A summary of my experience running the 'Falmouth in the Fall' 7-mile road race in mid-November. And a my observations of a few little details in my day-to-day world that put a smile on my face and give me delight. Stopping to notice little delights is a great way to prime our minds for positivity. Happy trails!

Thinking about the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual benefits of spending time in fellowship with friends. Time with friends and running in small groups (2-3 people) or larger gatherings (at a race) is very rejuvenating. I share some of my experiences and observations, but also ideas shared on the podcasts: Dirt Church Radio and Trail Runner Nation. DCR is hosted by Matt & Ray in New Zealand. TRN is hosted by Scott & Don in California. Our running community is much bigger than my local circle of friends. Shout out to Andy Jones Wilkins (AJW) a respected educator, endurance runner, major contributor to 'IRunFar.'

Recap and summary of the 9/11/2021 Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon. Joyful real life meetup with (previously) virtual friends.

My recap of the August 13, 2021, Anchor Down Ultramarathon. My pre-race goal was to run 100 miles in 24 hours. My successful outcome was to run 100 kilometers (62 miles) in just under 14 hours. We had to take what the day would give us. It was an exceptionally hot and humid day. This recap includes a 6-minute pre-race speech by the Race Director, Jason Paganelli (thank you Jason for putting together a wonderful event). I forgot to mention that I ran alone almost the full time, in contrast to years past. All's well that ends well; I finished uninjured. Just one blister on one toe. Happy trails!

When I'm out for a run or walking the brown dog, if I pay attention and look carefully, I often see animals out and about. Deer, coyotes, humming birds and more.

Fruit and berries are nature's candy and near perfect snacks. Eating real foods is so much better than processed snacks. Plus a brief rant on the 365 availability of everything. Our society and culture has made "everything available every day with free next day shipping" feel normal. Do we really need dog treats delivered tomorrow?

Working hard (& driving) to be a part of group runs; some key findings from the book, Burn, by anthropologist Herman Pontzer (click bait: “exercise does not link to weight loss . . . but exercise is REALLY good for you); and unexpected medical risks on marathon race day (risks to society, not the runners). Freakonomics of Medicine Podcast by Babu Jena.

Spring has arrived in New England. We are along for the ride as nature cycles through a season of rebirth. I’ve had lots of time in nature. And that is a very good thing. I reflect on my DNF (did not finish) at the 2015 Providence Marathon. I learned more lessons from that failure than from many successes.

Hiking at Swansea Village Park with my Brown Dog on a cold clear Spring day. I recently tweaked my back and am in recovery mode. The most important aspect of success in endurance sport (and life) is consistency in practice and training. I learned that most of our skeletal system training benefit is in the 1st ten minutes of exercise. And a highlight in the forest is that the evergreens and Holly trees are showing the first signs of Spring.

A meandering conversation about 5 flavors of snow, the miracle that ice floats on water; and why does melted cheese taste 100-times better than just plain cheese? Chemistry in real life is interesting and cool. The last chapter is about Emil Zatopek, the Czechoslovakian Locomotive. He was one of the greatest distance runners of the 20th century. He innovated interval training. I read an August 1952 article after his three gold medals in the Helsinki Finland olympics. The AP re-released the article when the 2020 Olympics were postponed. Happy trails!