Reflections on 2015

On the last day of the year, I’m thinking about and sharing my reflections on 2015. It’s been a year of major milestones, as documented in my post on my one year blog anniversary. Yet what’s mattered even more than the big events is how each moment helped to change my life as a whole. Being able to look back on how it happened through this blog is pretty special.

 

 

 

In January, Renaissance Runner Girl was just getting started. After a post about my resolutions for 2015, I recapped my second half marathon, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando. And the rest of the month was occupied by snow, featured in my winter running tips post and my photo diary of a snowstorm in Central Park.

 

 

 

February brought more snow, more running, and a few weightier topics. I shared my idea of cleaning out my closet, making more room and simplifying my stuff, and not buying more new stuff for a month or two. That turned into nearly a year of not buying any new (non-running-related) clothes or shoes – to date in 2015, other than running gear, all I’ve purchased is a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of hiking boots, and a tank top! I haven’t bought a ton of running stuff either, but there’s been some, as well as gifts 🙂 And then during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I shared my story, which was one of my most popular non-WIAW posts of the year.

 

 

 

 

March brought the introduction of November Project on the blog, when I started going to the workouts with a Junior League friend. At an NP workout I met fellow blogger Kaitlin who’s become a good friend, and who introduced me to the concept of a ‘blend’. I ran my third half marathon (on the anniversary of my first) at the NYC Half Marathon. Also, this was the month I introduced my baked oatmeal cake recipes to the blog.

 

 

 

 

April saw the arrival of my new self hosted website, and a post devoted to my dog Sasha. I’m pretty sure these were equally important 🙂 And there was more to come, as when April ended, so did my time in law school. May brought with it my graduation and the start of a summer of studying for the bar exam, along with some popular recipes I was coming up with in my spare time, like this Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Tea Cake and my Peanut Butter Puff-in-a-Mug.

 

 

 

 

May was also the month when I shared some more bits and bobs of my life to that point, like the time I wrote my first novel, and how I wound up going to Oxford for college. And when I started in with constant photos of summer ice cream.

 

 

 

 

June had me in run-eat-study-repeat mode, especially with all my 9+1 races and it being prime time for bar exam buckling down. There was a little deep thinking on happiness, as is wont to happen in times of stress, but I was mostly just running off both the stress and the sweets!

 

 

 

 

July saw all my thoughts bubbling to the surface on the eve of the bar and my birthday. I shared some popular running posts about being an early bird and running off the beaten path, as well as one about how the mind works because Inside Out influenced me just a bit more than it reasonably should have! I had an unexpected ankle biopsy, bounced back, celebrated my 24th birthday, took the bar exam, and was ready for all the relaxation and adventures to come.

 

 

 

 

August marked the start of those adventures, kicking off with my bar trip to England to visit friends from college in London and go hiking in the Lake District with one of my dearest friends. I also returned to Oxford on this trip for the first time since leaving three years prior, and started thinking about how I could come back sooner than another three years into the future…

 

 

 

 

September brought me to California, first to Anaheim to run the Dumbo Double Dare and then to San Diego with one of my closest law school friends. It also took me to Nashville to see another of my good friends, who I grew up with. Basically, all this travel reminded me that I have a lot of really amazing friends with whom I’m lucky to have wonderful experiences, even if I’m not able to see and talk to them every day.

 

 

 

 

In October, my life was again altered as I began my new job at a law firm in New York City, returning to “real life” while still savoring my wonderful summer moments and time to reflect, on how the blog has grown and how I’ve grown along with it. I also spent a lot of time making pumpkin everything – muffins, cookies, bread, baked oatmeal cake, pie – and showing apples a little love with some muffin and oat recipes as well.

 

 

 

 

November had me celebrating a race PR and gaining guaranteed entry to the NYC Marathon in 2016, as well as Thanksgiving at the end of the month. And December, which comes to a close today – it’s been more of a whirlwind than I could ever have predicted. My one year blog anniversary and running year in review posts summarize some of it. The amazing BGB community Secret Santa, Girls on the Run 5K experience, and further recipes help piece it together too. I can’t explain it all just now or this will become another book, but I’m leaving 2015 and heading forward into the new year knowing that a lot more is headed my way 🙂 Stay tuned in 2016!

 

 

 

 

 

What has been the biggest change in your life in 2015?

 

Has blogging become a bigger focus for you this year?

 

Name one thing you’re looking forward to in 2016!

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.