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Book excerpt: “The Running Ground” by Nicholas Thompson
Random House
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In his new book, “The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports” (to be published Oct. 28 by Random House), tech journalist and CEO of The Atlantic Nicholas Thompson explores his passion for running, the simplicity of the sport, and how it has changed his sense of self.
Read an excerpt below, and don’t miss Tony Dokoupil’s interview with Nicholas Thompson on “CBS Sunday Morning” October 26!
“The Running Ground” by Nicholas Thompson
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Running is the simplest of sports: right foot, left foot, right foot. There’s no ball to focus on, no mat to land on, no one charging toward you with their shoulder down. But the simplicity opens up complexity. As you run, your attention shifts inward. You’re just you — right foot, left foot, and whatever goes on in your mind.
Running strips you down. The less clothing you wear, the faster you go. The lighter your shoes, the faster you go. As you go faster, your head empties too. At a certain point, all you can register is the sensation of each foot striking the pavement. Mind and matter briefly become one.
You may have to worry about wind and rain and heat, but you rarely have to worry about anyone else. You do it by yourself, which gives you control. You don’t need to travel to a gym or a field; you just need to open your front door. The sport’s simplicity means your successes are your own, and also that there’s no one else to blame when you fail. And no sport shows the relentless decline of the aging body more clearly than running. If you can’t do what you did a year or a month ago, the evidence is right there on your watch.
Sometimes, I use running as a form of meditation. I put on my shoes and go out. I connect my watch to satellites and then try to disconnect my mind from the swirl inside. Eventually, I’m alone in my head. Sometimes, I’ll focus on a musical mantra: “one-two-three, one-two-three,” tracking my steps and making sure I keep my left and right feet alternating symmetrically on the downbeat. Other times, I focus on my breath or on the sounds and motion around me, whether the blue jays in the Catskills or the trucks rumbling by on Broadway. Sometimes, as with all meditation, my attention wanders, like a stream flowing haphazardly through my mind, collecting sticks and carrying them until they wash to the side.
When I run a workout, though, everything changes. I’m not trying to open my mind; I’m trying to close it. I shut out the blue jays and the trucks. I have to focus. If I’m with a training partner, I lock my attention on their shoulder if I’m behind or on their breath if I’m ahead. Usually, though, I’m on my own. I look for runners up the road and set imaginary races against them: Can I catch the lady in the purple sweatshirt before the second oak tree? Can I stay an even twenty meters behind the cyclist playing John Coltrane on a boom box? I check my watch and try not to let my pace deviate from the goal. I try to identify the parts of my body that hurt and then I push the pain away from them. I remind myself that I have run this fast before. Self-doubt is a smoldering fire. In a workout, the embers often flash. I don’t want to give them any air. Every action we take helps to build our habits. Quit once and it’ll be easier to quit the second time too.
I don’t listen to music while I run. Every workout is a physical challenge — I’m trying to strengthen the muscles in my legs and my heart — but it’s also a mental challenge. I’m trying to teach my body how to move quickly and with good coordination through space. Running is a process of learning about your body and developing habits deep inside it. Music can confuse the signals. I want to deepen my understanding of the relationship between my stride, my pace, my breath. I don’t want a bassline, or the adrenaline that can flow with it, to get in the way.
When I race in a marathon, my goal early on is to spend as little energy as possible thinking about anything extraneous. I think about posture and form and balance. I try not to think about the people cheering. I try not to think about past failures or successes. I try to glance as infrequently as possible at my watch. It takes energy, after all, to turn your head, and it takes energy to think. When people in my pack ask questions, or offer commentary, I respond in grunts. On easy runs with friends in the park, I’m a chatterbox. When I race, I’m a vault.
Over the years, the sport has shifted my imagination and my sense of self. When I travel by train, I find myself looking out the window and noting spots to run by the creeks and forests nearby. When I arrive in a new city, I like to circle it with a run. I’ve seen more of the world while running than I have while walking. I have recurring dreams of mountains I’ve run up. But I spend much of the day at a desk, mind-wired to my to-do list. Running is my one connection to nature and to a younger, adventurous self who only and always wanted to be outside.
Excerpted from “The Running Ground” by Nicholas Thompson. Copyright © 2025 by Nicholas Thompson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Billie Eilish confirmed on Monday that nostalgia is her secret weapon.
