The Ironman

“I’m crazy,” Dr. Klion says. “I jogged in from West Chester this morning.” “What!?!” “Yeah, I’m doing the Grand Canyon Rim To Rim in five weeks. 46-miles, five-thousand feet up and down, then back again.” Now, the whole reason I go Dr. Mark Klion is because he’s the best kind of crazy. The walls of…

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Hy-Vee Triathlon: 365 Days And Counting…

The sun was just breaking the horizon as “The National Anthem” began blaring from a shoddy PA. Nearly two thousand of us stared solemnly across the water when a short, wide rainbow materializing like a Technicolor ghost before us. That we were swimming at all was, of course, a major accomplishment for organizers. Flooding had…

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This Weekend? It’s All About Des Moines

Holy moly, this thing’s blowin’ up! What began as Jason Walsmith and my crazy idea (“Run the Des Moines Triathlon then play a rock show afterwards”) has grown to something truly epic. Almost the entire Authentic Records roster has rallied together in response to the flood devastation sustained by the great state of Iowa to…

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Announcing The Authentic Records’ Unsanctioned & Uncensored Triathlon After Party & Benefit

I got it into my head a few months ago that it would be a good idea to run the Hy-Vee Triathlon, and then play a rock show afterwards. And who were my Authentic Records label mates to disagree? Little did we know that our beloved Hawkeye State would be submerged beneath one of the…

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Hy-Vee Triathlon: 14 Days And Counting…

When I applied for the coveted Hy-Vee Triathlon Des Moines Register Blogger gig, I described myself as a “reluctant weekend warrior.” Warrior might be a bit of a stretch. I’m more knave than night, more corporal than general. But it is fairly apparent that the bulk of my distance training occurs on weekends. Here’s a…

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A Swift Kick In The, Um, Butt

I tend to wedge my training in between a whole bunch of activities, lately: post-production on a documentary, mixing a new album (due on Des Moines’ own Authentic Records June 18!), a career that’s turned alarmingly demanding, domestic duties, and an iota of a social life. Still, I do pretty well getting everything in on…

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George Washington, Rufus Scott & Me

Few vistas afford the sweeping panorama of New York City like the George Washington Bridge. The Bridge was opened for traffic on October 24, 1931. It spans some 4,760 feet from the sites of Fort Washington (on the New York side) and Fort Lee (in New Jersey), fortified positions used by General Washington and his…

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My Perfect Storm Of Poor Planning (Or Hubris)

Four miles on four hours of sleep is not an ideal training scenario. These days find me in the center of a perfect storm of poor planning (or hubris). I’m in putting the finishing touches on my forthcoming CD, “The Invention of Everything Else,” due June 18th on Des Moines’ own Authentic Records. I’m still…

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Top Five Boneheaded Sports-Related Injuries

I’ve made two fairly boneheaded training mistakes in the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, I decided it would be fun to jog up then sprint down a mountain above Los Angeles just two hours before boarding the red eye to New York, and two days before the Brooklyn Half Marathon. And yesterday, I set…

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You Feel Like Home To Me

I blame Jason Walsmith. It was last June. The 30th, to be precise. My wife, Abbi, and I had flown into Iowa City that morning, then streaked westward on I-80. My pal, Josh Davis, was performing on the Authentic Records’ stage at the Des Moines Arts Festival when we pulled up to Western Gateway Park.…

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