She Won't Let This Beat Her

A very dear friend of mine, Darcel Fahy was recently diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. She is 25 years old and faces a tough uphill battle. I have teamed with her to try and raise money for ovarian cancer research. I have dedicated the running of the Boston Marathon to this cause and in Darcel's honor. We are selling "runner's packs" through her website that is dedicated to her cause (www.wontletthisbeatme.com). You can read her story there as well as purchase a runner's pack that consists of a moisture wicking shirt and runner's bag. The cost is $26.20.

It truly is a worthwhile cause and you have an opportunity to be entered into a special prize drawing for each runner's pack purchased. Join me and Darcel in this fight and be a part of Boston.

www.wontletthisbeatme.com

Click on the 26.2 for Cancer link to the left of the page.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Taking the Plunge; An Announcement Forthcoming

I decided last week that my knee/quad pain was enough. I took the plunge and began physical therapy. Although it hurt, it helped. And yesterday I was able to bike and get back on the treadmill for a 2-miler. I'm starting back to baby steps, but with just under eight months to go, I've got plenty of time. I need to be smart and take it slow and be careful. Tomorrow marks my second PT appointment and I am actually looking forward to it.

On another note, I am going to be making an announcement here and on my facebook page in the next few weeks concerning my Boston Marathon experience. I will pass along that information by Labor Day or the week after. I am awaiting some information regarding this announcement that is out of my control. It's a rather exciting adventure that will only enhance the Boston experience so stay tuned.

A Runner's Life

I am convinced that the runner's life consists of moving from one injury to the next. Often the injury bug comes at us out of nowhere. We can go a year or more with very little issues. And sometimes we can get caught into a pattern of overcoming one pain and falling right into another.

The way my year was going (pretty much for the past YEAR), things seemed to be in rhythm. I was racing more than I ever had and I was not experiencing any pain or issues. The only thing I noticed since late spring was that my training run times were slipping a bit. I found it harder to run at the faster paces that I was seeing just prior to and after the Chicago Marathon in October. Perhaps that was the sign I ignored that my body was breaking down.

Granted, it could have been worse and I'm not out of the woods yet but for 24 days (July 17 - August 10) I battled what I though initially was runner's knee. Turns out I have had a case of quadriceps tendinitis. Possibly one of the more irritating injuries I've sustained because it really didn't limit my walking much. Actually, I could also run pain free. But the day after the runs is when I would pay.

Finally, after completing the Citizen's Helping Citizen's 5k in Indiana, PA on July 17 I had reached the breaking point (figuratively). I knew that the time had come to shut it down. As always, I struggled with staying active. Even the more simple weightlifting moves and core exercise moves engaged the quads and the knee. By far it has been one of my more frustrating injuries. I simply had to wait.

Finally, last Monday I was pain free and had freedom of movement for the first time in awhile. I decided to start slowly with a 2 mile treadmill jog and then followed that up with a 2.5 mile treadmill jog on Thursday. Last night I couldn't help myself and went to run the Richland Community Days 5k where I placed first in my age group and 13th overall with a time of 21:15. A slow time for me, but the injury and a very hilly difficult course explain that.

Still, the pain is back (although not debilitating) and I will trudge forward carefully over the next few weeks. I feel I'm going to have to back off of racing a bit through the fall and make sure that I am fully overcoming this injury before proceeding. With Boston just a few days over EIGHT months away, it's not crunch time yet.....but it's getting closer. i

Ahhhh, the life of the runner.

Two Sub Twenty's

Today I ran the 2nd leg of the Indiana Road Runners Clubs' Triple Crown Series. I needed another good showing after a great run in the April Fool's Run 10k. Traditionally the Hoodlebug 5k (held in Homer City, PA as part of Summerfest) is a hot and humid evening run that starts at 6:00 p.m.

Tonight did not disappoint with the race time temperatures reaching 88 degrees with high humidity.

Despite the tough conditions I was able to put together at 19:30 which was good for 1st in my age group and 18th overall. That will score me big points but won't be nearly enough in the race series.

Yesterday I ran the Rockwood Rotary 5k race on the Allegheny Highlands Bike Trail in Rockwood, PA. For the fifth time in my racing career I ran on back to back days. Each time I have gotten faster on the second day. This weekend was no different as I ran a 19:49 yesterday shaving the 19 seconds off today.

