Successful Move

Sorry for the delay in posting - but I figured since everyone is back at work today, I better get back to it as well. :)

So... I'm officially a West Coaster *yay*. I left for Calgary, last Tuesday, and have spent the better part of last week unpacking and getting my bearings around here. New Years was a lot of fun, my cousin's husband's family is from Calgary so we went over to their place and I got to meet some locals (always a good thing) and see my cousin. They also somehow talked us into going hot-tubbing at midnight in -22 degree weather. Crazy Calgarians! My hair froze, but other than that it was loads of fun.

Now I'm officially back on the job hunt - I was telling the boy last night, that I haven't been "unemployed" since like high school - and I'm one of those people that needs to be busy to be happy. I find it very hard to relax and go with the flow - so this will be an interesting test for me. I made an appointment at a local gym to get a tour and a 7 day pass for tomorrow - I figure even though I'm not making money at the moment, I can justify a gym membership because it will keep me sane/give me something to do aside from job applications all day.

The movers will most likely show up this week - and I can't WAIT for that! The boy has been living off of paper plates since he left, and I honestly don't know how he's survived this long... I'm desperate for our furniture/kitchen stuff to get here. My car should arrive next week as well - its also being shipped (the idea of driving across the Canadian Prairies in the winter freaks me out, to say the least), so I'm going to have to get snow tires put on ASAP once it arrives. I'm not a very confident winter driver - but I guess I will have to learn.

Today, I'm going to attempt meal planning for the week (gotta save money where you can), hit the grocery store nearby, and apply for a few jobs.

Thats about all that's new with me, I'll keep you posted on what happens as I try and figure out this new city.

How did you spend your New Years?

Christmas = Best Time to be at Work

So I’m down to my last two weeks of my contract at work right now, and I gotta say – finishing around Christmas might be the best thing ever. Everyone is cheery and happy, and no one is in too big of a rush to get things done, so its been a bit more relaxing than usual. Also, with Christmas – comes Christmas parties! I swear I won’t need to bring lunch much more between now and when I finish because there are so many events happening around the campus.

On Wednesday, the staff in my department and our board members went out to dinner at Michael’s on the Thames in London. I’ve heard LOADS of great things about this place, but also that it was pricy… so I’d never gotten there. Thanks to work – two weeks before I leave town – I made it. Now I’m really mad I never went before actually, because the food was freaking phenomenal. One of the best meals I've ever had, hands down. The boy has never tried it, but I figure it’ll just give us an excuse to come back for Homecoming sometime down the road. It was such a nice dinner, and great atmosphere. The maitre’d is amazing, he was passing out jingle bells to the whole group and we all sang Christmas Carols – I think everyone had a great time.

Today, we have a group lunch planned for noon at another place I’ve never gotten too downtown, Blue Ginger. Seems like an Asian fusion type of restaurant and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been told there will be martini’s!

This is why I love my job; I’m going to be so sad to leave next week. I don’t know, its just hard for me to imagine finding another job that is as awesome as this one. My coworkers are fantastic, my boss is super nice, and approachable – gah, okay I’ll stop my whining, I’m moving on with my life – I should be excited right? …well, I am excited, I’m just going to miss my job.

Haha, in other news, I went and bought -40 Sorel Boots last night (see picture) – and aside from having flashbacks to my childhood ski boots - they are pretty warm. I hope they will do the trick out West.

Calgary!

Sorry for the delay, I have been meaning to post this for awhile! So as some of you may know, I spent last weekend in Calgary (AKA my future place of residence). My parents kindly donated some air miles my way so I could take a first round of summer clothes (among other things) out ahead of time, and so I could see the boy for the first time in about a month. See… aren’t they awesome people?!? Love the parents.

