It is January 2, 2020. I wasn’t exactly looking to rid myself of the old year. 2019 was one of the better years of my recent history. It wasn’t spectacular, but I was blessed. I’m certain that recommitting to Christianity has much to do with it.
There were no major conflicts in my family. My oldest daughter matured quite a bit over the last few months and even has her own living space and job. I found a part time job at my kids’ school. I continued running and started doing Crossfit. I’ve lost a bunch of fat and gained muscle and confidence. I’ve also made new friends along the way. Not bad.
This year, I did things that I didn’t imagine I’d do. Lifting was not something I thought I’d do. I finished off the year getting personal bests on my back squat and dead lift by 20 pounds each. I completed the running streak from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. I ran at least one mile [or more] every day each of those days even when I didn’t want to or had to adjust something in my schedule to make it work. I’m continuing the streak until my birthday on Sunday. This will make 39 runs in a row on my 39th birthday. Kinda neat, right? I ran an international half marathon, visiting Detroit and Canada for the first time in my life.
On deck for 2020? So far, I’m running the Christie Clinic Illinois half marathon in April. I have a friend pushing me to “tri” by doing my first triathlon. I want to run the Mo Cowbell on October 4th and try to get a new personal best time there. I’m hoping to go on a big vacation with my husband, but that’s not planned yet. Other than that, I just want to keep on track with my nutrition and fitness so I can have a healthy amount of body fat and perform at my best.
Did you celebrate the exit of 2019 because it was a bad year? What are your plans for this year? Thanks for reading! I will begin half marathon training again soon, so I’m sure the weather will create some interesting stories.

Lots of running every day. Just a peek.
I’m very proud of you Jenny. You have worked really hard to get to this point. I love the 39 runs and turning 39 ! That’s great !