How to Start Running | Part 6: The iPod Edition

Part 1 | Adjusting Your Mind-Set

Part 2 | Getting Your Gear

Part 3 | Setting a Training Schedule

Part 4 | Avoiding Injury

Part 5 | Fuel & Nutrition
Part 6 | The Music Edition
Part 7 | Running FAQs

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Two things before we get started:

One: I just want to brag on myself and say that I am super impressed that I've taken this series into part SIX. Who knew I had so many things to say about running?

Two: On last week's post, I got the best comment ever! 

--->Molly said this: During my run this morning I thought "Oh! It is Wednesday! Amanda will have her running post today!"

How awesome is that? I had no idea anyone even noticed I've been posting these on Wednesdays! I'm not even sure I noticed I was posting these on Wednesdays! So thanks, Molly! You made my day.

I really hope you guys have been encouraged, inspired, and educated by these posts, and I also hope you've been enjoying hearing from the featured running bloggers! Hopefully by now you're in the right mind-set, you got fitted for some shoes, you made a training schedule, haven't gotten injured, and are learning how your body reacts to fuel before, during, and after running.

Now for part six. I'm calling today's post "The iPod Edition" because we're going to talk about the age-old question I get from people who don't understand how I can actually look them in the eye and say running is fun: Don't you get bored?

Honestly? Yes. Sometimes I want nothing more than to claw my eyes out because I'm so bored, but for the most part I have way too many thoughts to work through to keep me occupied for days. You really don't want to know what goes on inside this brainy head of mine. Besides my thoughts, I also have my ipod to keep me company. I know there are runners who debate the merits (or not) of running with music, but I love it. To each his own.

And so, today I want to share some of my favorite running songs and podcasts that keep me company as I wind away the solitary miles through my neighborhood. Old-school nano for the win!

Chris Brown 

"With You"

I hate that I love this song, because I probably wouldn't want to run into Chris Brown in an alley after dark, but this jam seriously has saved my race more than once. For some reason it has the perfect beat for me, and I just get into a groove and play this on repeat for a good long while. Once I played it on repeat for the last 45 minutes of my half marathon because I needed the beat to keep me on pace.

One Republic 

"Everybody Loves Me"

One Republic is awesome in general, and this song is the best for keeping me on a good beat. Another play-on-repeat-for-45-minutes song. Give it a listen and tell me I'm wrong.

Stuff Mom Never Told You

I recently discovered this podcast and have been enjoying it quite a bit. The episodes are 30-40 minutes and cover interesting topics about everything from "Women and Wine" to whether or not men are more forgetful than women. And, if you notice in the above picture, the topic of the day is "lady farts." If that discussion doesn't keep you occupied while running, I really don't know what will. I also just listened to one about Instagram, which was really interesting.

Jillian Michaels

Yes, Jillian Michaels sounds like a man. And yes, she's kind of crazy. But I have started to enjoy these podcasts. Each is about 40-50 minutes long and made up of 2-3 segments, where she talks about fitness, weight loss, her own life, and answers call-in questions from listeners. I especially likes when she talks about The Biggest Loser. During one I listened to last week she called Bob Harper!

Village Church Sermons

I think it's the weirdest thing ever to listen to a sermon while running, but for a reason I can't explain, I love it. Matt Chandler is the pastor at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas, which is where my parents go and where I go when I visit them. He is a great preacher, and his 45-minute sermons are perfect for my shorter 3- and 4-mile runs. 

Here is an mp3 link to an excellent sermon on abortion that I listened to a few months ago. Whatever side you fall on the issue, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on this sermon if you ever get the chance to give it a listen.

The Marathon Show

I don't love this podcast, but I like it. You understand the difference, yes? My main problem is the MC, whose hyper voice annoys me. But if you can get past that, I do enjoy listening to a podcast about running while I'm, you know, running. Plus, they're about 60 minutes long, so I can get in 6 or 7 miles during an entire show.

Freakonomics Radio

Similar to "Stuff Your Mom Never Told You," the Freakonomics podcasts cover a host of awesome and interesting topics. Most recently I listened to one examining whether or not having a baby girl increases a couple's chances of getting divorced.

So that's it! I usually alternate between podcasts and music depending on the length of my run and how I'm feeling. Now I'd love to hear from you!

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Any podcasts or songs I should add to my ipod? 

What is the most played song on your running playlist?

Are you a fan of running with music or without it? 

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Don't miss today's featured running bloggers!

< Amy's Blog | Coffee, Scarves & Running Shoes >

< Elizabeth's Blog | Curly Pink Runner >

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**Today I'm also linking up with Emily for "Favorite Things"**
Grab a button and link up on Friday with your post!

*I am not a personal trainer or physician. This post is not intended to offer medical advice. Contact your doctor before beginning a fitness routine or if you experience pain while exercising.

My Favorite Meals + a Dinner Log

A few months ago, I won this cookbook in a blog giveaway from Allison, which is where I got the brilliant idea to keep a dinner log. So that's what I've been doing since August 7.

Call me crazy or obsessively organized or whatever, but every night for the last two and a half months I've written down what Jordan and I have eaten for dinner. The reasons for this insanity are threefold:

1. I wanted to see if there was a pattern to our dinner menu/repeated meals/etc.
2. I thought it might make future meal planning easier to have a list of our favorite meals to choose from.
3. I just straight up thought it would be interesting.

Instead of boring you with the full list, I've broken down the log into a pie chart! Who doesn't love a good pie chart?

