What an amazing year!!! Farewell, 2013. I’ll look back on you fondly.
January
Slow miles and running in the cold – my first time running through the winter. When I told Josh I wanted to break 3:30 in the marathon, he told me this, which is still a mantra for me today: “Have the hopes. Aspire. But have the grit to fight for it when the time comes.”
February
Went with friends on a ski trip to Vermont…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sStXvt92ns]
And then Winter Storm NEMO. Holy bananas. Being from Syracuse, NY, I thought I knew what a winter storm was. Boy, was I wrong. Nemo was unlike anything I had ever been through upstate. The town where I live in CT, Hamden, received the most snow during the storm—a whopping 40”. Needless to say: we were stuck for days.
March
NYC Half – the first half marathon I had ever legitimately trained for…and I broke 1:40!
April
Gabe and I got out of the cold by visiting Sacramento and San Francisco.
May
May was probably the best month of the year. It started with the New Jersey Marathon, where I scored a 14-minute PR and finally qualified for the Boston Marathon alongside Robin.
Then we drove to North Carolina to watch my brother-in-law graduate with a nursing degree from UNC.
AND THEN WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!!! 🙂
June
After NJM, I made the conscious decision to not stop running/training, even though I had been toying with the idea to stop running and get back to rowing. I decided to try to PR at the Fairfield Half Marathon and dedicate the month of July to rest and recovery. Fairfield was MISERABLY HOT, but I broke 1:35!
And then I won Hamden’s first annual Road Race 5k—my first time ever placing in the top of a running race. Wahoo!
July
Summer is the best time of the year. We kicked it off by celebrating Breanna and Dan’s nuptials in my hometown of Skaneateles, NY.
Fredrick Nelson Johnson entered into my life.
And my face blew up and I hung out in Yale Hospital’s ICU.
August
I got lost in the middle of a 5k…but at least I had my friends by my side.
I found out I was accepted as an ambassador for Oiselle!
September
We had JJ’s bachelorette party in Sonoma and I finally wore my leather dress.
I got second in the Gulf Beach Half Marathon and broke the 1:30 barrier!!!!!!
And September 22, 2013 was our first anniversary. 🙂
October
We celebrated JJ and AC’s nuptials in Charleston, SC.
Ballbusters won another kickball championship to keep the 6-year winning streak alive.
And I got a new job as a Retail Marketing Manager at Vineyard Vines! 
November
I wanted to end my year of hard training and running with a bang. I had my sights set on the half at the Philly Marathon. It wasn’t the best race, but I tried my best and managed a small PR. 
While I was feeling speedy, I also won a 10k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and scored a 5-minute PR with 40:58! Woohooo.
December
Not being satisfied with my half marathon performance at Philly, I impulsively decided to run the half at the Rehoboth Beach Marathon in Delaware. I came out with a PR, third place finish, and the strong run I was looking for.
And why not just throw in another 5k PR and first ever sub-20 5k the day after Rehoboth?
It’s been an incredible year. I regained my health and fitness while making Connecticut my home after REALLY missing NYC at first. I’ve made incredible friendships while settling into a new lifestyle. I’ve kickstarted my career again. I’m a very lucky girl. Here’s to another healthy and happy 2014!
