He is proud of his forthcoming book, The Old World, the New World, and the Creation of the Modern World, 1400-1650, an interpretive history that is the product of 40 years of research and thought.
And he is proud of The Streak.
Yesterday, when Shatzman laced up his running shoes and set out from his home in Ambler for his daily three-mile trot, he was also celebrating an anniversary: 30 years without missing a single day of running.
The Streak began Oct. 9, 1981. The day before was Yom Kippur, a day when Jews customarily fast. Figuring he'd be light-headed if he didn't eat or drink, Shatzman didn't run that day. But he did run the next day, and the next, and the next. He hasn't skipped a daily run since.
"It has to do with perseverance, persistence, hard work, and accomplishing a goal," Shatzman says.
Shatzman keeps track, of course. He records his daily mileage in a log. From Oct. 9, 1981, to Dec. 31, 2010, he had run 52,932.5 miles, his records show. He estimates he's added 800 miles since.
When I suggested that Shatzman might be a tad obsessive-compulsive, he readily assented.
"Of course!" he replied, his smile broad and unabashed.
"It would be easy to take a day off and more fun to watch TV. Not giving in is the important thing."
What makes The Streak impressive is that Shatzman has maintained it despite chronic injury. His right hip is afflicted by bursitis. He has torn cartilage in his left knee. At age 41, he developed adult-onset asthma.
