The Table

I've found my new lunch spot and it might possibly have the most delicious vegetarian/vegan friendly options I have ever tasted.

My mom, sister, and I met for lunch downtown Oshawa at a place called The Table. I've known for a while its been there but between going to school and its hours (closes weekly at 4 pm) I've never had a chance to go. Boy, have I been missing out.

I had checked the menu ahead of time and thought I knew exactly what I wanted. Once I walked in and saw the specials I immediately changed my mind. I chose the lentil loaf and a salad-sampler. Online it said the sampler came with three salads, but they let me choose as many as would fit on my plate. I went with a leafless Greek salad, a kale salad, an arugula salad with macadamia nuts and artichoke, and a chili corn and edamame salad.

Everything was amazing. I devoured it and felt so satisfied after my meal. Sometimes when I'm eating vegetarian options as other places I'm left feeling hungry, but not here. I ordered the vegan chocolate pie for takeout and ate it later that afternoon at my desk. If I didn't know it was vegan I wouldn't have even noticed it was so delicious.

My sister had ordered an ice tea, but as someone who likes it pre-bottled and full of sugar this wasn't her favourite. Instead, I took it from her and drank the entire thing. They make their iced tea as soon as you request it and even ask you what flavour of tea you would like. She had a strawberry, long-island flavour. It was light, refreshing, and had just the right amount of sweetness. My sister just doesn't know what's good for her.

The atomosphere is really cool. It was a sunny day so there were a few tables on the sidewalk, and there were comfortable looking chairs at the front of the store, but I opted to sit at the namesake, The Table, which literally features a large, communal table across the restaurant. I loved the layout and thought it was an awesome match for the restaurant.

Clearly I am in love with this place. I have nothing negative to say and am the happiest vegetarian, even remembering my experience the next morning. I will definitely be going back again and I am determined to try every vegan/vegetarian item they have.

Attacking the Closet

I pulled the trigger and attacked my closet. I was surprised that I only got rid of two garbage bags and that I still have a full closet/clothing rack/shelves full of clothes. However, I feel almost lighter and definitely feel less claustrophobic in my small room.

The best tips I have for a good closet clean out are the following:

1) Prepare yourself with everything you need. Besides picking up a Tupperware container and some large garbage bags, I made sure I was also equipped with a large iced coffee and an awesome playlist. Motivation on all levels.

2) Schedule the time. About a week in advanced I scheduled two hours into my Google Calendar devoted to cleaning out my closet. I hate to deviate from my Calendar so I knew I had to do it. Just make the time.

3) Ask for help. Even if it's as simple as talking out how much you truly want to keep an item or the use you'll get out of it, ask an outsider. My mom and sister helped, but if I got really stuck I was ready to message my best friend or boyfriend for their opinions.

4) Take a breath. You don't need to make any decisions right away. The Tupperware container I purchased was meant for items I might not be wearing now but could potentially see myself wearing in the future, or might have sentimental value. For example, I have four university sweatshirts that I don't wear, but all mean a lot to me. I also found a bunch of concert tees that my dad had bought in the 80s. How could I give those up?

What are your tips for a successful closet clean out? What items do you refuse to toss?

Training Log - June 26, 2014

19 kilometers.

With about 16 weeks to go until my next half marathon, I’m not too worried about being ready to run. As always, it would be great if I could improve my time (a 2:41:00 during my last two attempts) but I’m already looking to 2015 as a year of running further distances. For example, I’m looking towards Around the Bay (30 kilometers) and a full marathon at some point next year.

However, back to yesterday’s long run.

I really impressed myself. I did take many walking/water breaks during that distance over two and a half hours, but considering it was over 23 degrees with a humidity index of over 50%, I was more concerned with my own safety and well-being that having a perfect run. And, to me, keeping hydrated and strong made my run more enjoyable for myself – and finding enjoyment in my runs is something that I have found myself struggling with lately.

Whether it’s a time or distance PB, I’m excited to see what the next few months of training holds.

Run with love

The boyfriend and I went on a short run last night. We don't usual run together but now that's he's back into running I think we're going to try to squeeze in one trail run a week with each other.

After only four kilometres of trails (and mosquitoes) we were covered in sweat. I can't believe how hot and humid it is for June. Despite the temperature and the bugs, it was nice to get out there. I typically like to run solo but having someone along is a nice change. 

Who do you like to run with? Or are you a solo-runner?

Summer solstice

Happy Summer Solstice!

Today is the longest day of sun of the year! I'm currently soaking up some rays through my coat of SPF and thanking the universe for such beautiful weather after, what felt like, the longest, coldest, iciest winter of my life. 

Today is also the start of something I'm calling, The Summer of Betterment. 

