The Catskill Mountains have a special place in my memory, imagination, and heart. I grew up not far away, in a small town outside of Albany, NY, and during my years at Bard College, the Catskills were the backdrop of a picturesque campus on the Hudson River. From the garden at Blithewood–Bard’s most beautiful spot–you […]
A 5-pack of runners from Reading, PA headed out to the western part of our state this summer to compete in the Laurel Highlands Ultras. Michael Heimes and Kyle Gery were registered for the main event–a 70.5 mile race along the entirety of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT)–while the rest of us (Matt Hottenstein, […]
Why Pikes Peak For a long time, I’ve wanted to take a vacation in the Rockies. The Appalachians can’t really compare in terms of size and drama, and as a mountain lover, I knew I was long overdue for some real mountains. As I’ve gotten into trail running over the past few years, and started […]
This was my second time running Pretzel City Sports‘ Double Trouble. The first time (2014) was the only year that it was held in the Fall. Prior to that, it had always been a summer race, and after the experimental switch resulted in lower registration (probably due to the increased competition from other races that […]
Prologue This is my first race report of the year, but it wasn’t my first race of the year. I was just a little too busy in the spring to find the time to write about all the fun I had at the Chilly Cheeks 7 Mile Trail Run (which is so close to home I […]
I wasn’t planning on running this race, since I just did the Marine Corps Marathon the previous weekend, but Yuriko wanted to do the 5k, and so of course I had to run, too. And I couldn’t just do the 5K when there was a 10 mile option. After last Sunday’s marathon, I took the […]
The Backstory: I don’t have much history running marathons. I ran my first in 2013–the Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Marathon–and although I finished, it was pretty ugly. I battled some sharp knee pain during the second half, which really slowed me down, and my time was a sluggish 4:45. Last year, rather than adjust my […]
