Rachel Toor's Blog, page 14

Live from New York

It's a difficult rhetorical task, one I would not have chosen to undertake.

I am in the Big Apple for the New York City Marathon, here to spend Saturday at the expo booth for Moeben, maker of the coolest running gear ever (www.moeben.com), where I will sell arm sleeves and sign copies of Personal Record, alongside Chris McDougall, whose book, Born to Run, about the Tarahumara runners in Mexico, is smart and engaging and fantastic.

On Friday I will meet with my beloved former literary agent, w...

Sinagpore Noodles

Another unturndownable invitation: I will be going to the Singapore Marathon on December 6, and will spend the following three weeks in southeast Asia. Being Jewish and without family, I will likely fly home on Christmas day after some good R&R on a beach, eating mangosteen, jackfruit and rambutan and writing my little butt off. Maybe Thailand, maybe Borneo, maybe Burma. Who knows? The world is my durian.

Dispatch from the Front

My October column from Running Times, on going to my 25th college reunion.

Make it work!

My Chronicle column on why every graduate student should be required to view at least the first season of Project Runway.

Big Good News

Personal Record will be out in paperback next fall from Bison Books.

Where You'll Find Me

Sometimes I think I have the coolest life (when I'm not wallowing in self-pity). It's not that I'm the coolest chick, just that I have great good friends who get me invited to groovy events.

So,in case you're wondering (yeah, right), here's what up for this month:

October 15-18. Nike swag fest. I'm going to the Nike Global Running Summit (where they show off their new wares to journalists) in San Francisco. Staying at the Clift Hotel. Running the Nike Women's Marathon; at the finish you get a ...

Western States 100 Mile Run

Here's my essay, an homage to Lorrie Moore, about pacing at this year's Western States, in the November issue of Running Times magazine.

This is me finishing with Robert Towne,56, of Spokane, WA, still looking good after a 100 miles (and no training).

Most recent Chronicle column

Thinking about e-publishing.

Lost Mountain Ride and Tie

Another fabulous weekend in Sequim, WA. I paired with the multi-talented Brandi Page and my favorite horse in the world, Pip. We won the race by nearly an hour, and Pip nabbed the coveted "Best Conditioned" award. Plus, we had a ridiculous amount of fun with our Ride and Tie family in the Olympic peninsula.

What I Did This Summer

Well, I did a lot. Lots of running, riding, talking, driving, falling, eating--all good things. My most recent adventure was a trip that included a run up and down Mt. Whitney (the highest point in the lower 48) and then, 48 hours later, a run in the Grand Canyon, from rim to river to other rim, to river, to original rim. That's a rim-to-rim-to-rim run. The weather was perfect for both adventures, and things could not have been more fun.

As always, I rely on the kindness of others to take phot...