I'm on my level.

Maaaaan. Last night was super fun. Before we get to that, though...let's recap the day:

The run was ooookay. It was hot/humid, so my muscles were being ragey--aaaand the GI tract, because of the mindless eating I did the previous night. haha. I did 8.25 miles, though, and was sufficiently sweaty/tired afterward.

I also did 15ish minutes of core strengthening afterward. Proof:

Multitasking. haha

I refueled in the usual way (coconut water + GNC Shake + a looot of water!), showered, and stretched/foam-rolled.

For lunch (around 3:30), I ate a tofurkey sandwich with some mango. It hit the spot!

We left around 5:15 for the concert, stopped to grab some snacks at GetGo, then were on our way to the Wiz Khalifa/Mac Miller concert! On the drive there, I ate a pinapple Chobani and a KIND bar (pomegranate + blueberry + pistachio)--pretty good (around 6)! I didn't take a picture, because I was lazy. haha.

We got to the concert, and Mac Miller was going to go on soon. Mac was GREAT. He was so excited--this was his first huge show in his hometown. Can't even imagine how he felt. So happy for him :). 

Almost everyone in the audience had a lighter (for obvious reasons, if you know what Mac and Wiz advocate. haha).

Wiz was awesome too! I have a big crush on him, but he's engaged to the beautiful Amber Rose. Oh well. haha.

I danced my BOOTY off. I was a gross mess. So fun. I fueled in the right way too  (banana + Blueberry Clif Bar--carbs and protein, baby). It ended around 11, and we got out of there...well, kind of. We were stuck in the parking lot for almost an hour, aaaaand then there was a huge accident on 22, so we took a long-ass detour. We stopped at Sheetz, because we had to peeeee. haha. I bought a Lara Uberbar, because I was curious how they tasted! Soooo good. I also ate an apple in the car, while we were waiting in the parking lot.

I didn't get home until 2:30--we were driving for over 3 hours! If the accident was due to drunk drivers, I'm severely disappointed :(. No excuse for that. None.

I was suuuper tired, but had the energy in me to floss and brush my teeth and wash my face. Currently patting myself on the back right now.

I woke up today at 8 AM, am currently eating breakfast (Blueberry Kashi waffles with Buffalo Dirt ChiaKind nut butter and Shakeology with chia seeds), and I'm getting ready for work.

My stomach felt TERRIBLE when I woke up, but this settled it.

Today, I work 11-7, then if the weather cooperates/my body is up to it, I'm going to run to the gym, do some lifting, then run home. 

So, if myfitnesspal is correct, I definitely wasn't eating enough during the day, and that's why I was always hungry near the end of the night. I ate a sufficient amount yesterday, and I was fine when I got home. Lesson learned. haha.

Well, time to get ready for work! Enjoy your Sunday, everyone :).

Taking Back Sunday!

Have been listening to them a lot lately. Brings me back to being 15, 16 again. Love it.

As a prologue, read this: http://www.rodale.com/gross-food. Highly interesting, especially for someone who wants to study nutrition (AKA me. haha). A lot of that information is super-scary! I hate to be one of those people who "preach," (those crazy PETA people scare me), and while I am a vegetarian and I try to be an avid practicer of holistic eating, I'm not one of those people that believe "YOU SHOULD LIVE HOW I LIVE, BECAUSE IT'S THE BEST/ONLY WAY TO LIVE." Do what you wanna do, ya know? Yup.

So, I haven't blogged in two days! Crazy, right? Let's see here...

So, on Thursday, I ran before work, and it actually went pretty well! I wore compression pants to bed, and I think that helped with muscle fatigue. I ran 7.3 miles, and I finished pretty strong! I did about 15 minutes of core strengthening afterward, and that went well also. I need to find different exercises, because I think my body is getting used to these exercises. I refueled with coconut water + GNC shake. Before I left for work, I ate a tofurkey sandwich.

