A Yearly Recap – 2016

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Thanks for reading this little blog and following along with my adventures.

2016 was a good year for our family. We traveled a little, explored Alaska, and enjoyed our time together as a family.

Cullen and I spent most of June in Minnesota to visit family and so I could run Grandma’s Marathon. Then we all went back to Minnesota in August for my sister’s wedding. (Which is where this picture is from.)

Running had some big highs and a big low this year. The high is that I was in the best shape of my life this spring and early summer. I hit 95 miles in April, a PR in the 5K, and a sub-1:25 half-marathon in May. If you have been following along, you know my big, dream goal is to run a sub-3 hour marathon. After a nearly flawless build-up last winter and into the spring for the marathon, I was confident I would run a sub-3 hour marathon at Grandma’s Marathon. Unfortunately, the race didn’t go the way I had anticipated as the weather was too hot. I did my best, but I could only manage a 3:12 finish time. (You can read a full recap here.) I spent the next 6 months with a hip injury that I am still recovering from and trying to decide if surgery is necessary. I don’t know what my running plans are for 2017, but I’ll be sharing everything here, so keep following along.

Craig kept busy with work and enjoyed going caribou hunting a couple of times. We had friends visit us from Australia, so he had fun playing tour guide and showing them around. He is my biggest fan when it comes to running, so I appreciate all of his love and support–and willingness to watch Cullen whenever I need to train.

Cullen has been so fun this year as he has learned to walk and talk with several words put together. He kind of, sort of started sleeping through the night at 18 months, but I’m still up with him a few times a week. It isn’t fun, but it isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be. These days Cullen loves to help me in the kitchen, go for car rides, and be outside. We definitely have some “terrible two” behavior going on–mostly in the form of him wanting to do everything himself (and cries if I try to help him) and only certain people (usually mom) can do things for him (read a book, cut his pineapple, etc.), but I just remind myself he is learning to become an independent person and is trying to figure out his emotions. I still can’t believe how much love you can have for your child, and I will do almost anything to make him laugh and smile (i.e. dance around like a crazy person, make the silliest noises, and sing off-key).

As with anyone, we feel optimistic as we move into 2017. We don’t know what the future holds, but there will be highs and lows, which is all a part of life. I am looking forward to running as much as I can and doing better to live in the moment and not stress about the little things.

I hope your Christmas weekend is filled with a lot of family time, good food, and a reminder what’s important in life.