As the year comes to a close I am looking back at all of the things that have happened, many of which were extremely exciting! As the months passed by the year seemed to get better and better.
January was a rough month because I was still finishing up my last internship for graduate school and I was starting to run again after an achilles injury. At the time things were stressful and overwhelming but I was working toward an end goal so I kept that in mind. I was hoping for snow and we didn’t get snow. I was sad that Christmas was over and I began anxiously waiting for Christmas to come again. It did finally snow, eventually, just for one day and then it melted away. Then, on the last day of January I finally finished my last internship!
February started with me signing up for my last graduate course. I was starting to see the light at the end of the graduate school tunnel. I was working on my thesis. I thought I was done working on my thesis but that magical end date was still months away. I went snow shoeing. I made salsa. I snuggled the cats. I ran.
In March I was going crazy studying for a major oral exam for graduate school. I was so nervous and very stressed because passing this exam was a requirement to graduate. The night before my exam it was postponed and then I got sick, probably from stress. In the end I took the exam with a fever and passed. The year immediately got less stressful. Shortly after the exam and being sick I ran my first 5k of the year. It was mostly uphill and not an ideal 5k to run after being injured. It was humbling and frustrating but a good starting point of the year.
Right after the race I went to Las Vegas and stayed with my friend Jessica for a few days while Phil was at a work conference. During the trip we tried to run the course we’d be running in an upcoming 1/2 marathon but we started in the wrong place. It was a classic adventure.
In April I went back to Las Vegas to run the 1/2 marathon stride for stride and side by side with my friend. I was also extremely motivated to finish my thesis, which still would’t be done for several months.
In May I made pinatas for the town Cinco De Mayo block party. We also got our passports in the mail because in June Phil planned a trip to Europe! Lyndsey and Josh came to visit and we did some trail running. Then they left and we were sad, especially Junior because he really likes Lyndsey.
In June Phil and I ran Ragnar with our running friends. It was hilly and the weather fluctuated from one extreme to another. At the last possible moment I decided I wanted to go to my graduation so we booked a flight to California. I barely made it to my graduation because of a delayed flight and traffic but I arrived with 5 minutes to spare. Even though I was physically at the graduation I still wasn’t done my thesis. At this point I didn’t care because I was going to Europe and I’d deal with my thesis after that!
In Europe we explored Scotland, England, and Paris. We drank lots of coffee and walked everywhere. We saw the Eiffel tower and Big Ben.
In July Hollie was in Colorado so I was able to see her and have a joint birthday celebration with nachos and french fries and coffee in Frisco! Phil and I also hiked Mount Sopris with our friends.
In August I was over the summer and I wanted the fall to arrive ASAP! I ran some races and spent time [still] working on my never ending thesis.
In September I coached middle school cross-country, which was a challenging experience for more reasons than I can count and none of them had anything to do with my coaching ability. At the end of September I FINALLY finished my thesis and attempted to have it printed. The print shop was closed for several weeks. At the end of their automatic email response they wished me a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. That was my cue to begin celebrating Christmas!
In October my diploma arrived and we bought a house! The rest of October was spent demolishing our new house and buying new appliances and cabinets to rebuild the house.
November was filled with house projects and moving.
The first half of December was consumed with doing as much work on the house as we possibly could so that the second half of December could be spent in New Jersey.
At the beginning of 2017 I set six personal goals and accomplished five of them. The first was to graduate, the second was to finish my thesis, the third was to run another marathon, the fourth was to hike Mount Sopris, the fifth was to learn how to snow shoe, and the sixth goal was to enroll in a coffee subscription. I was in the process of training for a marathon when we bought our house and I opted not to sign up for one, so that goal was not met…next year. I have a history of running marathons undertrained and not enjoying them. I am choosing not to look at this as a failure but as wise choice.
And now, I plan to spend the next few days setting goals for 2019.
The Road Less Run 
I’m glad we got to see each other twice this year! I can’t wait to see how 2019 goes for you, now that you’re done with your thesis! You accomplished almost everything last year, with all of that stuff you had going on. :O
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