Plain Jane Plain Talk

The Big Surreal

At the darkest of night when the moonlight fades, the winds are still and the-sane-ones are in deep REM, we stood in a parking lot for the first-time questioning the […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway (2019): Cycling Marathon to a Key West finale

Before hoisting one barely flexible leg over the bike for […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway (2019): Key Largo to Marathon

The skies were dark with rain falling so hard that […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway (2019): Cycling Miami to Key Largo for 75 miles

Cycling on tired legs and tired minds we made 3 […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway (2019): Delray Beach to Miami Beach

The East Coast Greenway staff noted that we may experience […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway (2019): Hutchinson Island to DelRay Beach

After a brief early meet to discuss the 70 mile […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway (2019): Melbourne Beach to Hutchinson Island for 70 miles

Bike headlamps blinking white…check Rear lights blinking red…check Phones charged…check […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway (2019): Titusville via Sweet tailwinds to Melbourne Beach

Our group of 40 bicycle riders arrived in Titusville, Florida […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest – Dusty Rose and her Pilots

Ruby Red returned home as Dusty Rose in need of […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest – Day 3 the Grand Canyon on Sacred Ground

The organizers of the Grand TrailFest brimmed with positivity. We […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest – Day 2 along the Zion mesa

Any pains from weary legs and tenderized feet melted away […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest — Day 1 – Running with the Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon

At the trail head just outside of Bryce National Park […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest – we have arrived

There is a certain excitement that takes over when you are about to embark in something that is completely beyond your comprehension — and skill level. How can we possibly […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest Utah – La Verkin Utah

Departing Castle Rock at 5 am meant our first stop was Copper Mountain at 11000 ft altitude and 36 degrees. We didn’t stop because we needed rest, or needed air […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand Trail Fest Utah, Hello Castle Rock Colorado

We departed Kansas City at 5:30 am and drove an […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest Utah – Kansas City here we come!

We put Ruby Red Lips to bed, sipping juice on […]

Grand Trailfest

On Route to Grand TrailFest Utah – Can an Electric Car survive an Electrical Storm?

Ruby Red Lips had her favorite driver behind the wheel, […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand TrailFest Utah – the road trip begins

Sign-on for 3 days of trail running in remote Utah […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand Trailfest: Confidence Journal Entry #7

The morning alarm blared far too early and this time coffee was not strong enough to loosen my fog but that was OK as Jill was driving us today to […]

Grand Trailfest

Grand Trailfest: Confidence Journal Entry #6

Blog Post: by Jill We are 5 weeks in and […]

Grand Trailfest

Grande Trailfest: Confidence Journal Entry #5

The best discovery of surviving 3 days of running in excessive heat — is learning that training in heat is a handy substitute for training in higher altitudes. According to […]

Grand Trailfest

Grande Trailfest: Confidence Journal Entry #4

The weather forecast is filled with phrases such as “Excessive […]

Grand Trailfest

Grande Trailfest: Confidence Journal Entry#3

When the FitBit reads oh-four-thirty-ish, running gear includes headlamps and the thick wet morning air belongs in a sauna — you can stake claim to the label: Sleep-deprived East Coast […]

Grand Trailfest

Grande Trailfest: Confidence Journal Entry#2

Three back-to-back training days included a 13 mile jog/walk on the 4th of July (with fireworks detours), an 11 mile run the day after with less than 1/2 mile of […]

Grand Trailfest

Grande Trailfest: Confidence Journal Entry#1

Jill insisted we take to the trails of Patapsco Park near Ellicott City at 0600 and I was not one to argue when her mind is made. So off we […]

Grand Trailfest

The Grande Trailfest beckons

The sistahood (sister-in-law’s Jane and Jill) are bonded by more than family, same age (within months), and hours and hours of training and partaking in exercise events that sometimes requires […]

Jane and Paddys Grande Adventure

Traveling cross-country via Amtrak

When a bicycle ride is too slow and an airplane is too fast, the next best option from California to DC is an Amtrak train. Before we secured tickets we […]

