2015: Year in Review

Wow, what a year 2015 was! I know I say this about every year but each year keeps getting better and better.

On the running front, 2015 was the year of many milestones.

IMG_0320—I ran my first international marathon (and race)! I ran the Virgin Money London Marathon in April 2015 and while the race was not what I had hoped it to be, it was an incredible experience. My sentiments post-race helped me find my love for running all over again. I also fundraised over $1,800 for AgeUK for the race.

—I completed 15 races ranging from 1-mile to marathon. Last year I was excited for all the PRs and while it proved hard to beat, I managed to pull out a couple of course PRs this year.

DSC00521—I’m most excited for my running milestones this year. I just started distance running three years ago and in that time I have completed 8 marathons, 10 half marathons, and over 4,300 miles! To say I am addicted is an understatement.

—I will end this year with over 1,300 miles under my belt which tops last year’s record! 1,300+ miles for me is over 212 hours of running, almost 300+ miles further than the distance from NYC to Orlando and almost 4 times the distance from NYC to Montreal.

—In July, I officially became a Road Runners Club of America coach. I am excited for my certification and to help others achieve their running goals.

IMG_3418.JPG—This year, I also helped coach the Athletes to End Alzheimer’s NYC Marathon team. It was definitely a different and rewarding experience from the other side and I am fortunate for this experience. By assisting the team, I ran the NYC Marathon this year with a very different perspective and enjoyed every minute of it.

For as much as I love running, I love traveling just as much. I wish I could travel as much as I run but I appreciate every chance I get to run while on vacation. 2014 was certainly the year of travel and in 2015, we were still jet setting every opportunity we had.

—This year, I logged miles in every city/country we visited: St. Maarten, Pittsburgh, London, Athens, Santorini, Hartford, Block Island, Orlando (twice), Bermuda, and Montreal.

We’re fortunate to have so many opportunities to travel for ourselves, for marathons, and to travel to spend time with family and friends.

IMG_3106This year we also sold our apartment and moved from Hoboken to Stamford for my new job. This is by far one of the hardest decisions and changes we made in recent years. I still look back on the last couple of months wondering how we made all of this happen so quickly and my heart still swells thinking about our time in Hoboken. However, we’re looking forward to what 2016 brings in our new adventure in Connecticut!

Without a doubt, I am fortunate for the best friends, family, and husband a girl could have. I know all of this running, traveling, and changing jobs/moving would not be possible without everyone’s support and love and I am forever grateful.

Thank you for a wonderful 2015 and an even better 2016!

 

Sunday Snaps #6 – an overdue update

Man, I’m sorry for the delay. I can’t believe it’s been almost three weeks since I last blogged. So much has happened and so many changes to fill you in on. Instead of a brain dump which is much less exciting, here is a photo dump from my Camera Roll.

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My last day of work at Stevens. I am sure going to miss walking up to this gorgeous campus every day.

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Saying goodbye to my office was tough. It was a great second home to me. Fortunately cleaning it out wasn’t too bad, I hated keeping paper, so it was pretty easy to clear out my old things.

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Then I celebrated a birthday. Josh was at his brother, Zach’s bachelor party the weekend before, but I partied hard (or hardly partied?) by catching up with old friends and running friends (outside of running, imagine that?). I also spent the weekend hanging out with this adorable fellow too.

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The shower at our apartment had some issues, so I witnessed all the work that went into replacing the floor of a shower. I am expert tiler now. 🙂

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I was half hoping the week would move very slowly as I was dreading the day the movers came to start packing us.

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Moving day was the next day and it was surreal and bittersweet. Fortunately for moves, so much happens in such a condensed time period that you don’t have much time to be emotional. Hoboken will always be the epicenter of our lives — it’s where we attended college, started dating, got engaged, and made our home for 8 years post-college. We have so many memories in Hoboken. You can check out my #hobokenfavorites posts over 30 days on Instagram.

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I guess this new view from our balcony doesn’t hurt either. If you squint or zoom in on the picture, you can see the NYC skyline in the background. It’s ironic that it takes us moving out of Hoboken that is literally across the river from NYC and the apartment building that is right on the Hudson River waterfront to have a NYC view. I know I’ve used this line a lot lately, including my Instagram post, but I still find it amusing.

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Finally, between all of our unpacking, some exercise and running are still a necessity. After all, this is a running blog. I tried out a barre class at exhale and I am happy to report that I may be a regular there. Josh and I ran in the 45th Village of Mamaroneck Turkey Trot this morning. We have another lined up for the morning of Thanksgiving too!

And after three weeks without a formal routine and schedule, I am about to start a new one tomorrow with my first day at the new job.

More updates and regular blog posts to come!