Switcheroo!

Hi guys! Just wanted to let you know that I'm now over at:

marshmallowsandmeg.wordpress.com

Please make any changes, thanks and see you there!

Simple Pleasures

I loved all of your comments on my last post guys--I love getting to know you all! You da best.

So, today was a lovely day in megland, just chock full of simple pleasures.

I woke up this morning by myself, no alarm needed! Winning #1. Winning #2, 55 degrees outside! So I went for "a little run" as I told my mom...

Before, why hello shower curtain how nice to see you.

Goober

After

Somehow, my "little run" turned into 8 miles, all glorious. Dear leggies, I love you so so much and will keep feeding you copious amounts of peanut butter and honey nut cheerios. Love, Meggy

Then, after my little jaunt, I decided to paint my nails. Can you guess which color I went with?

After this, I had to pit stop at my grandmas to drop off a watermelon (only in my life would this happen) and she proposed school supply shopping. Grandma, you know me too well. A chance to shop?! Sign me up! Also I got so excited that in ONE WEEK I will be reunited with this place:

No words.

Of course, afterward I needed to refuel with some fro-yo (peanut m&ms and rainbow sprinkles as toppings, if you were curious). Also, the fact that my grandma saw purple spandex and said "you need to get those" just makes me love her that much more, aw.

After I got home, I broke into, embarrassingly, what may have been my favorite purchase. Carmex is the jam! I cake religiously apply this stuff on religiously, until my mom asks me what's that white stuff on my lips and then I back off a little. But still. It's amaze. Also, please ignore that I am still in my running clothes. It is summer, plus my grandma will always love me no matter what.

AND one of my mom's homegrown tomatoes was finally ripe enough to eat! Enjoyed in a salad tonight. Mmm mmm mm. Then I went for a lovely walk around the neighborhood and saw little kids camping in the front yard! At 7 pm! Too adorable for words, I wanted to join. I mean, where there's a tent, there's bound to be smores, right?!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- What was your favorite "simple pleasure" today?
What's your favorite kind of chapstick?

Five Things Friday

1) Today I almost cried at the end of my run. I set off this morning for a long run at this beautiful park:

Oh hayy fall, call you hurry up? Love, Meg.

And I had a really anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. You know that feeling? Like before a huge test or presentation? I just really didn't know how my long run was going to go. If you read my last post, you know that running and I are currently in a complicated relationship...in a bad way (are complicated relationships ever a good thing?). I started off...no dead legs! I'm gonna chalk this one up to getting my little booty out of bed at 11 last night and eating a HUGE snack, whereas usually I'd try to sleep it off. I ate before my run this morning, and to my delight my run was BALLER. I knocked out 12 miles and teared up a little at the end (and then proceeded to do a really embarrassing happy dance in the parking lot.) I don't know if it was a fluke, but I really needed this run. No, it was not my fastest, and no it wasn't perfect, but it sure built my confidence.

2) Panera is pretty much my favorite chain restaurant and today I decided to stray from my usual order and I got the "you pick 2" with half of a strawberry poppyseed salad and some random sandwich that my brother can have. GUYS this salad is so delicious! I could literally drink the dressing Let us admire:

I caught up with some of my favorite high school girlies and munched away. Then, when I got home, I immediately made lunch #2 because let's face it, while fruit and lettuce is delicious it definitely isn't enough for me! Greek yogurt, cereal, and a multitude of pretzels with hummus were demolished enjoyed.

3) I've been so inspired by looking at the "apparel" tab of pinterest lately. These outfits caught my eye this morning,

Who says brown and black don't go together?

Her hair. And smile, too.

 I'm really craving fall.

4) Goosebumps. Can we just talk about them for a second? I just shaved this morning and I got REALLY cold in Panera. Goosebumps happened. Hair grew back in about 2 seconds. Does this happen to anyone else or am I going crazy?!

5) I really, really, REALLY, am craving a good thunderstorm. I want it to thunder, lightning, and pour tonight. I also want to get fro-yo.

+

Fro-yo > drugs

= Happy Meg.

So, this was pretty much an incoherent tangent but some questions for YOU!

1) What's your favorite thing at Panera?
2) What fall clothing item do you want to buy? Or what do you want to buy right now in general?
3) Favorite fro-yo topping?
4) Am I a weirdo about the goosebumps thing???

Have a great Friday night!!

Ramblings on Running, Food

First things first, I think it's important to clear the air and make a confession. I, Meg, am simply obsessed with hip hop music. Yep, this little super white, super blondie loves Kanye, Drake, Cudi, ect.

I've gots moves, yo.

