Checking In On How I'm Feeling (In Regards To Nutrition)!

Happy Friday-eve! I thought it would be fun to check-in and let you know any differences that I’ve felt thus far when following a vegan diet for the month of February (think of it moreso as an elimination diet of sorts) and what I’m typically eating throughout the day. I’m always super interested to get a sneak-peek into how other runners are fueling, so maybe someone else is too? IDK. I’m really just doing this for selfish reasons to document and write out my thoughts anyways.

Friday- DAY ONE: Didn’t really feel any different. I was honestly so busy that I don’t think I noticed! Easy dinner of rice/ brussel sprouts/ potatoes/ sauteed spinach with lemon juice over it all.

Saturday- DAY TWO: Only “craving” that I had was for a meatball sub and that was spurred on by a commercial I saw. Otherwise, no real cravings going on here! Amazing Tempeh Chili for dinner

Sunday- DAY THREE: I did a BUNCH of meal prepping today for the week ahead and it actually got me really excited to eat it all. Some of my favorite recipes came from the Run Fast Cook Fast cookbook series and the roasted chickpeas are seriously amazing. I’ve also cooked with Tempeh a bit (had it in chili the night before) and surprisingly really loving the texture/earthy taste of it. It’s super high in iron/ protein/ magnesium, which is great for any runner’s diet (to repair those muscles!).

Monday- DAY FOUR: Had some cravings for those Utz Cheeseballs that we have at home (we bought one of those ridiculously giant tubs at Wal-Mart like a month ago), but managed to carb my cravings with a handful of chickpeas (seriously they are amazing-> crunchy like chips, a tiny bit of kick to them, salty). I haven’t really noticed whether it’s affecting my sleep or energy levels- I actually have been sleeping pretty crappy (lots of life stress at the moment, so I think that’s a big reason why). Running hasn’t felt different at all, but I have felt (in general) stronger- not sure if that’s the vegetable diet or just training in general taking effect.

Tuesday- DAY FIVE: Really felt strong on my marathon-paced miles this morning and never hit a ‘bonk’ wall that I’m used to. I know it can definitely NOT be contributed to my sleep because it’s still suffering, but I want to believe that my diet has had a huge effect on that. I have also began meditating again (determined to do it the entire month of February also), which I have noticed has really been a huge help in staying present, in the moment, and mentally concurring a run. Still craving those darn cheeseballs or a nice omelet (something I honestly never had when eating meat/dairy/eggs).

Wednesday- DAY SIX:

Some of my favorite meals/snacks thus far:

-Recovery Quinoa Salad from RFES (run fast eat slow cookbook)

- Tempeh Tacos

-This pancake recipe

-Roasted Chickpeas from RFES. Such a good snack option!

-These as a nice little afternoon ‘treat’

-Homemade Ginger Molasses granola and almond milk yogurt from RFES

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Ever experimented with various nutrition lifestyles? Anything you took away?

One meal for the rest of your life? —> All I can think about is those stupid CHEESEBALLS!

Training Tuesday: What I Ate In A Day

Happy Tuesday! How’s your week going? I’m so excited that we’re finally almost into February! January is definitely my least favorite month.

I wanted to share with you what my typical food looks like when training and working a 9-hour day. I documented what I ate last week when I had 30 minutes of strength training & 9 miles on the treadmill (with middle 6 at goal marathon effort- 8:20).

I woke up at 4:15am and had two slices of sourdough bread with almond butter and a drizzle of honey.

Also- a cup of coffee ( a must ).

I replenished & fueled my run with a gel (~40 minutes in) and electrolytes (~every 5-10 minutes while running and then I make sure to drink the remaining after I finish while stretching).

My first ‘real breakfast’ or second breakfast (however you want to look at it) happened at work shortly after 8am with the Can’t Beet Me Oatmeal II from this cookbook (I make a few servings of it at the beginning of the week so I can just pop it in my bag before I leave in the mornings), another cup of coffee that I brought from home (with one scoop of these collagens), and a banana.

