Happy New Year! Yes, 2015 has come and gone and I almost forgot to look back at last year and be grateful for all I accomplished.

2015 was another good year for running. While I didn’t run as many miles or half marathons as 2014, I did accomplish all of my goals!

Goal #1: to run 2015 km in 2015. This comes out to 1,252 miles. My total? 1,253+ miles in 2015. Confession: I didn’t keep track of my miles as I typically do since this was a last minute goal, but I did capture at least 1,253 miles so I know I accomplished it.

Goal #2: to run at least two half marathons. I ran only two half marathons this year (compared to four in 2014), but that was my goal. AND I PR’d as well. In May I ran the Cleveland Half Marathon and in August I ran the Cleveland Inaugural Rock Hall Half Marathon.

my awkward race photo from the Cleveland half

Goal #3: to PR in a half marathon and get a sub-25 5k. I did this! I PRd in both half marathons this year- first with the Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon (1:57:05) and then again in August with the Rock Hall Half (1:55:09). AND I got my first sub-25 5k, running the Westside Catholic Center 5k in 24:46. It wasn’t a chip-timed event, so I’m not 1000% sure of my time, but I assume this means I just ran it a little faster (I started a few seconds after it actually started, too).

Cleveland Half Race time

Post my 5k sub-25 with my friend Cuoghi – we are suuuuper sweaty. It was 75+ and super humid

Some other highlights from the year?

I was a Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ambassador! In 2015, I was lucky enough to represent my Cleveland race – I was selected as an ambassador for the 2015 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. I ran the half marathon AND got the PR I hoped for, thanks to the serious (well, somewhat serious) training program that I followed, which included my least favorite activity – speed work! But it worked – I cut 1 minute and 30 seconds off my time from the 2014 race.

Me and some of my fellow ambassadors the night before the race – we clean up good!

I ran my first relay! I tend to play it safe when running. I am shy about my accomplishments and it has taken me a while to run with people. I know I’m not fast and I prefer to run for enjoyment – not competition. That being said, when a few of my fellow Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ambassadors signed up for the Akron Marathon Relay in September this year, I convinced myself that I needed to sign up and get over my fear of relays. I had so much fun running! As you may have read in my race recap, my relay team members were SO supportive and even though I was somewhat sick during the race, I managed to run faster than I ever had expected.

pre-relay with some of the other ambassadors

post race!

our time – i was leg 2

I was chosen to be a Cleveland Marathon Ambassador for 2016! I’m so excited to be running the Cleveland race again in 2016 and sharing my experiences with you yet again. I’ve yet to sign up for the race(s) I’ll be doing, but this year’s event features a challenge series, where runners can participate in events on Saturday AND Sunday. Which I plan to do – stay tuned!

I ended another year INJURY FREE.  This is so important. Yes, I’ve had some shin pain on and off and my heel bothers me if I don’t massage it with a golf ball nearly every day, but NO STRESS FRACTURES again this year. I will be thankful each and every year that this is the case. Do I need to ice and wear compression socks more than I do? Yes. Do I need to stretch and cross train more? Probably. BUT I’m boot free for 3 years in a row now 🙂

To read more about my running this year, check out ALL my running-related posts.

Some questions for you:

• What’s something you’re proud of that you accomplished this year? (doesn’t have to be running focused)
• Did anyone else meet a running goal, or 2, this year?
• Eep! No running goals for this year yet … what should I attempt to do in 2016? 🙂