Happy (almost) New Year & 2014 in Review!!!

It has been awhile since a posted (a little over a month) which is totally crazy but life has been insane lately!  I just thought the best way to catch you all up is to do my year in review and also, let’s say HAPPY 2^nd BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG!  Can you believe I’ve been yapping and ranting for two years now?!  In other news… a 2014 recap!

Pretty much my mantra for the second half of 2014 :)

*January…I spent most of the month working on wedding-related matters and also ran the 4^th 10k in the GLRS series on a course that was literally covered in ice and snow.  After a few falls, I managed to finish the race and spent the remainder of the day wrapped in a blanket watching football and trying to warm up.

*February…I ran a 10k in 4 degree weather (no PR but still a fun, icy race) and also flew to Minneapolis for a long weekend to visit my good friend and my niece.  Of course, there was a big snowstorm while I was there.

*March...I ran my last 10k of the GLRS series and celebrated my favorite holiday, St. Patrick’s day with Ben.  I, along with a friend of mine, also pulled off an epic surprise baby shower for another friend of ours.

*April…I made the 12 hour round trip to Minneapolis area twice this month – first to celebrate my good friend Christy’s 30^th birthday (an event that was dubbed “Christymas”) and the second to celebrate my niece’s first birthday.  Long drives, but well worth the trips.

*May…I finally broke 2:30 by running the Wisconsin half in 2:27.  It was one of those “everything works out” running days…perfect weather, perfect feelings.  Amazing.  Also, Ben was in China for two weeks for work so I was kept very busy planning a big meeting at work and working out the last minute details for our wedding.  I also met, and had dinner with my teammates for Ragnar, and my best friend’s son was born and I was able to meet the adorable little guy Memorial Day weekend.

*June…this was a BIG month.  I had a huge meeting at work.  I ran my first Ragnar with a group of fabulous gals I met on the internet and had THE BEST time of my life.  

Last leg, right before last hand-off to Elizabeth!

We’re going to run it again this year and have kept in touch and been encouraging each other throughout the year.  I also turned 30 during Ragnar.  A week after Ragnar, Ben and I got married and then spent the two weeks following in Kauai and Maui.  Hawaii is AHHHmazing.  If you ever get the chance…go.  We crossed so many items off our bucket lists…helicopter tour of 100+ waterfalls, catamaran ride, booze cruises, ATV tour, visited many of the worlds’ best beaches, drank pina coladas and mai tais at as many places as we could find, saw Haleakala, snorkeled in a crater, went surfing…absolutely the best two weeks of my life.

*July…this was (thankfully) a very relaxing month, as June was so full.  I continued training for a half marathon and also ran the Big Ten 10k again in Chicago which has easily become my favorite race. 

*August…we went on a mini-vacation with our friends to a friend’s cabin which is a great way to get together with everyone and just relax and have fun.  I also ran another half marathon near the end of the month which was a rough race to be sure (97% humidity at the start of the race and a mild case of food poisoning), but I had a blast at the after party with my runner friend and Ben.  I also completed the ice bucket challenge (thanks ALLISON AND ELIZABETH)! 

(Just kidding, I had a GREAT surgeon)

*September…this was a really rough month for me.  I tore my ACL during a kickball game and found out that I needed to have reconstruction surgery and would not be able to run for at least 6 months.  I struggled with this news for a very long time.  I was very unhappy.  An upside to this month was celebrating a friend’s wedding and seeing a few of my closest friends.  

*October…I went to a GB Packer game with my dad’s side of the family and had my ACL reconstruction surgery near the end of the month.  There was a lot of pain and frustration during that time and I still try to block it out of my mind.  However, I was also featured on a local website, KeepRunningMke.com for my blog and running accomplishments.

1 wk post surgery, with a beautiful fruit bouquet from fabulous coworkers :)

*November…we celebrated Ben’s birthday and I made great strides in physical therapy.  I graduated from crutches to my cane, and finally went to walking unassisted (no crutches, cane, or brace) for the first time since September.

*December…I went to Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) for a work trip but was able to cross a few things off my bucket list in my downtime (visit to Love Park, seeing the Rocky steps, walking through Reading Terminal Market).  I spent a wonderful holiday with family and friends and enjoyed seeing my 20 month old niece as well.  A BIG thing this month was that I am finally matched with my IRun4 buddy!  His name is Hunter and he lives in Florida :)  So excited to see where this journey takes us together!

Happy New Year!