2015: Year in Review

There are officially 2 days until 2016. 363 days have passed since 2015 started. 8,712 hours of life since Jan 1, 2015. Here’s my year in review in stats:

As of December 30, 2015…

I’ve run 1,043 miles, posted 259 blog entries (52 of which were recipes), run 10 races, and coached 7 clients.

Of my 10 races, I ran one 20-miler, one marathon, two relays, two half marathons, a 5-miler, and three 5Ks. Half of my races this year were PRs — three were true PRs meaning I had previously raced them. I was injured twice.

I had an amazing experience training for my first marathon, and an unforgettable (albeit painful) first race. After months and months of training through our brutally cold and snowy winter, it was a crushing blow to have such an awful first marathon. I was down (but not out!) for several weeks. But when I came back, I was back with a vengeance. I bounced back with strength, determination, and resolve. I would go on to run several more races and PR 3 of them.

Wanting to die. In so much pain. But somehow still smiling!
I would go on to IR for several weeks and to lose a toenail.

In March, I became an RRCA certified running coach. Since then, I’ve successfully coached 7 runners to achieve their goals — some started from zero miles, successfully completed a couch-to-5K style program, and are now working toward a half marathon goal. Others came back from injury to reach double digit mileage they hadn’t seen in a while. And others still wanted to improve their race times — and did with huge PRs in everything from the 5K to the half marathon.

I began working with a running coach for the first time myself and have reaped unimaginable benefits. I PRed almost every single race for the rest of 2015 with the help of my coach. I’ve seen surprising potential in myself that makes me grateful for guidance and encourages me to look forward to 2016. I will never again underestimate the benefit of a running coach.

PR, baby!

August was the craziest of months for me. I was training for the Rock Hall Half Marathon and we also sold our house. We moved in two days before the race, and four days before my son started kindergarten in a new school district. Talk about stressful. It’s all been worth it, though. I look forward to training for a stress-free Rock Hall Half in 2016.

Rock Hall Half crew! I met some of these people for the first time and I now consider them friends!

Toward the end of 2015, I began working toward a diploma in Sports Nutrition. I completed coursework and aced my exam (94%!). My diploma now hangs proudly on my office wall.

LIKE A BOSS!

So much more has happened over the course of 2015 that I truly can’t begin to catalogue every single life-changing moment. But great news. There’s a blog full of these posts if you’re truly interested in them. It’s really fun to go back and see how life has changed and evolved. Of note: I ran an amazing half marathon relay back in June with my girls Julie and Eugenia. We had a blast! In November, my new friend Bryan and his father came out to show solidarity for the Track Friday movement. My husband ran two 5Ks with me and has since hinted that I have the go-ahead to write him a training plan to improve his speed (yeehaw!!).

I had the opportunity to meet some incredible people over the course of 2015. I created and shared memories and stories of a lifetime. Despite my two injuries, I had a pretty stellar year of running and building relationships. I had the amazing opportunity to work with Lake Health Running Series. I’ve run races that I never would have otherwise and have been amazed at the fantastic courses, races, and tight-knit running community I’ve been welcomed into.

2015 has been good to me. It’s been a wild ride but a truly inspiring journey. Shout out and much love to everyone who made it amazing and memorable! Thank you.