In preparing to write the acknowledgments for this book, I went back and read the acknowledgments in my first book, The Courage to Start (New York: Fireside, 1999). Two things struck me: one, how many of the people whom I needed to thank back then are still in my life, and two, how many aren’t.
It’s important to recognize Marlene Cimons, Amby Burfoot, and Sue Flaster. None of them may ever see this acknowledgment, yet without them this book would never have been written.
I also acknowledged my family. In the intervening years I have lost some of those who were important to me, but I have gained three wonderful grandchildren who remind me that there is joy to be found in even the most mundane activities and that the excitement that follows self-discovery begins at a very early age.
There are new people in my life whose influence cannot be overstated. They have names like Paul, and Pete, and Jon, and Dan. Simple names. Simple people, yet without their daily guidance and good counsel, I might not have gotten to this place.
My professional world has changed from writing in isolation to being accessible 24 hours a day by e-mail and the social media. I encounter thousands of runners and walkers every year, and each of them teaches me something. Their lives and their experiences, as well as my own, live on the pages of this book.
My wife, coach, coauthor, teammate, cheerleader, and critic, Jenny Hadfield, opened my world just by being who she is. Her courage and curiosity are contagious. My life is richer, fuller, and more satisfying with her in it than it has ever been.
I am grateful to all of them, each in their own way, for helping me find myself.
Finally, special thanks to Casey Blaine and Connie Oehring at VeloPress for making my words come to life.