Anywho, got up bright and early at 5 am on Friday to make sure I’d be able to catch my 7:20 flight in time. Fortunately, because I’m traveling from London – the airport is Tiiiny … so I was checked in like about 5 minutes. Flight over was good – I was on WestJet (love them… you’ll see why later). The funniest part was when we were landing and we got through the clouds all you could see was white – London has gotten maybe an inch of snow so far this year – CLEARLY Calgary was a different story. I found it amusing to look around at everyone’s shocked/concerned faces on the plane as they realized we were clearly heading into a big blizzard. Then the WestJet steward came on and was like “in case you haven’t noticed already it’s a TAD colder in Calgary than in Ontario… but that is okay – because we’re from Calgary, and we love Calgary --- *woooo*" – it was super cute and distracted everyone from looking out the window for awhile. Once we landed, the baggage arrived pretty quick and I caught a shuttle bus downtown. It was only me and a really nice Australian girl who was headed to Banff on the shuttle, so we got to talking with the driver. I think they both found it pretty awesome that my first impression of my future home is a crazy blizzard.
Way to be Calgary, way to be.
Well at least now I can say I’ve seen the worst of it, right? Dear god, I hope that’s the worst of it.

Anyways, the boy met me at the drop-off point for the shuttle and we walked a block or two to our new apartment. It’s smaller than our one in London, but its right downtown which is handy. It will be fine for the first little while. I also don’t have a job lined up out there yet – so we didn’t want to go overboard with living expenses since we’ll only have one income – at least initially. Anyways, we quickly grabbed some lunch and then he had to head back to work for the afternoon – and I toured around 17th Avenue in the blizzard (not to worry, I stopped for Starbucks and a cupcake – so it wasn’t awful). Once the boy got home from work, we went to a cute little Italian place nearby for dinner called Gnocchi’s. It was delish, and not very busy due to the weather. The MIML took me by some of the grocery stores/liquor stores on the way home. I bought some wine and he bought some beer and we headed back and watched Christmas Vacation on TV. That was it for Friday.

Saturday we got up and went for breakfast at a diner down the road… gotta say, breakfast prices = slightly unreasonable. I feel like I will be making breakfast at home from now on. I just thought it was strange because my dinner entrée the night before was around $17 and fairly reasonable, and then I got eggs benny (I splurged) at this diner and it was like $13.50 and wasn’t even that great. After breakfast, the boy took me by where his new office is and then we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks – because it was still pretty frigid outside. Then we decided to hit Chinook Mall, we took the C-Train (its like an outdoor monorail – but I suspect I’ll always call it the subway because I’m wired to think like a Torontonian). It was enjoyable and pretty speedy as well. I saw like FOUR people wearing cowboy hats in DECEMBER, which I think is just awesome (although I bet their ears were freezing). People in my neck of the woods wear cowboy hats ONLY on Halloween or to the bar, so I find it so crazy that people wear them just because out West. Love it. The mall was good, lots of stuff to see. We found the boy some winter boots and I got some stuff from Bath and Body Works (obviously). Then we went to a nearby sushi place for dinner. The boy also bought the Planet Earth DVD set when we were out so we went home afterward and watched that on his fancy new TV, it was pretty awesome (both the TV and the DVD’s).

Sunday, I had to catch my flight back at around 2:30, so I grabbed a shuttle by about noon. Didn’t give me a lot of time in the morning, so we just ate a quick breakfast at home and said our goodbyes :( So sad! Oh well – only a few more weeks. I booked my ‘official’ moving flight – I’ll be a resident of Alberta by December 29th, woo exciting!

Guess that’s about it – that was an EPIC update. I’ll try and post more regularly so they aren’t always so long. Thanks for reading – if you’ve made it this far! As you can probably tell, getting in a workout wasn't my highest priority that weekend. I'll try to get back on the wagon shortly though. Sorry I don't have any pictures to share, I realized my camera was out of battery when I arrived there - fiddlesticks. I'll be sure to take lots when I move "for real". :)

Catch-Up

Hey,

Well it’s been awhile since I blogged, I really need to get myself on some sort of schedule. Anyways, I unfortunately don’t have a whole lot to report this week. I’ve been majorly slacking with the gym. Last Wednesday, I went for a run in the cardio room in my apartment, because it was pouring rain and I didn’t want to go outside. It’s convenient for that reason, but the machines are kind of old and for some reason it’s always really hot in there… I much prefer the fancy treadmills with built in fans at the gym! I’m so spoiled. Anyways, wasn’t my best showing, largely due to the heat factor. Nike+ Stats were: 3 miles/32:43/10:53 min/mile with 330 Calories Burned. I was happy I just made it there at all.

One observation about the Nike+ though – the calories portion is always ridiculously off of what the treadmill will say. For example, that workout last week had the treadmill reading over 400 calories burned, whereas the Nike+ was only 330 – I don’t get it. Has that happened to any of you? Which one is right? I’m not a big calorie counter or anything; it just kind of irritates me.

