Author Archives: Jon Waldron

Unknown's avatar

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.

Tanzania – Part 12: The Rim of the Crater

  Simba campground on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. It was already three in the afternoon when we began the two-hour drive to the Ngorongoro highlands. Leaving Oldupai, the road was flat, and the terrain was dry and barren. But … Continue reading

Posted in Tanzania | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tanzania – Part 11: The Cradle of Mankind

Monolith at Oldupai Gorge Running Log, 1/2/11 — Rest! On the morning of the second day of 2011 I woke up from a deep slumber that had been untroubled by either real or imaginary lions. We had stayed the night … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tanzania – Part 10: Endless Plains

Running Log, 1/1/11 — 25 minutes in and around Lake Ndutu Tented Camp. On the last day of 2010, after my final run of the year at the Dik Dik campground, I joined my family for an improvised New Year’s … Continue reading

Posted in Tanzania | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tanzania – Part 9: Hippos, Elephants, and Eyes in the Dark

Running Log, 12/31/10 — 24 minutes in and around Dik Dik Campground (Completing the year-long project of running every calendar day in 2010)  On the morning of December 31st 2010 I awoke from a heavy sleep and uneasy dreams to … Continue reading

Posted in Tanzania | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ryan Hall isn’t worried about what you think

“I reflect on these achievements not with pride, but with humility, for I know that I was only faithful to the gift I had been given.” – Ryan Hall Ryan Hall isn’t worried about what you think

Posted in Pro Runners | Tagged | 2 Comments

Tanzania – Part 8: Into the Serengeti

“Parks Tanzania” by Bamse – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parks_Tanzania.svg#/media/File:Parks_Tanzania.svg It was about 4:00 in the afternoon when we finally arrived at Klein’s Gate, the Northeast entrance to Serengeti National Park, one of the … Continue reading

Posted in Tanzania | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tanzania – Part 7: Out of the Desert

We finally left the camp at Lake Natron at about 11:00 on the morning of December 30th. Rob had wanted us to leave an hour earlier, and we had dutifully packed all our bags the previous evening for a quick … Continue reading

Posted in Tanzania | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Momentum in Training

Several years ago, I was working with a runner who had recently finished a very successful cross country season and who had ambitious goals for spring track. This girl was very dedicated and conscientious about her training. She had requested … Continue reading

Posted in Training | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tanzania – Part 6: Lake Natron

“Here it is the landscape rather than the animals that is the attraction – the area around the lake is dry, desolate and hauntingly beautiful.” (www.moivaro.com) “The lake is 35 miles (56 km) long and 15 miles (24 km) wide … Continue reading

Posted in Tanzania | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tanzania – Part 5: Water in a Dry Land

Ol Doinyo Lengai After breakfast at the campground, and after everything and everybody were packed back into the Land Rover, we left Tarangire and began to head North. Our destination for the day was Lake Natron, located along Tanzania’s border … Continue reading

Posted in Tanzania | Tagged , | Leave a comment