I try to snack every 2-3 hours, so I had orange slices and a few handfuls of trail mix (from Natural Grocers) around 11am.

I had lunch around 1pm. This week, I made a big batch of the GImme Veggies Fried Rice (from this cookbook) and added a few slices of cooked chicken (also prepared on Sunday). Also with the remaining half of Kombucha and carrots/hummus.

Around 3:30pm (right before I leave to go teach skating at the rink), I had this almond butter bar (so tasty!). Normally I love something like PB & apple slices, almonds, or small thing of popcorn for my snacks- today I was craving something a bit chocolatey.

I got home shortly after 5:30pm and arranged our salads for dinner. I had already pre-diced the veggies on Sunday and cooked/sliced the chicken breast (on Sunday as well), so getting them together was super easy. I topped mine with a bit of ranch and Frank’s Red Hot for dressing.

I’m all about an after-dinner snack, so I had a bowl of popcorn and two of Justin’s Dark Chocolate Mini PB cups. Along with a cup of Throat Coat Hot Tea with two tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar and a drizzle of Honey (it doesn’t taste the greatest, but I swear that adding Apple Cider Vinegar has helped stave away any colds or sinus infections this year thus far- I’m normally always sick through winter and I haven’t had one niggle since November).

Sometimes I’ll eat more than this or sometimes less, I just really try to listen to my body and go with what it is craving (to an extent). If I’m extra hungry after a run, I’ll grab a Breakfast Sandwich at Starbucks. I almost always try to eat every few hours to keep myself from bonking or making a bad decision later on. I also never cut-out certain food groups because I truly believe that everything in moderation is the healthiest way to live. HOWEVER, I do know that my body feels its best (and mentally I feel my best) when I eat generally well so I keep that in mind as well when reaching for ample sour candy.

I also always drink at least 96 fl ounces of water, plus more if I’m running longer than 6-7 miles.

Here’s a daily cuteness for you. This was taken directly before he turned very naughty.

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What are your favorite snacks throughout the day?

Favorite way to unwind after a long workday?

Feature Friday: What I Ate In A Day

FRIDAY! We made it!! This was a LONG week! Right now I’m finishing up my long run (I put this post together yesterday) of 5 miles easy, 5 miles at Half Marathon Goal Pace, 2 miles easy!! Hoping I’m rocking it, but if not- there’s always next week! What do you have on the schedule today? I’ve also got Happy Hour Barre later this afternoon to get my strength work in (I love taking a pilates or barre class to get in my strength training rather than doing it all on my own… at least right now)! Normally on Wednesdays I do my strength work on my own and try to fit in 2 strength classes on Mondays/Fridays (or once a week and two sessions on my own).

I thought it would be fun to do another post about what I ate in a day! So here’s recapping what I ate in a day on this past Wednesday! Workout-wise: I had 7.07 miles with 6 x 3/4 mile repeats (1/4 recovery jog between sets), 20 minutes of recovery yoga & 20 minutes of strength later in the afternoon after work.

Morning: I didn’t eat anything prior to my run because I wasn’t hungry. I drank 8 oz of Nuun before my run. After my run (at work), I had my coffee, Noosa Yogurt with granola, peanut butter berries, and more water.

Mid-Morning snack: Beet & Blueberry Superhero muffin from Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow. I made a bunch of these muffins a week or two ago and ended up freezing a bunch of them. It works out so perfect for these weeks where I’m trying to save $ on groceries and have limited time. I popped one in my lunch bag last night and it’s defrosted by the time I want one the next morning!

Lunch: Spinach & Parmesan Ravioli, Carrots, Apple. Normally I do either soup or salad for my lunches, but I didn’t grab anything at grocery shopping this week for my lunches so I’m just either doing leftovers or grabbing a can of soup.

Mid-Afternoon snack: Popcorn! Love me some already popped popcorn.

Dinner: Brinner! Eggs with bacon, avocado toast, and garlic and sausages. Side of Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk since I was pretty hungry after yoga & strength

Dessert: Leftover pieces of the candy I got this past weekend. YUM

What do you have on your schedule today?!?

