Live Fast — Stay in Control

January 24, 2026 Barefoot KenAfterburners, Control, Divorce, F-16 Fighting Falcon, family, Hasard Lee, life, marriage, Mental stressLeave a comment

If you want to go fast in an F-16 Fighting Falcon, it’s easy. Just push the throttle forward all the way (this position is called “Military Power”) and then twist it to the left and push again to engage the afterburners. Depending on aircraft configuration and atmospheric conditions, you might reach Mach 2.0 (roughly 1,300 miles per hour at high altitude).

But there’s a catch. The afterburners, which dump fuel into the jet engine’s hot exhaust stream, burn a lot of fuel. As much as 60,000 pounds per hour, which could deplete the aircraft’s load in something like 10 minutes. Which is why afterburners are used sparingly, generally for take-off and during combat maneuvers.

If you go faster than you should and run low on fuel – no worries, probably there’s a mid-air refueling tanker, like the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, circling around somewhere. But you’ll need to slow down to match the tanker’s airspeed, typically around 300 knots per hour. Even so, you have a very narrow envelope to operate in. You do not want to approach the drogue basket trailing behind the tanker at faster than a walking pace. Impact the drogue with too much force, and you could send a sinusoidal shock wave up the 80-yard hose to the tanker and down again, which could not only disrupt the connection, but possibly damage the aircraft’s fuel probe. In which case you might have a serious problem, if you’re out of fuel and there’s no safe place to land nearby.

There’s a point here for all of us, even if we’re not piloting advanced fighter platforms. You shouldn’t go fast if you’re not in control.

Stay. In. Control.

This theme applies throughout life – why, even to recreational runners. Run too fast and you burn out and risk injury. Runners who start out too fast in a marathon might crack a rueful joke about “crashing and burning.” Actually, it’s not funny.

But forget running. What about life? What happens if you go to fast and don’t keep control?

Or let me ask the question a different way — how can we stay in control when we operate constantly at high speed?

Continue reading “Live Fast — Stay in Control” →

15,000 Miles Barefoot

January 17, 2026 Barefoot Ken#Diogenes, Catskills, Cowtown Marathon, Fat Ox Endurance Run, Fremont Saddle, Hainesport Endurance Run, Harriman State Park, hiking, Houston Marathon, Jay Miller, Liyikshup, Meniscus, Mount Pinos, new-york, running, Social Hikers, Training log, Travel, Tsoodzil, Weaver's NeedleLeave a comment

Working in a bank a few years back, I saw that everything important was documented, allowing auditors to review decisions for compliance with policies and procedures. Which begged the question — why wasn’t I documenting the important things in my life?

So, I opened a spreadsheet in Excel and created a training log. The first entry dates back to February 15, 2013. Evidently I ran 9 miles, although there is no indication of where or why or how it went.

Back then business travel took me to Florida from time to time, and I’d sometimes take advantage of a nearby beach to run barefoot – just for the novelty. On July 10, 2013, I ran 5 miles barefoot on Vero Beach. The following February, I ran 6 miles in Boca Raton. The hard-packed sand felt frigid underfoot.

I don’t remember when I read Born to Run, but Chris MacDougall’s warning that shoes predispose us to injury struck a nerve. Since I was struggling with running-related injuries at the time, I decided to conduct an experiment, although instead of running, I decided to try a barefoot hike. On August 25, 2015, while on vacation in the Italian Alps, I walked up a nearby ski slope, and what I remember most was how the cows stared at me in wonder, as if they’d never seen a human without shoes before. Two weeks later, back home in New York, I repeated the experiment on Peekamoose Mountain in the Catskills.

And then I went off the deep end.

Roughly one year later, I reached my 1,000th mile of barefoot training, comprised of running, hiking, and walking. Speaking of documentation, this quirky accomplishment inspired me to write up a blog post in which I explained that barefoot running had been an “interesting experiment” based on the “calculated bet” that more natural form would prolong my useful running life. I admitted to some surprise at the feeling of light-footedness, the exhilaration, the sense of a more direct connection with nature. Even so, I had no idea where this odd journey was going to take me.

