Features Archives - Page 3 of 4

What Our Newborn Son Has Taught Me About Running

February 25, 2019February 18, 2019 by Richard Moy

The twelve of you who subscribe to this blog might have wondered where I’ve been. And I get it. I haven’t posted anything since September, when I lamented the fact that the Giants did not draft Josh Rosen. But, I’m back with life news! Jess gave birth to our amazing son last December. He was a shade over 7 pounds, had an APGAR score of 9 (whatever that means!), and has been screaming at me ever since.

Most new fathers (I think) have learned lessons from their kids. What surprised me were the lessons that our son taught me about running—and how quickly they became obvious. Here are a few of my favorites.

There’s a First Time for Every Mailbag

March 27, 2019September 5, 2018 by Richard Moy

When I was 15 years old, I spent Memorial Day Weekend at a bible camp in the middle of nowhere. Near the back of the main hall, envelopes with each person’s name scribbled in Sharpie marker were taped to a wall. The pastor told us to write “encouragement cards” to our friends. By the end of the weekend, there were approximately zero encouragement cards waiting for me in my envelope.

So I’d be lying if I said I was nervous about soliciting questions for a mailbag column on this blog. “Will anyone actually submit anything?” I asked myself. “Or will this be bible camp all over again?”

OK, fine. I added a question that I wanted to answer. But after asking very nicely, I also heard from a few of you. So with that, onto the (first ever) mailbag!

Of Course There’s Rain in the Forecast for Ragnar Trail Vermont

February 25, 2019August 2, 2018 by Richard Moy

Yesterday, I woke up and saw nothing but thunderstorms in the forecast for this weekend’s Ragnar Trail Vermont. I’ve gotten better about reserving my panic until race day, so I didn’t jump to any conclusions.

Then, the folks that operate the Ragnar Trail Series posted this fun little update: “Due to rain in the forecast, which tends to slow teams down, we will be moving everyone’s start time earlier by one hour.” Most people probably didn’t blink an eye when they read this, but I’m not most people.

Think back to the last time you overanalyzed a relationship with a girlfriend or boyfriend. What did he mean when he said that? What does she really think of my shoes? Did she notice that I just ate 35 Chicken McNuggets? These are the types of questions I’m currently asking myself about Ragnar Trail Vermont.

Still, this is Team Hot Bhattis’ third Ragnar appearance, and we’ve learned a few things since our first attempt in 2015. Here’s why I think we’ll be OK this weekend.

The Weather for the 2018 Brooklyn Half Might Suck

February 25, 2019May 14, 2018 by Richard Moy

Yesterday, I saw at least a half dozen stories on Instagram about the forecast for the 2018 Brooklyn Half. It does not look awesome. Apparently, we should expect some combination of rain, thunderstorms, and Sharknado on Saturday morning.

I have a well-documented history of complaining about race-day weather. But I learned a lot after this year’s Boston Marathon, even though I didn’t run it. My biggest takeaway? No matter how well you train for a race, there’s literally nothing you can do to stop a monsoon from happening.

But I also understand this isn’t comforting to anyone running the Brooklyn Half. I’m not pumped, either. Still, here are a few reminders to (maybe) help you get the most out of the race, even if all of your wildest dreams don’t come true.

What I Think I Learned From Running While on Vacation

February 25, 2019May 2, 2018 by Richard Moy

A couple weeks ago, Jess and I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I didn’t travel a lot before we got married, so this trip made me feel very fancy. Plus, we got a whole bunch of pictures that look great on Instagram.

As excited as I was to see the West (er, Best?) Coast, I was also worried that I wouldn’t be able to run while on vacation. And I expected to be very annoying about it after we got home. “The Pacific Ocean was, like, so inspiring,” I thought I’d say whenever someone asked about the trip. “But I didn’t do my long run, so basically all my goals for the spring are shot.”

As someone who still isn’t exactly well-traveled, I learned a few lessons about running while on vacation. Here are a few of the most important things I think I learned last week.