I hope you’ve all enjoyed the holidays as much as I have so far. I’ve been relaxing with friends and family in Seattle and marveling a bit at how quickly my hometown is booming and changing (but more on that in another post!). I’ve also been taking advantage of the fitness room in my parents’ building and thinking about my running goals for 2016.  But before I get too ahead of myself, I want to take a look back at my year of running in 2015 (here’s a look at 2013 and 2014). This past year of running wasn’t as spectacular as in 2014 — I didn’t break any records and I found myself having to step back a bit from pushing so hard in order to be able to have enough energy to focus on other things.  But those are both important lessons and running still proved itself to be at the core of my life…

Best race experience?  I ran two big races in 2015 — the Berlin and Bremen Half Marathons — and they were both challenging in their own way.  Bremen hurt every step of the way. But the Berlin Half Marathon was remarkable in that I ran it completely without a watch and without any sort of time pressure.  That didn’t mean that I took it easy — instead I chose to listen my body rather than to the pace on my watch.

Best run?  Pretty much any of my evening runs over the summer can be counted as my favorites.  Long evenings and warm weather make the perfect combination in my book.

Best new piece of gear? After years of running in the same cold weather gear, I finally stepped up my winter running game and outfitted myself with two new jackets, a long-sleeve shirt, pants, hat and some other odds and ends. Yahoo!

Best piece of running advice you received?  Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. Sometimes its just about the love of running.

Most inspirational runner? I cheered on a friend running the Berlin Marathon this year and pretty much every single runner there inspired me to keep giving it my all — which relates to my running goals for 2016 (see below).

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?  One foot in front of the other.

I didn’t reach my sub-2:00 half marathon goal this year for lots of different reasons, but I still think I’m mentally a tougher runner than I was when the year began.  For now I’m setting that goal aside and reaching for a different goal in 2016 —  my first marathon.  Quite honestly, I find the idea of training for a marathon terrifying because my first attempt at training for one 11 years ago sent me to physical therapy for three months.  But I’m a strong proponent of doing things that stretch your boundaries, and I have to believe that I’m a different and smarter runner than I was back then and I can’t resist giving it another shot — so I’ve got my eyes set on the Hamburg Marathon in April.  Cross your fingers for me!

What was your favorite run this year?  Do you have running plans for 2016?