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!

 

Christmas in Montreal

img_4386Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season so far! We celebrated our Christmas in Montreal with my family. We arrived on Thursday, Christmas Eve and spent the next day four days relaxing and enjoying the gorgeous city.

We spent a lot of time walking around, enjoying the holiday sights, a Christmas Day movie (Daddy’s Home is hilarious no matter what the NY Times review says) and Chinese food in Chinatown, celebrating Boxing Day, hiking Mount Royal, a couple of short runs, and touring the Underground City, and Old Montreal. Montreal is very easy to get to especially from New York either by car or plane (less than an hour flight) that I have a feeling we will be back very soon.

What better way to recap the trip than through pictures? Though these are just the iPhone ones.

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We ate some really good food while away, including dinner in Chinatown on Christmas day, dim sum, Italian and French cuisines, and this ginormous salad from Mandy’s.

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Running is one of the best ways to see a city and on my first run in Montreal, I ran from downtown Montreal to Chinatown and Old Montreal and back.

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The next day was Boxing Day so the streets were a lot more crowded, but I was able to capture some of craziness with the lines of people waiting for H&M to open.

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We even got to sit on some interactive, illuminated seesaws called Impulse. Impulse is a public art display located right outside of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

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We took a tour of the Underground City which I highly recommend especially if the day you’re supposed to go is snowing and cold out. And we hiked to the top of Mount Royal to see some amazing views of the city.

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While a short trip, we had a great time in Montreal and are looking forward to returning, maybe when the weather is warmer (there’s going to be over 2 feet of snow there today!).

Now it’s time to get ready for New Year!