I spent the day yesterday hiking around Barro Colorado — the Smithsonian Institute’s research island in the middle of the Panama Canal. This was my first rain forest experience, and I’m both glad I went and much more aware of how totally un-equipped I am for tropical living. Continue reading “Digital Nomad Series: The Jungle Is (Mostly) Designed to Kill You”
Long distance runners have a lot of different ways of talking about “the wall.” It’s the moment, somewhere late in the race, when all of a sudden everything just gives out: your energy, your motivation, your will to live… (ok, maybe not quite that extreme). I hit it at hit it at mile two of the Flying Pirate Half last month. I hit it on mile six of the Pittsburgh half two weeks ago when it was still raining and I had to cross another dang bridge. And I kind of hit my digital nomad-ing wall this week — after arriving in my fourth city in five days. Continue reading “Digital Nomad Series: Hitting the Wall”
If you haven’t seen Barry Schwartz’s TED talk on the Paradox of Choice, well, I recommend it. I also feel like I’m living it these days — when the world is your oyster, where do you even begin? Continue reading “Digital Nomad Series: The Paradox of Choice”
Regardless of what I might have thought about the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon had events unfolded more auspiciously, it shall forever be recorded in my memory as the race without (enough) port-o-potties. That pretty much sums it up — if you don’t want to read further details about GI matters, turn back now! (Though I’ll at least reassure everyone that there were no digestive disasters — in spite of the lack of facilities). Continue reading “Lake Sammamish Half Marathon: Race Review”
Y’all know I usually complain about hilly courses (see races in Pomona, Hotlanta, etc.). Given how few races out there are especially flat, you’d think I’d be over it by now. Maybe once I actually live somewhere again I’ll start training on hills and become less of a wuss. It would certainly make me sound less curmudgeonly in most of these reviews. BUT! You guys. Today, I ran the hilliest race of my life, and I loved it. Loved it! (I’m actually writing this on race day for once, and it’s possible I’m still a little high on adrenaline, caffeine, and sugar… but still. It was awesome.) Continue reading “Heart Breaker Half Marathon (Portland, OR): Race Review”
When I told people I was planning to spend a month in Pittsburgh, anyone who hadn’t been there seemed a bit baffled. And I can’t say I blame them. Before I visited, Pittsburgh fell into a list of mid-sized U.S. cities that seemed fine but that I’d never really had any compelling reason to think about: Indianapolis, Cleveland, Detroit… etc. Continue reading “Digital Nomad Series: Reflections on a Month in Pittsburgh”
I’ve been in Pittsburgh for two weeks now, and I’ll be here for two weeks more, and it’s so incredibly nice to be stationary for a while.
Continue reading “Digital Nomad Series: The Luxury of Staying Put”
This may come as a shock to you, but I’m tired. The first three weeks or so on the road were pretty great. But somewhere around day 26 or 27, the untethered-ness of my current endeavor finally started to hit me in earnest. Continue reading “Reflecting on My First Month as a Digital Nomad (well, 40 days)”
Yesterday morning, I ran 7 miles on the Swamp Rabbit Trail — possibly for the last time — packed up my stuff, and hit the road for the next 4? 6? 8? months. Now, I’m in Louisville, Kentucky, on my way to Kansas City, and yesterday feels more like last week. Continue reading “The Things We Leave Behind”
