The Inner Workings of a College Graduate

I pretty much kicked butt at my run this morning.

17 miles in 2:38:14 at an average pace of 9:18?!?! Wooo hoo!!!

If you would have told me bright and early this morning that I would be kicking so much booty, I wouldn’t have believed you. I woke up feeling very sleep and stalled starting my run by playing on the computer and taking as long as possible getting ready.

Part of stalling was preparing and eating this delicious Almond Butter, Pumpkin Butter, Raisin, and Dark Chocolate Chip sandwich.

I did eventually make it out the door and arrived at the park just as the sun was rising.

Unfortunately it wasn’t until I was parked that I realized I had left my water pack and shot bloks back at my apartment. Oh no! Driving 10 minutes back to my apartment and then 10 more minutes back to the park wasn’t worth it. Instead I ran with some cash and around mile 4 discovered a Publix where I purchased a water, tangerine and a fruit leather strip.

The idea of running by myself let me feeling bored, so I decided to challenge myself on the run and focused on my speed. I tried to keep my pace around 9:15 and was surprised how easily I could accomplish this. Each mile literally flew by and since I was focusing on my pace I never felt bored or alone. The challenge kept me interesting in the run and knowing I was achieving it made me happy.

Around mile 10 I broke out the tangerine , which must have been quite a sight considering I was still running while trying to peel the tangerine, eat the tangerine and spit the zillion of seeds that came from the tangerine. Even though it was a challenge to eat, I really enjoyed the fresh fruit on my run. I need to run with fruit instead of processed fuel more often.

A few miles later I broke out the fruit leather. The fruit leather was another great alternative to my normal running fuel. The simple sugars gave me the boost I needed to finish strong.

Final Stats:

• Distance: 17 miles
• Time: 2:38:14
• Avg Pace: 9:18
• Avg Heart Rate: 169

When I made it back to the car I immediately dove into the Renew Glo Bar to prevent any shaky, nauseated feeling I tend to experience after long runs.

The renew bar was amazing! It tasted great and gave me the energy I need immediately after a long run.

Breakfast was prepared almost immediately after walking in the door.

I discovered today that egg whites from a carton do not work in eggs in a basket.

Instead I ended up with holey french toast that I cooked egg white separately for and dropped in the hole and then covered in apricot preserves – tasty!

With my stab at eggs in a basket I had a bowl of yogurt with cantaloupe, pom seeds, and granola.

It was all very refreshing and perfect after a long run!

I wish I could rest for a bit, but I have no time! I am already later for meeting my friend at the Orlando Food and Wine Festival. I have been looking forward to this for months so I know it will be worth it. Be back tonight with a full recap.

… for spending all afternoon helping me with my Sam-e Good Mood Blogger finalist video.

Filming the finalist video has been on the forefront of my mind ever since I became a Top 20 finalist earlier this week. Not only did I have to think of a fun concept to get people’s attention, but I had to figure out how to make it a reality. Sarah stepped in and made everything possible. She helped me film, edit, and pull everything together. Sarah seriously rocks!!

I spent the majority of the morning and early afternoon prepping for our film session. The huge decadent pancake breakfast kept me feeling full until close to 2:00 when I decided I better eat before Sarah came over.

My fridge is very bare at the moment, but did have enough ingredients to produce a delicious black bean mix.

My mix contained

• Black Beans
• Corn
• Avocado
• Mushroom
• Tomato
• Chili Powder
• Fresh Oregano
• S&P

The black bean mix made a great taco filling.

I had three corn tortilla tacos filled with the mix and a bit of plain yogurt.

It was a nice light lunch after such a big, filling breakfast.

Sarah and I worked on filming and editing the 90 second video for 3 or 4 hours. In those hours I learned a whole lot about iMovie and editing. I can’t wait to find an excuse to play with the program again.

We were both famished once the video was completed and headed to a local hole in the wall Indian place for dinner.

We started with the standard crackers – or what ever the proper name is – and a trio of dipping sauces.

As soon as we sat down Sarah asked if I was ok with sharing food and I believe my response was something along the lines of “Hell yeah!” She was speaking my language.

We went with the old stand by by of Beingan Bharta

And then ordered an odd dish involving veggies, cashews and almond milk that both of us never tried.

My plate (x2)

With whole wheat naan.