Work was actually pretty okay. I worked from 3-10. No break, obviously, so I bought a Clif Builder's bar for "dinner." How exciting, right? haha. It actually wasn't too bad! I bought the Chocolate Mint flavor:

I think somewhere in there, I also had a Jackie Warner bar, and I also had a Chobani.

When I got home from work, I was still hungry, so I ate a spoonful of Chia Kind Peanut Butter, and I think I had a Picky Bar? Don't remember exactly. I felt better, though. haha.

Yesterday, I woke up around 7 (Shakeology + chia seeds and a Clif Bar for breakfast), and headed to the gym around 9. I did 4 miles on the resistance cardio machines (while watching USA Women's Soccer kick some serious Kiwi booty!) and then did 15ish minutes of total-body strength training. My arms were a little pooped, but my legs are beasts! 

I refueled as usual (coconut water and GNC Shake), walked to my chiropractor appointment, then headed to work. I stopped at Rite Aid on the way there to get my multivitamins (They were BOGO! I'm stocked with multis for 6 months. Super pumped. haha.).

I also stopped at GNC to pick up my Lean Shakes (was running low), then Giant Eagle, because I needed a couple coconut waters and protein bars. I tried a Perfectly Simple Peanut Butter protein bar, because I had a coupon for it. I mean, it tasted pretty much how I thought it would--not bad, but not impressive. haha. I also bought a Clif Builder's bar in Peanut Butter, in case I got overwhelmingly hungry at work later. I ate a tofurkey sandwich before I started work.

I worked from 2-10. I took a break around 4 and treated a coworker to lunch, because he had bought a previous lunch. We went to La Cappella, and I got the four cheese panini with zucchini fries, and we share an appetizer of mozzarella sticks. Ugh, remind me never to do that again. All that made my stomach BLEGH for the rest of the night. haha. Super yummy, though.

Throughout the course of the night, I ate a Jackie Warner bar, a Clif Builder's bar, and a passion fruit Chobani. Clearly, I was hungry.

When I got home, I ate far too much (throw in a Picky Bar, some granola, a couple pretzels and a couple spoons of ChiaKind. haha), and my sleep suffered from it. I felt SICK. I need to either eat more during the day or just eat more fiber. Grossss.

Welll, I just finished my Shakeology + chia and Clif Bar, and I plan on running 7-8ish miles on the different route I ran last Saturday night. It's a nice route :). Then, some core strength!

I think I'm going to start logging my meals again, only because I want to make sure I'm getting enough of all of the essentials, and not too much of the essentials also (I KNOW I ate way too much fat yesterday, and that's why I slept like poop). Fitday is a pretty decent site, if you wanted a rec!

Alright, time to get ready for my run! I'm going to see Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller tonight! Hopefully seeing a lot of friends tonight too :). Tomorrow, I work (surprise!), and I'm planning on running to the gym afterward for some strength training, then running home. We'll see how that goes.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/double-amputee-pistorius-makes-history-102429631--oly.html?fb_action_ids=922259108239&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_ref=type%3Aread%2Cuser%3Ap6X8vdsMhYHzH1poaiPmLRtvSkc&fb_source=timeline_news&action_object_map=%7B%22922259108239%22%3A10151014722109858%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22922259108239%22%3A%22news.reads%22%7D&action_ref_map=%7B%22922259108239%22%3A%22type%3Aread%2Cuser%3Ap6X8vdsMhYHzH1poaiPmLRtvSkc%22%7D&code=AQDAh8tsFsbL5457fawSUgtC_2wqDGvbWgmzeBmljwXTRO1fxFypDUR10YxWnl1v6RNo4Pt8zwumuLVVFQfkY_O8uXPA9Fd0A65x2IMVqMkI96-ruyuHr8FX_WL5lfqO9unKDEZPJuMHqHuXRijliDg_Ur9w3JpL5k4J_pyn5e4FNg58rMRjuWCiR5kTdLvWFaw#_=_ READ THAT. I'm super happy for him :). Kids need role models like him nowadays! Of course, I'm rooting for the USA, but how can you not cheer for this guy? :)

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

I can't believe I went through yesterday...

without saying "Happy Birthday" to Jerry Garcia! The Dead are monumental, and I love Captain Trips < 333. haha.

