Countdowns to Raceday (Part II)

In follow up to part I, which ranked my top 10 runs of all-time (race and nonrace) I thought I'd rank my top 10 races of all-time.

Before doing so, here are some statistics, relevant or otherwise.

Total # of races run - 47
Total # of 2.3 milers - 1
Total # of 5k's - 21
Total # of 10k's - 14
Total # of 15k's - 1
Total # of Half Marathons - 1
Total # of 30k's - 1
Total # of Marathons - 2
Total # of 5 milers - 6
First race - July 6, 2002 (Whalley Memorial Run - 5 miler)

And now, like David Letterman; Top 10 Races of All Time:

#10 October 8, 2005 (Alpha Delta 5k - Bethany Beach, DE)
Torrential rain and wind while we were at Dewey Beach, DE for the gathering of the greyhounds. I finished 1st in my age group, but to this day, perhaps the worst weather I've run in. At least it was warm or it could have been worse. (time: 20:43)

#9 June 18, 2004 (Rockwood Rotary Half Marathon - Rockwood, PA) - current Half Marathon PR
An evening half marathon run on a stretch of the Allegheny Trail. It was in the 80's and humid. I ran it like a 5k; very fast and this might have been the closest I've ever come to collapsing at the end of a race. (time: 1:42:47)

#8 July 5, 2003 (Whalley Memorial 5 Miler - Windber, PA)
The first time I've repeated a race, therefore, the first time I could have comparable times. Last year I did this as my first race ever, finishing in 39:21. Much improvement over one year. (time: 36:40)

#7 July 2, 2004 (Rolling Rock 5 Mile Run - Latrobe, PA)
First time I had run this race. A difficult and hilly course. The town really gets behind this event as part of their 4th of July celebration. Plenty of crowd support. It was also very warm and humid; another evening race. I tend to like those. (time: 36:25)

#6 July 6, 2002 (Whalley Memorial 5-miler - Windber, PA)
My first race ever. This is where it all started. A run I'll never forget. (time: 39:21)

#5 May 24, 2003 (Come Run in the Sun 10k - Las Vegas, NV)
Our final day of a weeklong vacation in Las Vegas. Despite an 8:00 a.m. start, the temps. were in the low-80's. Amazing that this was basically a 5k uphill and then turnaround for a 5k downhill. Might be one of the toughest 10k courses I've ever run. Las Vegas is also at 3,000 above sea level. Took 3rd in my age group. (time: 49:27)

#4 September 25, 2005 (The Great Race 10k - Pittsburgh, PA)
At the time, I had set a PR by 0:06 seconds over the previous PR nearly two years earlier. A hot day, but a perfect run at a perfect pace. (time: 43:39)

#3 November 7, 2004 (Flight 93 Memorial 15k - Shanksville, PA)
Perhaps one of the most touching runs I've ever been on. The course goes past the crash site. Despite living within a half hour, I had never been to the site before this day. I was very moved by what I was taking part in. (time: 1:18:41) - current 15k PR

#2 May 21, 2006 (Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon - Cleveland, OH)
Having never done it before, the entire marathon experience was something to behold. Calf pain in both legs the night before introduced me to ghost pain and going through the entire thing (expo, race, post-race) was something I'll never forget. (time: 4:02:02)

#1 October 14, 2006 (Under Armour Baltimore Marathon - Baltimore, MD)
A perfect weather day and zero expectations made this one of the most shocking and enjoyable runs of my life so far. This race made me realize that Boston is possible. A great day! (time: 3:39:37) Current Marathon PR