; but running it would have required me to travel from Arizona to South … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Language, Legacy, Quotes and Quips, Running, Sports, Squibblings, Stories, Thoughts | Comments Off on Running Only Four or Five Hours

The Tempest

My base of operations At 9:00 a.m. on December 29, 2010, I began to run the 72-hour race at Across the Years. By 5:30 p.m., after completing only 81 laps (40.5 km, 25.166 miles), I was packed up and on … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on The Tempest

Daughters Are Good —
Columbus Half Marathon 2010

Last spring our daughter Cyra-Lea wrote to ask if I’d be willing to pick out and run a half marathon with her this fall. I hadn’t done that sort of running for several years. My last half marathon race was … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged | Comments Off on Daughters Are Good —
Columbus Half Marathon 2010

I Coulda Had a Medal

It was not until August 25, 2010, that I decided to run the 2010 North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run (NC24) in Cleveland, Ohio. Up until the day before, I assumed that I would not be able to participate, and have … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on I Coulda Had a Medal

Can You Guess How Oold I Am?

Have you ever noticed how some older people like to tell you their age? It seems I’ve reached that point in life where I’m anxious to tell people my age, sometimes looking for excuses to do so. It’s a pretty … Continue reading

Posted in Arts, Fiction, Humor, Legacy, Re: Views, Running, Sports | Comments Off on Can You Guess How Oold I Am?

Ultrarunning Hyperbole

Certain tainted words occur repeatedly in journalism about ultrarunning, all of which cause noisy alarms to go off in my head whenever I see them. The four most frequent culprits are: crazy grueling test[ing] limits extreme Rarely have I ever … Continue reading

Posted in Language, Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts, Usage, Writing | Tagged , | Comments Off on Ultrarunning Hyperbole

Festivus 50K 2009

On Saturday, December 12, I ran the Festivus 50K for the second time. The race is an out and back, mostly on the Olentangy River bike path, starting at its northern extremity in Worthington, Ohio, through the streets of downtown … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged , | Comments Off on Festivus 50K 2009

North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run 2009

The North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run (NC24) in Cleveland, Ohio made a spectacular debut in its first edition on October 3–4, 2009. As host to the USA Track and Field/American Ultrarunning Association national championship, it drew a total of 107 … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged | Comments Off on North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run 2009

My Last Race

Introduction This, my longest race report ever, is the story of my last race—Across the Years 2008. Whether the title means “last ever” or simply “most recent” you will have to read to find out. Were I to list the … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on My Last Race

My Last Race

Introduction This, my longest race report ever, is the story of my last race—Across the Years 2008. Whether the title means “last ever” or simply “most recent” you will have to read to find out. Were I to list the … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on My Last Race

Life at Fancy Dan’s

The drought is over. Today, for the first time, I walked into Fancy Dan’s Hotsy Totsy Downtown Athletic Club, more commonly known as the Athletic Club of Columbus (ACC), as a fully sanctified, card-carrying member. Finally — I can begin … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged , | Comments Off on Life at Fancy Dan’s

Two Running Vignettes

Part One Most every Saturday of my life that I can arrange it, I spend the morning teaching others about the Bible, and then devote the afternoon or more engaged in long runs of varying dimension. At least that was … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged | Comments Off on Two Running Vignettes

Adena Mounds

So—yesterday I drove up to Highbanks Park, in the north end of the city, and because I’ve been sick for two weeks straight, opted not to do a long run, but wanted at least a token excursion to get some … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged | Comments Off on Adena Mounds

Across the Years 2007

On Wednesday, January 2, 2008, I returned to my hole in the wall in Columbus, Ohio, from my ninth annual running of Across the Years, my seventh consecutive year in the 72-hour race, where the question most commonly asked by … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on Across the Years 2007

My Gym

I’ve been away from my blog. The following Piece was written in late October, 2007, about two weeks before I moved to Columbus, Ohio, about which I will more to say at another time. I invite you to view some … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on My Gym

San Francisco One-Day Race

This race report lacks literary merit. Besides being endocrine depleted, I’m too busy to make it any better. But some people are hoping to see some sort of a report from the San Francisco 24-hour race, put on by Wendall … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged , | Comments Off on San Francisco One-Day Race

What Is Jogging?

Louis Armstrong allegedly said once, when asked what jazz is, if you have to ask, you’ll never know. In a roughly similar way, I’ve found that there are three types of people in this world who run: runners, joggers, and … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Tagged , | Comments Off on What Is Jogging?

