Sometime last week, I discovered more than 1,000 unread emails, dating back to February. I knew I'd had problems with that particular email account, but I was under the illusion that somehow those emails were either getting through to me or bouncing back to their authors. In the latter case, I figured whoever was trying to reach me would either send it to one of my other accounts or find another way to contact me.

But it wasn't like that at all. I found emails from friends, family members, editors, my daughter's soccer coach -- people who know my working email address but hadn't realized their notes were going to the other one.

Then there were the messages from readers, many of whom wouldn't know how to contact me any other way. I take pride in answering almost every question I get from readers, but here were hundreds I'd never be able to answer.

There were also hundreds of offers from total strangers interested in extending my manhood, but deleting those was small comfort compared to the sick feeling I got from knowing how many people out there now think I'm a total dick for not responding to personal notes they'd gone out of their way to write.

And it gets even worse: I'd been wondering why some people hadn't answered my emails to them, and in some cases thought they were rude or dismissive for not at least acknowledging my attempt to make contact. Alas, almost all the people I'd wondered about had, in fact, returned my emails, usually in personal and frequently expansive ways. 

While I was working through that problem, I was also working on something else, which is the point of this post:

Starting July 7, I'll be editorial director of T-nation, working with Tim Patterson, TC Luoma, Chris Shugart, and all the terrific contributors there. Most of you reading this know that I've done books with Ian King and Chad Waterbury, both of whom were popular T-nation writers when I first came across their work and got fired up by their unique approaches to strength training. (Another of my coauthors, Alwyn Cosgrove, started writing for T-nation after he'd already become well-known.)

So this is a logical step for me. I've always liked the site and admired its creators and authors, and now I'll get to work wtih them on a daily basis.

The only downside is that I'll have to move on from Male Pattern Fitness. Don't worry -- it's not going away. A new author will take over in July, and I'm sure you'll enjoy his take on fitness-related news and events at least as much as you've enjoyed mine. (Assuming you have enjoyed mine; I can't imagine why you'd read it if you didn't, but I guess anything's possible.)

I'm not completely finished as a blogger. I'll be writing for T-nation, and there may be a blog-like format involved. But I doubt if I'll be writing much that's tied to the day's news. 

One reason, of course, is that I don't want to compete with my successor at MPF. But the bigger reason is that I think I've said just about everything I want to say in this area.

This incarnation of MPF is only a year old, but before this I blogged on my personal site for more than three years. (I actually launched an early version of MPF on menshealth.com in 1983, which was just a bunch of links and has long since disappeared.) I noticed in recent months that I was referring more and more to my previous thoughts on almost every blog-worthy subject that came up. Worse, when I read through my older posts, I realized I was going backwards -- I'd written longer and more insightful posts two or three years ago than I was writing now.

Still, I pass the torch at MPF with some sadness. I've had an extended Internet friendship with many of you, going back to the original fitness message board at menshealth.com, and continuing with MPF and the forums at JP Fitness. You've bought my books, starting with The Testosterone Advantage Plan, and, even more important, you've actually used them to improve your weight, health, and overall fitness.

On the bright side, it's not like we're going to be strangers. (Especially now that I know how to find emails from my prodigal account.) I've never been shy about sharing my thoughts, and I'm sure I'll express plenty of them in the articles and posts I write for T-nation. But I really appreciate the fact you read those thoughts here, responded to them, and shared your own. I would've burned out long ago if not for the feedback from and interaction with MPF readers.

Thank you for everything, and by all means let's keep in touch.