Jane and Paddys Grande Adventure

The sheer awe of Yosemite

After a marathon-recovery breakfast of avocado toast and fruit, we repacked our luggage and said goodbye to the Pacific Coast Mountains and headed east to Mariposa. As our drive took us […]

Jane and Paddys Grande Adventure

Big Sur: Discovering Pacific Gold

It took all of 1 day to fall in love with San Francisco, but our schedule insisted we move along. After scoring an airplane bypass — i.e. 2 tickets for […]

Jane and Paddys Grande Adventure

Hello San Francisco

The California clock shows 5:30AM and coffee shops in our Russian Hill vicinity don’t wake until 7:30am so we tapped our watches as if speeding time along, wondering how we […]

Flying

First flight

By 5am the alarms were off. Slamming down a quick cup of coffee we were en route to meet with family, who would valet service us to the BWI airport […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway cyclists arrive in Titusville, Florida

We checked for frost — didn’t see any — then […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway cyclists ride to Daytona Beach, Florida

We departed St. Augustine on a leisurely pace, taking in […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway: 79 miles and let’s just round up to 80

We departed the hotel at 7:15am sharp, and rode a […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway: Cyclists ride to St. Mary’s Georgia

The heat and humidity are back. After two days of […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway cyclists: Hinesville to Darien, and beyond

Good news made an appearance to our day starting at […]

ECG WAY Tour

East Coast Greenway – Hellooooo Georgia!

The lobby of the Fairfield Inn in Savannah, Georgia filled […]

Bicycling Outer Banks

OBX Cycling: Bike trippin’ – As good as it gets

The Hatteras Ferry… Two lines of cars waited in formation, […]

Bicycling Outer Banks

OBX Cycling: Bike trippin’ OBX turn by turn

More adventures filled day 4 of bike trippin’ along the […]

Cycling, Touring and Just Because

OBX Cycling: Bike tripping the yellow brick road

By a leisurely 8:30 am we hit the bicycle trail […]

Cycling, Touring and Just Because

OBX Cycling: Bike trippin – Objects appear fuzzy

When camouflage is not needed A daybreak beach jog — […]

Bicycling Outer Banks

OBX Cycling: Bike trippin – 5 reasons to bike Corolla in February

1-It’s the off-season! Lodging is cheap in Corolla NC; free […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: Sand domes, fire ants and armadillos, OH MY!

Nearly a month after riding bicycles — through bouts of […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: Beaufort SC to Savannah GA

The complimentary breakfast at our Beaufort hotel buzzed with cyclists […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: Charleston to Beaufort SC

We departed downtown Charleston, with our morning ritual perfected. […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: Myrtle Beach to Georgetown SC

The morning ritual begins. Rummage through your bag looking for […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway: Ocean Isle Beach NC to Myrtle Beach SC

After a long conversation with an Ocean Isle Beach native […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: Wilmington to Ocean Isle Beach NC

Whaaat? You’re doing what? We are East Coast Greenway. Riding […]

A Running Life

The Ottawa Marathon Preamble

A decision to run another marathon might include mulling the details of fitness, nutrition, volume running, long runs, speed-work, hill work, the course layout — is it flat? hilly? urban? […]

plain talk

Cinnamon Almond Butter No-Bake Energy Mini-Bars

After many fueling experiments from my own marathon training and […]

Cuba Si?

Conversations in Cuba

How we traveled and what we were expecting… Sunday 10/16/2016: We boarded the Adonia in Miami, a 600′ boutique cruise ship that hosts 750 passengers — far less of a […]

plain talk

Exploring Miami

Taking in the sights of Miami…a run thru downtown streets….around Brickell Key then on the Causeway…and the most unusual chickens and ducks?!!

