i’ve been on a hiatus from running. the marathon was over 9 months ago; one toenail has repaired itself, the other has a good 3 months left before it’ll be back to normal. oh, and then there’s the $5k of physical therapy (luckily i’m insured, so i got this for a steal - about $1k - ugh!) to repair the knee, which can now handle 6 miles. i had initially thought about doing a half marathon at the beginning of august, however, the idea of spending all my saturday mornings running didn’t seem appealing. i did that last summer.

anyway, here’s a pictorial history of my involvement with running. items of note:

1. july 07 - a solid preparation for what should have been a solid 10k. i was no match for the heat. worst. race. ever. i still regret every step of it.
2. march 08 - training for the half is going well, going well, going well - then BAM. don’t get a new job and a cold and take a cross country flight the week/day before a half marathon.
3. october 08 - don’t be fooled. i tried to skimp on my marathon prep. those bars leading up to it should be more frequent and a lot higher. as you can see, however, the marathon has subsequently put me (and my toenail, and my knee, and my ego) in my place.

all that to say, i’m beginning to wonder if i will ever actually run a race that i feel prepared for. i think if i could follow a training plan to the number, not get sick, not have to travel, have nothing go wrong, run the race, feel good and set a PR i might hang up the shoes forever. leave on a high note, you know?

showmanship, george. when you hit that high note you say good night and walk off.
-seinfeld