Short writing, posted when I have something to say. Training notes, essays, and the occasional letter. Subscribe to get them by email — no more than monthly.
Race preparation for Tor des Geants in Italy — and what elite athletes and coaches know about self-compassion that most runners don't.
Five audiobooks this month. Why We Remember by Charan Ranganath was the standout — a neuroscientist on how memory works and why that matters for how we live.
Andy Newell spent 16 years on the US Ski Team. Now he coaches and races ultra trails. We talk training, injury, and what endurance looks like after the Olympics.
Procrastination isn't laziness — it's identity-related avoidance. A practical framework using productive buckets to build momentum before tackling hard work.
Eight books this month. Me Myself and Us by Brian Little — on personality psychology and how much of who we are is fixed versus chosen — was the one worth keeping.
Nine books in August. Patricia Churchland's Conscience was the standout — neurophilosophy applied to the evolution of human morality. Annaka Harris's Conscious disappointed by comparison.
Three audiobooks while partially in Sweden. The Book of Beautiful Questions started strong on the power of questioning — then became a business book with memorized scripts.
Three books while traveling in Sweden. The Blockchain Revolution was the favorite — fascinating and frightening in equal measure.
Honored as USATF New England's Men's Athlete of the Month for May — despite injuries from a trail race that disrupted most of the spring season.
Ten books in May. The Coddling of the American Mind by Haidt and Lukianoff led the list — a careful analysis of youth fragility and victimhood culture. 80/20 Running also resonated.
Eight audiobooks — fewer than usual, busy month. Meditation in Action by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche topped the list. The Great Illusion on free will and neuroscience was also strong.
Nine books. Selfie by Will Storr was the standout — a must-read on how Western culture encourages self-focused narratives and social media obsession.
Six books, no strong recommendations. The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell was preferred, though it lost direction in later sections on spirituality.
Five books, two standouts: Thinking in Bets and Atomic Habits both earned 4.5 stars. Cold weather limited the pace — battery drain on recording devices.
Eight books, one recommendation: How to Build Self-Discipline to Exercise by Martin Meadows. The overly spiritual books in the pile didn't hold up to scrutiny.
Ten audiobooks. Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton earned a rare 5 stars — one of the most insightful books on psychology I've ever come across.
Eleven books. The Future of Mental Health by Eric Maisel topped the list — recommended reading for anyone in education, politics, leadership, or mental health.
Thirteen books. Factfulness, Shop Class as Soulcraft, and On Intelligence were the standouts. Kickass and The School of Greatness were the month's least favorable reads.
Thirty books in thirty-one days. The Man Who Wasn't There was the most impactful. The 10X Rule was the most problematic — filled with advice I'd actively warn against.
Twelve books. The Introvert's Edge, Lost Connections, and Emotional Success were the three worth recommending.
Twelve audiobooks. Altered Traits, Building a Story Brand, and Wired for Dating led the list. Bluefishing lacked any substantive value.
Eight books. Explaining Postmodernism received the highest rating. Reality is Broken was criticized for promoting virtual escapism over genuine human improvement.
Fifteen books during wilderness hiking trips. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder earned a rare five stars — a must-read on authoritarianism and contemporary politics.
Five technically demanding books despite a busy month. The Strange Order of Things topped the list. Skin in the Game was praised for philosophy despite the author's considerable arrogance.
Ten books while working on trail maintenance. The Confidence Gap received a strong recommendation for its grounded, practical approach to ACT therapy.
Eight audiobooks during winter manual labor. Deviate by Beau Lotto was the standout — a neuroscientist making the case that we are not meant to perceive the world accurately, but to perceive it usefully.
87 books completed in 2017. Three earned five stars and the label 'life changing': The Knowledge Illusion, The Secrets of Story, and The Upward Spiral.
Nine highly recommended books, but only Messy by Tim Harford was truly exceptional. The others were good but fell short of the hype.
Six books reviewed with star ratings, including Seth Godin's Poke The Box.
Three books, featuring A General Theory of Love and The Ego Tunnel.
A curated selection covering cognition, mindfulness, psychology, and emotion science — with individual star ratings.
Monthly reading covering grammar, productivity, attention, philosophy, and cognitive science.
Three lectures recorded at the first Woodstock Fruit Festival in 2011, now available. Topics include the Running Raw Project and peak performance nutrition.
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