Author Archives: Jon Waldron

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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.

It’s Mighty (Multi) Quiet Out There…

A few weeks ago, the Baltimore Orioles played a home game at Camden Yards. The game was remarkable not for the result (the Orioles jumped out to an early lead against the Chicago White Sox and ended up winning 8-2) … Continue reading

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Faded Photograph: Field Day 1968

[What can I say? The end of the school year makes me wax nostalgic.] It was field day for the two fourth-grade classes who occupied adjacent rooms on the first floor of the old brick school building in North Amherst … Continue reading

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The Man Who Ran Fast

After spending the weekend in the company of high school athletes, I’ve had to take a couple of days to catch up with news from the professional track world. In particular, I’ve been reading various takes on the news that … Continue reading

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Until the Sprinklers Chased Us Away

Spring Track 2015 began on the third day of March. On that day, the roads of Concord were dangerously narrowed by high banks of snow, and the athletic fields were buried beneath four feet of the stuff. At 3:30 that … Continue reading

Posted in Coaching, High School Runners | 1 Comment

Peaks, Valleys, and Plateaus

Image: http://www.56thparallel.com It’s not often that I feel sorry for athletes who are much younger and faster than me. Most of the time, I’m too busy envying them (for their seemingly effortless speed, their ability to train and train and … Continue reading

Posted in High School Runners, Pro Runners, Training | 3 Comments

Promise, but No Promises

(image: http://www.dyestat.com) “I was really nervous [the time] was going pop up, and it was going to be 4:00…  I mean, that’s fast, but you don’t get anything for it.” – Matthew Maton, after running 3:59.38 at the Oregon Twilight … Continue reading

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From the Archives: for Martha

(My mom was a runner without ever knowing it. I often wonder what would have happened if she had grown up at a time when girls were encouraged to run, not teased for being tomboys. I have no doubt that … Continue reading

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The Integrity of the Stride

in-teg’-ri-ty, noun: the quality of being honest and fair; the state of being complete or whole . “Marco polo describes a bridge, stone-by-stone. ‘But which is the stone that supports the bridge,’ Kublai Khan asks. ‘The bridge is not supported by … Continue reading

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Race Times, Physiology, and Statistics

I was going to write about something else today, but then the story of ‘Marathon Dad’ Mike Rossi stirred up LetsRun like a wounded Zebra wandering alone in the Serengeti. In the unlikely event you haven’t been following the story, … Continue reading

Posted in Records & Statistics | Tagged | 14 Comments

U.S. Dominates World Relays

The IAAF World Relay Championships, held over the weekend in Nassau, The Bahamas, has become a legitimately interesting and entertaining meet. After a successful inauguration in 2014, this year’s edition turned out to be hugely entertaining, especially if you were … Continue reading

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