Author Archives: Jon Waldron

About Jon Waldron

Running and Racing have been important parts of my life for as long as I can remember. I ran Track and Cross Country at Amherst HS, back in the day, and am proud to have been training and competing with the Cambridge Sports Union (CSU) for more than thirty years. If my bones hold out, I hope to continue for another thirty. Sixteen years ago, I began coaching, first as an Asst. Coach at Newton North HS in Newton, MA, and for the past ten years, as Head Track and Cross Country Coach at Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts. I've been writing about running for almost as long as I've been running, dating back to high school, when I would write meet summaries for the Amherst Record for about $0.33 per column inch. I've been blogging about running since 2005, and began blogging at "the runner eclectic" in 2014. Until recently I also had a day job, working full-time as a Technical Product Manager for Nuance Communications, based in Burlington, MA. But I am now on what might turn out to be a permanent sabbatical. Thank you for reading my blog, and please consider leaving a comment.

Around and Around We Go

“Are you doing anything crazy [for your birthday] like running your age in indoor track laps?”– Tyler, who, it must be pointed out, once ran 50K (125 laps) on a track

Posted in Uncategorized, Weather and Seasons | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Recapping the 2021 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials

It began with a world record in the men’s shot put and ended with a world record in the women’s 400m hurdles. With those bookends, the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team trials once again made its case as one … Continue reading

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A Farewell to Lake Biwa

A week ago Sunday, February 28th, 2021, marked the 76th and final running of the Lake Biwa Marathon, one of the most prestigious races in Japan and a fixture on that country’s racing calendar since 1946. The race was streamed … Continue reading

Posted in Japan, Marathon, Pro Runners, Race Reports | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The Unexpected Fascination of Even Pacing

Posted in Pro Runners, Racing, Records & Statistics, Track | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Gift

Posted in In Memoriam, My Back Pages, Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments

Belated Gratitude for the US Olympic Marathon Trials

Molly Seidel and Aliphine Tuliamuk in the final miles of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, February 29, 2020.

Posted in Marathon, Olympics, Pro Runners | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Dateline: Thursday, March 26 – an undisclosed location in eastern Massachusetts I’m jogging slowly along the trail, peering through the trees to find a likely path for cutting through the woods that separate me from a big, beautiful, empty 400m … Continue reading

Posted in Track | 7 Comments

The Length of a Llama

“I’ve heard you can judge six feet by the length of a llama; but I haven’t met many llamas in real life, so I’m not sure how much that will actually help!” – my daughter Joni passing along social distancing … Continue reading

Posted in Injuries & Health, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Wake Up and Smell the Carbon!

Stacked cushioning arrangement for shoe sole structure, from US patent application US20190365034A1.   “…Things move on, and innovation is normal. But when the innovation is so large and sudden, what happens is that it distorts the contribution made by the … Continue reading

Posted in Marathon, Records & Statistics, Shoes | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Seven Running Stunts for the New Year

Running is repetitive, and it can become tedious, especially in winter when you seem to run the same roads over and over again. If you are training seriously – perhaps for a spring marathon or a season of indoor track … Continue reading

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