When I reached my 2,000^th barefoot mile, I published a second blog post, and thereafter it became a habit upon reaching the next thousand-mile-marker to write about what I’d done and learned. On June 22, 2025, I reached my 14,000^th mile but skipped the report as I was busy — so here is my latest update, with the barefoot odometer now at 15,000 miles. Continue reading “15,000 Miles Barefoot” →

Reconnecting Emotions — An Essay Inspired by the “Masculinity Crisis”

January 10, 2026January 11, 2026 Barefoot KenCamelback, Fremont Saddle, Jay Abrams, Jay Miller, Masculinity Crisis, Mindful Masculinity, Picacho Peak, Puha, Rich D'Ambrosio, Wassen Peak, Weaver's Needle1 Comment

In his Substack series, “Mindful Masculinity,” Rich D’Ambrosio comments on the crisis he sees impacting contemporary men. There’s a conflict, he believes, between societal expectations, typically centered on traditional male roles of provider, fighter, stoic — and our personal intentions, which might be different. Rich elaborated on this point in a podcast with Damon Mitchell, another Substack author writing on themes of masculinity and a coach for men. During their discussion, Rich spoke of his long career at American Express, where his team focused relentlessly on sales goals. But then confided what mattered to him most was to be a sensitive and loving father. His point was that conflict between work goals and personal intentions creates huge pressure for men — can even leave us feeling “disconnected” from our emotions.

At first, I questioned Rich’s narrative. I’m a stubborn man and purposeful. I’ve never experienced a state of “disconnection,” nor have I observed this condition in others.

But few days later at a holiday party, a young man named K**** looked me in the eyes, distress written across his face, and blurted out “That’s exactly how I feel – and why I’m on anti-depressants.” I’d tossed out the topic of emotional disconnection, curious to see what people thought. Continue reading “Reconnecting Emotions — An Essay Inspired by the “Masculinity Crisis”” →

Run, Don’t Walk — Interpreting Thoreau’s “Walking” for the Age of AI

December 28, 2025 Barefoot Ken&Run, Claude Shannon, Colin Fletcher, Concord MA, Entropy, Freedom, Gary Snyder, Henry David Thoreau, Sir Sly, The Complete Walker, The Practice of the Wild, Walden Pond, Walking 1851, Wildness

Smart Grit, Stupid Grit, Old Grit, Young Grit

November 19, 2025 Barefoot KenAndrew Brown Park, Angela Duckworth, Bart Yasso, Grit, news, running, sports, Technology, Yasso SplitsLeave a comment

I’ve logged a lot of miles in Andrew Brown Park, located in the prosperous Dallas suburb of Coppell, as the smooth paved trails are easy on the feet. Earlier this week, I showed up for a session of high-intensity interval training — specifically, a drill called “Yasso Splits,” which consists of 10 half-mile intervals at a fast pace, with ¼ mile recovery intervals in between. Developed by Bart Yasso, the “mayor of running” and Runner’s World’s former Chief Running Officer, Yasso Splits force you to sustain an elevated heart rate, which is thought to be good training for a faster marathon. To get through ten of these intervals takes a bit of grit.

I’ve been doing high-intensity interval training for almost 20 years, and Yasso Splits are one of my favorite workouts, although given the intensity, I approach them with a conservative attitude and, if I’m being honest, a touch of dread. On the drive over to the park, I thought through all those years of accumulated experience and weighed them against more recent fitness indicators, and after due deliberation selected a target pace for the intervals of 7:30 per mile, with the recovery intervals to be run at plus-or-minus a 10-minute pace. Then, after a moment of additional reflection, I decided to cut myself some slack – let’s go with a target range, call it 7:30-8:00 pace, with the goal being to maximize the training benefit, without taking on excessive risk.

Risk?

Whenever you run, you take on risk. Especially when running hard.

The risk consists of the possibility that you might damage muscles, ligaments, tendons, and even bones. There’s risk that an injury could derail your training goals, for example, spoil your plans for that upcoming race which you’ve been training for so intensely and which means so much to you.

There’s the risk that injuries could become chronic. Running is not just a sport, it’s a practice of self-empowerment and transcendence. If you get sidelined, you’d have to find a new path to pursue these life-affirming goals.

So, when we talk about needing “grit” to complete a tough workout, the real question isn’t pushing through pain — it’s taking on risk.

Continue reading “Smart Grit, Stupid Grit, Old Grit, Young Grit” →

Warrior Moms

November 16, 2025November 28, 2025 Barefoot KenGus Bighorse, Tiana Bighorse, Catskills Grid, Scoti Domeji, US Army Ranger, Sparta, Spartan Women, Spartan Moms, Dalton, alzheimers, Navajo WarriorLeave a comment

I pulled into the parking lot of a coffee shop to see my friend Kuay. I’d met her at the local gym a few years back, when she invited me to join a group of swimmers she was coaching. Afterwards, I hit the weights, saw her pedaling away on the stationary bike, learned that she was training for her next triathlon.

Now, as Kuay and I sat down at an outside table, I asked about the knee brace. It provided much-appreciated support, she explained, following her run that morning, adding that her knee replacement surgery was scheduled in two weeks’ time. She’d done her research and thought through the options. Whether she’d be able to keep running was an open question. Over the years, running had been a major part of her life, and she thought she would miss it. Although she didn’t always enjoy it.

“I like getting to the end,” she explained. But not every step along the way. Especially the long training runs.

