Reset Button Got Stuck

A month ago, my most recent run was a display of my uncanny ability to stay upright even while executing a one-legged slalom down a slippery slope. Remember this illustration?

This time around, my most recent run was a display of how my uncanny ability to stay upright sometimes slows me down. The problem is that most recent run was two weeks ago, rather than two days.

This seems to be my trend. Good month, bad month, bad month, bad month, good month, bad month. It's like I'm always rebooting the system.

June started off so well, but then my motivation slipped and my running fell into the abyss. Here is last month's statistical rundown:

• Total Miles: 10 miles (3 runs)
• Total Time: 2.1 hours
• Highest Weekly: 8 miles
• Average Weekly: 2.5 miles
• Average Pace: 12:36/mile
• The Monthly Dif: -26 (36 miles in May)

Yeah, so that looks terrible. At least I broke into double digits, right?

This weekend presented many opportunities to reflect on my running. Mrs. Viper and I were in Canada visiting family, and two of her cousins were excited to report they are running in the Detroit Marathon (one the half, the other the full).

We talked about barefoot running a bit and the importance of good form. I felt a twinge of jealousy and shame for not being some sort of shining example of the modern runner. Instead, it felt as if I were some elder statesman, long retired from the game.

And then, yesterday, my father-in-law ragged on me for getting too big for my breeches, literally. "That's what happens when you stop running," he said. No argument there.

Once upon a time, I harbored hopes of running a trail half marathon this year. With only eight weeks until Leave No Trace, it would have to be completed with a modest goal. Of course, I've run a half marathon on less training.

At the moment, though, I'm not feeling very hopeful. I don't want to get caught looking too far ahead, when instead I should be focusing on one step at a time.