2012 Warrior Dash - me as a Blue Man

The ‘A-Ha’ Moment

Not long ago I questioned why people do obstacle course races. Today, I ask the when. There I was: standing in the coral with about 250 other runners waiting for the starter to send us off. I’d run a few 5ks before so this wasn’t really a new experience though at the same time, it…

Drawing of Wonder Woman

Summer Vacation

Children with autism tend to do better in a structured environment where tasks are planned and a schedule is followed. As a result, summer breaks can be tough. But so far, young Matt is thriving with his new found free-time and has become “Mr. Personality”.

Jumping over the fire at the finish line at the SoCal Spartan Sprint

Would you do an OCR alone?

Let me be clear on something. Whenever you run an obstacle course race (OCR) – be it Spartan, Rugged Maniac or especially Tough Mudder – you are never really alone. The reason is simple. It’s the OCR community. The community, the environment, the people, the culture, is something truly special and on any given race…

Daisy. A golden retriever.

Detatched

Last week, my in-laws had to put down their dog of eight years, Daisy. Like all golden retrievers, she was a great dog. Unfortunately, like what happens with many golden retrievers, she developed cancer. It was tough. It was her time. But it was definitely the right call. It was also the first real time…

The dunk wall at the Arizona Spartan Sprint

Why obstacle course racing?

When it comes to obstacle course racing (OCR), I’ve been asked several times about my why. Why do I do it? What reasons could there possibly be to run three to eight miles (or more) over hills and obstacles? Why spend a Saturday racing and the rest of the week complaining? Why do an OCR…

Arizona Spartan finish line, 2017

There IS crying in Spartan Race

If my proverbial man card gets temporarily suspended – or revoked – after this, so be it. I’ll earn it back. Perhaps a few manly and appropriately dropped f-bombs will help. For a variety of reasons, this past weekend’s back-to-back Arizona Spartan Races provided a plethora of tears. Tears of frustration, inspiration, pain, exuberance, perseverance,…

Alone (part two)

Back in August, our son Matt had a very difficult time at a birthday party Dave and Busters. The lights, sounds and crowds can be a lot to handle for someone with autism so as his way of handling things that day, he chose to isolate himself from the others. Inside our little party room,…