Getting Started

Running, writing, and the new book

A first post deserves an introduction.

I was a runner long before I became a writer. Racing cross country and track in high school and college led to a freelance magazine career. Which transitioned to writing books as my sons got older and traveling three months out of the year to cover events was no longer feasible. I’ve been doing books for almost thirty years now. Mostly history. Some memoir. I’m a morning writer, eight to noon or 1,000 words, whichever comes first. Monday through Friday because seven days a week doesn’t allow for a creative pause. Twenty-one years ago I also began coaching high school cross country and track as a way to fill my afternoons, not realizing it would become as deeply satisfying as writing a lovely sentence. A dozen #1 New York Times bestsellers and seven state championships later it’s finally time to combine running with history. The result is THE LONG RUN. It’s the story of the 1970’s running boom and the current running boom, and how the marathon became cool. TLR comes out in April, just in time for Boston. The blurbs are rolling in, a font of positivity from famous and influential runners, which is nice. I’ll share them as the days tick down to publication, along with thoughts on writing, training methodology, the book process, and the daily challenge of finding a solitary trail to spend an hour sorting out my head.