Happy Halloween!

I finished walking 500 Miles today!  I have completed my New Year’s Resolution with 2 months to spare.  Not too shabby

Now I’m ready for a nap…lol.  I just wanted to share my accomplishment, and now I am spending the rest of the day watching the Pats, relaxing, and then passing out Halloween candy

-Angie

So it’s raining, there are 2 days left in October, and I have 3 miles to go!  Today seems like a good day to relax, run a couple of errands, do some work-work, and do some cleaning around the house.  I don’t think I will be walking or running today.  I can just see myself slipping and falling and hurting myself in this type or weather.

I’m okay with taking a day off.  I’ve been very good this week keeping to my goal of finishing *500* Miles by the end of October.  I went for 2 long walks, and I went for a run yesterday, so I’m right where I want to be, and I can even rest for a day and still finish by Oct 31st

I now know what my new blog is going to be called, but I’m not telling.  It was a name I played with before, but it didn’t work at the time.  The timing is better now

I’m off to work on the new blog, get stuff done, and spend some time relaxing on this lazy rainy saturday…

-Angie

Today we are celebrating Halloween at work.  If you know me, you know that I love dressing up, and Halloween is one of my Favorite Holidays.  Probably because I have a lot of friends who dress up too, and it’s always fun to go to parties

Last year I went to MA for Halloween, but this year I’ve been a little bummed…my friends here aren’t throwing any cool parties like my East Coast friends do.  I didn’t even really dress up for the 5K…all I did was threw on my Red Sox jersey and sprayed my hair red.

Here’s me in Halloween’s past with and without my friends:

Halloween 2005 ~ Anita & Me

Halloween 2008 ~ Mike & Me

Halloween 2008 ~ Cait & Me

Halloween 2009 ~ Just Me

Halloween 2009 ~ Tim, Wendy, Me & Luigi

Halloween 2009 ~ Jen, Pete, Jen, Me & Jon

I know I skipped a few years, but I don’t feel like searching my hard drive for old photos at the moment.

So in honor of not being a total bum this year, I am going to dress up as a runner  This should be easy since I saved my race number, and if you have followed my quarterly reward schedule you would know that I have a lot of workout clothes and shoes.  I am thinking I will even wear my ipod around my upper arm, bring a water bottle, and maybe even wear my headphones…or listen to my ipod at work which I haven’t done yet.

Our plans for Sunday (Halloween), are to relax and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters (hopefully just treaters!), and maybe now I’ll dress up as a runner while we do it.  It’s a quick, easy costume and it symbolizes my year of growth…what could be better?!?

I hope Everyone enjoys their last Friday at work before Halloween, and I’m interested to see Facebook status’s and Halloween photos.  I’ll be sure to bring my camera with me to work today

-Angie

I took a nice long walk again today…3.5 Miles to be exact

I am down to 5 Miles left.

Only 5 Miles.

I would never have thought that I would run, walk, skip, rollerblade, or bike up to 500 Miles during a year above and beyond the regular walking around that I normally do.  I actually put aside a lot of time to complete all of this activity.  I don’t know the exact amount of time, but here’s an idea of how long on average I spent exercising:

Average distance over time: 500 Miles ~ 43 Weeks ~ 11.6 Miles Per Week ~ 1.66 Miles Per Day

Average hours spent over estimated pace:

1) 8 min miles – 67 hours

2) 10 min miles – 83 hours

3) 15 min miles – 125 hours

Overall, I walked between 67-125 hours.  That’s like 3-5 days of walking.  Wow, that’s pretty crazy! That’s a lot of time.  No wonder why it has become a routine.  Running my 1st 5K was an awesome accomplishment as well.  I spent my year of working part-time wisely and all the activity has kept me in great shape, and just in time to fit into my Wedding Dress!

-Angie

I have been avoiding the kitchen A LOT lately!  Mainly because I haven’t felt the desire to cook, but I’m missing my creative outlet…ie…Cooking.  It allows me to create and satisfy others at the same time…what could be better?

