Dan -- thank you.
Perhaps I'm battering myself a bit at the moment, but you've made me feel better.
You say:
Also it's clear that the forum is a huge part of the site. I think it's fair to say that some of the forum diaries are almost as good as your front-page blog.
As a luvvie would say: "Oh, but that's
too kind...." except that in my case, I actually mean it, and am proud to say so. There are a number of people on this site who write well, and certainly better than me.
When Nigel left us, I was disappointed, but I understood what that was about because we talked about it -- and of course we're still mates. Sweder remains the sort of runner/writer we should all aspire to. Great attitude: to both road and story.
I genuinely feel that my own running writing has become stale. I say this while scratching my head, rather than wiping away a tear. In other words, I feel I need to reposition things and make it all even better, rather than 'call the whole thing off'.
No point in false modesty -- I know that I've written some decent stuff in the past, but I feel empty and infertile at the moment. There are a few things rattling round inside o'me as we speak, but I need more than that. I need to be moist and dense, like the victorious Pangbourne bangers last Saturday evening (he said controversially
).
Anyway, good post. And thanks for putting the case for retaining the name.
The sentimental side of me collapses in front of you, slobbering over your purple feet....
Purple feet...?