So, I left you off before my run. The run actually went pretty well! It wasn't super humid, so my muscles were pretty content :). Didn't feel the need to stop, and I felt strong uphill, so that's always good. Finished strong, and I even had it in me to lift the heavier weight on the machines at the gym. 8.7 miles and then three circuits of strength training--I can lift the entire weight stack on the leg machines! Loving it. haha. Refueled as usual (coconut water, GNC Shake, LOTS of water).

I showered, then walked down to the store. I stopped at Loafer's Bread on the way, because I wanted to see what muffins they had. Strawberry Pecan. Oh.My.God. SO GOOD. I bought two--one for me, one for my mum. She didn't want hers. Shame, huh? haha. I like Loafer's because they're a whole GRAIN bakery. All of their products are made with whole grains. Great for a post-run snack.

When I got home a few hours later, I ate a honey Chobani with some Chia Kind Buffalo Dirt Nut Butter in it (it's peanut butter with chia seeds in it! The Buffalo Dirt has mocha in it as well). I also had a Picky Bar, because I was hungryyyyyy.

I fed my puppy and took him for a walk around the neighborhood. He definitely gets a workout, because it's up a huge hill. haha.

Ozzie, my little man < 333.

A little while after we got home, I decided to actually cook a little for dinner (crazy, I know!). I made a kale salad with tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms, and this soy "chicken" that was actually SUPER good!!!! I didn't take a picture of it, because I'm lame.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/gardein-protein-resources-for-vegetarian-or-meatless-meals-3 This is the one, though. So. freaking.good. Not the healthiest, obviously (especially with the sauce), but it's okay once in a while!


The salad was super tasty :).

I ate that and watched the latest episode of "The Newsroom"--really good show, by the way! I also stretched and foam rolled at the same time. I clearly can't do one thing at a time.

I went outside for a little while and cut my toenails and fingernails (I HATE doing that inside...blegh.). I listened to classic rock, because that's the music of my life. haha.

Later on, I had a Jackie Warner bar and a scoop of regular Chia Kind peanut butter. I don't know if I'm just a pig or I burn a lot more calories than I think I do, because I'm almost always hungry. Lame problem. haha.

I woke up this morning, had my usual pre-run breakfast of Shakeology + chia seeds and a Clif Bar. Planning on 6-7 miles with some core strengthening! Then, I work from 3-10. So exciting.

Hope you all enjoy your day :).

Money, it's a crime.

Sooooooooo, work yesterday sucked. Need to find a new job. Only gonna get worse when the boss leaves :(.

The upside? I went out to lunch with a coworker around 2, and we got La Cappella, which I freaking love. I didn't take a picture, but I had the four-cheese panini with zucchini fries. Sooooo good. Oooof course I drank water. haha.

I also had a mango Chobani around 11:30 AM.

After work, I ran to the gym, did a couple more miles of resistance cardio, then did about 15 minutes of core strength. Was sufficiently sweaty/smelly by the end of it. haha. I refueled with a coconut water and GNC shake.

On the way home, I had to stop to run a few errands. I walked from the gym all the way home--about 5-6 miles? It was enjoyable, though. Took some lovely pictures!

Filters, courtesy of Instagram. haha

On my walk home, I ate my tofurkey sandwich and an orange. Tofurkey sandwich is always satisfying :).

When I got home, I was still kinda hungry (I exercised a lot, and I knew I was going to run a decent amount today), so I ate a frozen dark chocolate banana, a Soyjoy, and a Picky Bar. Don't judge me--I was hungry :(. I also sat around with my puppy and watched "True Blood." I'm just not as into it as I used to be, though. I'm still as into Joe Magnaniello, though--let's just clarify < 3.

