Spring in Ottawa, spring in my step.

It's been over three weeks since my last post and a lot has changed since then. I am now based in Ottawa and am finally starting to get into the swing of things. I have a good sense of where to get all of my vegan necessities and Ottawa is a runner's paradise! Equally as important, Ottawa has one of the largest Ultimate leagues in Canada (some people have told me that it may be the largest in North America - I have my doubts).

Speaking of running, my half-marathon training has definitely picked up over the past three weeks. I have a few friends who are also doing the half in May so it has been encouraging to have others to train with. Another factor is that Ottawa actually has a Spring season, so I was able to make the transition to outdoor running much earlier than I would have in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia.

It's been ups and downs so far. I am being seriously outpaced by my friends - I haven't managed to figure out how to make my scrawny little legs move faster (or at least take longer strides).  They are very sweet to put up with my slowness. Last night, some guy I had just met asked me what my goal was for the half. I think I said something like 2:00 to 2:15. The response I got was, "Oh, that's nice". Later he admitted that he did it in 1:25 last year and had been disappointed with his performance. Whatever...

On the positive side of things, last week we got up to 14k. There were a few breaks involved, but it was a major breakthrough for me. I can definitely feel my body getting stronger and faster. What's another 7k?

One Town's One-Meal Vegan Challenge

Since moving out to the Annapolis Valley region, I have had the pleasure of working with some fantastic people. In the summer of 2011, I did a 2.5 month stint at the municipal office of the Town of Hantsport, a great little community of about 1000 people. When the staff there heard that I would be moving to Ottawa, they decided to have a little going-away potluck for me. While no one had ever even dreamed of trying a vegan diet before, they were all enthusiastic about attempting an all-vegan potluck. Even the most devout carnivore amongst the staff (my former supervisor) spent the week scouring the Internet for vegan recipes. Everyone was excited about their "one meal vegan challenge" and they were confident that this was a challenge that they would win.

Sorry for the terrible picture. Taken with my cell phone :(

Living in a small town poses a few dietary challenges. My former supervisor travelled all the way to Halifax (about 45 minutes away) in search of vegan cheese. What he came back with was actually lactose-free cheese - though he did not realise it until after he had added it to his impressive layered bean and veggie quesadilla. It's too bad that he didn't know that the mega-store in the next town over had an entire vegan cheese section! It's the thought that counts, though.

Anyway, the "one-meal vegan challenge" ended up being a bit of a failure (though Cameron and I ate only the vegan stuff). Aside from the quesadilla, everything else was 100% vegan. The Town Mayor made a chickpea curry! It was very tasty. I brought my chocolate zucchini cupcakes. So, in the end, the 5 challengers did win the "one-meal vegetarian challenge" - I think that is definitely a step in the right direction! 

"Take your heart's candle and relight it"

Today was my last day of work in Nova Scotia. I thought that this incredibly catchy tune from Old Man Luedecke was fitting for my journey from work to my home in Wolfville for the last time. 

I suppose that I didn't really "quit my job" - it was more like a gracious resignation. Plus, I start a new job in a new city in a new province in about 5 days, so the freedom as expressed in the song will be quite short-lived. I also liked my old job a lot and will miss my former colleagues greatly.

Nevertheless, it's still a fun, catchy tune and few things provide greater satisfaction than singing "I QUIT MY JOB" at the top of your lungs while driving home in the middle of the day. 

At least living on "rice and potatoes" is still fitting with a vegan diet :)