I find that now that I’m returning to the Kitchen…I am very impatient.  I am an impatient cook.  Just like everything else in life…I want my dinner done NOW. So I’m noticing that I put the heat too high, or I don’t allow enough cooking time.  I have to learn to be more patient in the kitchen.

Our meal planning system is still only so-so.  We really need a list of meals we cook on a regular basis and we need it posted on the fridge.  That way grocery day (Now Wednesday) is easy!  Easy is good after a long day at work I just got the list started by adding dishes that we cook using ground beef.  I can also note flavors, spices, or dishes that we don’t like, so I have a quick reminder of what new dishes to stay away from.

Meals:

Ground beef~

• Spaghetti & meat sauce
• Burgers
• Tacos
• Meatloaf

So what am I making tonight?  My Pa’s famous meatloaf recipe with a couple of extra ingredients:  garlic and worcestershire sauce.  I’m not making just one…I’m making two  We are having company and one wasn’t going to be enough.  The meatloaf is in the oven and will be ready in an hour.  I am looking forward to tasting the results, and what I need to do is sit back, be patient, and enjoy my Beer….

Angie

I’ve done A LOT of running to get to *500* Miles, so today seemed like a good day for a walk..

It’s been raining a lot lately, so when I got home and it was sunny I just couldn’t pass up exercise.  I started off with the uphill climb on my street, and I walked for 2 miles before I started to run on and off.  I listened to the playlist I made for race day, and the time just whipped on by..

I like walking because:

-I can clear my mind, de-stress, and figure things out.  Not that I’m stressed because I’m totally not.

-It’s relaxing.

-I don’t have to push myself..I just go with the flow.

So last night I made buffalo chicken fingers for dinner, and I cooked up way too much chicken (on purpose).  Tonight I am making some Sweet & Sour Chicken…

Off I go..

-Angie

I was up to running 3.1 miles by the end of June, and I have been looking to do a 5K ever since.  I didn’t want to run in the heat of summer, so fall right before Halloween seemed like the perfect time.  I have to say it was, and running at night was pretty fun and exciting too.

We met at Edny & Tazo’s place before the race, put on all of our glow-in-the-dark accessories, and then walked about a mile to the registration area.  We got there just in time to get our numbers, free t-shirts, and timing chips.  My number was 1351, and there were 2250 people that participated in the race.  We said goodbye to Mike and Pocket as the race began, and promised to meet them at the flag poles after the race.

We walked over to the start line, over the blue mats, and then started the race by weaving in and out of people to get to a good spot.  This continued pretty much the entire race, but at the turn-around-point it finally felt like it wasn’t as much of a constant challenge.

I lost my hair elastic just into the first mile, and I didn’t have a backup.  I got to the point where I was so warm that I was tearing off layers of clothing.  Next time like running outside on the regular, I would have worn less.  Anything that gets in the way of running can become quite annoying.  So wear less, bring a backup hair elastic (if your a girl), make sure your shoes are tied tight, and if you are using a MP3 player make sure it is not going to get in the way.  I am used to something getting in my way from past runs, so I just went with the flow, and took note for next time.

The race was fun, exciting, and tiring.  I definitely liked being part of a structured event rather than just running for fun.  Like I’ve mentioned before, I would definitely consider running a 10K in the near future

Here are my stats:

I finished the race in 30’32″ and my pace was 9’51″ per mile.  I have been a lot slower lately, and I am very happy to have finished in under 10′ per mile  The last time I ran was last Sunday before the Pats game with Edny.

I was in the Top 33% overall, #73 out in my age group (24-29), and the 292nd girl to pass the finish line.  I could definitely improve my time if I run another 5K, and that could be something I could do in the future.  I would definitely run another 5K.  I was not only supporting a good cause, but also getting a good work out, running with good friends, and I also had a chance to be competitive.

Almost done with my New Year’s Resolution, and ready to start a Cooking focused Blog

-Angie

What a busy week, but the good news is that it flew by  Tomorrow is Race Day, and Walking *500* Miles is coming to an end.  It’s a happy-sad time for me.  It was pretty awesome to have had the time to walk, run, roller blade, and bike as much as I have in the past year.  On the flip side, being home so much gets old quick.  I appreciate my job a lot more, and I’m happy to be out of the house making money!

