Amazingly, I'm still here.

I have neglected this poor VOX like I was being paid to do so. Pathetic. No Great Midwest Relay recap, no coverage of the simple, satisfying runs that make up the summer season (despite this being an off-year where marathons are concerned), no mention of something even remotely close to a Good Reason for my absence. Heck, I've missed you people, and that should be reason enough.

So, the supertight summary:

• My company got bought by another company. Joy, then thrilling chaos, then some running in Central Park and Mountain View, California, then more of the work thing without quite so much chaos in it later. Ultimately, a lousy summer for any consistent, disciplined training, so I've been loafing it. Ran some 7:20 miles today — a roaring 5 of 'em — and I can safely say a marathon would punt my ass right now.
  
• I ran the Great Midwest Relay with my team, as planned, and it was a superlative experience. If you can put together a group of roughly one dozen runners with similar pace and the flexibility to spend 24 hours-plus with each other in two vans, trundling across the moraines and lakeshores of Wisconsin and Illinois, I promise you you won't be disappointed. We finished 9th out of 115 teams with an astonishing 6:56 average pace over 190 miles. I brought up the rear, mostly, with my ~7:20 net, but it was such a tremendous experience to share the miles, byways, and relay transition points with this group of enthusiasts that my only fear is that any future race won't live up to the near-perfection of this one's camaraderie, cool, clear weather, and friendly competitive spirit. Here is a photoset to help illustrate (the originals, with annotation, are over on Flickr)