life is funny. i wrote houston this morning to ask how to move down from the marathon to the half. they said easy peasy; just needs to be done by dec. 31. so that was that. funny thing is i was relieved. the hotel room was $200, and i can’t remember the last time i ran with 40,000 people. it made me remember why i love little trail races. you can just show up the morning of the race. park at the start line, walk up, run, go home. no expo, no frills, no people. just running. the 10 o’clock running society 6 mile picante run was on the halley’s comet course. 11:46 pace, steady throughout. just right. all it took was 12 ounces of truck-stop coffee, a coca-cola, a hershey bar and an expired peanut butter gu. better running through chemistry. fog was rolling in over the bay, giving the course that spooky feeling of running into a scary movie or a Mötley Crüe concert. just a tad chilly, perfect for running. a glorious day. didn’t cost a dime. because running isn’t about shirts and medals and balloons and cheerleaders. it’s just about running. i keep forgetting that. thanks for making me remember to keep it simple, houston. i owe you.  just keep my hundred bucks and we’ll call it even. life is funny …