What a goober < 333333.

I didn't finish "True Blood," because I was being ADD. I checked my e-mail, stretched/foam-rolled, and I went to bed. Exciting day, I know.

This morning so far, I've eaten my usual pre-run fuel (Clif Bar + Shakeology), and I've been weighing my options for protein powders.

I use Shakeology and I LOVE it, but it's so freaking pricey! I need to save money for schoolbooks, health insurance, apartment rent, and eventually a freaking car--and my pisspoor salary is not helping matters. haha. Sooooooo, I need to save in any way I can. I'm basically not buying any new clothes for 50 years, and I'm not going out nearly as much as I had previously...AKA I haven't gone out for weeks. haha. I've always been curious to try Vega protein, but I didn't want to stray from Shakeology. Welp...money is what is of vital importance here (which sucks to say), and I know Vega is a good brand, so I think I'm switching. The twins at Twin Cakes Bakery swear by it, and they're freakishly gorgeous and fit (look at their blog! Purely Twins), so I'm going to give it a go.

Today, I'm running to the gym, doing some strength training, then running some errands. It's also trash day, soooo there's that.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Morning Workouts.

Where I left you all, I was about to go on a Sunday morning run! It was a rather enjoyable run--not worried about pace or anything. Too many freaking hills to worry about that. haha. I almost always see a horse on this route, and he/she was out Sunday morning--so cute :). To fuel for my early morning run, I drank my Shakeology (drink it EVERY morning!) and I had a Picky Bar (Clif Bars are too heavy if I run within an hour or less of eating one).

When I got home, I did some core strengthening. SERIOUSLY, do not underestimate the power of core strengthening. After that, I showered and got ready for work. I also refueled with a GNC Lean Shake and a coconut water!

Work was okay until about two hours until we closed. People have no courtesy! Or they can't read times. Either/or. I wanted to leave and celebrate my dad's birthday with him, but obviously people don't care. haha. Some drunk guy was carrying around an open bottle of Jim Beam with him. Highlight of the day right there.

Around 11:30, I ate an Apple Cinnamon Chobani.
Around 2:30, I ate a Clif Bar and an orange.
(Exciting, I know).

We got out of there around 6:30, and my dad and I went to my grandmother's for dinner. I brought a tofurkey sandwich with me, and enjoyed some of her eggplant parm, salad, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. So good!

I went for a long-ish walk afterward, because the weather was gorgeous, and I had been inside for most of the day.

For dessert, we had this eclair cake, which is out of this WORLD. I ate too much. I had a food baby :(.

Monday, I woke up, ate breakfast/preworkout fuel (Clif Bar + Shakeology), then headed to the gym. I did 4 miles of resistance cardio + 15ish minutes of total body strength training. I could lift heavier weights! It was awesome. Refueled with the usual coconut water and GNC Shake.

Walked to the chiropractor afterward, and he abused my back. Felt great. haha.

I worked from 1:30-10, and it was okay. Work is so mundane, I need a change of scenery :(. I had a tofurkey sandwich right before I started, along with a little frozen kefir.

For dinner, I had Amy's frozen spaghetti and vegetarian "meat"balls. Pretty good--like that they throw some veggies in there! I also had it with an orange.

Yesterday was one of those "I'm ravenous and I want to eat EVERYTHING" days. Hate those days. I listened to my body, though...for sure. haha.  By the way, those Jackie Warner "hunger curbing" bars don't stand a chance against women's hormones :(((((.

I had an apple around 7:30 and then an Apple Cinnamon Chobani around 8:30.

When I got home from work, I had some almond butter with strawberries and some whole grain pretzels. And a frozen dark chocolate banana. Whatever, don't judge me.

This morning, I had cereal with Shakeology. I work from 9-5, then I think I'm grocery shopping? The puppy needs food! I then think I'm going to run, because I do what I want. I hope it doesn't storm!

I'm OFF tomorrow. Feels like it's been forever since I've had a day off.

