Oofta, I feel like I ran a marathon yesterday. The title of this post might make it seem like I did run a marathon yesterday, but I actually survived my first marathon of being part of the planning team. I just hopped one board of the planning team the last month and a half of the race to help UW-Eau Claire students execute The Blugold Mile. I talked about what The Blugold Mile is in this last weeks post. It was a weekend to remember with many inspiring moments to keep pushing forward with my own fitness goals.
All the planning, preparation and setup were done and all I had left to do was enjoy the race and cheer on the runners. There were 3,000 plus runners coming through the UW-Eau Claire campus and they were greeted with the enthusiasm of the students and organizations that made up The Blugold Mile. As much work as I, The Blugold Mile team and Eau Claire Marathon team endured to make this race happen, the runners deserve the credit. Without them, without their determination and motivation there wouldn’t be a race at all. There is an immense amount of training and hours that goes into getting ready for a half and full marathon. It was a true inspiration to see people of all walks of life running and bound and determined to make it to the finish line.
One of my best friends was one of those inspirations determined to cross that finish line. She had a lot of ups and downs throughout her training and even ended up in a boot for 6 weeks due to a stress fracture. With only 8 weeks of solid training, she embarked on a 26.2 mile journey and I was waiting for her at mile 23 to help her through The Blugold Mile. When I saw her all I wanted to do was give her a bear hug and tell her how proud I am of her determination. I did just that minus the bear hug. My plan was to stop at the end of The Blugold Mile, but she asked if I’d finish the race with her. I could see in her eyes she needed to borrow some of my energy to make it across the finish line so I gave her all the energy I had and crossed that finish line with her! Her drive and determination is something I have always looked up to and I couldn’t have been any more happy and honored to cross that finish line with her.
Congratulations to all of you full and half marathoners out there (5kers too)! Know that you are an inspiration to so many people and without you there would be no Eau Claire Marathon! Keep pushing towards your goals, finding yourself through fitness and being an inspiration to many!
Grilling season is officially underway which means cookouts! This Cucumber Salad is the perfect side dish to bring to any summer cookout and people won’t even know it’s paleo.
- 3 - 4 cucumbers, peels and sliced
- ½ cup paleo mayo - I used Primal Kitchen Mayo
- 2 tblsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Place the cucumber slices in a large bowl and set aside.
- Wisk together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, coconut sugar and salt and pepper. Pour over the cucumbers and mix until all cucumbers are covered with the dressing. Cover and place in fridge to chill until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!