Billie took a stroll down memory lane, revisiting her very first Instagram “likes.”
The snaps featured none other than Justin Bieber, a celebrity crush that apparently captured her teenage heart.
Fans were treated to a mix of throwback photos and candid commentary, showing that even international pop stars once had fangirl moments of their own.
Earlier, the pop superstar took to Instagram to share another major milestone after her album Hit Me Hard and Soft has officially smashed 10 billion streams on Spotify, making it the fastest album by a female artist ever to hit the milestone on the platform.
After hitting 10 billion streams with her third project, Billie Eilish is celebrating again as her fragrances officially arrive at Sephora.
Fans can snag the full collection, including the highly anticipated Eilish No. 3, in stores starting March 13, with online pre-orders opening March 6 at sephora.com.
Simon Baker returns to the spotlight as Netflix adds The Mentalist to its library.
It has given fans the chance to binge the acclaimed crime drama that first aired in 2008
It has since been hailed as a “masterpiece” and the “American Sherlock Holmes.”
The series follows Baker’s character Patrick Jane, a former phony psychic who abandons his old life after a serial killer murders his family.
Using his razor-sharp observation skills, Jane joins law enforcement to solve complex murder cases, blending psychological insight with detective work.
Alongside Baker, the cast features Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman, and Amanda Righetti.
Originally airing on CBS, the show ran for seven seasons and has remained a fan favorite, earning a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Netflix teased the show’s arrival with the tagline,
“After a serial killer murders his family, Patrick Jane gives up his life as a phony psychic and uses his powers of observation to aid law enforcement.”
Fans have wasted no time celebrating the release.
“Masterpieces! All seasons, all episodes!” one viewer wrote.
Another added, “Worth watching twice. Just great writing.”
A third echoed, “Like a petsonsble, likeable American Sherlock Holmes. I can’t believe I missed this gem of a show! Binging the whole thing!”
With its mix of sharp wit, emotional depth, and gripping mysteries, The Mentalist has been branded by fans as “almost perfect” and “definitely 5/5.”
Now streaming on Netflix, the series is poised to captivate a new generation of viewers while giving longtime fans the chance to relive every twist and turn of Patrick Jane’s journey.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine addressed the media on Monday, March 2.
This marks the first Pentagon press conference since the U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran.
The Operation Epic Fury started on Saturday, February 28.
Here are the major key takeaways from their remarks.
1. “We didn’t start this war, but we’re finishing it”
Hegseth started the conference by framing the conflict as the culmination of decades of Iranian aggression. He quoted that the Iranian attacks date back to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and recent strikes on U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hegseth said, “For 47 long years, the Iranian regime has waged a savage, one-sided war against America. We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we’re finishing it.”
He also noted that the primary objectives of the U.S. are “laser-focused” on destroying the missiles of Iran. It also focuses on damaging Iran’s missile production capabilities, naval infrastructure, and making sure Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.
2. Four service members are dead
Caine confirmed that the U.S. has suffered its fourth combat fatality since operations started, with the service member succumbing to injuries from Iran’s counterattacks.
Commenting on it, Hegseth said, “War is hell and always will be. Our grateful nation honours the four Americans we have lost thus far and those injured, the absolute best of America.”
Caine also warned that additional casualties are expected as the operation continues.
3. No American ground forces in Iran
Hegseth confirmed that the American ground forces have not entered Iran and have declined to rule out the possibility as the operation evolves.
Criticising earlier Pentagon administration for disclosing the operational details, he said: “We’re going to go into the exercises of what we will or will not do. We will go as far as we need to.”
Gen. Caine later confirmed additional forces are flowing to the Middle East.
4. U.S.-Iran war is not endless, but the timeline remains unclear
Hegseth said, “This is not Iraq. This is not endless. I was there for both. Our generation knows better, and so does this president.”
However, he also mentioned that Iranian capabilities will not be destroyed “overnight.” When asked about the precise duration, Hegseth grew adversarial, stating Trump has “all latitude in the world” to determine whether the operation takes “four weeks, two weeks, six weeks.”
5. Operation’s purpose is not regime change
While carefully describing, Hegseth stated that the operation’s aim is not regime change, even as Iran’s supreme leader has been killed.
Hegseth said: “This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it.”
He considered the leadership transition in Iran a fortunate byproduct rather than a primary objective.
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