Running Virtually

Community, community, community. The most certain path to happiness is to give back to your community. Stories from volunteering at the Boston Marathon, and random serendipitous running meet-ups, and being a known presence in the neighborhood because walking Nova means I am out and about.

Forgive the wind noise in the first 4-minutes. This is the summary & recap of the RI Winter Trail Challenge, the BPC (Border Patrl Challenge). Very snowy winter. Nova completed 13 trails and was Top Dog,

Happy new year to my friends from Just Plain Dave. I have started experimenting with a new podcast recording app and I'm putting this out there to see how well it goes. We are celebrating one year with our with Nova dog in our family, plus a brief recap of the Rhode Island Trail challenge. We are having a very cold and snowy winter. It's great for skiers and snowboarders but a real challenge for t...

Reflections on the benefits of volunteering and giving back to the community. Sharing from my recent experiences volunteering at the Anchor Down Ultramarathon & crewing & pacing a friend on a fund-raising run of the MidState Trail in Massachusetts.

113. Race Report: Vermont 100 km race, completed July 19, 2025.

Trying to stay curious. Seeing the joy in a child experimenting by rolling a grape down a hill. Investigating "new" things with Nova the rescue dog. Grateful for this wonderful world in which we live with so many amazing critters.

Meet Nova, my rescue dog. Having a new (young) pet is more work than not. But the joy of shared time on the trail is totally worth it. Happy New Year!

109. JFK 50-mile race recap A summary of my 50-mile ultramarathon that starts in Boonsboro and ends in Williamsport, Maryland. Join my friends Igor, Mac, Jordan, and Brian for a grand adventure. Two corrections: This is episode 109 (error in the intro) & Upon review, my heart rate was actually in the 170's for the first hour. It hit 190 bpm, but not for a sustained period. All good. Happy trails m...

Hello friends, it's been too long. Life is treating me very well. Just Plain Dave is back with a recap of my summer races including the: Narragansett Run Club 5K in Blackstone Boulevard; and the Ragnar Trail Relay at Mt. Ascutney (Vermont). A preview of up-coming events: pacing at the Grindstone 100M, pacing at the Massive Midstate Ultra, and running the JFK 50M. Life is busy (all good). This podc...

A brief recap of my 10-hour and 40-mile ultra race at the Last Human Standing event. A wacky interlude with a flying squirrel! And a final farewell to my trusted companion, Westminster Abbey a.k.a. Brown dog.

Recap of a perfect day to spectate at the Boston Marathon, a little too warm & dry for peak running performance. And I saw bats feeding at sunset on a warm spring evening. #runwithjoy #bostonmarathon

Recap of highlights of the 20 trail runs completed between December & March 2024. A great success and good fun as a team endeavor.

Learning important life lessons from my 14-year-old brown dog sidekick. Sharing an update on the Border Patrol Challenge, some fun snowy trails and some flood damaged challenging trails. And a brief memorial to a good friend Bob Devlin, who passed away this week. Bob was an positive influence on me in my running journey. Rest in peace, Bob.

Thoughts on my winter trail running challenge: 20 routes along the CT & RI border and the benefits of being part of a team. Comments on the importance of unscheduled, unobligated time 'just hanging out (credit to The NYT Ezra Klein show with Champlain College professor Sheila Liming). And a bonus summary of family fun around the holidays. Merry Christmas and seasons greetings.

A few brief thoughts in the week leading up to the MCM race weekend, my travels in Washington DC and a recap of the race. It was warm & humid, but I got the most out of my day. #marathon #runwiththemarines #theextramilepodcast

I had the joyful opputunity to cheer and spectate at the Ronald McDonald House, women's 5K race in Providence. A highlight was seeing Kathrine Switzer, and her "Fearless 261" crew. Also I recommend a podcast about shared memories of Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield: The Memory Palace (by Nate DeMeo. Episode title: "Wake." And finally a recap of the Blackstone River Greenway challenge adventure race t...

#ADU #AnchorDownUntra #trailrunning #Running #TrueNorthRacing

A brief recap of the Manchester to Monadnock, 50-mile ultra marathon. A discussion of how positioning oneself for changes in your environment, in work and life, and in Running is the way to give yourself the best chance for success. And an observation on making connections with those around us, and the signals we give when wearing headphones or not.

Summary and highlights of my 50km trail race, the TARC (Trail Animals Running Club) Spring Classic. And observations from my spectating at the Boston Marathon. Saturday visit and dinner with friends on Boylston Street near the finish line, and my day of cheering at Mile-14 in Wellesley.

Childlike enthusiasm for next week's Boston Marathon; a brief recap of the joy of the CT / RI Border Patrol Challenge; and hunting for sparks of joy and wonder ... must be the opposite of humanity's negativity bias.

A summary of the 5-person trek around the 26M Pachaug-Nehantic Loop in eastern Connecticut. Plus a summary of an article by Charlotte Grysolle (NeuroStretch website), with lessons learned from the "Huberman Lab Podcast." Andrew Huberman, PhD, is a professor of neurobiology at the Stanford School of Medicine.

Happy New Year! I'm happy to share my spring 2023 race plans and goal race, the Manchester-to-Monadnock ultra. I've signed up for customized coaching with Coach Chris Twiggs. And my winter trail running calendar is full with the RI / CT Border Patrol Challenge.

Very interesting observations of a pilot whale carcass that was washed ashore on a Cape Cod beach. Plus some gratitude and observations around the Hanukkah and Christmas Holidays. Wishing you all good health, peace, and joy in the new year!

Life update as I find my place after two months in Providence. A short recap of my 48-mile run at the HamsterWheel ultra in New Boston, NH. I broke the Rule: don't try new things on race day! Everything worked out well. Finish with a summary of some of brown dog's new k9 friends. There are lots of dogs in the city. Happy trails!

Summary and recap of my goal race for the year. On October 22, 2022, I ran the Rhode Island Trail Classic on the Vin Gormley Trail in Burlingame State Park in Charlestown, RI. I completed 6 loops for a total of 45 miles. A perfect autumn day to spend in the woods.