It seems like only yesterday that I opened the new 2007 calendar, its pages full of hope and glory. Now it's time to close the scribbled and dog-eared book on another year of running.

My annual running calendar is a sloppy compilation of schedules, mostly well thought out but poorly executed. Here and there throughout the year are names of races completed, finishing times scribbled underneath, awards noted and, occasionally, a star denoting a performance that pleased me for some now forgotten reason. Some months are completely filled day by day while others have long weeks of blanks that cause me to struggle to recall whether I ran at all.

As with many things in life, much of the story of my running year is told between the lines of miles and times. There are stretches in January when running meant slip- sliding through slush or lumbering under layers to keep the exercise streak alive.

Then there are the bleak empty pages of February and March. I rested, then cross trained myself back from a knee injury.

April, the month of resurrections, breathed new life into my running. On the mend but undertrained, I opted for the 5K portion of the Clarion River Run instead of my favorite scenic half marathon along the river.

By May, I was back to support the popular Race for the Cure. May is also the culmination of track season and my daughter's high school record finally fell to one of the fabulous Kunkle girls from Knoch. It was a reminder that in all sporting events, you only hold a record until you pass it on.

In June, for the first time in memory, I missed the big Butler Road Race. I traded participating in this annual running reunion for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in Alaska. Those two weeks made for a book of fabulous photos and a lifetime of memories of adventure runs with Mom and Lottie on possibly our last great family vacation together.

The rest of the summer stretched out lazy and hot. I filled my calendar with morning runs that tried to beat the heat and the deer flies in Cherry Valley, afternoons of trail runs under the tree canopy in Deer Lakes Park or bicycle rides to Freeport and back on the rail trail. Visits to Freeport always meant a stop at the deli for an orange Popsicle.

By August, I had worn out yet another pair of running shoes. I broke out a new and flashy pair in my favorite color to begin training for September's Great Race 10K while my old ones took their last running miles on the beach at Hatteras Island.

In September, I faced the shock of going back to school. This always cuts into my running routine, as spending full days on my feet chasing kids around the playground leaves my legs feeling like dead wood.

Rain or shine, Mondays became my permanent long run day for the fall. I gave up on the notion of a return to the scenic OBX Marathon in North Carolina in November and concentrated on running a good performance at the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon instead.

The latest edition of the Buffalo Creek event in October was even better than the inaugural run of last year. It was a great morning to sample some of the best in Western Pennsylvania fall scenery, weather and hospitality.

November is the month I began my series of 6-mile runs. With an additional two days of work each week and dwindling daylight hours, I now run on my lunch hour on Wednesdays and Fridays. So far I've discovered at least a half dozen ways to complete a 50- to 60- minute run from my office.

That brings me back to December, when I'm ready to close the book on this year and to open a new set of blank pages to fill and miles to run. At this point it's still full of hope and glory, even if it's just hope that I can still put one foot in front of the other for another year and glory that's only in my mind.

Saturday, 8 a.m.: Up-N-Running Group Run, Valencia. Bring a friend. 724-898-2525 or www.runpa.comSaturday, 10 a.m.: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training Info Meeting, Erie. Learn how you can help others through running. 800-482-TEAM or www.teamintraining.org/mailSaturday, noon: Run to Read Half Marathon, Fairmont, W.Va. Run through Prickett's Fort State Park on two rail trails. Chili and refreshments indoors after the race. 304-366-6055 or run2read@yahoo.comJan. 15, 6 p.m.: Team in Training Info Meeting, North Hills. 800-482-8326 or www.teamintraining.org/mail

