Thursdays are for... Thinking Out Loud

I enjoy reading Amanda's blog- running with spoons. On Thursdays she does a link up- Thinking out Loud. By the time I read her posts on Thursdays, I usually already posted something, totally forgetting about the link up. But this time, I'm planning ahead! It's my very first (and probably not last) Thinking out Loud!

Something magical happened on Christmas Eve. I did 3 pull ups. That's 1.5 more pull ups than I could do 5 weeks ago! I am so excited and proud of myself. Next stop... 4 pull ups! (Actually it will probably be 3.5 first...)

I am in love with my new Jennifer Lopez Faux Fur Throw. (Try saying "Faux Fur Throw" five times fast!) A student got it for me for Christmas. It is so soft... almost as soft as my kitty cat, Jelly.



I love wrapping presents so much. I am sad that Christmas is over and I don't have any presents to wrap anymore. I think I should start a side business in December. Busy people could pay me to wrap presents for them. How much do you think I could charge per present!?



My brother wrote me a letter last week. In it, he told me a really funny joke.
Q: Why did the hipster burn his mouth on the pizza?
A: He ate it before it was cool.
I think it's funny!



The other day I put on a t-shirt that I must have last used as a bathing suit cover up because it still smelled like sunblock. It reminded me of summer! Ahhh... summer....



We saw Anchorman 2 on Monday. I didn't like the first one, but Paul was curious to see the sequel. And we really do not have similar movie tastes at all. So I figured I'd try it out. It had to be at least a little entertaining, right? Wrong. It's terrible. Don't see it. Unless you are a male under the age of 22... then you'll probably like it!


Your turn! Tell me something random... Think out Loud!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (Present for you inside!)

Joyous Christmas, Blogland! I hope your day is merry and bright! Paul and I want to wish you the happiest of holidays! We recorded a special gift for you...

Merry Christmas!

Love, Megan & Paul

Twas the night before Christmas...

Twas the night before Christmas, and all was not quiet

All the creatures were stirring- the cats were on a diet!

The stockings were hung in the kitchen with care,

Chrissy and Jelly were prowling.... they are quite the pair!

My husband was nestled all snug in the basement,

Playing guitar and burning some candles so fragrant.

And me in my reindeer PJs so cozy

Relaxed on the couch, cheeks bright and rosy.

When out in the kitchen there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But two kitty cats acting so cavalier

Chrissy had opened the cupboard door,

He cried and meowed- begging for more.

And Jelly just stared with bright precious eyes,

That said, "Please give me food!" and I had to sympathize...

"Now Chrissy! Now Jelly! You're going to be fine!

It's only ten o'clock and you just ate at nine!"

"Don't let them dupe you!" Paul called from below.

"There's no way they're hungry. They're putting on a show."

And so I bent down and gave them a kiss,

Their antics are always so hard to resist.

After all, my dear readers, it was Christmas Eve,

They deserve something special, I do believe.

Quietly, cautiously, ever so discrete,

I sneaked to the cupboard and got out the treats.

The cats excitedly puffed out their tails

And within seconds gobbled their treats- diets derailed.

But holidays are a time to relax and recharge,

to not worry about calories, protein and carbs.

Tomorrow the kitties will get back on track,

Their hard work not ruined by one midnight snack.

Chrissy and Jelly were now so content,

They purred with delight and off to bed they went.

But I heard them exclaim, as they sneaked out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

And now some random Christmas themed cat pictures... Ironically, they all feature Jelly!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Do you get your pets presents?

What do you do to celebrate on Christmas Eve?

Weekend Wrap Up (Freeeeeedom!)

Below is quite possibly the shortest Weekend Wrap Up I have ever written! Enjoy your Monday!

Friday was the last day of work before winter break. I wore my Santa hat and imagined it had super powers that would make me the most calm, serene, patient teacher in all the land. It worked. Whenever things got crazy, I was as chill as I could possibly be. Maybe I should wear my Santa hat to work every day!?

That evening, we relaxed and watched a movie called Mr. Brooks. We saw it a few years ago, but remembered it being really good, so we watched it again. I love Kevin Costner!

It was unseasonably warm on Saturday, so I actually got to do my 8 mile run in shorts! It was awesome.