Needless to say I was counting down the minutes until Watch the Throne came out. I mean, Kanye AND Jay? And it sure didn't disappoint. Has anyone else listened? I think the first 4 songs + Welcome to the Jungle are my favs! If that's not your style, Mat Kearney (who I will marry one day) just came out with another album, Young Love, which is badass as well.

Now, music aside, let's get down to business.

Run, Run, Run.

As you may have gathered from my previous posts, I LOVE running. LOVE IT. I actually used to loathe it. When I played tennis for many a year, running was punishment. I'd rather do 100 pushups than run a suicide. [The fact that our coach's dog would chase us down, foaming at the mouth, may have had something to do with it. But that's besides the fact.] Now, I started running again 2 years ago. I started slow, only 1-3 miles at a time. And goodness, I was slow! Not that I'm a speed demon now by any means, but I've certainly made progress! So two years later, I can bust out 11 miles if I'm in the mood.

After the Pittsburgh Half! Don't mind the fact I was absolutely drenched.

This is where things get complicated. Recently, my legs have been absolutely dead. Usually they'll loosen up after a mile or two, but they feel like they're cinder blocks even after the first two miles. I have no idea what's changed, but it's kind of sucking the joy out of running. I was seriously considering running another half in October, but honestly, I don't know if that's a logical possibility.

I really don't want to give up something I've grown to rely on for stress release, sanity, and fitness, but I don't know if I can mentally handle having to throw in the towel anymore [dramaqueen? a little...]. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I don't really eat meat, and I forget to take vitamins. I've been taking my vits with iron for the past week, and noticed a slight improvement, but nothing groundbreaking.

I hate to say it, but I think part of my reluctance to give up has to do with calorie burn as well. I can eat a lot when I run, and I kind of don't want to give that up... Plus, I've been maintaining my weight running this much...what would happen if I stopped?! I'm not saying these are necessarily logical concerns, just sort of what's going on in my noggin.

Anyways, if anyone's been through anything like this in the past I'd love to hear how you fixed the sitch because it's frustrating and annoying.

Eat, Eat, Eat.
I'm having trouble finding something that sits well in my stomach before a long workout. I used to not eat anything, but clearly, that's a silly move. I'd be tired, oh, about 50 seconds into my workout!

I've tried cereal...ow cramps! Bagel thin with laughing cow? Even worse...Recently I've been eating a plain, toasted english muffin with butter. But that's kinda boring, let's be real.

Could this look any more depressing?

Do you guys have any go-to, snacks that you eat before a workout? I'd prefer not to eat breakfast, because a completely full tummy doesn't sit well, either. Wow, I'm needy.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- --

So, I want to know!
-Have you ever encountered obstacles with your current fitness regime? How did you overcome them?
-What's your favorite pre-workout snack?
-And for kicks, what's your favorite way to eat Greek yogurt? (I need some inspo!)

Have a glorious day!

I don't think you're ready...

...for this jelly. Love me some Beyonce, work it gurlllll.

So the lovely Tara over at xcfoodie.wordpress.com tagged me with the Bootylicious award, and I got SO excited I may have done a little happy dance... Seriously though, this girl is amazing. Even though I just started this lil blog, I've read hers religiously for awhile now (#creeper.) She's such a baller runner and just a sweetheart all around!

Lez go

Name 3 things sitting next to you right now:

I'm actually sitting outside right now, basking in the sun, and trying to keep my tan. Try being the key word...Jergens natural glow is my best friend. So since I'm on my deck, I have some seashells from the beach, a hummingbird feeder, and my Bucknell long-sleeve t-shirt chillin near me. So random.

Name 2 foods you can’t live without:
Phs, 2?! 2?!! Please. I like Tara's idea of picking one from each food group because, well, I love food and I can't narrow things down or I get realll nervous.

Honeycrisp apples may just be my favorite fruit, which is really saying something because there is not one kind of fruit I don't like. Perfect for snacks, and so easy to throw into my bag!

As far as veggies are concerned, well, I used to LOATHE them (the horror!) Now, I'm obsessed with red pepper. It's so fun to eat and really crunchy! [sidenote, never bring red pepper to the quiet floor in the libs. people need to chilllll all i'm sayin']

Grains-wise, my entire diet is pretty much one giant carb (bad meg!), but bread is pretty much my life. Warm bread? Swoon. I really like whole wheat, rye, and italian bread. Actually, 99% sure there isn't a bread I don't like.

This is a stretch, but hear me out. For my meat/legume category, chickpeas are legumes, right? And hummus is made from chickpeas. So, I pick hummus! Seriously, I've been known to make hummus a meal. Chop up some veggies (red pepper!), give me a container, and I will be one happy camper.

