For my central blog, I wanted to find a name that would convey something about who I am and what my life is about. Running has been one of the core threads that has been consistent through most of my life. My primary e-mail address has the word “runner” in it. My vehicle is a 4Runner. (I promise—the connection didn’t even occur to me until YEARS after I bought my rig. I am not making this up!) And for many years, I have planned parts of my life around running, whether it has been training, adventure runs, or racing events.

But maybe more important to me than running, or at least parallel to it, has been the pursuit of all sorts of interests. Some are related to academic and intellectual pursuits, some connected with spirituality, many are arts-oriented, and many are focused on fitness, health, and happy living.

Here is a rundown of some of my interests, in no particular order:

Running in general

Trail running in particular

Ultrarunning

Economics

Organizational behavior and management

Politics

Dogs (I like cats too, but I’m not a cat person. I apologize for that.)

Natural resources and environmental issues

Family relationships and parenting

Decision theory

Hiking

Orienteering

Sailing

Cycling

Skiing

Sustainable living

Sustainable food production

Permaculture

Agriculture

Plant-based living

Net-zero housing

Solar energy

Passive solar home design

Energy in general

Art in general

Dance

Backpacking

Christianity and Buddhism

Psychology and neuroscience

Math

Music (I play the cello)

Foreign languages

Camping

Travel

Cooking

Weight training

Geology

Geography

Cartography

Astronomy

Physics

Aeronautics

Fashion design and sewing

Architecture

Interior design

Gardening

Landscape architecture

(Ironically) Simple living

Tiny homes (also ironic)

And more…

The term that seemed to me to best capture this somewhat chaotic, eclectic, global set of things I love is Renaissance; people used to tell me that I needed to give up interests and focus in. I choose, instead, to live a Renaissance life; one in which I embrace all of my interests (not necessarily all at the same time) and open up to new things, new experiences, new knowledge, and new friends while, at the same time, appreciating all of the things that are already in my life. I love my life and the people in it, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share some of it with others. So, I consider myself to be a Renaissance Runner.