Other than that, my only other workout last week was a quick round of the 30 Day Shred on Saturday afternoon followed by a one hour Pilates DVD. I suck – I know. I was actually home in Toronto for the weekend, and I always find it harder to stick to a routine when the scenery changes. Oh well. I’ll have to get back on the wagon this week.

My weekend was a much needed break from moving though! Friday night I had dinner and a drink at Moxie’s with my college roommate, and it was so nice to see her and catch up. On Saturday, I met some of my high-school friends downtown and we went out for drinks at a pub. It was so nice to let loose a little – haven’t had that kind of fun in awhile.

Anyways, I’ve just got to truck it through work this week (4 Day Week – woot woot), because on Friday I head to Calgary for the weekend. I’m SOO excited. I haven’t seen the boy in close to a month, and I can’t wait to see where we’re going to be living and tour around the city At least I feel like the hardest part of the break is over, phew.

That’s all my news for today, I’ll update more often, I promise. 

'Twas A Good Day

Hey Hey

So I had a great Sunday this weekend, I went to the gym and pounded out 4 miles (my longest yet) in 39:27 - at 9:51 min/mile pace and burned around 500 calories according to the Nike+. It was an amazing workout, not gonna lie. When I was thinking about my training plan the day before I told myself I'd be happy with somewhere in the 40-45 minute range, but I did even better than that, on my first one. LOVE IT. I have no clue what it was that made it so awesome, only things I can think of were that I had 2 weak runs on Wed/Fri - so maybe I was due for a good one; or because it was the weekend I had time to make self a decent breakfast before I left - that might have kept my energy up better. Either way, there were times I was running and I had to say to myself "I can't believe this doesn't hurt more right now" - anyways, I felt like a million bucks after that one.

After the gym on Sunday, I tried my very first CLIF bar! I've been hearing so much about them all over the blogosphere, but they are kind of hard to come by up in Canada from what I've seen. I actually surprisingly found a few varieties at a Shoppers Drug Mart near where I live, its one of the BIG ones though - so maybe that was why. Either way - it was VERRRY exciting. I tried a Maple Nut one, and it was delicious/very filling. I'll have to pick some up again the next time I'm around there. After my snack, I headed to the mall to discuss cell phone options for me and the boy, once we move out west. We're hoping to get some kind of couples plan, but I just got my blackberry last February so its only like 8 months old - so I'll have to see if it'll cost me boatloads more to change the contract. They gave me some good ideas to think on - we'll probably figure it out once we get out there.

Haha, in other news, the boy told me Saturday night that he went furniture shopping out west and got us a coffee table/end tables... oh yah, and bought a 50" TV from FutureShop... :P What are we gonna do with a TV that size, sheesh? It'll be nice for watching sports (cuz I watch soooo many of those) and stuff like the Olympics I guess - but its definitely gonna be more his baby than mine. So that was an interesting development.

Other than that, I did a quick 35 minute XT on the bike at the gym yesterday, which was actually relaxing because I read a magazine. Also, my boss at work is travelling today and tomorrow - so it'll probably be a little more relaxing here :) JOY!

Anyways, strange thing happened last night - I was home from work for about an hour and my right foot starting hurting - like RIDICULOUSLY badly - it was hard to walk. So Weird! It was still hurting at 11:30 when I went to bed, so I decided to skip the gym this morning and take it easy - but I'm supposed to have a run tomorrow and I really really don't want to miss it.
Has that ever happened to you? What are your strategies for a strain/injury - do you run through it or rest for awhile?
I need all the advice I can get!

Blogs Make Me Smarter...

Hey

So my last update was Saturday (i think)- so what have I done since then - not a whole lot, lol :P I spent Saturday afternoon doing the 30 Day Shred/Yoga, cleaning and getting some groceries. I decided to indulge in an "I'm home by myself" dinner and had asparagus and mushroom risotto using a recipe that the MIML found me off the Food Network. It was delish, but involved a sizable amount of BUTTER :P eee... oh well. Nice to pretend like you don't care every now and then. Saturday night I was supposed to go out with some people, but I bailed, because I totally fell asleep on my couch for 2 hours at 7:00 - and figured I was too tired. Bah - I'm no fun I guess. Or maybe I'm just getting OLD!