After five years of post-secondary education, five years of essays and editing and not enough time focused on my mental, physical, and emotional well-being, I've decided I need to let myself grow and heal again. To do this I've laid out goals that involve some of my favourite pastimes and I'm going to use them to become better over the course of the next three months. It's almost like my own "Happiness Project."

I'm going to:

• read (six books; one every two weeks)

• cook (try one new recipe each week)

• do more yoga (work on improving three poses - tree, headstand, king pigeon - and track my progress)

• other tasks (undecided; maybe try a new hobby or clean out my closest, for example)

To kick off The Summer of Betterment I have my "before" yoga pictures:

To improve these postures I will attend one yoga class a week and practice twice a week at home. These pictures also show me how I can improve. For example, I can tell that my king pigeon does not only need backbend work, but I also need to get my hips closer to the ground. In my headstand I don't only need to work on getting my legs straighter, but my back needs to straighten so that my legs can natural life. 

I'm going to research some helpful poses and cannot wait to see how I progress over the course of this summer.

How do you better yourself mentally, physically, or emotionally?

Green smoothies

I love smoothies. Without fail, from Monday to Friday I will make a smoothie for breakfast before I leave for my internship. Usually these smoothies are awful colours and truly do not look appetizing despite their awesome taste. Sometimes I'm lucky and they have amazing colours, like this beautiful, green smoothie.

Most of my smoothies are "green." Honestly, this just means I've added either kale or baby spinach.

My smoothies almost always have bananas and vanilla almond milk. Other than that I add whatever I'm feeling that morning. I stock my freezer with some frozen fruit (currently: strawberries, raspberries, and pineapple) or I use fruit that is still good but too ripe for me to really enjoy on its own (for me this usually happens to be mangoes). Then I add a few handfuls of leafy greens and blend. After I pour it into a new glass I mix in, by hand, my three favourite things: chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp hearts.

As a vegetarian, I find that starting the day with a boost of leafy greens with my trio of seeds gives me the extra boost of energy that I need, makes me feel fuller longer, and, overall, leaves me more satisfied.

What do you put in your smoothie?

Goodlife Toronto (Half) Marathon

Today I ran the Goodlife Toronto Marathon -- the half race.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day. It reached 14 degrees at one point and the sun was shining the entire time. The only downfall was the ridiculously strong wind that picked up and that I struggled against for my last five kilometers, but I'll take the wind over the rainy week we had.

Overall I really enjoyed this race. It's only my second half-marathon but I had definitely improved since my first one in October, even if my results didn't match these feelings (but more about that later!).

On Saturday my mom and I went down to the expo to pick up my race "kit." I was a little disappointed because for $85 all I got was my personalized bib and a free t-shirt. I understand that races aren't about free stuff but after getting some awesome goodies at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and many of my 5Ks it made me feel a little sad. Oh well! I made up for that by buying some new running gear at the expo.

I picked up a Bondi Band for my hair, some Jelly Belly Sports Beans and Stinger Chews, Sunski glasses, HoneyMaxx drink mix,, and two pairs of New Balance shorts. 

On Sunday my cheering squad (my mom and grandma) and I drove to Mel Lastman Square to start the race. The half-marathon began on time at 8:30 am. One thing that I didn't like was the way the runners were corralled because it wasn't clear where the corrals were. However, it really wasn't a big deal since the crowd wasn't very big and it didn't seem like slower runners (like me!) got in the way of the faster runners.

I'm decked out in the pink

The course was more challenging than I expected. The Goodlife Toronto Marathon is boasted as a "downhill" marathon but there were definitely some uphills that I was forced to overcome. Downhills are also not something I had practiced much and it took me the first 5K to figure out my posture and stride. As I mentioned before, the wind was also the strongest I had ever run against and slowed my time.

I also felt like the course was longer than 21.1 kilometers. As I crossed the finished line I noticed my Garmin read that I had run 21.6 kilometers. Personally I think that a half kilometer is a huge deal when you're aiming for a PB/PR time. Now, I completely acknowledge that Garmins are not completely accurate. Noted, I swear. However, the first half of the race my Garmin was reading 200 meters shorter than what the course markers were. Then, in the second half of the race I felt like one of the kilometers was taking longer than it should have according to my pace. The next time I compared my watch with the course markers I was half a kilometer ahead on my watch (a 700 meter difference!). After that my watch consistently read 500 extra meters. I also read online that runners from last year had noticed that the race was about 400 meters longer than 21.1. This makes me feel that it was not just my device. So when I mentioned before that my time didn't match the improvements that I felt while running, this is where I think the problem was. If my device was correct, I bested my previous time by about  five minutes. 

Since I'm not a competitive runner I would likely run this race again. Overall I enjoyed the course and had a great vibe from the organizers and volunteers. The medals look amazing and I loved how fast you could go from crossing the finish line to grabbing your medal, food, and water. 

Thank you, Goodlife, for being a part of my running journey.