Hi there!
Thank you for sharing all of your comments and personal stories today on my Always trust your gut post. Unfortunately, many women have either felt vulnerable or been in an unfortunate situation, but I think the fact that we are having this discussion will do a lot of good. It will help keep us safe, aware, and open to new ideas to help protect our safety.
Eric and I didn’t have much luck finding any personal safety items in stores today so we ended up ordering online. I purchased Sabre Dog Spray (which is legal in Canada) and a Street Defense Personal Safety Alarm that clips on to a waist-band. I figured the waistband would be the most practical place for me to put an alarm because I will likely be carrying the dog spray in my hand. I plan on bringing both items on my runs from now on.
When the items arrive, I will be blogging about them and letting you know what I think!
I also got around to updating my Half marathon and Try-a-tri training plan, which can be found below, on my Run page, or by clicking here.
I started my half marathon training on February 1st. This training plan morphed into half-marathon + try-a-tri training shortly after our announcement on April 12th.
Since February 1st, I have had 37 rest days, which averages out to being 2.46 rest days per week.
This included a week off from my groin pull and exercise ‘funk’. It pays to rest your body! Today was a rest day as well.
~~~
Last night’s birthday celebration was fun!
We went out for Mexican food…yum.
I started off with a huge beer:

Followed by my weight in salsa and chips.

For my main, I ordered veggie fajitas.
Look at this steaming veggie skillet!

BOOM.

The veggies were fried in lots oil and they tasted sooooo good.
I also ate my weight in fajitas. I lose all hunger cues when I order fajitas and I just eat until I am stuffed and can’t move. It happens every time!

Oh guacamole, how I love you.

But boy did I get stomach pains later from the garlic (I can’t digest garlic well). Gets me every time.

I had 4 fajitas and I couldn’t move. Either could the rest of my family. I was in good company.

After dinner, we went back to my brother-in-laws and we exchanged gifts for 1) Mother’s Day, 2) My father-in-law’s birthday, and 3) My birthday.
We had a grand ‘ol time.
My brother-in-law, Dave, looking thrilled to have his picture taken.

My brother-in-law Steve (looking less thrilled) and Joanne (thrilled). :biggrin:

My mother-in-law Margaret and my sister-in-law Ewa on the far right (ignoring the photographer).

Not sure where my father-in-law was when these pics were taken! Hiding?!
BENNY (thrilled, but wishing you would scratch his head)

Like most Goldens, Benny will be your best friend if you so much as look his way. Or just stand in his relative vicinity (within a 2 mile radius).
I got some lovely and very thoughtful gifts!

- Measuring cups
- Bike tune up kit
- Bike pump
- Padded Chef’s mat from Costco (oh my feet will be HAPPY come Monday!!! yippee)
and some lovely dish towels.

Tomorrow is my actual birthday. The big TWO SEVEN on the oh five, one six, twenty-ten. Tomorrow, Eric tells me what we are doing is a surprise. Sounds exciting!
We are celebrating my birthday next weekend with friends, so the festivities will continue on another week. Just the way I like it. :tongue:
Enjoy your night!
O.M.G. that guacamole!!!! I can just taste it and it is gooooooood :)
Over here in Germany it’s already your birthday — Happy Birthday, Angela! Thanks for everything you do to help us all glow in our own way.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday! That’s great you have so much family around to celebrate with you. Enjoy your surprise tomorrow.
Happy Birthday! The guac looks SOOOO tasty!
have a great day tomorrow, just 3 years till 30…but by then I will be 33…dammit!
come run with us soon!
Misty (thebrooklinruncub.com)
I love that tea towel!!! And a forewarning about those measuring cups: the handles break off very easily!
I hope you get a Vita from Eric for your birthday. I think it is a necessary business expense for the bakery!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, hon!
Looks like a fun birthday dinner! I always tend to overstuff myself with certain foods too (all you can eat sushi gets me EVERY time haha).
Enjoy your real birthday tomorrow! Can’t wait to see what Eric has planned. :)
That guacamole looks really good! I love Mexican food.
This might be a dumb question, but I’m wondering when we see things like tortillas and chips, are they vegan? I don’t know very much about the availability of vegan food and I always think when I see those things that unless you were at a vegan restaurant, it might be kind of hard to keep all the “extras” in a meal vegan too. Or maybe you just do the best you can when you’re eating out, even if it’s not 100% vegan? Or maybe those things tend to be naturally vegan? I have no idea! :)
I know what you mean! I always ask the server if I am unsure. Often they don’t know, and have to go ask the chef.
Holy Yum! Those Fajitas look amazing! Spending an evening with family is always so much fun! Thanks for sharing your story this morning. I get frustrated sometimes having to make a decision to cut a workout short or risk putting myself in a dangerous situation just because I’m female. But safety always outweighs everything!
Have a Happy Birthday tomorrow!!
That guac looks so good I might be drooling! Thanks for sharing that post this morning. Sometimes I feel like I overreact to those kind of situations but I tend to get freaked out pretty easily. Better safe than sorry right!
Tomorrow is my birthday too! Yay for May 16th
Happy birthday!
mexican food is up there on the top ten lists of food i love for sure! especially chips and salsa, i honestly have no self control when it comes down to that lol
Love guac! And hope you have a great pre-birthday :-)
Happy almost Birthday! I turned 27 on the 12th. =)
Mexican food always gets me too. I could continue to eat all of the delicious flavors long past when it is acceptable to do so! But that’s usually why I try and stay away from eating out! I can go overboard too easily. I did better when I went out for my birthday though. Ate at Sweet Tomatoes and had an amazing time. =)
happy b-day!
It seems like a common theme around the blog world, but I too can never control myself around chips and salsa. It’s dangerous haha!
Yay for your birthday! Have an amazing day – you deserve it :)
MMMn that food looks seriously good. Think I’m going to have to whip up a Mexican feast for dinner tonight. Hope you are feeling better after this morning’s post. My heart was in my mouth reading it. It does sound strange – your jacket being gone and a guy being in a car nearby .. also weird how he got out the passenger’s side door. I don’t want to scare you but more often than not gut instincts are right. I have had a few situations myself where things just didn’t feel right. I think as women we just kind of know. It’s hard to explain. I am so glad you’re okay. I don’t think women should live in fear but I know with myself, it’s easy to get complacent. We just need to go about our normal lives but be a bit aware. Thanks for sharing – it’s a good reminder to us all. Hope you have a lovely, relaxing, week ahead. :)
Oh and it’s a bit remiss of me to post without wishing you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Welcome to to 27 ( I am 27 and it’s pretty good really) – you’re not as old as 30 but you’re more wise than 25!
I lovethe way you think! ;)
I love how in the pictures everyone is sitting back and holding their stomach :)
Haha, that’s exactly how I feel after the glory that is Mexican food!
Happy Birthday! I turn 27 next month, eek! Hope get some awesome gifts like you did. Enjoy your day!!!
Aww, glad you had such a wonderful (and delicious!!) birthday celebration. Those chips look sooo crunchy and good! I’ve never heard of dog spray…I don’t really know too much about safety items beyond mace and pepper spray. I know that in Massachusetts you are required to have a permit for – I think it’s pepper spray…but perhaps both.
What a fun evening!!!!