Favorite time & money-saving food hacks?!?

Strength training- how do you fit it all in?

What I Ate In A Day Between Two 20 Mile Training Runs

Happy Friday Eve! Alex is traveling this week (he is visiting his family back in New England), so it's just me and the animals until Sunday! One negative thing is that he normally does the dishes, so I have to suck up and do them, BUT on the plus side- more coffee for me ; ) In all honesty- we all miss him terribly, but I'm sure he's having a great time! 

I wanted to share with you what I ate during the day of my 23 mile run (and presiding my 20 mile run). I like to eat healthy (typically), but also follow what my body is craving. So if it's craving chocolate, I have it (in moderation) ; ) 

Breakfast: Cereal/ Triple Berry Caffeinated Nuun/ Coffee

Post 23 mile run: Clif Almond Butter Bar & Dark Chocolate Almond Milk (not pictured)

Stella was VERY interested.... ;)

Lunch: Half of an Italian Sub

Post Lunch treat: Tall Starbucks Triple Carmel Frappaccino with Almond Milk (this is soooo good!!)

Dinner: Run Fast Eat Slow Feta-Stuffed Bison Burgers with Alexia Sweet Potato Waffle Fries and Corn on the Cob

What do you have planned this weekend?!? --> getting relay manicure/pedicure & gardening & welcoming in the MS Run The US Segment #6 Runner on Sunday!

Favorite post long-run treat? Iced coffee or lemonade

Feature Friday- What I Ate In A Day

Happy FRIYAY! I hope you have something fun planned this weekend! I've got 2 x 8 mile runs on my schedule and am teaching skiing both Saturday & Sunday, so most of my weekend is already planned, but hopefully I'll get to fit in something fun one of those days. I wanted to share with you what I eat on a typical training day because nutrition is important! I've never been one to count calories, but I try to eat smaller meals (especially when training for a big race) every 2-3 hours and never limit myself to no sugary items or alcohol (but I'm not too into that stuff most of the time anyways). 

This is what I ate on Wednesday when I had a double workout (9 miles w/ 6 tempo miles in the AM & a Pilates Jumpboard Reformer class at my lunch break). I like to do my strength training days on my hard workout days to really fatigue my legs and keep my easy run days as a great recovery day. If I'm not working out hard (less than 70 minutes), I typically will only eat a banana before running in the morning (with my coffee & an 8 oz glass of water).

**I also consumed 4 * 32 ounces of water (plus maybe a little extra- not including my Nuun tablet & Natural Calm cup of hot water**

Before AM work-out: Coffee with a bit of Hazelnut Creamer/ Collagen Peptides (I LOVE this stuff) & Toast/Honey Almond Butter/ Half of a Banana & Caffeine-infused Active Nuun Mango Orange Tablet (I do this before my hard workout days)

After AM work-out: Starbucks Bacon, Cheddar, & Egg Sandwich & Beet/Spinach/Blackberry/Plain Greek Yogurt/Quarter of a Banana/ Cinnamon/ Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (I made a big batch of smoothies and then split them up throughout the whole week)

AM Snack Before Pilates Reformer: Run Fast Eat Slow Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies (I made these a few weeks ago and froze the ones I didn't eat right away) & Banana

Lunch: Chicken Sandwich (Canned Ground Chicken/ Light Mayo/ Sprouted Bread), Baby Carrots, Spinach w/ Balsamic Vinaigrette, & Almond Sea Salt Crackers PLUS a cute little beggar

PM Snack After Lunch: Luna Greek Yogurt Protein Berry Bar

Dinner: Brinner! Totally not pretty, but it was pretty tasty! 2 Eggs, Ketchup, 2 pieces of toast (butter/ 4 berry no-sugar-added jam), and 2 pieces of Bueler's Breakfast Sausage & Natural Calm Raspberry Lemon Hot Water

After-Dinner Snack: Chocolate Cashew Milk!