Diary: Greek yogurt. You really don't want to know how much greek yogurt I eat. It's kind of a sick obsession. Like, you know those people with weird fetishes like obsessed with feet? Well, that's me and my chobs. I really like the 0%, but I always add something sweet, like granola or cereal! Mix it all up and I'm in heaven. Also, honorable mention, FRO YO! With rainbow sprinkles, obvi.

Fats: PEANUT BUTTER! I'm seriously addicted. I used to be kind of very nervous eating peanut butter because of how much fat blah, blah, blah. Thank goodness I saw the light because breakfast is not breakfast without a peanut butter spoon (one of the best ways to eat it, in my opinion!).

Name 2 things you can’t live without:
Running. Even though we're in kind of a love-hate relationship right now, I really do love running. That being said, I love getting my sweat on in a bunch of other ways too. More recently, I've been into long walks, short sprints, and LIFTING! I've never felt so strong. Strength is beautiful! Gettin' jacked, yo.

This is going to sound ridiculous, but my little beauty:

Ah, the wonders of Blackberrys. It is just SO convenient to get all of my emails/texts/BBMs/tweets, in one simple place. I'm kind of attached. I feel like I should name it.

Name 2 people you can’t live without:
I'm going to cheat and pick two categories.
1) Family. Even though they can sometimes be a bit crazy and my extended family practically lives with us (not exaggerating), I don't know what I'd do without them. My mom, dad, brother, grandma/grandpa, and uncle mean the world to me.
2) Friends.

Name one thing you did today:
I went to the mall! I hit up Forever21. This store is really hit or miss, but today it was a resounding HIT!

Except all black!

I LIVE in leggings.

2 things you learned from the Healthy Living Community:
Eat more, and you won't die. Probably, you'll be happier.

This was HUGE for me. I used to only eat when I was REALLY hungry, but now I realize for the amount of activity I do, I need to constantly fuel. I really saw this reading other girls' blogs who are active, it was kind of a shocker. I'm still working on having a solid breakfast before I work out in the morning, but I'm making progress!

Being "healthy" isn't weird.

So often in college, people will almost interrogate me why I'm having a salad and not a burger and fries. I never pass judgment on what others are eating, so I find it frustrating when people won't let it go. I started to wonder if maybe I was an anomaly and I shouldn't be eating healthy foods. HA! That sounds funny even to type. But discovering this community really has confirmed that it is okay to honor my body and eat what makes me feel good! And let me tell you I feel much better after I have oatmeal for breakfast, rather than 3 doughnuts (and trust me, I have).

As far as tagging goes, since I'm really new to this whole thing, and am pretttty sure a lot of you have already done this, I tag anyone who wants to participate! And you SHOULD! It was really, really fun!
 
Have a great evening!

Target is my life

I love the shoes! They are seriously like running on two little clouds wrapped in pillows. Ok, maybe that's going a little far but I notice a serious difference. I ran 5 miles today with tired leggies (damn you hills. seriously steep.) and then got too excited and ran 3 more. Whoops...

Also, for you runners out there, do you notice that you sweat more when it's hot or humid? I'm usually ok in the heat but hot DAMN I was dripping when I got back today because of the humidity. Like I could've rung my shirt out...ew. 

The highlight of my day was making a Target run. Now, if you know me, you know Target is kinddd of my heaven on Earth. I don't think that I've walked out of that store empty-handed, ever. I walked out today with...Jeggings! So weird, I used to HATE these and kind of judge people that wore them. But that was back when they looked more like this:

If this is what they look like on the model...don't wanna imagine them on dis booty.

But I actually ended up getting two pairs! They should be good for tucking into boots come fall/winter. *Shudder* Why can't it be summer forever?

I also got to go grocery shopping! YAY I have peanut butter again! I seriously cannot last a day without a peanut butter spoon (or 2) I just get cranky and feel weird. Ok, maybe that's a wee bit dramatic but it's definitely in my top 5 favorite foods!

So tell me. Do you sweat a lot? What's your favorite brand of peanut butter?

Have a great evening!

I love Dick's...

Sorry couldn't help it. Heh I just crack myself up.

I mentioned this before, but I recently fell in love with running for this past year and a half. And I needed new running shoes desperately.  As in mine have a good 800 miles on them which I'm pretty sure isn't healthy. Of course, me being me, I can't buy anything full price so FINALLY got some coupons to Dick's and I came home with these little beauties:

These lil puppies are the Asics gel Nimbus 13's. I'm SO excited to give them a go around the hood tomorrow. I'll report back! Have a good night.

For any runners out there, do you notice your legs start to ache when your shoes reach a certain mileage?
-My shins KILL.