What I learned from 2015

I know that time flies, and every Christmas we ask ourselves, how is it December already? How is a New Year already upon us?

I'll tell you how.  Go through your iPhone and delete 530 photos to free up some memory, and you will see all the moments that made the year fly.

Every year I have good intentions to better myself, and I can finally take a deep breath of satisfaction knowing that in 2015 I did just that.

Since I blog mostly about running, I am happy to say that I got back on track, after healing a broken ankle and bulging Achilles tendon. I conquered my favorite Tipp Hill Shamrock run without incident or pain.  Which lead to a hot but happy Boilermaker 15k, then to my first dusty, tricky, yet successful Old Forge Half Marathon trail run.

Since the half I took some time off from running, and after joining our local Y, focused on mixing things up.  The one rule I have for myself is that I need to do something different every time I go.  I am focusing more on strength training, and less on the machines.  It takes great effort for me to limit times on say the elliptical for only 30 minutes and challenge myself with other things. I must say I absolutely love the star climber, 20 minutes on that and I am a puddle.

After four months of this, my fat jeans are falling off me, and I had to return my Christmas presents for smaller sizes.  I have yet to get on the scale, and I don't want to.  Putting on my 2 sizes smaller skinny jeans are enough proof that I'm doing well.  The key is, to keep up the activity whenever I can. This isn't a short term thing, it's going to be for the long term.  I would like to drop ten more pounds, which I'm confident I can do.

I do have a bridesmaid dress hanging in my closet for my sister's wedding in March. I plan on trying it on a month before the big day to see how it looks.  It's in my bigger size. I'm hoping to have to pay to have alterations done, which I will happily do!

My fitness goals for 2016 are to tackle my first relay with some friends, the Seneca 7 in April.  Then hopefully my 9th Boilermaker in July, then the Wineglass Half Marathon in October.  That will also be a first, but I've head good things about it, and it's a beautiful time of year.

Family wise, we had some tricky months.  My doctor finally confirmed that I went through early menopause.  When I say early, I mean ten years early.  It took a while to figure out which hormone replacement therapy levels that work best for me.  HRT is needed to prevent heart disease, but when I'm in my 50's I should be able to stop taking them.  Now I'm learning what thinning hair and dry skin is like, but I'm happy to finally know how my body should be acting. And how I should act in response.

Mike and I had a lot of stress due to outside forces.  I won't go into details because it doesn't matter, but we finally had some resolutions to those stresses.  It's amazing how much the burdens we have carried have been lifted. I am cautiously optimistic.  I am very aware of the hardships that others in this world face, and our problems are minuscule in comparison.  But I feel like we are coming out of our difficult space, and I am thankful and grateful.

I did some soul searching career wise.  I enjoyed my time at the running store, it was an interesting place.  I was fortunate to have flexibility with my hours there,  but I was ready for something new. So I took a leap and a chance and landed a position that will give me the same schedule as the kids, with new challenges in a new environment.  After an interesting two weeks, I am taking a deep breath and am looking forward to a true fresh start on January 4.

I learned a lot about people this year.  Friendships are an interesting thing.  I am still amazed at how high school seems to have never ended.  One thing that I need to remind myself is that people are the way they are mostly because something inside them causes insecurity.  I have no one to impress other than my husband and my kids.  My true friends are my friends because they genuinely like me.  I need to focus on that, to appreciate them, and be a good friend back.

I truly feel like I appreciated every moment of 2015, and I lived every moment, good and bad.  I am thankful and grateful for it all.  I don't like to make resolutions, because that means I have something negative about myself that I need to change.  I want to focus on the most important things to me, That means to be a friend and partner to my husband, and a positive role model for my children, and to love them to pieces.

Because that's what it's all about.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!