I feel like I’m in a better position at work than I was a week ago, so that’s good.  I feel like I’ve learned a lot, but I still have a lot to learn.  The fact that the job is extremely fast paced and highly demanding gives me little time to stop and think never mind time to organize.  I’m not complaining…I love busy.  I’m just saying that it’s taking longer than normal to get organized.  It will take time, but I will get there

The 5K is tomorrow night at 7pm in Balboa Park!  I got my get up ready.  I just need to put some good tunes on my phone or ipod (I haven’t decided which to use yet).

Mike is coming with, and bringing Pocket.  She will enjoy the walk around the park at night.  She’s easily frightened, so hopefully the Halloween costumes don’t scare her.

*17* more miles left to go with running.  It’s been raining non-stop all week, so I wasn’t able to put in as many miles as I would have liked.  I’m getting close to the finish, and I’m thinking if I can shoot for October 31, 2010 that would be a good date to finish.  That gives me a week for 14 miles after race day.  It’s a lot when your working full-time, but I can shoot for 2 miles a night and 2 miles on the last Saturday & Sunday of the month.  I can do it

If you haven’t noticed, I don’t always stick to my goals…Life happens!  But my main goal hasn’t changed, and I have worked steadily toward it all year.

The title of this blog is New Blog, Food Focus, Coming Soon?!?#?

I’m ready to move on from the running focused blog once my goals are complete.  I am looking forward to creating a blog that is focused more on my life, cooking, and new recipes.  I hope to be able to write on a more regular basis as well.  I hope that if you’ve been reading this blog you’ve learned a lot from me in the past 7 months, and that I have been an inspiration to get you working out, writing a blog, or becoming more focused on some goal or area of your life.  I like to think of myself as a Motivator…

I will leave you with that thought.

-Angie

I want to finish all 17 by the end of October

Here’s my projected schedule:

Mon (Oct 18)- 2 miles

Tues (Oct 19)- 2 miles

Wed (Oct 20)- 2 miles

Thurs (Oct 21)- 2 miles

Fri (Oct 22)- 2 miles

Sat (Oct 23 “Race Day”)- 3 miles

Projected Total miles = *13 Miles*

Miles Left = *4 Miles*

Sun (Oct 24)- 3 Miles

Mon (Oct 25)-1 Mile

Done!!!

That’s my projected plan.  Let’s see if I can stick to it

Today Edny and I ran the race route or some of it anyway.  We are planning on getting together another night this week to run; possibly Thursday or Friday night.  We want to run at 7pm to get a feel for how running on the Race Night will be

We ran 3.1 miles in 30 minutes today, so a pace of 10″ per mile.

20 Miles Left!!!  Before I reach *500*!!!

I can say that I appreciate Friday, Saturday, and Sunday A Lot more now that I work a full-time schedule.  My work week was crazy busy, I did a lot of running around and coordinating, and as crazy as it is:  I like my new job.  My official title is “Customer Service Manager”, and I have one girl that works for me, so far.  I am an Angie of all trades, and I enjoy that my job has variety and is very fast-paced

Enough about my job…

The 5K is exactly 1 Week Away!!  It starts at 7pm next Saturday.  Since I’m not running as often as I was, I feel I am running slower lately.  My plan is to put in a few extra runs during this week coming up, so along with having enough stamina, I can build my speed back up  My run today was 10′ a mile.  That’s like 2′ per mile I could shave off this time.

I’m excited to be able to run in a costume!  I highly doubt that I will win any prizes dressed up like a Red Sox player in San Diego…maybe if I pretend to be Ted Williams…that would be creepy.  Haha maybe I’ll do it… somehow.  I realized that the glow in the dark hair spray says good for “black lights”, so I am wondering if it will even work outside at night without a black light.  We will soon see.

Not much new on the cooking frontier…Jeff’s been cooking a lot.  I think I made meatloaf this week, and that was it.  It is really nice having someone else in the house that willingly cooks and does dishes.

I’m off to enjoy my weekend, and maybe I’ll check in tomorrow.

Bye for now,

-Angie