Remind me to fix my nails. They look like hell.

Welllll, time to get ready for work! Hope you're having a good week so far :).

(I will post more pictures. At some point. In my lifetime.)

Runs in the Sunset...Runset?

Three days in a row...I forgot how cathartic blogging can be! Even if my life is semi-boring. haha.

Soooooooo, I left off leaving for work yesterday, yes? Work was fine--it's never overly exciting, so let's just call a spade a spade :). My eats at work: 11 AM Chobani, 2 PM tofurkey sandwich with a couple spoonfuls of frozen kefir and a soyjoy (so random, I know).

 After work, I went to church with my dad. I had a couple pieces of leftover pizza beforehand. Not as good as fresh, but still good :). When I got home from church, I decided I wanted to go for a run, but I didn't want to do my usual neighborhood route, because my body was not up for all of those hills :(. I went another route, which turned out to be a good choice! I actually ran further than I had planned, but it was so gorgeous, that I couldn't help myself. I got to see the sun set over a meadow! Glad I went on that run :). Didn't get home til a little after 9, so I didn't eat an elaborate dinner...AKA, I had a Jackie Warner protein bar and nonfat chocolate milk. haha.

I also had another Soyjoy...they're so good, I couldn't help myself!

I didn't eat enough veggies or fruits yesterday. Shameful :(. I get enough nutrients, hugely in part to Shakeology, but still...it keeps me full, which helps on long days.

I went to bed around midnight, woke up at 6, and this is where I am right now! I plan on going for a run this morning before work. Sundays at work kinda suuuuck, so I need to be calm. I usually run after work during the summer, but it is Papa O's birthday, so some celebrating needs done!! haha. After work, I believe we are heading to my grandmother's house for some party tiiiime.

Random note, but I really need a haircut. Should probably do that soon.

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!

Two posts in two days...clearly on a roll.

Somebody stop me! haha.

Yesterday was a good day, but it wasn't highly eventful. I worked from 9-5, then I went grocery shopping for some yummy eats, theeeeeeeen I came home, unpacked, and went running! I did 7 miles that went pretty well :). 

I definitely didn't go for time (if you saw how hilly my normal neighborhood run is, you wouldn't either. haha), but the hills on this run helped immensely with the hills during the Pittsburgh Marathon....AKA the hills in the marathon were pretty easy! I JUST missed the storm too, so that's a good thing. I wish I had brought my phone with me, because I ran past a cow farm, which is in a deep ravine, and the cows were actually at the top, by the road! They are very rarely up there, and they were so cute--a couple babies were there too :). The cool thing is that the sky looked so ominous in the background, but the cows were totally oblivious.  It would have been an awesome shot :(. Oh well!

When I got home, I had WAY too much pizza (but, it was from my favorite place, so whatever!), but I did core strengthening beforehand. After recovering from this bout of SI injury, I'm REALLY trying to focus on strength training/core strengthening in order to make my form as perfect as can be, to avoid future mishaps. My form has definitely improved, and I definitely feel stronger! DO NOT avoid core work--I promise you it's just as important as everyone says it is!

I watched "Girl with the Pearl Earring" last night. Kiiiind of a waste of time. haha. Oh well, I foam-rolled and stretched, so it wasn't totally :). I went to bed by 11:30 on a Friday night--a real rebel, I  know!

If anyone is interested in my daily eats, I ate a pineapple Chobani at approximately 11 AM, a tofurkey sandwich with a green apple at approximately 2:30, and a couple handful of pretzels around 5. Usual coconut water and GNC Lean Shake post-run (approximately 8:30), then 30958430985 pizza of pieces around 9:30.

Sooooooo, I woke up at 7:15 today, ate the same breakfast as yesterday, and I'm about to head to work again! 9-5, then we'll see where the evening takes me. I'll either run oooooooor...not? haha.

Tomorrow is Walter (my father)'s 63rd birthday. Oh boy, he's getting old. haha. Gotta get him something today!

Enjoy the day!