For the second year in a row, I ran the Philadelphia Hot Chocolate 15K in early April. Like last year, a strong wind blows, but this year adds the pleasant addition of on and off rain, shifting from drizzle to a light pour periodically throughout the morning. Our friends John and Becca now live right down the street from the start line, but in our infinite wisdom, we decide to drive down the morning of the race.

Every year in New York City, millions gather around Times Square to revel in memories of the previous year, celebrate the upcoming one, and see the ball drop. At midnight, the immense ball descends the tower, and confetti sprays across the whole city. Revelers cheer, toast, kiss, or possibly do all three. Several blocks uptown, another group, a somewhat smaller and less warmly dressed one, watches fireworks in Central Park, and begins running a four mile loop of the park on the stroke of midnight.

As 2015 draws to a close, I wanted to check back in on the resolutions I publicly made last year. Most were running related, and I made some good progress, while others were more wide ranging and I did well on some there as well. So let’s check in on those I made last year. Increase Speed - My PR in 2014 was a 1:54:00 at the Runner’s World half, and I aimed to best this, possibly even get down into the 1:30:00s.