Shawn Pfunder

We’re a generation of grazers. We watch clips of TV shows, download songs instead of albums, and turn the channel even if it’s something we might want to watch. I’ve been in the car with someone who would scan for a new song on the radio after each and every song. Every single long-haired slow jam. It’s like we were putting together a mixed tape on the go. Well, pieces of a mix tape at least. I can’t say we ever listened to a full song. She would scan until she heard something by Poison and then stop and say, “Oh yeah” and then when the song ended, we would begin the adventure again. read more…

Swimming can be hard. Here’s why:

Your muscles need oxygen to work. You probably use your muscles a lot when you swim. Sometimes, when you swim, it’s impossible to get oxygen (like when your head is underwater).

So, you basically have three options when you swim (if you want to go any considerable length in the water): you can figure out a way to get more oxygen, you can figure out a way to use less energy, or you can do both. read more…

I screwed up my knee. I’m pretty sure I did it from over training. I ramped up my weekly mileage too much too fast. This, I know from experience, is something that can happen from love affairs.

Can anyone really explain how they can love running? You love sunrises and dirt and being alone among the boulders and trees in the middle of a metropolis before you sit at a meeting and people give you the crazy look when you tell them that you ran nine miles in the hills before you took a cold shower, ate a banana and some oatmeal, and thought about the salt on your skin before you hopped in your car and drove to the office to sit down for a weekly state of the union. It gives you perspective and takes it away. read more…

There’s nothing stopping you from doing whatever it is you want to do. Stop preparing. You’re ready to do it. Just do it.

I’ve been obsessing about this for weeks.

I walked for 15 miles in the middle of the night–in the middle of the desert–with a guy who set out to run 100 miles. I joined him at mile 45. We had a full moon, headlamps, and plenty of pretzels every five mile to keep us company. And he was breaking down, his body had stopped tapping into any of its reserves. His only energy came from whatever food we got into him. We walked and walked and walked and shuffled and walked. read more…