Do-Tasks and Not-Do-Tasks

There are two kinds of tasks: Do-Tasks and Not-Do-Tasks. Most of the big life goals we set out to accomplish are achieved by Doing a sometimes complex array of tasks, often in some logical order. For instance, say I want … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Comments Off on Do-Tasks and Not-Do-Tasks

I’ve Seen the Future

Yesterday (February 10, 2007) I ran the Pemberton 50K at McDowell Mountain Park northeast of Fountain Hills Arizona, together with a total of five longtime fellow members of the Dead Runners Society, a highly social online running club that has … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on I’ve Seen the Future

Mechanical Aids in Races

The use of mechanical aids to assist a runner in moving forward is against the rules in most ultramarathons. For instance, a runner will be disqualified for getting a lift in a car, riding a bicycle, or hopping along on … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Tagged , | Comments Off on Mechanical Aids in Races

Routines

A friend once told me: “The more I repeat things the more good things happen.” He spoke of living his life according to an orderly daily routine. Most lives progress in cycles with controlled variations, from which emanate all that … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Comments Off on Routines

Boredom Yet Again

Time for a rant: About being bored on the track—speaking as one who has spent a total of twenty-three 24-hour days and nights circling various tracks and short, flat pieces of road. The topic comes up often. Persons who say … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Tagged , | Comments Off on Boredom Yet Again

A Family Affair

As a runner who is deeply involved in the organization and presentation of Across the Years, yet who also manages to run the 72-hour race each year, mostly undistracted by official responsibilities other than to answer an occasional question, I … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on A Family Affair

Half Crazy

Most distance runners have been asked by non-runners: “How far is that marathon you’ll be running?” We all have our own saucy answers. I’m sure somewhere there’s a smart aleck who replies: “It’s just a standard marathon.” “Ummm … Oh! … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Tagged | Comments Off on Half Crazy

Javelina Jundred 2006

At Javalina Jundred 100-mile trail race on November 4th and 5th, 2006, I had my toughest outing ever in that or in any other race. Less than two miles into my fifth loop at a little over 60 miles, I … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on Javelina Jundred 2006

Running Through the Night

Saturday night I ran an all-night training run at Pemberton Trail, two full 15.4-mile laps plus the 9.2-mile partial loop that comes back on the Tonto Tank trail. It was my best trail training run in years. Not a race, … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on Running Through the Night

A 42.5-Mile Night Run

As I’m training for the Javelina Jundred 100-mile trail race, my training schedule has called for a progressively increasing very long run every four weeks since May. As of today I’m still on target. A month ago I did a … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged | Comments Off on A 42.5-Mile Night Run

Running Pemberton Trail

Saturday afternoon I ran Pemberton Trail. The high in Phoenix was 102, about normal for this time of year. I didn’t see another human soul out there the whole time, not even in the parking lot. I felt good at … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Running Pemberton Trail

Ape

There’s a guy who comes to Bally’s gym that I call Ape. I call him that because it’s his name. Well, maybe not, but it should be. What else could his mother have thought when she first saw him? Ape … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on Ape

Conquering the Voice

Whenever I go to the gym for a run there is a period of time between when I quit working for the day and when I arrive, during which my mind engages in relatively unproductive thought. It provides ample time … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports | Tagged , | Comments Off on Conquering the Voice

How Many Miles Per Whatever?

Non-runners will ask runners: “How many miles per unit of time du jour do you run?” If the inquirer is a fitness oriented type who sees me at the gym frequently, he may be the sort of person who assumes … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports | Comments Off on How Many Miles Per Whatever?

Boredom Redux

Often I’ve claimed that I never get bored while running. I’ll stick to that claim, with a minor rider. Sometimes preoccupation with something else can interfere with whatever task we are presently performing, such that we do it less well, … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Comments Off on Boredom Redux

Spinning Statistical Meaning

At Across the Years this year I earned a jacket for covering 1000 miles lifetime in my seventh year of running it. That’s the accumulated total from one 24-hour race, one 48-hour race, and five 72-hour races. (Update: My total … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports | Tagged , | Comments Off on Spinning Statistical Meaning

Why Ultrarunning?

On the Ultra List ultrarunning e-mail list one subscriber surmised: “…some people get into ultrarunning to prove to the world that they’re “tough.” Deep down inside they feel weak, so they compensate by doing something physically difficult.” Another responded: Or … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Opinions, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Tagged | Comments Off on Why Ultrarunning?

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Here is some news from the department of Superhuman Achievement. There’s been an interesting development in connection with Across the Years, the race I love so much and help to present at the end of every year. We learned that … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Geezer’s Great Alaskan Adventure

… wherein he plunges head first off a cliff while running from a bear So there I was, last Thursday afternoon, trotting briskly down a steep section of the Dewey Lakes trails, east of Skagway, Alaska. The weather was a … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Tagged , | Comments Off on Geezer’s Great Alaskan Adventure

Doing Nothing as Training

Sometimes training is doing nothing. Most serious runners realize that deliberate rest and recovery is as much a part of training as is running itself. Something that might not be quite as well understood is that the same applies to … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports | Tagged , | Comments Off on Doing Nothing as Training

Exercise As a Priority

Commendably, today (August 31, 2005), as the southern part of the Unites States is reeling from the devastation left by hurricane Katrina, US President George W. Bush opted to cut short his vacation in order to tend to business. It’s … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Thoughts | Comments Off on Exercise As a Priority

Honest Mistakes

One day a few years ago, after finishing a twenty-mile run at the gym, I stepped into the shower to rinse off, and went out to the pool to do a few relaxing laps. There was no one out there … Continue reading

Posted in Legacy, Running, Sports, Stories | Comments Off on Honest Mistakes