I love that spectators come out to cheer on runners in every race I’ve run. Some like New York are incredible in scale. How can 26.2 miles be covered in several people deep lines of cheering? Others like Belfast are memorable for the local support and willingness to help. However, I’m getting sick of the same signs at every race. The first time they were funny. The 8th time they get old.

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.

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.

Superbowl Sunday. While most people are just waking up and beginning to think about making wings or what commercials they want to watch out for, the crazy runners in New York are up running a four mile course of Central Park. During the meeting of Peyton (Bud Light lover) Manning and Cam (I’m going to hide under a towel until everyone goes away) Newton at Super Bowl 50, I joined these crazies around the park.

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 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.

My second Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon this year after the inaugural Brooklyn race was in the City of Cheesesteak and Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. While this race wasn’t the culinary and beer adventure the last few have been, it was a great trial run for the upcoming Philadelphia Marathon for several reasons. Our good friends John and Rebecca just moved to a huge apartment within a 10 minute walk to the Art Museum, where pretty much all Philly runs start (yes the proximity was a deciding factor) so we had a great base of operations for the weekend.

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.