As you can see, the majority of our meals consist of home-cooked meals and leftovers. The Bumgarners are a huge fan of leftovers. We're also a fan of being huge nerds and making pie charts, but we're not going to talk about that.

When we eat out, it pretty much boils down to Chinese, Mexican, or Pizza. Jordan really loves Chinese food, and surprisingly our Oklahoma town has a wide selection of restaurants. So that's awesome/terrible.

"Invited to dinner" just means we didn't eat at home, but we didn't pay for our dinner. Example: when Jordan's mom invites us over for Sunday pot roast or my aunt and uncle call and offer to take us out to eat. Yes, please!

Okay, so now what you really came for: the meals. Not to brag, but I cook a mean dinner and you want these recipes. Of course you can check out all the recipes I've posted on my recipe page HERE and the recipes I've pinned, tried, and liked HERE, but these are the ones we have been eating lately (Vegetarians beware: we eat a LOT of chicken. Poor little chickens.):

 + Chicken pot pie (Pioneer Woman's recipe)

I used to think making a homemade chicken pot pie would be a huge ordeal, but it's so easy! Seriously, if you haven't tried whipping up a pot pie, you're missing out. You can chop up the carrots and celery in advance if you want to make the prep work go faster.

+ Cheeseburger macaroni

I have a stash of Rotel in my pantry just for this recipe. It's one of the easiest skillet meals to put together, and it's delicious! It's even easier if you cook and freeze your ground beef in advance. I've cooked this so often that I've gotten this down to about 20 minutes from start to finish. Winning.

+ Chicken & rice bowl

Chances are high you will have the ingredients for this recipe in your freezer at all times. Vegetables, chicken, and rice. Boom. A Bumgarner favorite.

+ Mac 'n' cheese from a box

YES. 
Don't you dare shake your head at me. (Melinda is shaking her head at me.) 

Kraft macaroni and cheese! This is probably aka definitely the most processed meal we eat (if you don't count Jordan's Ramen noodles, which I DO NOT). We love the "three cheese" flavor, and we buy Polish Kielbasa sausage (Hillshire Farms brand), which we cook on the skillet and then chop up and add to the mac. It makes to more of a meal, and it's so good. Just try it and thank me later. 

Word to the wise: Do not get the cheap brand of sausage. Get the good stuff. We've tried to cheap sausage, and it tastes like....cheap sausage. Shocker.

+ The Crock-Pot

If you don't use your crock-pot or don't have one, you are missing out on one of life's grander inventions. It's so awesome to pop everything in the crock-pot in the morning and have dinner ready when you get home from work! Our most recent favorite crock-pot meal is this slow-cooker chicken & wild rice. I've already had a few friends make this and tell me it was delicious, so it's not just me.

Make sure you eat it with 189584 pounds of corn like Jordan does.

We have so many more meals we love, but these are the best, the easiest, and the favorites for the rest of time. Or until something better comes along.

What's your go-to meal? 

Leave a link in the comments so I can love it too!

Sharing is caring.
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Linking up with Jessica and Ashley for Taste of Tuesday.

Weekly Wishes: Where I Admit Failure and Also Make it Rain

I skipped writing weekly wishes last week because I didn't want to admit my HORRIBLE FAILURE from the week before.

Here's what happened: 

Goal #1: Cross off #25 on my 30 by 30 list 

If you looked at my list, you know that #25 is make a mojito from scratch. A weird thing to put on a 30 by 30 list, yes. But also awesome because we all know mojitos are delicious. As it turns out, every grocery store within a 15-mile radius of my apartment conspired against me, and I couldn't find mint leaves anywhere. As you know, mint leaves are a pretty important mojito ingredient. So I have limes and vodka and ginger ale sitting on my counter. But no mint, hence no mojito. Fail.

*EDIT: After a few comments from people confused about why I can't find mint leaves anywhere, I want to clarify that the stores sell mint leaves, but they're just sold out. I can only assume everyone in my town is buying mint leaves and drinking mojitos without me. This reminds me of the time I tried to find eggs to make cupcakes. First world problems.

Goal #2: Drop off clothes at Goodwill

I drive past Goodwill every. single. day. And I just straight up didn't stop to unload my trunk full of clothes and shoes and other things. Fail. 

Maybe I should just do a slow drive-by and toss boxes of stuff out the window. Yes?

Goal #3: Go to the car wash

Let's just say that almost as soon as I posted about going to the car wash, it started raining outside. And let's also say I considered running downstairs and throwing soap all over my car and letting the rain do my job for me. I didn't do the soap thing, but the bird poop washed away in the downpour, so the car wash dream lives on.

I'm considering this only a half fail. I mean, I basically MADE it rain just for me.

Goal #4: Run half marathon #6! 

Okay, I did do this one, so I'm 1 for 4. You may remember how that went. Portapotties without toilet paper. Hills that tried to kill me. Dry heaving. Good times. 

If you follow my blog on Facebook, you may have seen the race picture I posted! Note my look of intense concentration. This is me trying not to throw up. I just have to remember I paid for this kind of pain.

Aaaaanyway, this time I'm going to be realistic about my goals for the last week of October. I have a LOT going on this week, plus a few things that are super duper exciting, which I will tell you about next week. NO I'M NOT PREGNANT. Ohmygosh I can't believe you would even ask me that.

That being said, I have one single goal for this week and that is to find mint leaves and make a freaking mojito! I, an omnivore, will not be bested by a plant. 

Here's the plan: I will make a mojito, and then I will take a picture of it, and then I will blog about it.

The end.