SCOTT SPITZ

A No-Hype Training, Nutrition and Dietary primer to help you

eat, run and live to your potential.

by accomplished runner and frequent blogger:

Matt Ruscigno, MPH, RDTrue, Love, Health

www.truelovehealth.com

Ginny Messina, MPH, RDThe Vegan RD

www.theveganrd.com

Matt Ebersole Personal Best Training

www.personalbesttraining.com

Chelsea ButlerBS Dietetics

Carly Slawson, RD

The first time I wrote this primer it was compiled from years of both reading and direct experience, but soon realized it was important to have the advice vetted by those more professional than myself.

With that in mind, I owe significant thanks to the following individuals for making sure I don’t look like a fool and, more importantly, put anyone in relative danger.

THANK YOU

My teammates on Personal Best Training & Strong Hearts Vegan Power - you inspire me to push for new threshholds of accomplishment for myself and the animals.

The wider community of friends and associates who came to my aid when I needed it most - I’m trying not to let you down.

August - with the hope you’ll find your own running talent in the future and never lose your inherent compassion.

The Animals - there are no words to do justice to your suffering, but we will continue to take the actions necessary for your total liberation.

THIS PRIMER IS DEDICATED TO:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1 The Warm Up 7

Chapter One - Dietary Perspective 10

Chapter Two - Training Nutrition 24

Chapter Three - Eating For The Podium 38

Chapter Four - All The Little Things 46

Chapter Five - Kitchen Sink Recipes 57

Meals By Vegan Athletes 63

Resources 65

Afterword 68

INTRODUCTION

The starting line for my vegan story and my running story didn’t come together until much later in my life. As it goes for most people, I made the decision to run first and go vegan later, which has, so far, brought me to this writing where I hope to share some insights I’ve gained along the way, answer a number of questions and considerations others have brought to me and ultimately lend some inspiration to the idea that running doesn’t have to be sacrificed for veganism and vice versa.

First, my running story.

It began the day my mom entered a small community 5k race. I stood at the side of the start line, a mere 6 years old, as my dad and I watched the runners gather together in a mass. After the obligatory tension-building countdown, the gun was fired and the herd went bolting down the street. My naive young self thought it looked a lot of fun, and not wanting to miss out on all the excitement, went running after them. When I finally caught up to the back of the shuffling pack, then the jogging middle, I didn’t stop. I continued run-ning until I caught up to my mom, and with an emotional reaction that was probably more frustration than encouragement, she ordered me to run back to my dad who was probably standing at the start line dumbfounded and confused. I don’t know what argument I gave when I caught up to my mom, but something convinced her to let me keep going through the rural roads of Indiana, bordered by corn stalks towering above me. Directed around the course by volunteers at every turn, I finished the 5k without even so much a scolding lecture by my parents, but also without a coveted tongue depressor

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given at the end of races to determine placement. My dad trotted down to the finish when he saw me coming in, probably wrestling with the sense of anger that I took off on my own, but also the astonishment (maybe pride?) that I finished all the same.

From there, my genetic running talent now making itself known, followed intermittent community 5k’s and 10k’s with my family, mile races in middle school, a short running hiatus before joining the cross country team my junior year of high school, and then, well, nothing. After high school I simply stopped running. I knew I wouldn’t have the talent for a college level cross country team and never thought about being competitive after high school anyways. I got that over with and was becoming absorbed in other life pursuits.

Where my running stopped, however, my veganism started.

During my senior year of high school I slowly started integrating myself into a musical sub-culture that prided itself on addressing various social issues through song and activism - issues of animal liberation and living a drug-free lifestyle being at the forefront. These ideals resonated with me and the more I understood the intricacies of food production, animal exploitation and per-sonal responsibility, the only logical choice I could make was to adopt a vegan diet and lifestyle. At the time I gave ZERO thought to nutritional concerns or the potential effect changing my diet might have on my active lifestyle, whether good or bad. The concern was only with removing myself from the processes that enable enslavement, torture and killing of sentient creatures. That was it…and that is still it. This ethical component is my primary mo-tivation for living vegan and that will not waiver. This, however, isn’t to say there are not health benefits to eating a vegan diet.

Veganism in the 1990’s.

The information disseminated about veganism in the 90’s certainly offered

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enough evidence that one could not only survive on a vegan diet, but also thrive, so I didn’t give much attention to nutrition beyond just understand-ing that I was going to be fine. Sure, I could cite studies and benefits of the vegan diet that I had pulled from the book, Diet For A New America, but my conversations deliberately revolved around the treatment of animals as commodities to own and use for whatever purpose humans saw fit. My motivations remained as such into the following years as I engaged in various forms of activism, animal liberation and a collective push to make veganism more normative and respected.

My vegan life continued to evolve, still without running, though always active via bike commuting, bike messengering, and constant physical activity, until those words came out of my then girlfriend’s mouth, “I’m pregnant”. Mind you, we were excited about this development and never questioned the act of raising our child vegan, but although my diet remained the same, my activity level did not. At this point I had been vegan and physically active for 13 years, but after moving into a new house in a small rural community of central Indiana surrounded by a golf course, cornfields and not much else, I suddenly found myself without the physical release I relied upon as a part of my daily catharsis and enjoyment. There were no more exciting urban streets upon which to ride my bike, no worthy locations to ride towards, or even anyone to ride with. We were isolated, marooned by endless blankets of chemically treated grass and sprawling mono-crops of corn and soybeans.

In this seemingly confining environment, I found myself unwillingly seden-tary as I parented my son through his initial stages of development and felt a stronger and stronger pull to do something physical. I went for a few bike rides into the country, but they all felt so pointless, passively spinning down endless straightaways that went nowhere but back to where I started. That ex-citement of shooting through city streets, dodging cars and invisible dangers was nowhere to be found and I started, somewhat exaggeratedly, worrying about my pending physical degeneration and weight gain.