All in all a fairly successful running weekend as I was able to break the 20:00 barrier for the 14th time in my, now forty-six 5k races. Half of those sub-20:00's (7) have come in the calendar year 2010.

The Long Slow Road

Nine months and 27 days. That's how long it is until Boston. As I hit the road today for a ten miler (the one I should have done yesterday), I realized just how far off in the distance that seems. Even though I have a very busy summer and fall racing schedule of varying distances it still seems such a long way off.

As I struggled in the heat and humidity today and thought about the future so much is uncertain. I am not guaranteed of anything except being qualified for the 115th Boston Marathon. I still need to register, get accepted and then make it to race day. Lately I've struggled with my motivation, my energy levels and my overall running. Despite those struggles I continue to put up great race times. But it's all the days in between that feel like a very heavy burden.


No workout, no run seems to come easy to me anymore. It's almost the complete opposite of last summer and early fall as I prepared to run Chicago. And then I was overcoming a broken navicular bone and dealing with coming back into form. Oh, how I long for the feelings I had back then. I'm pretty sure I can get it back but for now it's a massive struggle to get myself out the door and running. It's an intense debate with myself to get moving on my lifting workouts. It's an overall struggle to deal with the heat of summer.


Like I learned last year, I truly hate the heat and humidity. I love summer, but for other reasons. I cannot stand it for running. Everything seems to be 1,000 pounds heavier this time of year. The long haul continues and I honestly look forward to those cool September and mornings to return.

Hectic Week of Racing

The past week I ran two races that could not have been at further points opposite each other on the spectrum. On May 29 I was in Chicago to run the Soldier Field 10-miler. A stirring ceremony celebrating the sacrifice of so many outside of Chicago's Soldier Field had me on the verge of tears. We then took off on a 5 mile out and back trek that came back along Lake Michigan. With race temperatures in the middle to upper 70's and high humidity I was amazed how well I was able to do. I wiped myself out physically but the effort paid off in the form of a

finish time of 1:12:37. That was good for 364th overall out of over 8,300 participants. I never feel as though I am a very fast runner. I simply do the best I can, but when you see figures like that....even I have to be impressed with what I have been able to accomplish in terms of running.

The finish to the Soldier Field 10-miler is perhaps the most stunning of all the finish lines I've ever come across. After running back along the bike path next to the Lake, you loop to the backside of Soldier Field and enter the stadium underbelly coming out of the runway tunnel and onto the field. The finish line itself rests at the 50 yard line in the center of the field. My only regret was not heeding the advice of my dear friends John and Linda Flanagan who warned me that it is easy to forget to watch yourselfr cross the finish line on the jumbotron. Despite several hundred self-reminders in the final mile, guess what dear ol' Vin forgot to do? Yep, but it was still amazing to run on the field. I will watch my NFL Sunday Ticket this fall with a different perspective.

Yesterday after returning home from the Windy City earlier in the week I went down to Roxbury Park for the Grand Old Lady 5k. It was an event put on by the Johnstown YWCA. Even though it was on my race schedule all along, it still was weird because I hadn't registered for it. Normally I am a pre-registered runner. I like to plan. However, finding the registration form for this particular race was not very easy. As a result, I drove down and registered just before the race start. Being on familiar ground is always a bonus and after running a race with 8,300+ the week before in sunny and humid weather it was quite a change to be running with 33 other runners in what seemed to be a torrential downpour. But just before the race start the rains cleared and the sun came out. It was bright and also humid. This time, I came across the line in 2nd overall with a time of 20:02. A relatively tough course with a few challenging hills made it harder than it should be. I've also felt as though I may be running too much, so the next few weeks I will monitor my running and try to sneak in some more rest where I can.

Pictured (as has become a regular thing for me on this blog) are the race shirts, bibs and corresponding medals for each of the races.

First and Foremost

Had been having some calf issues since the Pittsburgh Marathon and on Friday morning those issues returned again. I battled through it and took some ibuprofen and decided to go to Camp Harmony for the Race Along the Lake 5k. With Chicago and the Soldier Field 10-miler squarely in my sights, I decided to "take it easy" on this one and if my calf screamed stop, that's what I'd do. But as I have become accustomed to doing, I couldn't help myself. I found myself right out front with Jesse, who I met in the first mile of this race. He was doing the 10k and offered to pace me for the first half of my race which was largely downhill. This "out and back" run meant that all of that downhill would suddenly become an "uphill" at the turnaround.

