Thursday, January 23, 2020

It's time to end this old blog.

My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
My my, hey hey.

Neil Young, Out of the Blue

It's time to end this old blog.

It's been a good old blog and has served me well, but it's time to take a bow and exit stage left. It was borne from a place of excited innocence in 2008, slowly evolved into a respected voice for all things running, and ends today in a whimper of irrefutable irrelevance.

Truth is, no one reads blogs anymore; at best they're skimmed and scanned. The faster action is found on Twitter, and Instagram of which I have no clue and zero interest.

I mean really, 280 characters, how is that communication?

Yup, told you so, I'm way old school.

I can't run despite the best efforts of Stephanie and her Little Shop of Pain. I use a bionic brace, and meds strong enough to down a herd of rhinos but I still can't run. So, why write about a community in which my membership has lapsed? I could write from the sideline, start a new blog, Mike The Voyeuristic Runner, and watch as the world runs by or I can gracefully bow out and move on.

I choose to move on. I have made peace with myself. I have licked the wounds clean. The scabs are gone and the fading scars are mere momentos of time past. I am letting go of a beautiful time of life which showered me with love and immeasurable happiness. I am forever grateful for this time. I bid a fond adieu to all of you who made it possible.

Unfortunately my words, honest as they are, at times offended some and I have suffered deeply the hurt of lost friendships.

This I regret.

I move forward.

Please, if you will, indulge me in a few memories.

  • With tears we remember our friend Jo here, here, and here.  
  • With pride we remember Ted Swain here and here.
  • I am proud of myself here
  • We were horrified with The Boston Bombing here
  • We supported Jamie McDonald here.
  • We contributed to medical research here
  • We talked openly about mental health here


.... and on and on...

It's a good day to be alive.

Mike