“Then why did you do so much?” I asked.

She thought about the question for a moment. Acknowledged some of it might have been ego-driven, because she liked how she felt when she raced well. But then observed that ego can be a valuable source of motivation. Because she also raced for her daughters. “When they started playing sports in school, I wanted to set an example.”

“So, you’re a warrior mom,” I said. Continue reading “Warrior Moms” →

Winds

November 9, 2025 Barefoot KenCornell Mountain, Harriman State Park, hiking, Manly Health and Training, Nature, Stash Rusin, Travel, Walt Whitman, writing3 Comments

It was a cool morning in early November. I was following a ridgeline in Harriman State Park, moving through open forest and across grassy knolls, sauntering easy and cheerful as the morning sun set the oak forest glowing in colors of tawny ocher and burnt orange — when suddenly the wind picked up. It rolled in from the west without warning, jostled treetops, roared like a jet plane. I zipped my jacket tighter, recognizing in the rough gusts the angry sound of winter.

That evening, I was chatting with my friend Stash Rusin, who’d recently climbed Cornell Mountain in the Catskills on a cold fall day, the sky overcast, the ground at elevation already dusted with snow as light as sugar frosting, although surprisingly no ice. From the summit, he looked south, but a squall had pushed into the valley and blocked the mountain views. He made his way through the woods to the north side of the summit and found himself in the middle of a maelstrom. “The winds were 30-40-50 mph,” he recalled. They made him feel “so excited – so alive.” Continue reading “Winds” →

Welcome to the World — Bob’s Baby Granddaughter!

October 23, 2025 Barefoot Kenanti-depressants, Bob Dewey, books, Childhood mortality, Children of Men, Dan Lieberman, genetic drift, health span, Healthy Life Expectancy, Hippocrates, John Ioannidis, life expectancy, movies, Nassim Taleb, news, photos, politics, Robert Pirsig, selection pressure, Stephen Hawking, Tragedy of Big Data, VirgilLeave a comment

In an eloquent and heartfelt essay, my former colleague Bob Dewey announced the birth of his granddaughter, commenting on how grateful he felt that the delivery was “routine and uneventful.” Indeed, modern medicine delivers infants with exquisite care and safety. Bob pointed out that childhood mortality in the US recently hit a new low – only 5 deaths per 1,000 live births, equivalent to a rate of 0.5%.

I, too, am grateful for safety. My grandson, Arden, recently turned 6.

But…

Continue reading “Welcome to the World — Bob’s Baby Granddaughter!” →

PUT DOWN THE PHONE (I’m trying, but I can’t!)

September 29, 2025September 29, 2025 Barefoot KenCivilization and its Discontents, cognitive control, confidence, effort, Freud, health, mental-health, productivity, Scott Barry Kaufman, Self agency, work, writingLeave a comment

“Put down the phone,” I bark to myself, and I know I need to. But I don’t. The device is engineered to be engaging, and the information is so intriguing – why, my social media feeds contain the latest headline news, and what my friends are doing and what they care about — which is all quite relevant to my life – and then an email arrives from a colleague with a new task awaiting my attention, a task which really matters. There’s the familiar ping – incoming text – it’s Mom with a report on what my daughter and grandson are up to. And I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this, but I spend a lot of time on my phone doing word games, too. The dopamine hit from completing one puzzle always makes me want to start the next, and as a result I’m nearly 4,000 levels in. I do these games to help manage my stress and energy, in other words, to keep myself in the “flow.”

Indeed, I’m so absorbed, I often lose track of time. Is this not the very definition of “flow state,” the super-productive mindset that coaches, therapists, and scientists exhort us to attain?

Yes. But.

Continue reading “PUT DOWN THE PHONE (I’m trying, but I can’t!)” →

You Never Know Who You Might Meet on the Summit of Tsoodził

September 24, 2025October 16, 2025 Barefoot KenAnti-fragile, Blackhorse Mitchell, Gus Bighorse, Mt. Taylor, Nassim Taleb, Navajo Holy People, Navajo Traditional Teachings, Nilchi'i, Tiana Bighorse, Tsoodzil, Turquoise Girl, Wally Brown2 Comments

Ninety minutes outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mt. Taylor (11,301 feet) rears its lofty head. The Navajo call this peak Tsoodził, translated as Blue Bead or Turquoise Mountain. Tsoodził is considered a sacred mountain, marking the southern extent of the Dinétah or ancestral homeland of the Navajo people. As I neared the summit, I wondered if I might encounter Turquoise Boy, Blue Corn Girl, or Cougar, who are Holy People said to live there. Continue reading “You Never Know Who You Might Meet on the Summit of Tsoodził” →

The Long Brown Path

Peak-bagging, running, barefooting, exploring, and other minimalist adventures in nature

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