2015 was a great year for me. I landed my dream job, got to meet the most inspiring people, ran my fastest mile, 8K and half marathon to date and I did it smiling the entire way.

In March, I started working at High Road where I do what I love. I wrote a post about it on the High Road blog here.  In 2015, I pushed myself in my career, outside of my comfort zone and in my running. I promised myself it would be the year of my PR’s and it was. I ran the Harry Rosen 8K in 40:37 and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon in 1:52:34 and my fastest mile in 6:43. I became both physically and mentally stronger in 2015.

In April, I ran one of my most emotional races yet. I got a new PR and placed 11th in my age category at the Harry Rosen 8K. I dedicated this race to my friend Fields who unfortunately passed away in October 2014. I could hear his mantras in my head during the race. “Keep going! You’re almost there! Stay strong!” I haven’t PR’d this race in 4 years and it felt so good to kill the hill with my friend on my mind.

In June, I met Sarah Reinertsen – hands down, one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. I was lucky enough to sit down and have brunch with Sarah and learn about how she made sports history in one of the toughest endurance events in the world — the Hawaii Ironman. Sarah is the first woman to finish an Ironman on a prosthetic leg. A year later, she raced around the world on “The Amazing Race,” the Emmy-award-winning CBS reality TV series. She is incredible, motivating and I feel so lucky to have spent time getting to know her.

In October, I ran my strongest race to date. 1:52:34 is my new half marathon PR and I did it at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I have never felt like I was seriously crushing 13.1 miles before. I placed 217 out of 1,208 in my age category and 2,663 out of 10,121 overall. This little 4’9″ runner killed it.

In November, I ran The Holly Jolly Fun Run and actually ran for fun. For the first time ever, I ran a race without my Garmin or any other tracking device (except of course the chipped bib). It was so much fun to throw on a costume and run the Santa Clause parade route right before the parade kicked off.

In December, I rested, recovered and enjoyed family and friends. As important as it is to workout, it’s just as important to recharge for the upcoming training year. It’s what I like to call my bulking season and it’s filled with candy, treats, drinks and friends.