Saturday afternoon, we went to my cousin Stephanie's house for our family Christmas party for my dad's side of the family. Our tradition is to order pizza, so I had the most delicious piece of Hawaiian pizza and some bangin' turkey chili that my cousin made.

All of the cousins were there (besides my older brother), and we bonded over a raunchy game of Cards Against Humanity. I'm telling you, this game brings people closer in a weird, twisted way!

Sunday was even warmer than Saturday! This time I ran in shorts and short sleeves.I really wanted to get in a fast paced trail run, so my new running bud Jeremy and I ran around the lake at Pinchot Park. It was really foggy.... and wet and muddy! Typical Pinchot! We made it around the lake in an hour and twenty-one minutes, which is not bad considering how many puddles and mud pits we had to navigate through.

I then went on a drizzly walk with Bree and her adorable dog, Sasha. We don't let some rain stand in a way of our walking gab-fest!

To round out what turned out to be a very social Sunday for me, I had the pleasure to go Christmas Caroling with my friend Kristen and her friends from church. I had such a wonderful time. It made me so happy to see families answer the door and be delighted by our singing. We even went to a house that had no less than 50 inflatable Christmas decorations, tons of lights, music... you name it... It was like Clark Griswold times 1,000!!! The people that lived there were so nice. They had lighted path so you could walk through their yard and around their house. They gave us candy canes and chatted for a bit. You could tell they just loved to make people happy. It was truly one of the nicest nights I had in a long time. 

Sadly, I forgot to take my camera, so there are no pictures! But my hubby and I will be going back because I really want him to see it. You will get pictures then. The house is in Harrisburg. If you're interested in going, send me an email or message on Facebook and I will tell you exactly where it is! They say they keep the decorations up through New Years Day.

I hope you had a great weekend!

Did you have to get in some last minute shopping?

Have you ever gone Christmas Caroling?

Unfortunate Side Effects of Exercise

This post is inspired by Nicole McDermott's piece,  20 Unfortunate But Unavoidable Side Effects of Exercise. Go read it!



Unfortunate Side Effects of Exercise

We all know exercise is a good thing, and there are so many wonderful benefits of getting your sweat on. But what about the bad stuff? And the gross stuff? If you are sensing another post dripping in TMI, you are right! But don't worry, it won't all be about pooping.

Here are some of my personal unfortunate side effects of exercise. Some are listed in Nicole's piece and some are personal things I have come across!


1. Tons of laundry. Yep. And gross laundry! Summer is not so bad. An extra pair of shorts and sports bra each day and that's it. But in the winter? There's coats, vests, caps, gloves, jackets, layers upon layers of shirts and pants... It's a never ending laundry nightmare! (Good thing my husband does most of the laundry!)

2. Pooping a lot. I tend to be very regular. Honestly, I like that. I'm never constipated. Exercising has a lot to do with it.

3. Gross feet. I will never be a foot model. First of all, my toes were never nice looking to begin with. Now, most of my toes barely have nails. I call them "Runner's Feet". I'd show you a picture but I don't want you to throw up.

4. Carrying around a bunch of shit. Oh, and you can't forget the PACKING and the UNPACKING of the shit. I swear you would think I was spending the night somewhere if you saw me leave the house in the morning...

Wow, if only this is what I looked like leaving the gym!

5. Injuries. I never injured myself while laying on the couch. Just sayin'.

6. Needing to shave a lot. I am very liberal with the shaving, especially in the winter. But it is not fun to go to the gym wearing a cute little tank and then seeing your pit hair in the mirror while pumping out shoulder presses. I want to lift like a dude, not look like a dude. And I know I'm not there to impress anyone but ewww that is just icky!

7. Sweating a lot. And not because you're out of shape. The more fit you are, the sooner you sweat and the more you sweat, even if you're not about to do an intense workout.

8. Callouses on my hands. I wear gloves when I strength train, but I still get pretty rough callouses. I don't want man hands! I'm sure there's some sort of cream I could get to make them smooth and womanly again...

Have you experienced any of these unfortunate side effects of exercises? Am I missing any?

Jumping Rope: A Favorite Exercise!

