2015 in Review: Silver Linings

Another year down! Another rotation around the sun. We did it! But before you turn the page on a new year, let's spend some time thinking about what the year 2015 brought...

For me, this year marked a major change in the way I approached running. If 2014 was about going longer, 2015 was all about going faster. I learned the difference between running and racing. I actually won some stuff. Trust me, no one was more surprised than I. But as the Universe is so keen to do, it quickly reminded me that pride comes before the fall. A few swift kicks in the booty tempered my enthusiasm and kept my feet firmly planted on the ground (literally).

Yeah, I think we all know what I'm talking about.

(I can't look at that cow picture without cracking up)

Stupid, stupid, stupid fence

The arms definitely had a rough year.

I seemed to spend a lot of time photographing body parts from my view on the couch, stretcher or hospital room.

"Arm" day 2015

The lovely St. George ER

Heat to the left of me, ice to the right...must be marathon week.

Frankenfoot

I mean, what's running without a few extra bills to pay?

It wasn't all bad.

I saw some glorious sunrises.

The loop in Red Rock

I ran beautiful trails.

Wisconsin

I met some great people. New friends, old friends; our little tribe grew as the year went on.

Random highlight: Matthew, the janitor at the high school where we run track, let me ride on the back of his cart on his way to the field.

I felt like Homecoming Queen.

I scored the best key chain ever after all the bullsh*t in St. George. I mean, how many people do you know that have an ovary next to their car keys? It's quite the conversation starter. It makes me feel like an ova-achiever.

(thank you Tanya and your fantastic sense of humor).

In the summer, I won 3rd overall, my age group, and a moon rock. I felt like a Sith lord.

My son, however, thought I looked more like a Brazilian wandering spider.

But overall, it was fun. As bipolar as this year was ("We're up! And now we are down...UP AGAIN!"), I wouldn't change a minute of it. I ran in the dark, in the cold, in the heat, and the rain. I ran when I was happy, I ran when I was sad. I ran when I didn't want to run anymore, mainly because I still had to get to my car. Sometimes I cried.  I ran uphill, downhill, and around high school boys at gym class. I ran 2.5 marathons, 2 halfs, 2 5Ks, and 1 10K. Happily, I PR'd in all distances. I ran 1475 miles, dropped 2 dress sizes, and went through eight pairs of shoes. I learned that silver linings are rarely obvious but almost always present. I learned to look harder.

I got a little closer to answering the question, "WHY do you run?" It's taken almost four years to get to this point, but I think I can say: because of how it makes me feel. It's not about fitting into jeans (though that is helpful) or getting to a certain weight. It's not about medals (which are nice and shiny, yes) or podium finishes. For me, running is about getting out of the monotony of daily life and breathing air into my lungs and feeling alive in a world that moves too fast with too many distractions. Even with bruised arms and co-pays and comparisons to poisonous South American arachnids, running is the simplest route to happiness. Just the simple act of putting on my running shoes is like a positive jolt of endorphin to the old cerebellum.

I'm VERY excited for next year.

The only goal: BQ. That's it. Clean and simple.

Cheers to many more miles, friends. Hope the year ahead is a great one for you. Thanks for reading. Have a safe new year!

-- KSB

Always best to the end the year with a little Pre