- Running because I WANT to
- Greek Yogurt and popcorn
I would like to just give a special shout-out to one of my best friends today! Happy Birthday Rose!! I hope you had a very special day and hope your weekend of celebrations is just as wonderful as you!
Running because I want to
And not because I have to.
Last night I had my normal grad school operations management class scheduled. I arrived to class right on time and Jackie and I walked in to find out that the teacher had “forgotten” some items at home and would be at least a half hour late. He is always saying how grad school classes should be real life like work and if I ever told my boss I wasn’t prepared for something he would tell me to reschedule and wouldn’t wait so I decided not to wait either… we left!
Now, this is TOTALLY out of character for me. Usually I get really nervous when I miss class thinking that I am going to miss something life-changing. Turns out, it was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be haha.
So when I got home I quickly realized that I had no idea what to do with myself! Having hours in the evening to just do whatever?!? I had no idea what they felt like. Usually I am running off to workout class, grad school class, or some other commitment for work. So when I sat down on the couch and started thinking about the best use of my time, I realized that I was finally getting to the point where I wanted to be with running…
Because running was exactly what I wanted to do with my time.
It was a nice 45ish degrees outside so I bundled up just enough and let my feet hit the pavement for a 4 mile run. My goal for this run was to try to improve my time. I knew distance wasn’t the best goal to set because it gets dark out and well I get hungry haha so I knew I couldn’t be gone too incredibly long.
Goal was met and I finished with an average pace around 10:40 which is faster than my 11:15ish pace so I as proud of that. As I mentioned before by the time the halathon comes up I hope to be doing under a 10 min mile but the primary goal is pretty simple..
Just finish!
This run did really make me realize that inspiration comes in so many different forms as so many different times throughout your day/life. I had a conversation earlier that afternoon with 2 girls I work with about running (they are doing a halfathon in May) and we just chatted about the things that we struggle with, the things we do well, where we like to run, our pace, our goals, and most importantly what running means to us. It was so nice to chat with them because I feel like we are all at that stage in running where we are starting to really enjoy it and we look forward to it yet we still struggle a little to meet all the goals we set for ourselves. The talk really did inspire me when I got home because I already had running on the brain and after reflecting on all of the reason why I enjoy running, it made me want to do it even more!
Here are some of the reasons why I love running
- It’s time I get to commit to just ME
- It’s a time to reflect on what has been going on in my life recently
- It’s a time where I outwardly express my appreciate for my body and all that it is capable of
- It helps me sort of conflicts I have going on in my life because it clears my head of all the “shit” that is usually in there
- It feel good to accomplish goals
- It feels good to depend on my feet and not on technology to take me everywhere
- It helps my body to become stronger
So, if you are a runner? What are the reasons you love running?
Food I’ve Tried
I don’t know if I have ever shared this before but I am extremely picky about Greek Yogurt. Every since the Greek Yogurt bandwagon as been moving I have wanted to jump on. Sometimes I am totally successful, driving the wagon or at least sitting in the front and sometimes I just fall right off. Majority of the time I am hanging out for dear life.
Here are my general thoughts/reviews on Greek Yogurt…
- Chobani- I’m pretty sure this is like the #1 seller within the Greek Yogurt market but I just can’t do it. It just always seems super thick to me and something about that super thick consistency makes it hard for me to enjoy. Maybe I just need to try a different flavor- who knows but for now I assume I am not a big deal
- FAGE- I think this was probably the first Greek yogurt I ever tried and it was also just a little too thick for me and tasted a little bitter. I think I liked the one with the honey on the side but I remember needing to add even more honey than what came with it
- Yoplait- I got kind of hooked on Yoplait Greek yogurt for a while- it was one of the first ones I actually liked and I still like it- thinner and they have really great flavors
- Stoneyfield- I never disliked Stoneyfield and I wouldn’t deny one but I never got really into it
- NosTiMo- I just tried the blueberry for the first time the other day (it had fun writing on the packaging so I was immediately drawn to it in the grocery store) and I have to say it was pretty good. It was a little thick so I was worried I wouldn’t like it but I really did enjoy it. The blueberry was just enough and there were just actual specs of blueberry in it which is always a big win for me!
6. OIKOS (by Dannon)- I literally just ate this today and I LOVED in. Go figure this one is not fat free right? The consistency was pretty perfect to how I like it and honestly I felt like the strawberry flavor tasted like I was eating a strawberry pound cake or something… that is how much I liked it! This is a winner for me and I think I’ll be getting more of it at the grocery store during my next trip!
Riddle me this: Do you have a favorite Greek Yogurt?!
Now, let’s talk a little about popcorn! I go through legit phases with popcorn. I will LOVE it for months and then not eat it for like a year and I am apparently on my phase of loving it because I have really been enjoying it! I like all sorts of popcorn- I love the occasional buttery salty kind (which I ate today at work since we always have popcorn on Fridays). I love the 94% fat free better for you popcorn (which I will occasionally put my own butter on haha). I love the bad for you caramel corn from the fair. I love the sweet salty mixture of kettle corn. And I even sometimes enjoy that colorful popcorn that you used to love as a kid.
Then I found a popcorn BAG that makes me feel like a kid again!
First off, finding popcorn at Acme is HARD. They have it like hidden on shelves near the produce not by the potato chips and nuts like they should. So after asking the boy stocking the shelves I finally got to pick out my own popcorn. I opted for a box of just regular light butter popcorn and then came across these tremendously amazing bags of kettle corn.
They actually look like a bowl of popcorn!
Amazing right? Well I thought so. Plus, this was a delicious treat. There is seriously something magical about having a snack that is both sugary sweet and salty. It’s like peanut butter and jelly… it’s just fits. Don’t ask questions.
I do recommend this so give it a try if you like kettle corn! It is really cool to see the bag start popping in the microwave and see it turn into a bowl. I tried to snag a picture of it but the light reflecting off the microwave just was not my friend so I just suggest you try it for yourself and see if you are as impressed as I clearly am!
No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my friend and family.
