Jan. 26, 2023: Best thing I've read this week

​I've been rotten at keeping up with this blog, but I'm going to make a concerted effort to try a little harder. I won't be perfect, but better. 

Let's start with - hands down - the best thing I've read this week. My wife, Lindsay Boyle, started to tell me about this story on our way home from the gym. I was immediately sad -- and curious. "America's Strongest Woman died by suicide?" I thought. 

I had to read it. The story, written by John Leland of the New York Times, feels part obituary, part investigation. It's a look into the culture of 

Strongman competitions, but even more, it is about the tragic death of one its own. It almost serves as a warning, too: Don't date your coach. Don't take performance-enhancing drugs. Check your trauma.  But, it warns without heavy handedness. 

It is written crisply and simply, though I know the reporting that went into this was anything but simple. The writing? Even more complex, likely siphoned through teams of lawyers, much less editors. 

Give it a read. It's the best thing I've read this week. 

(Oh, and if you can't read it because of the paywall, pay 99 cents and you get the NYT for a week. Set a phone reminder to cancel in six days. Support journalism, even with a dollar. Seriously.)