The Whip-poor-will Story

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The year was 1981, and I was 15 years old.  My dad and I had spent the day working on our Christmas tree farm at the base of Booger Mountain (in Taylorsville, N.C.) with two other hired hands — Randy and Jeff — who were both around…

A walk in God’s house

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How long has it been since you took a simple walk? I think there is more benefit in the act of putting one foot in front of the other than we may realize.  This isn't about physical fitness.  It's about mental and spiritual…

In memory of my two favorite Andys

  We didn't know them personally.  We only knew the faces and the voices.  They didn't know that we existed at all. So why is it so dad-gummed sad?It's been a rough few months for me.  As of last night, I've lost my two favorite…

Top 11 Reasons to Deadlift in Cross-training

Let’s be honest.  To much of the athletic world, deadlifts are the Rodney Dangerfield of bar movements. They are unglamorous.  They aren’t particularly dramatic to the untrained eye.  They seem rather brutish and utilitarian. Perhaps…

Need inspiration? Look no further than Sledge and Zamperini.

E.B. Sledge We all need our sources of human inspiration.  This year, I have been lucky enough to find two:  E.B. Sledge and Louis Zamperini. Sledge, who died in 2001, wrote the classic Marine Corps memoir, "With the…

“Mad Max” meets “Chariots of Fire”

Holly and I after last year's Warrior Dash. This morning (Sept. 22) at 11:30, Holly and I will, for the second consecutive year, tackle a Warrior Dash "mud run," this one in Manchester, Tenn.  The Dash is a 5K trail run that…

Shaking the hand of God

My closest cousin, Jeff, and his wife of two years, Crecia, recently welcomed their first child, Cassandra Darling Johnson, into the world.  It's a thrill for our large extended family not only to add another vibrant member to the mix, but…

Running? The starting is the hardest part.

That's me on the right, stumbling to the finish of my first race (a 4 miler) a couple of years ago.                       I'm getting…

Changing your voice in written communications

His speech?  Use his voice in the writing.In preparation for a creative writing presentation I have to make in Georgia next month,  I started thinking today about tone.  In my work as a communications professional, I'm asked to write in…

Top 11 things a Warrior Dash virgin should know

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You’ve seen the pictures on Facebook.  You’ve heard the stories from your buddies.  You may have even seen reports from local news stations. Enough is enough.  You’re ready to tackle the Warrior Dash. “Mud…