<B>Treesdale 5K, Nov. 24: </B>Dominic Wyzomirski, 1st Overall M, 18:17; Brian Forester, 3rd Overall M, 18:46; Edith Guevara, 1st Overall W, 21:37; Emily Reinhart, 2nd Overall W, 22:46; Mark Courtney, 1st 51-55 M, 18:56; Sean Gallagher, 1st 18-25 M, 19:14; Jacob Montag, 1st 17 and under M, 19:29; Alex Mascio, 3rd 17 and under M, 20:11; Keith Spiro, 1st 34-40 M, 21:24; Matthew Marano, 2nd 18-25 M, 21:51; Mark Knapp, 3rd 46-50 M, 22:22; Bob Cunningham, 3rd 19-25 M, 22:26; Zami Salaria, 1st 31-35 M, 22:32; Jeff Yingling, 3rd 51-55 M, 23:34Danielle Mrjenovich, 1st 17 and under W, 23:53; Stacy Kopchak, 1st 41-45 W, 24:11; Shani Salaria, 2nd 31-35 W, 24:12; Kim Reinhart, 1st 46-50 W, 24:20; Gregory Reed, 1st 40-45 M, 25:21; Reuben Pink, 3rd 31-35 M, 25:25; Alan Parrish, 2nd 41-45 M, 26:24; Lauren Laughlin, 2nd 17 and under W, 27:00; Melissa Morgan, 3rd 17 and under W, 27:20; Arthur Rechtenwald, 3rd 41-45 M, 27:34; Laura Keeley, 3rd 18-25 W, 27:40; Kim Bell, 1st 31-35 W, 28:47; Jamie Matteucci, 2nd 36-40 W, 29:40; Jim Craig, 2nd 56-60 M, 30:25; Paul Wojciak, 3rd 56-40 M, 30:37; Suzanne Leonberg, 1st 51-56 W, 30:40; Lynn Dixon-Stewart, 3rd 36-40 W, 31:07Dan Miller, 2nd 56-60 M, 32:06; David Gaylord, 3rd 61 and over M, 33:09; Citrus Saxton, 2nd 46-50 W, 34:50; Marcia Semple, 1st 61 and over W, 37:02; Gretchen Pink, 2nd 26-30 W, 37:20; Melissa McCue, 3rd 46-50 W, 39:41; Diana Smith, 2nd 61 and over W, 50:33Scott Slaney, 21:16; Joe Farrell, 22:34; Kale Cimperman, 23:01; Carl Rispoli, 23:17; Bruce Barnes, 23:42; Logan Kopchak, 24:11; Alan Boyd, 24:41; Dean Rippee, 25:08; John Reed, 25:16; Sam Sedory, 25:51; Carl Hill, 26:10; Todd Oravitz, 26:13; Jeff Yannuzzi, 27:19; Megan Goehring, 27:50; Caitlin Farrell, 27:56; Connor Trott, 27:59; Sean Farrell, 28:10; Jolleen Brandt, 28:13; Rich Zabinski, 28:19; Jacob Seybert, 28:23; Larry Keeley, 28:38; Olivia Laughlin, 28:41; Mike Bauer, 28:49; Kristyna Finikiotis, 28:51Orryn Sledge, 28:52; Charles Friday, 28:54; Bob Misback, 28:54; Hal Martin, 29:00; Dan Yerace, 29:26; Ed Misback, 29:36; Kyle Craig, 30:10; Mike Corrigan, 30:20; Kristen Rezzetano, 30:33; Scott Hilger, 31:53; Nicholas Bilotto, 32:24; Taylor Boeh, 33:22; Tom Matteucci, 33:28; Abigail Sledge, 33:29; Jerry Boeh, 34:21; Molly McCue, 34:45; Jenni Loeffler, 36:57; Vicki Fender, 37:03; Don McMahill, 38:18; Val Williams, 39:46; Tori Kopchak, 40:03; Lisa Lenhart, 40:03; Claudia Lenhart, 40:03; Tom McCue, 45:21; Darlene Bartos, 48:23; Tom Bartos, 48:23; Ray Smith, 50:34Send comments and suggestions to: 435 Cherry Valley Road, Saxonburg, Pa. 16056. Phone or fax: 724-352-4395. E-mail: bigp16@connecttime.net.