divingbiker, just out of curiosity, do these slots usually fill pretty quick? Until I can go over my situation with my doc and a physical therapist, I just don't know if I should get my hopes up. I need another surgery this winter to fix some lingering misaligned stuff.

I've already put it off
way too long and after my last set of x-rays, he's not letting me off the hook. I don't know if that's gonna be enough time to recover to the point where I can jog again. I don't care about the lost entrance fee, it's just the fact that I may take a slot from someone who wants it and then not use it.
Any thoughts are appreciated. And, BTW, you are incredibly generous to offer lodging to a bunch of (almost) strangers. Thanks and you never know, I may just be able to take you up on it!

Oh, and yeah, I happen to love dogs.