The dilemma of the last few weeks described in my earlier post on marathon taper versus garden cleanup, hauling around bags of mulch, using my stores of energy reserved for the ING NYC Marathon, all that became moot.

My concerns, at least regarding tapering, ended when I cancelled my race registration, later followed by a cancellation of the marathon itself. What a minor worry when we look at the lives and  neighborhoods along this country’s shoreline that are struggling. They will be fighting their way back for months, perhaps years, to come.

During the week prior to the NYC Marathon, I took a peak at the latest Salty Running post. For those not familiar, Salty Running is a high energy blog written by a collaborative group of spicy women runners who are serious athletes, serious about their training, honest about the ups and downs and at the ready to help other women with training.

I chimed in with my perspective at that moment on the wisdom of holding the NYC Marathon.  I later learned I was selected as “commenter of the week.” Celebrity at last!

I’m including links to their post Comment of the Week – Salty Running followed by my response to their question  What to Do When Your Goal Marathon in Canceled.

The Salty Running posts and feature on my comment gave this fledgling blogger a not-to-be-missed opportunity to promote my local running community and races (notice the links peppered throughout their posts).  We may love to get away to big name races and a change of running scenery, but it’s our local running community that keeps company on the roads and trails, switches roles in directing and volunteering for one another’s races and causes,  and does its part in community service just because that is what we do.

All of which says we don’t know what life has waiting for us around the corner. It may be an opportunity large or small, it may be life-altering devastation, or it may be just another day seeing the sun come up.

We may be smugly following our carefully laid plans, or standing by helplessly watching as our plans are laid low.  We could be running a large, glamourous, international marathon or we could be picking up trash along the highway.

Life:  flexibility required.