They call it Hospital Hill for a reason. At mile 10 of the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon it rears up against the sky. With proper training, you won’t need the hospital that sits at the top, but it’s always good to have a plan b. Marine Corps drill sergeants yelling at you to run up it and conquer the pain help too. This is the Marine Corps historic half and only the tough survive.

There are times in one’s life when conditions are not as expected or less than perfect. In such times, it is often easy for one to give up or give in and bail. One may even throw one’s hands up in the air as if they just don’t care. Such is the tidal pull of life. However, sometimes, one reaches above the imperfection and attains greatness through adversity. Sometimes one takes that step toward immortality and becomes a hero.

The Rutgers Half Marathon, held in mid-April each year on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick New Jersey, passes through the picturesque campus and back through the athletic fields. With some nice swag including a mug, shirt, and a pretty hefty medal, it’s great for a beautiful spring day race. This year, the weather couldn’t have been better. It was sunny with a nice moderate breeze and never went above about 68.

Sleepy Hollow is not a bustling metropolis. It is not a massive city with millions of residents lining the streets and post race parties all across town. No, it is not these things, but it is home to one of the more personal and welcoming half marathons I’ve run. On a Saturday morning in late March that felt more like late fall, the 2016 iteration of the half marathon lines up downtown to begin.

As the door closes on 2015 and another opens on 2016, it’s the most magical time of the year, time to plan your races for 2016. 2015 saw the most participants ever in marathons world wide, as well as the biggest increase in half and full marathons ever recorded. While this means there are more great races than ever before, it also means some are harder to get in to and planning a schedule is more important than ever.

Though I loved the Runner’s World Half in Bethlehem, PA last year, I wanted to try out the Hershey Half this year. This weekend seems very popular with races as the weather is typically perfect. It ended up not being as perfect as desired due to an early season cold front, read on to see how this played out. Pre-Race: Packet Pickup and Hershey Park in the Dark Getting to Hershey and staying was super easy with relatively little traffic out from NJ.

For those not familiar with Matthew Inman’s Web Comic, The Oatmeal, if you’re a runner or like funny things, you should acquaint yourself with it. His character of the Blerch, essentially his inner demon that tells him it’s ok not to run, has become a cult figure in running circles. Last year he started a half marathon in his native Seattle, but this year, he expanded to Sacramento and to the East Coast in Morristown, NJ.

This year marked the first ever extension of the ever increasingly popular Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon series into the New York region, specifically around Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. After a night of rain and cold temperatures, Saturday ended up being perfect for a race with temperatures in the mid 60s and sunny skies. Read on for my impressions of the race and the series in general. I’ll also be running the Philadelphia Rock ‘n’ Roll half at the end of the month, and after such a great day, can’t wait for it.

Two weeks ago, I ran the Fred Lebow half marathon in Central Park. I had been freaking out about the cold temperature as I hadn’t done much outdoor running this winter so far. Luckily, the sun came out and for the first time in seemingly weeks, the temperature was above freezing. It was actually rather perfect weather, though I did get a bit sniffly. I’m not sure why I keep running in Central Park.

Precisely one year ago (ok maybe more like 11 months and three weeks), my two friends accomplished what seemed to be to be an unfathomable feat of endurance by finishing the 2013 New York City Marathon. It had been a long road for them as they originally planned to do so in 2012, but had to delay a year due to the event’s first ever cancelation due to hurricane Sandy. They bruted out another year of training and crossed the finish line together, inspiring me to do something that seemed impossible, start training for my first marathon.