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway: A battlefield finish

Day 4: Bicycling from Elizabethtown, NC to Moores Creek National Battlefield 40ish miles — and bonus points for headwinds The fourth and final day of our East Coast Greenway WAY […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway: Wine’ing down

Day 3: Bicycling from Fayetteville, NC to Elizabethtown, NC 43ish miles — and who’s really counting when there’s so much to see? The third day of the East Coast Greenway […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway: Hogs, Logs and Miles

Day 2: Bicycling from Smithfield, NC to Fayetteville, NC 70ish miles — and who invited Hurricane Matthew to the Carolina coast? The second day of the East Coast Greenway WAY […]

Bicycle Touring

East Coast Greenway: Raleigh to Smithfield NC

Day 1: Bicycling from Raleigh, NC to Smithfield, NC 42.5ish […]

Irondequoit Inn

Piseco

Piseco Lake…in the south west corner of the Adirondacks is a place where time stands still, where technology doesn’t matter, where face time means in-person, where base-camp overlooks one end […]

2015 Adventures

Inside the finish of the NYC marathon

I learned from my own NYC Marathon finish in 2014, that the volunteers are a special breed of human. From a runner’s perspective, NYC Marathon volunteers, wear official jackets, along […]

2015 Adventures

Fifi the wonder chariot

Wait! Ok…go on now with multiple exercise opportunities! Start with a bicycle ride along the Baltimore Harbor waterfront

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: 47 miles of cycling into Raleigh

Day 6: Sometimes the challenge-du-jour appears where you least expect. […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

61 miles of East Coast Greenway cycling into Durham NC

Day 5: Our departure from Clarksville VA at 7:45AM was […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: 35 miles of rolling hills to Clarksville Virginia

Day 4: Our route from South Hill to Clarksville Virginia […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: 72 miles cycled through rural Virginia

Day 3: Our East Coast Greenway WAY bicycle tour made […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: Crossing the swollen James River…

Day 2: …was one of the highlights of today’s cycling […]

Cycling East Coast Greenway

East Coast Greenway: An amazing and rainy ride to Richmond

Day 1: With lots of hope for good weather, our […]

East Coast Greenway WAY Tour

East Coast Greenway: Cycling by storm debut

Sunday October 4, I’ll join up with 35 other cyclists from various states, to bicycle 325-miles from Fredericksburg VA to Raleigh NC. The ride is part of the Week A […]

Cycling, Touring and Just Because

Bicycle doodles

Hours of bicycle training…balances out with hours of bike doodling…too fun! Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Bicycle Touring

Mackinac Island – a haven for cycling

When I first heard that there was a place in the US where cars were banned and travel was limited to foot, bicycle and or horse-n-buggy, I thought — this […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Bringing it home

Day 9 of our bicycle tour that began in Bar Harbor Maine has ended in Ronks PA. A few miles shy of our goal to reach the Maryland state line.. […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Bike tested by the Poconos

Friday 7/24 & Saturday 7/25/2015 Apparently the size of the […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Seaside to mountains…

Thursday 7/23/2015 Getting internet has been a challenge for the […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Saaa-weeet

There is nothing quite like waking up every morning and the only item in your day-plan is to ride your bike. No checking emails (partly thanks to no internet) to […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Bike friendly roads and less hills

Tuesday, July 21, 2015 Somewhere south of Portland Maine, our […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Sea mist riders

Monday, July 20, 2015 There is very little access to internet – so we haven’t been in touch with what is going on in the world. And that might be […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: The rain gods and alternate routes

Sunday 7/19 My 4:15AM alarm was barely audible over the […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Spectacular ride along the Maine coastline

Saturday, July 18, 2015 When I awoke to sunlight and […]

Bar Harbor Maine

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: Taking it in…

Friday, July 17, 2015 We arrived at our campground in Bar Harbor Maine on Friday and were greeted with cool temperatures, zero humidity and the most mesmerizing coastline views. Words […]

Bar Harbor to Lancaster

Bar Harbor 2 Lancaster: The technology behind the cue sheet

4 days and counting: Bicycling from Bar Harbor ME to […]

2015 Adventures

Star Power

We had signed up for the Blue Ridge Half Marathon in the dead of winter. The days when the temperatures were in single digits, the outdoor runs were slim to […]

2015 Adventures

Paleo breakfast includes chocolate!

It all started when my running partner was running late for our rendezvous in Bethesda. With 15 minutes of spare time on my hands, I wandered through the Barnes and […]

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