Hard to tell who was pacing who but I decided to just enjoy the first 9:00 minutes or so at a brisk yet comfortable pace. At the turnaround I began the trudge back up the long hill I just descended and quickly realized that I was alone. Halfway back up the hill I realized that I would be a winner of a race for the second time this year. Despite the low turnout and the lack of someone to push me, I used "the hill" as my motivation. As a runner I have learned that I thrive on hills. Despite saying I don't like them.....truth is, I'm made for the hills.

Finished in 19:27 and brought home my second victory of the season. Even better? I decided to purchase my first motorcycle yesterday as well. Although I don't have it in my possession as of yet, I hope to very soon. It is pictured below along with the race shirt, bib and medal from yesterday's race along the Lake (which is actually the Quemahoning Reservoir in Hollsopple, PA).

7G

No, I am not inventing the newest generation of iPhone. I surpassed another milestone with my Wednesday morning run crossing over the 7,000 mile mark all time. Normally I celebrate these minor milestones but for some reason I was asleep at the switch and missed the fact that I had surpassed the mark until I was logging my workout into my log yesterday.

I looked back to see when I had crossed the 6,000 mile mark and to my surprise I had hit that number on June 23, 2009. As a result I am encouraged that I have done 1,000 miles in just under 11 months time. Since I began running seven plus years ago I have always strived to run 1,000 miles in a year but had yet to do it (Jan. 1 - Dec. 31). This lets me know that barring any unforseen circumstances I should be able to cross 1,000 miles sometime around Thanksgiving week.

But as we runners know, unforeseen circumstances have a way of cropping up from time to time. Still, I am encouraged to have done 1,000 miles in less than a calendar year and proud of my latest accomplishment that I will now refer to as crossing the 7G.

A Crazy Week

I have got to be out of my mind! Despite running a marathon in humid conditions and pushing through to a 3:30:08 in Pittsburgh last Sunday I decided that some well earned time off was in order. Chalk up two days. Wednesday morning I hit the roads again. I figured a light 3 miles wouldn't be too far out of line and so I awoke and hit the streets of Southmont. Just past one mile my right calf felt as if it had been hit with a bullet from sniper fire. A little light stretching and jogging worked it out and a daily regiment of ibuprofen ensued.

The next race on my 2010 schedule included a possible run at the Johnstown Christian School on Saturday and after my calf incident I wasn't sure I would do it. But lo and behold, Vinsanity decided that it was a possibility and so to make sure I had a day rest before the race I went back out Thursday evening to squeeze in another three miler.

Friday was a rest day and on Saturday morning I make the trip over to JCS where one of the toughest 5k courses lay ahead. The course consists of a STEEP climb right out of the gate for about 1.2 miles. That is followed by relative flat road for about a half-mile and then just over one mile of steep downhill running. Not the greatest of conditions for runners NOT having run a marathon six days earlier.

I decided that I would simply run the race and not worry about time or chasing anybody (LOL). Of course, that strategy backfired once again, for I am a highly competitive person. And I could not listen to myself yet again. Right out of the gate I found myself on the heels of the lead runner who is also a member of the Indiana Road Runner's Club. Only once had I ever challenged him finishing just 5 seconds behind him last October at the Red Cross Vampire 5k. That was two weeks after returning from Chicago. This was only six days and I knew immediately I would not challenge him. And yet I could not stop myself from wanting to finish second. As we mad the steep climb up that mile long hill, I heard the footsteps and breathing of someone directly behind me. But as we crested higher and higher those steps and breaths seemed to fall further and further behind. By the time we crested the hill, there was no way I was relinquishing second place. And so it was, on the 8th of May, 2010 that I finished in 2nd place overall in the Johnstown Christian School 5k in a time of 21:08 (almost 3:00 slower than my PR just to give you an indication of how difficult the course is)

Despite a pretty thorough week, it also ends one of the crazier ones I've encountered in my 8 years of running. It also ended with a nice trophy for the effort yesterday to add to my collection.

One To Grow On

PITTSBURGH MARATHON: MAY 2, 2010
Finish Time: 3:30:08

Above: My 8th completed marathon

Above: Inside of PNC Park just outside the bullpens.

Above: Make me a milkshake Malkin! I did another one!

Above: The Wall (at the expo; contained all runner's names)

Above: Somewhere just before Mile 6

Above: Minutes before the start

Above: Me taking the photo of "The Wall" shown above.

