Connecting the Dots
AJW talks of re-discovering and savoring the mundane.
Andy Jones-Wilkins
Title: AJW’s Taproom Columnist
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Social Media Links
Expertise
- Topics of Expertise: Trail running, ultrarunning, run coaching
- Amount of Expertise: 22 years trail running, 30 years ultrarunning, and 12 years coaching running, along with more than 500 articles published in the AJW’s Taproom column.
Education & Certifications
- Education: Bachelor of Arts, American Studies, Hamilton College; Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Villanova University
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Years of Professional Experience Relevant to iRunFar: 11 years writing AJW’s Taproom
- Club Memberships: Aravaipa Running, Virginia Happy Trails Running Club, Charlottesville Area Trail Runners Club
- Other Relevant Positions, Current or Past: Senior-level coach with CTS, frequent contributor to Trail Runner Nation Podcast, Koopcast, and the Adventure Jogger podcast.
A Word from Andy Jones-Wilkins
I aim to inspire and motivate others about and through trail running and ultrarunning by providing thoughtful and provocative columns. My personal interests include trail running, ultrarunning, gravel cycling, and pizza making.
Sunny Brain or Rainy Brain?
AJW discusses how we can retrain our brains to deal with ultramarathon adversity.
New Hardrock 100 Lottery Procedures
AJW takes a look at the changes to the Hardrock 100’s lottery procedure.
A Letter to the 2012 Western States 100 Runners
AJW gives advice to runners about to embark upon the Western States 100.
Who Will Be This Year’s Surprise Top-10er At Western States?
The biggest Top 10 surprised from the Western States 100 between 2004 and 2011.
I Knew This Day Would Come: Spectating at the Western States 100
AJW comes to grips with having to skip running the Western States 100 due to a knee injury.
Stories from the Pack
AJW looks at events that may have been overshadowed by last weekend’s Transvulcania.
Walking the Labyrinth
AJW explores what the journey through a labyrinth can teach us about running and our lives.
Toys Don’t Matter
AJW looks at how running can make you smarter… and why it’s the running and not its accoutrements that provide the benefit.
Jamie Moyer and The Queen: Journeys That Redefine Age
AJW explains how Jamie Moyer and Meghan Arbogast have redefined what 50-year-oldish athletes are capable of.
Lost or Found?
AJW ponders whether we head to the trails or out for the long run to find ourselves or lose ourselves.
The Daily Constitutional: What Makes You a Runner
AJW explores how “your run,” whatever it is, makes you a runner.
Simplicity, Freedom, and Service: The Legacy of Caballo Blanco
AJW talks about the legacy of Caballo Blanco.
Freedom With Responsibility
A discussion of the degree to which it’s a runner’s responsibility to know the course he or she is running?
Flow: The Path to Optimal Experience
AJW discusses “flow” and how it allows for optimal ultrarunning performance.
Open Season (Or Is It The Endless Season?)
AJW takes a look at whether there’s now an endless competitive ultrarunning season and what that means.
Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose: Running’s Raisons D’Etre?
AJW takes a look into what motivates runners to run.
Barkley or the Olympic Trials?
AJW asks which is more difficult, finishing the Barkley Marathons or qualifying for the United States Olympic Marathon Trials.
Pitchers and Catchers Report This Week!
AJW reflects on how the routines of spring yield the rhythm of our years.
Essential Paradox
AJW looks into whether simplicity is attainable in trail running and whether it takes complexity to get there.
