* Buy Autographed Books

* Read Amby's Blog

* Photo Gallery; And More

Here's a photo of my wife and kids, taken at sunset at Groton Long Point, Conn., where I grew up. Lucky me. The strapping fellow on the left is my son Dan, who's 28 and a Ph.D. student in robotics. He's about to depart for 4 years of advanced study in Japan.

My wife, Cristina, stands next to Dan. Cristina was a Runner's World editor for 12 years, has run 12 marathons with a best of 3:33:24, and continues to run for health and fitness. When not working on her own writing, sewing, crafts, music, and becoming an Argentine tango goddess (I think she' s one already), Cristina works as a freelance copy editor at Men's Health Magazine.

My daughter Laura, 25, is a community organizer in New London, Conn. She has a leadership job with a group called FRESH that employs high school kids on a modest organic farm, and then sells the produce locally. Winters, she works at a homeless shelter, and generally does all she can to organize and empower the disenfranchised.

I'll turn 60 in August, 2006. I was fortunate enough to get my start in running at Fitch Sr. High in Groton, Conn., where the cross-country coach was John J. Kelley, winner of the 1957 Boston Marathon. Kel has been a lifelong inspiration to me, primarily for his warmth, caring, intellect, and respect for the environment and all living creatures. Okay, he taught me a heck of a lot about running, too, especially how to enjoy it while pursuing the pinnacles of excellence.

My high school running was modest, culminating in a 9:39 2-mile in my senior year, June, 1964. After graduating from high school, I stepped up my training a lot. My first two years at Wesleyan (Conn.) University, I averaged about 70 miles a week; the last two years, I averaged about 120 miles a week. Results: I was undefeated in 4 years of dual meet competition, won several New England and IC4A cross-country titles, placed 6th twice in the NCAA Cross Country Championships, ran an 8:44 2-mile indoors in early 1968 (biggest shocker of my life!), and won the Boston Marathon in April, 1968. The following December, I ran 2:14:29 in the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan, missing the American record by a second.

After that I ran hard for another 8 years, but never quite attained the performances I wanted. After the 1976 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, where I placed 10th, I decided to give up serious training and become a fitness runner. I've been doing that happily for the last 30 years. All told, I figure I've covered something like 115,000 miles in my running career.

A couple of other achievements: I've run the 54-mile Comrades Marathon in South African twice, "down" in 1993 and "up" in 2006. I consider Comrades the world's greatest footrace. I've also run the Manchester (Conn.) Thanksgiving Day Road Race the last 43 years in succession, starting in 1963. I won Manchester 9 times, but now I feel good about just going back and finishing the course each year. I hope to hit 50 straight in 7 more years. After that, who knows?