It's not just for kids in the schoolyard! Jumping rope is NO JOKE, and that's why it's one of my favorite exercises! I love throwing in some jump rope rotations during a Deck of Cards, Tabata, or 100s workout.

Muscles Worked During Jumping Rope:

Calves

Shoulders

Quads

Hamstrings

Core - Helps absorb shock and stabilize your body!

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, so this is a good article about different kinds of jump ropes you can get. Mine is a speed rope with weighted handles. The weighted handles get your shoulders and back in on the action!

Benefits of Jumping Rope:

1. Jumping rope is one of those exercises that not only improves your muscular fitness but your cardiovascular fitness as well.

2. You can do it anywhere!

3. It's CHEAP!

4. It can be incorporated into your workout in many ways... Tabatas, HIIT, circuits, a quick finisher after a strength training workout... the possibilities are endless!


I am not a fancy jump roper. You need not be able to do fancy moves to reap the benefits of rope jumping. However, if you would like to try some stuff that's a little more advanced than the two footed hop, they have lots of videos on Youtube of men with six packs doing crazy stuff with a jump rope!

But I got distracted by videos like this...

I better get practicing!

Sadly, I haven't jumped rope in several weeks. It's super cold out and there's snow on the ground. My jump rope misses me. It's supposed to be unseasonably warm this weekend, though, so maybe a few rotations in the carport are in order!


Do you ever incorporate jumping rope into your workouts???

Check out my other FAVORITE EXERCISES!!!

Burpees

Pull Ups

Mountain Climbers

Planks

Did I ever tell you how wonderful my husband is? (MY 200TH POST!!!!)

Dear Blog Readers,

This is my 200th post! I can't believe it. Since I started my bog in June, I have blogged every single day! I never dreamed I would have so much to say, but I guess I do.

Thank you for reading and commenting! It is fun getting to know you better through your comments and your own personal blogs. It's nice to know their are other nutty runners, fitness geeks, and food lovers out there!

Most of the time I just write about what I feel like writing about, but if you have questions or want me to write about a certain topic, or elaborate on an experience I have had, let me know! Sometimes I get writers block... that can happen when trying to write every day! So I am welcome to suggestions.

And now... onto your regularly scheduled Meg Go Run ramblings.... 

-Megan

Did I ever tell you how wonderful my husband is? 

I seriously won the husband lottery when I married him. I am not the perfect wife. I can be stubborn and high strung. Most of the time I just need to chill out. I think I am getting better at that, but we all have our moments. He puts up with me during those times when it may be difficult to put up with me… That’s marriage, right? I am thankful for him every single day.

We love to do duck face poses. There's nothing more pathetic than

a couple in their 30s doing the duck face!

Last year he went to The View with me!

This picture is at least 5 years old. We look so young!!

Anyway, back to my hubby being awesome. Listen to what he did for me last week…

Tuesday was a super busy day for me. My schedule was: gym, work, 4 piano lessons, then back to school for my chorus concert. I literally had no time for anything. No time to change, make dinner... nada. But my hubby was there for me! Piano lessons were over at 6pm. I had to be back at school at 6:25pm. At 6pm on the dot, I put on my coat. Paul handed me my water bottle (with ice!) and a chicken sandwich. He told me the rest of my dinner was in the car (a sliced up apple and a baggie of trail mix). Oh, and my car was already started with the heater blasting.

I told you I won the husband lottery!

He’s all mine, ladies!

**On a random note, as I was driving to my concert that night, I marveled at how mothers who work outside the home DO it??? I don’t even have kids, and I still am super busy and don’t even have time to make dinner for myself some nights, let alone children! I am tired just thinking about it.**

I’m currently trying to figure out what to get my husband for Christmas. We’re not doing presents for each other this year because we’re saving money for our Hawaii trip. But I want to get him something small, or make him something, or do something very meaningful. For some reason, I can’t come up with any good ideas this year! Last year I made him a personalized pillowcase with pictures of our cats all over it. Let me tell you, it was a huge hit!

With just a few days before Christmas, I’m cutting it pretty close! Do you have any ideas for me? (Don’t worry, he rarely reads my blog. He says he already hears all of my stories!)

What’s the most thoughtful, meaningful present you got for your partner?