Running a marathon can be quite a humbling experience. Running multiple marathons brings experience. Yesterday it was that experience that gave me the ability to know where my limits stand and know when to back off and live to run another day. At the 10 1/2 mile mark of the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon I knew I had become an experienced marathoner. Running in my eighth such event it was at this point in the race yesterday that I decided that pushing the envelope was something I really didn't need to do. As I had learned in Chicago, I am a cold weather runner. Race time temperatures were only in the upper-60's but the high dew point created a humid morning with a near steady rain.

Just past mile 10 I got the slightest bit light-headed. This, despite making sure I was careful to take on my gels and drink plenty of fluids at each of the aid stations I passed. It wasn't the scariest of moments, but for a split second I did think I was pushing far too hard for the conditions.

Despite my competitive fire, I knew that the "hills" were yet to come and I decided that backing off would not be the worst thing in the world. Besides, I had already gotten my Boston qualifying time in Chicago in October and a PR was not in the cards either. So I readjusted my expectations mid-stream and backed off the gas pedal. I had figured I would finish somewhere between 3:20 and 3:30 before I even arrived in the Steel City. All this meant was I would be looking at a 3:30.

Having crossed the halfway point on pace for a 3:20 I knew I had ten minutes banked to "give back". With the hills of Oakland and beyond still ahead I re-adjusted my thinking and stuck to my plan. I even took two "planned" walk breaks ranging from 0:30-1:00 each to save myself a little. Rewards for keeping my mile splits in the single digits. Despite the negatives and the fact that I wasn't completely happy with the end result immediately upon finishing I still came through the finish chute in 3:30:08. The positives that I learned today. My time was good for 360th of 4,022 runners. I also finished 35th in my age group out of 364 runners. My finish time was also almost an hour faster than the average finish time of 4:27:52. Finishing in the top 10% isn't bad no matter how you slice it. All in all, a good day and one for me to grow on.

Above: The course map at the Expo on Saturday

Above: It was a giveaway towel and yet another White Out at Mellon Arena for Game 2 vs. Montreal. Unfortunately, the good guys lose, 2-1. The end of one memorable day, however

A Quirky Thing

Too lazy to confirm this one, but I'm about 99% sure. Today I went to the Fool's Run 10k in Indiana. Picked up my race packet and noticed that I had a strikingly familiar number. For the second time in three races I got the same race bib number. It made me wonder if I had ever had it before and that's the part I'm about 99% sure of. I plan on going back through all of my bibs to confirm but for now, near certainty is gonna have to do.

Today my bib number was "7". I remembered it because at the Maple Fest 5 miler two weeks ago I remarked that it was just my luck that I had been given Ben Roethlisberger's number. As a Steeler-hater, it bothered me. Imagine my surprise and disgust when I saw it again today. But perhaps I'm onto something. After setting a PR in the 5-miler two weeks ago, I went on to run the very difficult 10k course with lots of steep uphills in a PR time of 41:04. Breaking my prior PR of June, 2007 by :34 seconds.

Four weeks until Pittsburgh. I have to say, my running is going quite well right now.

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

A pair of shoes. The staple in the runner's arsenal. The difference that a good pair of shoes can make is unmeasurable. For me, it's the insoles that make the difference. You can pretty much put my insole combination into any shoe and I'll make it work. But at the end of the day, it's the shoe that leaves it's mark. I won't be saving any insoles or planning my marathon clothing around the color of my insoles. The shoes, however. Well, that's a different story altogether. I have saved every pair of shoes I've worn in the nearly 7,000 miles I've run. Some have been moved into the role of grass-cutting yard shoes. Others have simply been tossed into the plastic bin that graces the top of the dresser in my basement. None have ever been thrown out. The runner and his shoes form a kind of connection and a bond that is hard to explain. And like bonds made between friends or the bonds between men and women; runner's shoes and their owners can form bonds as well. Until this week only one pair of my former running shoes made it into my personal "hall of fame". Those were the pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7's. My "hall of fame" of course is in my attic with the countless awards and medals and racing bibs I've won and run in over the years. The Brooks made it up there along with my former football jerseys, trophies, photo albums and newspaper articles clipped from the various editions in which my names has graced the pages. This week, I added a second pair of shoes. The ones you see above. The Asics Gel 2140's. I ran 496 miles in them. But it was the 26.2 last October that put them in the "hall of fame". Those will be the shoes I will always look back on as the ones that ran me to Boston. Part of me thought about saving them for the actual Boston race, and I might be able to be convinced of doing so. But a part of me feels as though they should stand alone. I'll add another pair of them after I run Boston. I bought an identical pair for that very reason. Still, I am torn. But I do know that these shoes have a history that got them to the attic. Whether they stay there or make the trip to Massachusetts is unknown. But one thing is for certain. They hold a special place in my heart and always will no matter what happens.

