“Thank you so much for choosing me for Athlete of the Month! This year I decided to create my very own running challenge to celebrate turning 40. The goal was 4 half marathons, one for each decade. I did the DC Cherry Blossom – Double Blossom (5K + 10 miler) at the beginning of April, the Gettysburg Half Marathon at the end of April and then I was the runner on a relay team for Ironman Happy Valley 70.3 at the end of June. Hilly courses, hot weather and sickness were big factors in some of these race day performances. I was really looking forward to the last race of my year, the Wineglass Half Marathon — fall weather (my favorite), flat and fast course (thank god) and 24 hours by myself (no husband, no kid, no work – hallelujah!). Fourth time’s the charm and I crossed the finish line with a 5 minute PR, despite a head cold. I have really enjoyed working with Kristin on my training this whole year. She pushed me to try new things with my nutrition and it really made a difference. We were also focused on speedwork this past cycle to make my sub-2 hour goal a reality. Now I am pressing pause on training for a couple of months as I am running a new race called “the holiday season as a toy store owner.”