It has been one HELL of a year! Between struggles and successes, I’ve had my share of everything. I really like to take time to look back at the good, the bad and everything in between as I gear up to start another year. So far 2016 looks grand, but we know how that goes right!? Life is a wild ride sometimes and all we can really do is HOLD ON tight! So here it is, my 15 AWESOME MOMENTS OF 2015.
15. Moving out and moving on. I’m not going to elaborate much about this one. To put things simply, I needed to find something. I had some learning and growing to do. Somehow, I put my big girl pants on and did it. Adulting sucks, don’t ever grow up kids. I did, and I regret it. Anyway, here I am, in my own little apartment with my roommate (9 year old girl) Hailey. and you know what? I like it… I’m happy.
14. Got ANOTHER job. Yes another. While working is a drag, I’m so thankful that I have enough jobs to make it work. This one is in the footwear department, so I get to sell running shoes and talk about running, AND I GET PAID FOR IT!! I’d say that’s pretty awesome!
13. Changed up my training. In January this year I started MAF training which is basically a low heart rate training. All of my training runs were done at a HR average of 147. I did my absolute best to keep my HR below that number throughout my runs, and by golly I saw improvements quickly! Training is tricky sometimes, but this is one change that I really found valuable.
12. Watched Hailey Qualify for State at her first meet of the season. Turns out, my daughter Hailey is quite the gymnast. She started gymnastics when she was only 4 years old at the local YMCA. After a few years of that, we decided to get more serious, as serious as you can get with a 6 and a half year old gymnast. Anyways, we started at CSA and she’ has quickly grown into a champion!! Her first meet for the 2015 season was such a success that she qualified for state with a 37.475 and won 1st place all around for her age group! It’s amazing to see the all of the hard work she puts into it, doesn’t go unnoticed. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and I cannot wait to see the athlete she grows into!
11. I became a Hammer Athlete. Technically I became a Hammer Athlete in 2014 but my official season was 2015 and what a season it was. There were times when I was fighting injuries and illness that I felt like a terrible athlete, but I’ve loved every moment of being with this company. I love that I can represent a company that supports and fuels so many athletes!
10. I was in a magazine! More than once! This was probably one of my most exciting moments! Luckily, I did well in a few races and Hammer decided to use my photos and race reports for a couple marketing pieces. I was featured in an advertisement of TRAIL RUNNER MAGAZINE, Ultra Running Magazine and had a few features in two issues of Endurance News Magazines. You could also find my face on a few Hammer Postcards and Emails! Oh and Instagram, I was there too! It was pretty exciting!
09. I bought a bike. For years and years I’ve been saying that I was going to save money and get a bike. Years have gone by and I never got that bike until now. The weekend of my birthday, A and I were hanging out on the couch browsing on craigslist when finally, I found my bike. That same day I got in contact with the seller and that weekend I brought home a beautiful blue bike! I didn’t get a ton of time on it this summer but, the fact that I FREAKIN’ HAVE A BIKE…. well that makes me all sorts of happy!
08. I exercised with Hailey. I’ll admit, this took a lot of begging, pleading and well dragging that girl out of bed but we finally got a few ride ‘n runs in. Hailey and I spent some summer mornings on the bike route. She would bike and I would run along side her. One of my favorite moments doing our ride ‘n runs ended in the rain. Hailey and I planned to go to a park that was around 5 miles out and 5 miles back. There was a storm coming in, but I thought we would be able to get back before it hit. Unfortunatly, we couldn’t, and got caught in a down pour. The last 1.5 miles we were poured on, but it was ok. I ran, she biked and we both giggled like school girls as we made our way home. I loved everything about that ride ‘n run and wouldn’t change it for the world !
07. I was a part of some pretty great projects. I’ve been working witha commercial photographer in Beloit and we’ve gotten to work on some pretty great projects. Two projects are definitely larger than life. Even though these projects I only had a hand in, it’s amazing to see some of our work displayed so beautifully. One project was large colorized murals. The murals were created from historical photography and colorized by me in Photoshop. Jim then made some adjustments and printed them. I was able to help a little with installation! What an amazing experience.
06. I fell in love with the kitchen. I’m really not sure why this took so long. I guess maybe I was always interested in cooking but it wasn’t until I was officially on my own that I found another passion. I love cooking for my family and making things that taste good! There is nothing more rewarding to filling tummies with good tasty food.
05. I got a tattoo. I honestly thought I’d never get another one. In fact, I don’t even really like tattoos that much. I started thinking about this one in early April and the planning began. I thought, planned, throught some more, for months and months… Finally, I did it. I got a tattoo and guess what!? I freakin’ LOVE it so much! its so refreshing to have a tattoo I love so much!
04. I learned to enjoy every sunset. In 2015 my life completely changed. It was like an awakening. I made it a ritual to watch sunsets with my family. I enjoyed the peaceful end to each day with my people by my side. Unfortunately it’s difficult to do with sunset falling early in the winter, but my summer nights were filled with amazing sunsets. It has truly taught me to OPEN my eyes and actually SEE the beauty this world has to offer.
03. I failed, fell and got back up. Thinking back to the first few months of the year, things were HARD. I moved, I needed to work more, and training was on the back burner. I came down with a stubborn sinus infection that held on for months. By early spring I started having issues with my hip and struggled through my first 50 miler for the year. I had to pass up Kettle 100 for the 2nd year and felt defeated. By summer I was able to refocus and trained for my next races. I still struggled by going out too hard for a half marathon and then a marathon. Finally, my last two races I managed to get pacing under control. I was able to finish those races strong. After a hard year, I learned a lot about myself and my training.
02. I was accepted to run the BOSTON MARATHON! I qualified for the Boston Marathon in September of 2014. Waiting to submit my time to see if I could get in seemed to take FOREVER and a day, but finally I got that awesome email saying that I had been accepted and was officially invited to run the Boston Marathon in 2016. I’m really looking forward to April 2016!
01. I found what I was looking for. I’m such a hopeless romantic, forgive me, I just can’t help myself. I found a person who gets me, accepts me and respects me for everything that I am and everything that I will be. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. 