Running with Aspergers

My brain is wired just a little differently than most folks. I see patterns in everything. I am picky about language, and tend to be literal. I get sensory overload easily, and the things that overload my senses the most are almost always man-made. This is why I love the wide open space and relative quiet of the mountains. This is why I love to run.

Me at unnamed pass
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Goat Rodeo: High Lonesome 100 Race Report

August 3, 2018, near Buena Vista, Colorado, in a field at the base of Mt. Princeton, 6am. This was the start of the second running of High Lonesome 100, up in the Sawatch Mountains of Colorado.It seemed the entire Southwest on fire. Smoke…
Kearsarge Pass selfie
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Kearsarge Pass

Extremely good news. "Chaos should be regarded as extremely good news" - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche I was in Albuquerque in April to run Cedro Peak 50K on my birthday. Ken Gordon said "You're running High Lonesome!" Ken is running it…
Clouds over the Sandias
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New Mexico Sky

Albuquerque, New Mexico Apartment hunting in Albuquerque. The courtyard. Not so far from mountains. Just off San Pedro. Quiet at 8:37 am on a Saturday. Cars are a little beat up. Not bad. "Don't use that tone of voice with me, young man."…
Mt. Williamson
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Fear’s a Man’s Best Friend

Oh baby, baby - Oops I did it again. I've signed up for Mogollon Monster. I feel as though I haven't been running well for the last year and a bit. I feel as though age has caught up to me. I feel as though my performances, from now on, will…
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Jemez Mountain 2017

New Mexico Clouds There are extraordinary clouds hanging over the Sandias right now. There are always extraordinary clouds in New Mexico. The air is incredible here, and the Sandias, out the back window of Ken and Margaret's house, are beautiful. It…
Me at Fish Hatchery
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Zane Grey 2017

Payson Arizona Thursday evening. The 28th annual Zane Grey 50 plus miler. I'm here for the third time. I first ran this race in 2015. It was one I'd been wanting to do for a while. A bunch of friends signed up, and one by one they all withdrew…
Downtown
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An Aspie Man’s Guide to Surviving Ladies Night

Ladies NightMagnolia Blvd. Diagonally across the intersection, a jazz band plays - at least, I think it's a jazz band, but I'm not really sure. I can see a few guys with assorted horns, and I can make out the sound of saxophone. I'm in Burbank…
Mohave Desert
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Hello, Everyone! I love you all!

There's too much noise in LA. I've been back in LA for 2 days, after a 2 week accidental vacation in New Mexico when the car died the day before Mt. Taylor 50K. Mt. Taylor is a wonderful race, run by runners for runners, on a gorgeous course…
Sandias at Sunset

Watermelon Mountains

I am sitting in a kitchen on the edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico, looking out the window at the Sandia Mountains. It is silent here. The only noise I've heard from outside in the past week is the sound of thunder, and of rain on the skylight.…
Cougar Rock
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Western States 100 – Meditation on Pain

Squaw Valley, 5 am I was nervous at the start. Really nervous. Being nervous didn't make that much sense, really; it's not like I was going to be competing for the win, or even a place in the top half. Still, there seemed to be a lot at stake.…
Salton Sea Stop
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Running with Aspergers, Pt 2

A few weeks before Black Canyon 100K, race director Jamil Coury let me know that they'd extended the cut-off to 18 hours, from 16. I was relieved by this. Sixteen hours had proven to be just out of reach on past attempts, and I liked knowing…
Jussi Hamalainen & Garry Curry, mile 6. Garry's last AC100.
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Ashes: AC100 2014 Race Report

Friday morning, 9am, August 1, sitting in my driveway waiting for a ride out to Wrightwood. I'm writing in a list notebook I found on the trails in Topanga. #7 on the list: "Create excuse for ticket". #13: "Go hiking with Nico". The hike…