2013 was a very special year for me. I ran a lot of miles. I found a new passion for weight lifting. I cooked a lot of food. I spent the spring in my veggie garden. I hit the slopes in the winter. I traveled to some pretty amazing places. I read some awesome books.Â
These are some of my top highlights, saving the best for last.Â
I started 2013 off running…
Of course, doing my traditional New Years Eve night run and New Years Day morning run – striking a yoga pose in between.
I am a runner, so of course I spent the rest of the year running…
On my runs, I captured some breath taking views…
January, February, and March is what I call my running off season, because I am not following a disciplined training plan. This time off from training for races gives me the opportunity to focus on other forms of exercise and nutrition. In 2013, Â I spent this time getting very serious about weight lifting. I did the Livefit trainer, which I still basically follow. I learned about clean eating, supplements such as BCAAS. I learned about supersets, active rest periods, circuit training, lifting heavy, and HIIT. I also bought a heart rate monitor that took my training to the next level. All of this helped made me a faster stronger runner.
In February, I Â hit the slopes.
April was a busy fun month for me.
I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler finishing in 1:24:33.
I ran the Parkway Classic 10 miler finishing in 1:24:16.
I ran the Nike Women’s Half Marathon, finishing in 1:57:03.
The weekend of April that I didn’t run a race was the weekend of the Boston Marathon. The tragedy that happened there touched me, the running community, and the world. Boston Strong always and forever.
In 2013, IÂ traveled.
I went to Miami for the first time.
I went to Vegas for the first time.
I went to Martha’s Vineyard.
I joined the Under Armour What’s Beautiful community, which inspired me, everyday. What I love most was all the yoga challenges.
In July, I started training for the Marine Corps Marathon. It was intense, but I loved it.
On October 27th, 2013, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon finishing  at 4:19:26 – new PR . This was by far my favorite race of the year!
Although, running my marathon comes in a close second nothing can top what happened on August 29th, in Martha’s Vineyard.
I got engaged.Â
Looking back on 2013 makes me smile. It was a fabulous year in which I challenged myself physically, emotionally, and mentally.  However, thinking of all of the amazing things planned for 2014 makes me smile even bigger. I am excited to start this year, the next chapter.
Thank you for all your love and support.
Bring on 2014!
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