The concept for my finalist video involves a Cooking with Meghann segment where I pull a cake out of the oven at the end. Part of prepping for the video involved baking the camera ready cake.

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving Challenge I worked with a gluten free cake mix I already had on hand versus going out and purchasing a new one.

I did however have to buy a $1.59 tub of icing.

Vote 4 Meghann!

After dinner Sarah and I sampled a piece of the cake as part of our video ‘wrap party.’

The cake was great! Very light, fluffy and moist – Yum! I would never have been able to tell that it was gluten free.

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I know you guys are dying to see the finished video. Well, here is a special sneak peak. Please let me know what you think! The final video is due tomorrow along with the 250 word essay on why I would be the best blogger for this position. (If you are reading in google reader you may need to go directly to my site to see the video)

Tomorrow morning I have 17 miles on the schedule which I plan to complete all on my own. Eeekkk.. I better get some rest.

Good Night!!

Look who came over for a sleep over last night

My Mom is still out of the country, so my Dad made a trip to Orlando last night to hang out with his two favorite daughters and brought Scooby along. Scooby and Maddie spent all last weekend bound together at the hip and had been missing each other like crazy all week. They were very excited to see each other again and spent the whole night playing and snuggling together on the couch. They are two peas in a pod.

Thankfully my Friday did eventually calm down and I was able to leave work right on time. Staying late on Fridays is never fun.

At the office I snacked on the last of my Cowgirl Creamery Mount Tam Cheese and a few Kashi Crackers.

I originally had no plans for Friday night, so when my Dad called last minute to see if I was interested in dinner and a movie I immediately said yes. The two of us met up with my sister, Kelly, and her boyfriend downtown for a night out on the town.

I had heard good things about Hamburger Mary’s on Church Street so I suggested we go there.

Hamburger Mary’s is famous for their delicious burgers and off the wall servers dressed in drag. Unfortunately the servers only go all out on certain nights of the week and last night was not one of them. I’ve been told to return on nights where they play bingo or have karaokee to get the full experience.

I was a little disappointed by the mediocre menu. It was all typical bar food with the exception of some interesting burgers.

I should have went with my gut and ordered what the establishment was famous for – burgers – but instead I tried to order ‘light’ and asked for a cup of chili and half order of the asian salad.

The chili was nothing special and neither was the salad.

However, the fries I stole from my Dad’s plate were wonderful.

And so were the few bites of my Dad’s and Anthony’s burgers. The burgers were actually pretty amazing. I learned my lesson: if I go to a restaurant known for a certain something then damn it order that certain something.

After dinner we moved next door to The Dessert Lady where the dessert more than made up for the lackluster dinner.

Too many delicious choices to choose from!

The sampler was obviously the best option for our group.

Carrot Cake

6 Layer Chocolate Cake

Baked Apple Cobbler

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

WOW!!!! Each cake was out of this world delicious and there was so much the four of us couldn’t even finish it all. I can’t believe I didn’t know this place existed before, but I promise I will be back!

For the movie portion of our evening we headed over to the new posh theater in downtown which is locally run and has the most comfortable movie chairs I have ever sat in! We saw the 9:15 showing of 2012 which may have been a little later for the 2.5+ hour movie. I believe I saw both my sister and dad fall asleep at one point.

2012 actually wasn’t that bad as far as end of the world movies go, but I would suggest saving it for DVD. In the mean time I would rent The Day Before Tomorrow or Deep Impact and you’ll get the same jist.

By the time I made it back to the apartment it was almost 1:00am which should explain my lack of posting last night – sorry! – instead I went straight to bed and was up at 7:00 for a quick 4 mile run at a 8:46 pace. Despite my late night, the run felt great!

After my run my Dad and I took the puppies to a breakfast spot I have been dying to try off of Park Ave in Winter Park.

The Briar Patch is famous for great breakfast foods and a menu that will not disappoint.

After much dilliberation I went with the Blue Heaven Wheat & Fiber Pancakes.

OMG!! Delicious!!

These pancakes were very rich and sweet. They tasted just like a cinnamon donut. These were seriously the best pancakes I have ever had. Yum!

My Dad’s Western Scramble was pretty kick ass too.

Now I am stuffed full of pancakes and am ready to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. I hope the sun is shining bright where ever you live as well.

Have a great weekend!