Category Archives: Athens

2015: Year in Review

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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!

 

Friday Favorites #8 – London and Athens edition

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I’m feeling a little better about the marathon and already started thinking about what I would do differently for the next training cycle (more to come on this in a later post), though I don’t know when that will be yet. I guess it also helps being in London and Athens over the last couple of days to help take my mind off of it.

With that said, here are some of my favorites since we last caught up –

IMG_2931Rehab for the London Marathon – thank you to everyone who read my blog, read my text messages, and listened to me hash out my disappointment in the race. I needed that, so thank you. Here some good reads that also made me feel better about the race – 34 Crazy Guinness World Records Set At The London Marathon (I saw some of these runners on the course. Maybe I should have tried to set a crazy record than racing.) and NYC Running Mama’s post on Women’s Running. Also, at the Acropolis Museum, we saw the Breal Cup awarded to Spyros Louis at the first marathon race in the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896. Pretty darn cool!

IMG_2919London sights – we took the extra couple of days after the marathon to do some sightseeing in London. We did everything we didn’t do last time we were in town – tea and cake with friends, Chinese food in Chinatown, The British Museum, eating fish and chips, and going on the London Eye.

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IMG_2936Greek salads – I’m eating my way through London and Athens, but one of my favorite dishes so far is the Greek salad. I love them at home and I love them even more in Greece. You can’t go wrong with fresh vegetables and feta cheese. I think I’m eating my weight in feta cheese.

IMG_2942Milk Bar gelato – I’m sad to leave Athens because of this place. Milk Bar is located on a side street in the Plaka district of Athens near the Acropolis. Ever since Croatia, I cannot pass up gelato while on vacation and I’m so glad we stumbled upon Milk Bar on our first night in Athens. Their gelato is incredible and I love the woman who works in the shop. She is the absolute sweetest and so hospitable. I am sad to not be able to go back every night and am convinced she should open a location at home.

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IMG_2969Lots of walking recovery – I’m enjoying this not worrying about running while on vacation thing. I am also glad that my post-marathon soreness is starting to subside a little which makes walking up and down stairs so much easier. My recovery plan calls for a couple of days of cross training this week which is a little tough to do while away (I wasn’t as specific about needing a hotel with a gym in it this time) but I am making up for it in a lot of walking and my morning yoga routine (I might have Brett Larkin’s YouTube video memorized by now). We walked all around London and in Athens, we followed a 4.5 mile walking tour of the Acropolis and ancient Athens.

Have a great weekend everyone! We’re off to Santorini!

Recent marathon finishers – What are your recovery plans? Anything you would do differently during your next training cycle?