"Oh no....."

This was my first thought when I got an email last night entitled "2012 Leaf Peepers Race." My second thought was, "It's not tomorrow is it?" followed quickly, "How the hell did I forget that I signed up for this?!"

Here's how I forgot. Behold my list of topline projects for the next month:

* Train new producer and emerge from 3 months of debilitating understaffing
* Produce 6 election debates
* Finalize sale of house and purchase of condo, move
* Produce election night coverage
* Train for a marathon


My fall race plan was written and committed to (with determination! enthusiasm! gusto!) long before the events above were budged into motion The election sure, I knew that was coming. But vigorous, focused running seemed like a great antidote. And I've got the 3-year plan to get to ready for Antarctica, which waits for no news cycle.

This last point (Train for Marathon) gets us back to the first point. I signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon this summer, wanting a late fall race to avoid both the election and running the longest of long runs in the heat of summer. And then I doubled down by signing up for Leaf Peepers, which would fall neatly within my training, and to which I would add several miles to make the 1/2 marathon a good long run.

That was a great idea at the time.

Until life intervened and I reduced, sandwiched and rationalized a low-volume marathon training plan and completely forgot that I signed up for Leaf Peepers at all. I had so pushed it out of my mind that I truly wasn't sure the date of the race. I read the email as I was finishing two very long, very rainy days of traveling for work. (Aside: I packed my running clothes and planned to get in two runs during this road trip. I was really, really sure that I had a pair of shoes in my bag, and another pair in the car. When I dressed for my first run, I discovered I had one shoe total. Nicely done, Daniels.)  So I was relieved to realize that race was NOT the next day. I was only partially relieved to realize that the race is next week.

This feels like a rerun of last year's Leaf Peepers. I trained, but not effectively. At the last minute I gave into doubt and misgivings and did not run. I did come to cheer on friends and I felt like a pile of turd for not giving a shot.

This year, I will be there. I will run. I will run slowly and even walk. It will be rough going, but I will finish. And then Philly is just a round the corner, as soon as I get a few other things done first.