A Record, A Milestone and Another First

Today I ran my fifth race of the year in Meyersdale, PA. With springlike temperatures and a flat and fast course I knew that I would PR in the race today. First, it was a 5-mile race which is not a common distance I've run and actually hadn't run in nearly four years. Second, because my normal training runs during the week are typically 5 miles and I have beaten that 4-year old PR almost every time out for the past year or two. So I was fairly confident that today would be a PR day. I just didn't know by how much.

To my surprise, I felt great and was able to absolutely obliterate my old PR (35:45) by over four minutes (31:22). It was good for a fifth place finish overall out of 129 runners and first in my age group for the fourth time in five races this year. Below is the picture of the race shirt, medal, bib and a pint of maple syrup. The race was part of the Meyersdale Maple Festival where maple syrup and maple candies could be bought on every street corner. After the race, I had hot pancakes with Somerset County maple syrup. A delicious way to end today's race event!

Also, I have been caught up in my running so much that I forgot to post a relatively big milestone in my hockey officiating career. Two Thursday's ago I worked my 1,600th hockey game of my career in the Laurel Mountain Hockey League Championship Game. Although the game itself left much to be desired it still is a pretyt big accomplishment that I should have celebrated.

A FIRST!!!

I have been running road races since 2002. I have finished in 2nd place overall once but have never come close to finishing first overall. Today that changed in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Today I ran the Knights of Columbus 5k run and despite the fact that race time temperatures were near 40 degrees with a driving rain and the fact that there were only 29 runners the bottom line is I WON! I beat out 28 other runners and crossed the finish line first. My time of 19:07 was good for my 5th fastest 5k time of all-time, but today it was good enough to win me the plaque to the left and come home with the title of "champion". I was out front almost from the very start and spent the first mile running with the eventual 3rd place winner but like I always do, I thrived on the hills and hung in for a frantic final half-mile with someone on my tail. Fellow IRRC runner Mike Hudac came in behind me but helped push me for the final 1/2 mile or so.

Even though I've been battling chest cold issues all week long and not really wanting to run this morning I perservered and ran a fairly fast time. When doing road races the winners are usually coming in between 15-18 minutes but when the numbers get down like they did today, it opens the door for someone like me who is in that next layer of speed.

It wasn't a victory in a 1,000 participant event. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't done in front of large crowds and not a lot of fanfare came along with it. But I did add a plaque to my collection of medals and I won a race. It may never happen again, but I can now say I won one. How many people really ever get the chance to say that?

A Crazy Weekend

Let's start with Saturday morning. The Penn State Altoona Snowflake Run that was sponsored by the PSU-Altoona Lady Lions Soccer team. Originally scheduled for LAST Saturday it was canceled due to the horrendous weather we've been experiencing here in Central Pennsylvania. What that created was my fourth 'back to back' situation. Meaning that I had a 5k on Saturday and a 10k on Sunday.

The Snowflake Run was held on the PSU Altoona campus and a prettier course you would have a hard time finding. Despite the double-loop course and a few near "switchbacks" that slowed my time a bit, I still crossed the line in 6th place overall with a time of 19:27. With 26 degree temperatures at the start, it was sunny and overall was a pretty good day for it all. I also got one of the more unique place awards (1st in my age group) that came in the form of a tree ornament. A great idea! Pictures from Saturday follow:



Onto Sunday. Despite a chest cold and coughing that came on in the middle of the night, I went to Shanksville for the Shanksville 10k. A fairly tough course with windy conditions were offset by the fact that it started at 1:00 p.m. Temperatures were in the upper 30's and lower 40's and bright plentiful sunshine made it seem much nicer. I decided not to "race" this one, but just go comfortably fast. The idea worked as I was able to post some pretty good miles despite my physical condition and the fact that I had raced the day before. My 43:44 finish time was good for 4th place overall and 1st in my age group. Another unique award that I did not and could never keep. A peach pie! It along with the race bib is pictured below.

