Murphy's Laws and Motivation

So I a was patrolling Pinterest the other day I came across this gem:

This nifty little diagram pretty much sums up every run I have been on in some way, shape, or form. And lately because of the unfortunate circumstances that have been happening on my runs I have just been giving up mid run and walking home or deciding that I my time would be better spent not hitting the pavement in the first place (the latter is what usually happens). And then tell myself that the next day will be better and I will get all my miles/time on feet in. And the cycle continues.

But when training for a marathon one cannot get in the habit of pushing off training. Every day/ mile counts. Missing a day or two every so often will not prohibit you from reaching your goal. But constantly disregarding the time and miles you are supposed to put in could be detrimental to your ability to cross the finish line.

But I have found a way to keep on track...I have created a calendar of local 5Ks, 10Ks, and 13.1s to participate in during my training. They are strategically placed in my training scheduled based on how long they should take me. For example, I signed up for the Sand Creek Half Marathon.The day this half marathon falls on is a day that I have a 2 hour and 30 min run planned. While I am hoping it will not take me 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete (I am shooting to beat my previous time), I am taking this event as a training run, but this way I know I have to keep training in order to run 13.1 miles. For the next 34 days I HAVE to be diligent in my training. No excuses. Bring it on!!

This past weekend I found a new passion: trail running. For years I thought people who ran trails were CRAZY. Why would you want to run uphill and then proceed to run down. Don’t get me wrong I am all for hill intervals and I would actually prefer to run a course that contains hills, but for the life of me I could not fathom running up a mountain, laden with rocks, fallen trees, and the occasional stream. But those stereotypes all changed this weekend when I participated in the SALOMON Run the Rockies 5K trail race. The trail overlooked Lake Dillon and the town of Frisco and views from the top were gorgeous. The sky was crystal clear without a cloud in sight, definitely a Colorado Bluebird day, letting you see for miles. I wish I would have had my camera with me so that I could share a photo, or have been able to stop and take in the view but I was a little preoccupied with trying not to tumble down the trail and making sure my breathing was steady.

I didn’t run my fastest pace (although it was faster than I was anticipating) and the field was small, but I am taking pride in finishing 18th overall,  8th in my gender and 5th in my AG (I will take small wins where I can get them)!

Mom and me @ the start

Coming across the finish line

About to die or hurl...

Yay Mommy!

Dad and Dale enjoying our post race beers

At least I won in the raffle!

This past week one of my mother's co-workers brought in some strawberries from her garden (thank you!). They were incredibly tiny but they had to be some of the sweetest strawberries I have ever had. They were like heaven in your mouth. Their original intention was to be used to make strawberry-rhubarb jam, but my mother never got around to that (rhubarb was too expensive at the grocery store... anybody have a plant and would be willing to give some away?? we will share the final product!) so I decided to use them to make Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes! The natural sweetness of the strawberries really enhanced the flavor of the cupcake and kept the cupcake moist, not to mention were a nice little surprise when you bit into them. So delicious they may just be a new favorite!

CUPCAKE: 1 package Pamela’s white cake mix 4 eggs 2/3 C water ½ C vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla ¾ C diced strawberries	Preheat oven to 325 degrees Mix together the wet ingredients until combined Slowing add in the dry ingredients until combines Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and fill slightly less than 2/3 of the way full Place 2-3 pieces of strawberry in each cupcake Bake 18-20 minutes (or 8-9 minutes for mini cupcakes)
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM: 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 5-6 C powdered sugar 1-2 TBSP milk 1-1 ½ tsp vanilla	1.    Beat softened butter in bowl until light and fluffy 2.    Slowly add in powdered sugar ( ½ C - ¾ C at a time) until stiff 3.    Add milk and vanilla slowly to thin out the frosting until it is the consistency that you want. If you add to much and frosting becomes too thin add some more milk and/or vanilla until the frosting is the desired consistency. 4.    Pipe onto cooled cupcakes
GARNISH: Freshly sliced strawberries	1.    Garnish with fresh slices of strawberries