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.

2014 was the first year of my newfound hobby of marathon running. Last fall, I ran the New York City marathon and had planned to try to run Philadelphia three weeks later, figuring I’d already be in training shape. When the morning arrived, I decided I was still way too sore from New York to attempt Philly. I pledge to try again in 2015. After running the Belfast marathon in the spring, a race where my goal was to finish without feeling like I was dying, my goal for Philly was to shave some time off my finish time.