NOTE: I decided to let my last post stand for an extra day or so to give it the time that it deserved. Because I was in a hurry (as I usually am of late) on Saturday I failed to write a bit more about the artist of that amazing painting. Linda Flanagan is a fellow Saint Francis alumni who hails from the Northern Cambria County area. She now calls Chicago home and is a very good friend of mine. She is a fellow runner and is married to John who is a successful podiatrist in the Windy City. She is like a big sister to me. The sister I never had.

Look Familiar?

Burning Bright. My friend and fellow Saint Francis alum Linda Flanagan who hails from Chicago completed a painting of the photo you see to the right along the edge of this blog.

She did so as part of an art class she is taking and if I do say so myself she is a very talented and amazing painter.

I have always wanted to have a portrait painted of myself but this is above and beyond anything I ever expected to happen to me.

My last blog post called for the year in photos from last year. Instead, I give you "Burning Bright". The photo is from the Hollidaysburg YMCA 4th of July race held on July 4, 2009 in Altoona.

I am mesmerized looking at it. I think I will let this stand alone for a day or so. Tomorrow a race update from today that I ran on the campus of Penn State Altoona.

2009 In Review

2009 will forever live in my mind as the year I qualified for Boston. It was a challenging year to say the least. I began 2009 by jogging a mile and walking a mile on New Year's Day. It felt like I had just qualified for the Boston Marathon that day. Considering I was coming off a broken foot that I suffered on October 27 I felt like I was going to turn the corner on a new year and things would quickly get back to normal. Boy was I wrong.

After that New Year's Day jaunt I would not run again until January 15. Then it would be February 1 before I ran again but February 5 before I would complete a mile running. My struggles continued and after another doctor's appointment and a CT Scan in late February it was painfully evident that it would be a long haul back.

On March 4 while working out at lunch time I decided to take this comeback one tiny step at a time. A mile was out and 1/4 miles were in. I was able to string together a week of quarter mile runs. Then half mile runs, followed by 3/4 mile runs and eventually back to back 1-mile runs on March 19 and 21. And even though I wasn't ready to compete in a 5k I did so on March 28 completing the Pennsylvania Highlands Sprint to Success in 21:44. My foot would continue to cause me issues through my summer vacation in June but by mid-summer things were beginning to fall into place for me. Even though my timetable for Chicago seemed a bit on the aggressive side I maintained hope that I would be ready to go by October.

On April 25 I was shocked when I set a 5k PR by running a 19:30 at the Wings of Hope race. I smashed my previous PR by 19 seconds. And despite dealing with ongoing pain issues I dropped back to the half-marathon in Pittsburgh and forced myself to "just finish" and found a way to do so in 2:01:35 on May 3.

I focused on simply running races and getting stronger throughout the summer and tried to maintain a consistent running schedule. Even though my times were not as fast as I wanted them to be and the adrenaline of simply running was now long gone I was accomplishing much by simply running. On August 29 I once again finished with a disappointing time in the Rockwood Rotary Half-Marathon. This time I completed the run in 1:38:51 and wondered if a Boston Qualifier was even close to being in the cards. I despite running I simply did not feel strong.

In September, however, something funny happened. On September 6 while doing a 20-mile training run I felt strong and followed that up with some additional strong runs the closer I got to October. Pain was seeping away from me and I hadn't really experienced many issues with the foot in weeks. On September 20 I declared myself ready after putting in a 10-mile training run in just over 1:11. All of my training runs were coming in under BQ times. Still, there was much uncertainty.

On October 11, 2009 I qualified for the Boston Marathon. I had perfect weather conditions and despite hitting a bit of a wall at mile 23 I overcame it. Then I followed that up by setting my second 5k PR of the year at the Red Cross Vampire run thirteen days later. This time I did it in 18:51, cutting another amazing 39 seconds off my previous PR. Not to be outdone, I finished 2009 by cutting another 32 seconds off that PR and set my 3rd 5k PR of the year on New Year's Eve at the Hollidaysburg YMCA Twilight race at Lakemont Park.

All told, I set a new record for races run in a year in 2009 by completing 15 races. I ran my five fastest 5k times of all time in 2009, setting 3 PR's along the way. I qualified for Boston. I overcame a slow start and recorded my third highest yearly running total (753.8 miles), while recording my fourth and fifth highest monthly running totals of all time (August - 110.8 miles and September - 105 miles).

Next week: 2009 The Year in Photos.