Highlights of 2015

There are less than 17 days until 2016.  How crazy is that?  Has the year flown by for you?  There were plenty of highs and lows this year, but from an athletic perspective 2015 can best be summed up as the year where I finally felt like I got my mojo back.

The year kicked off with my third running of the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge at Disney World in January.

The marathon wound up being my second fastest marathon to date!  Neil and I also had a great time spending time with my family at the happiest place on earth.  After so many trips to Disney World in the last few years I think we are officially ready to travel to other places now!

Sadly a second try at the marathon distance early this year put me on the injured reserve at the end of January.

Thankfully from being diligent with physiotherapy and foam rolling I was able to get back to running before the end of February and I rolled my Phoenix marathon registration over to 2016.

In May Neil and I went to Disneyland so I could run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon (and the Pixie Dust Challenge and get my Coast to Coast medal).  I surprised myself by running my second fastest half marathon to date…the day after running a 10K!

I loved the Tinker Bell race and running through Disneyland and Anaheim, but Disneyland was not quite as fun as Disney World for us.

I also happened to turn 37…where I celebrated with a bike ride in Banff with friends (amongst other activities).

In June I travelled to Utah to run Ragnar Wasatch Back with some fellow Oiselle teammates.  Wasatch Back was incredibly challenging (hello elevation!) but incredibly beautiful.  I also loved spending the weekend with some really fantastic women who are very talented runners!

July brought my final build to one of my key races for the year, the Ironman Calgary 70.3.  I did my own training camp in Kelowna and my long ride still remains quite epic in my memory.

So much climbing!

We celebrated our fourth anniversary!

And we had to sadly say goodbye to Finlay.

At the end of July I raced the Calgary 70.3…which was fun but also a hard day.  One of these days I will learn my lesson and pace the run better!

The next weekend on a whim I raced the Chinook Olympic triathlon where I placed second in my age group and got to meet Heather Wurtele!

The next day I met my brand new nephew!!

In August I travelled to Washington for Oiselle’s #birdcamp…which was an amazing experience!

I raced my final triathlon of the year in September…the Banff Subaru Olympic triathlon.  The course was stunning, the swim was freezing, and I managed another second in my age group award!

October brought my final half marathon of the year…the Harvest Half Marathon.  With a goal to set a new personal best in my heart I raced harder than I believed I could in brutal conditions (cold, wind and snow).  Major thanks go to my phenomenal pacer and good friend Tara who helped to encourage me along the way.

And so go the major highlights for 2015.  From a racing and training perspective I’m so excited for the possibilities in 2016.  I know that Ironman St. George 70.3 and Ironman Boulder will challenge me in new ways.  I’m looking forward to doing the work that will help me to reach my goals and can’t wait to see what the year holds!

Tell me your biggest highlight of 2015?

I am linking up with MCM Mama, My No Guilt Life and Marcia’s Healthy Slice for Tuesdays on the Run.