Anyways, yesterday I hit the gym fairly early. Pre-gym I had breakfast that consisted of rye toast with cashew butter, which I found while shopping on Saturday night. It is FAB-U-LOUS... I'd put it on par with almond butter - so that was very exciting. At the gym I ran 3.5 miles as per my 10K training plan - it was a bit rough around the middle, but I finished pretty strong and was happy with my time. Nike+ stats were: 3.5 miles/36:49 min/10:30 min per mile/385 Calories burned. The Nike+ thing almost made me laugh out loud when I finished because Lance Armstrong came on and congratulated me - haha, SOOO random. That made me smile. In the afternoon I took some old clothes to goodwill (*yay* for giving back), grabbed a Starbucks, did some laundry, and hunted for jobs in Calgary. I hate job hunting, its depressing - especially in this economy. I'm terrified of not finding something once I get out there. :S

Couldn't decide on what to make for dinner last night, so I made lemon chicken and ate some leftover risotto with it. It was tasty, and I have extra's for lunch today. While I was making dinner I discovered that my mother THREW OUT my $11 package of QUINOA while she was packing on Friday, because "I already had alot of rice" - its NOT THE SAME... lol :P - silly lady.

Anyways, so I've decided that the tips I find in blogs - make me way smarter about eating healthy. Exhibit A: I decided to try Overnight Oats which I've been hearing lots about in the blogosphere. They turned out great, I was so impressed. They are definitely going to be a staple in my breakfast routine. THANKS KATH. I added some almond butter and strawberry rhubarb jam and it was the perfect treat before my strength training.

So, do any of you have any favorite goodies you add to your oats? As I mentioned, I feel like they'll be making a regular appearance, and I would love to try some new varieties :)

The 10K

So as I mentioned in my prior post - I was gonna give some details about my road to health and fitness. Here's what I'm thinking...

I currently can run 5K fairly easily, but I'm am by no means a regular runner. I just can kind of push through the pain and bust out a 5K without THAT much effort. So... to make sure that I push myself and get into a serious running regimen, I've set my first goal at completing a 10K. I'm sure all the runners out there in the blogosphere know of Hal Higdon, and after looking through alot of training plans, his seems like the best strategy for me to fit into my life. I don't have a particular race I'm planning for at the moment, considering that Hal Higdon's plan is only 8 weeks - and by that point it'll be around Christmas and the dead of winter up here in Canada... so not a whole ton of road races to choose from. I will likely be completing my training using a combination of outdoor running, and classes/machines at the gym as the weather gets colder.

I am planning on making a few slight modifications to Hal's plan, so I'm thinking my plan will look something like this...

Monday: Stretching & Strength Training (45 minutes)
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Cross-Training (Yoga Class + Cardio Machine)
Thursday: Off
Friday: Short Run + 20 minutes Strength Training
Saturday: Cross-Training (Spin Class, Walking, Kickboxing etc)
Sunday: Long Run

So only some minor variations on the plan - but I think it'll work well for me.

There are only a few challenges I foresee in this plan. #1) I'm moving at the end of December - and its not just a little move - I'm moving from Ontario to Alberta - so umm, I dunno 4000+ miles. :S #2) The reason for this move, is the man in my life (MIML) got a job out West, and my job is a contract position that ends just before xmas, so the timing for this kind of change is good in that sense. Downside is, I will be without a boyfriend to motivate me for about 6 weeks (he leaves next weekend), and I'll be stuck in Ontario packing up our life ... wooo, fun! NOT!

Hopefully, this blog and my exercise plan will be a good distraction for me while he's away. I'm also hoping that if I get out West and can find a good gym quick enough, I won't miss out on any of my training plan... (Anyone know any reasonably priced gyms in Calgary? I could really use some tips!) Assuming all goes well, I am planning on running in the Calgary Marathon next May, hopefully either a strong 10K or a half-marathon if I can really push myself.

I figure that will give me lots of time to adjust to a regular running schedule, and figure out what works best for me. I'm also planning on trying to eat natural, healthy foods from this point out and I will try and document some of that to share with you as well. I'd love to know what some of the experienced runners out there thinking of this training strategy, I'm still pretty new at this so I'd love to learn more. Nonetheless, I will keep you posted on my progress this week. Wish me luck!