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I remember one morning, standing profile in front of the bathroom mirror and catching sight of a bump around my abdomen, which in hindsight was probably nothing more than breakfast and water weight, but then feeling consumed by the dread of adulthood, that path to weight gain and self-depre-cation where one grabs their gut and makes a joke about drinking too much beer. It struck me that I couldn’t just NOT do anything, that I couldn’t wait out the years until my son was old enough to run around, that I couldn’t follow the same path to passive adulthood that seems to consume most every-one else. So I fell back on the one activity I could always count on, that was always a part of my being, more than I ever realized at that point. I decided to go for a run.

In that moment my veganism and running intersected, completely chang-ing the trajectory of my life.

Doing everything possible wrong, I went for a run. I pulled on the only pair of running shoes I had, some “all-terrain” trainers that were a full size too small, cramming my toes up against the front of the shoe. I dug through my drawers and found a pair of shorts I could pass as “running shorts”, swim-ming trunks with a mesh liner. Then yanking a cotton t-shirt over my head I took off down the street, inadvisably too fast and entirely unsure how far I would actually be running. A bike ride into the small downtown we lived near was the easiest of efforts, so I figured a run into town and back would be plenty sufficient. Immediately my stride felt awkward as I tried to remember the rhythm of running and the further I got into town the more pains would creep into various parts of my body. After a distance of which I had no con-cept, I made the turn back into my neighborhood to finish where I started. By then my toes felt bludgeoned, my legs burning and my shoulders holding an incredibly pointed pain it felt like someone had shot me in the back. But I finished. All 5 miles of the effort.

Through many, many, many more running experiences, some embarrassing and others more successful, I started to figure things out, winning my age

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group in 5k’s and 10k’s, lowering PR’s I set in high school, then winning en-tire races and realizing I was really onto something with all this running stuff. All the while though, I still hadn’t given thought to running, being vegan and the concern that most other people who aren’t vegan felt I should have. I mean, surely, I should be concerned about protein intake, getting enough calories, nutrient depletion and so on, right? Surely I was just withering away with all that physical effort, because there is no way the vegan diet can be healthy for someone exerting themselves so much. After hearing enough of these comments, but still watching my PR’s fall and my overall wins rise, it hit me that maybe I should start using my experience to further the cause of veganism, to “prove the possibility” as I liked to say, and lend more exposure to the plight of animals confined within our culture.

With that opportunity placed in front of me I started the Run Vegan blog, secured a sponsorship and began building my voice in the running and vegan community in order to show that we CAN be high performing vegan athletes without concern, that we CAN be ethical vegans and still engage in our pas-sions, that we CAN always find a way to inspire and promote the liberation of animals in our daily lives and activities. And I’m certainly not alone, nor the first. With that voice, however, came questions and concerns by those new to veganism and running, and I’ve always made the attempt to help others with their questions as much as I can. With the continuous questions coming in via the Run Vegan blog I realized a more comprehensive presenta-tion needed to be created, detailing many of the concerns people have with making the transition to veganism and how it may or may not affect their active lifestyles. That is what I hope to do with this primer.

In the following pages I hope to lend a grounded perspective on healthy eating, the mentality that complements it, information about eating to both train and race effectively, a bit on the finer points of vegan nutrition, and some basic meal options for easing the transition to veganism. By personal standards, this will be a successful project if you walk (or run) away feel-ing more secure and confident, and less daunted by the task of eating and

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running well. I hope after reading this you are able to discern between those offering sound and helpful advice on eating well and those who are out to make a buck or unnecessarily complicate the whole process of eating and understanding basic nutrition. I hope you will find preparing nutrient-dense foods almost as easy as throwing a pop-tart in the toaster. Overall though, I hope you will consider the lives of the animals raised for food production every day and make the lifetime commitment to see them as individuals and not products.

Let’s step to our starting line friends. It’s going to be a good run.

Run Vegan.-Scott Spitz

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Before we get too deep into this I feel it is important to explain my perspec-tive on dietary trends and eating habits, so you can understand a little more why I might not come across as a traditional diet guru or nutritional nerd, but more just an average joe talking about food and eating habits. To put it succinctly, it’s because I’m just an average joe talking about food and eating habits. That’s it. I’m not a nutritionist. I’m not a dietitian. I don’t spend most of my time reading books on nutrition and diets, though that’s not to say I don’t read up on these subjects. Overall though, I’m different because I’m not telling you to “take my word for it”. I’m not going to tell you this primer will change your life. I’m not going to tell you that if you go vegan it will be the greatest transformation you’ve ever experienced, and that you’ll lose weight, feel great, run PR’s every race and exude an aura of spiritual divinity. Good-ness no. I’m not going to do that, because it’s not true. Other diet books and authors will make such claims, because they have to. They have to say these things if they are going to make money, if they are going to sell their prod-ucts, if they are going to expand their social status. I’ll tell you straight ahead though, I’m not in this to make money. I’m not selling you anything and I’m not promoting some “secret” to proper eating and living. You, however, WILL have to “take my word for it” that I’m simply trying to help you find a grounded path through misinformation, complexity and confusion about eating vegan as an athlete, with the intent that you will stick with it and in turn have a positive effect upon the animals subjected to our culture’s dietary choices.

THE WARM UP

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With that in mind, let me just say that if you go vegan, your health may not get better. Then again, it might. That is to say, going vegan is ultimately a neutral action. You could very well abandon eating all animal products and by-products from this moment on, but replace those animal products with Twizzlers, Oreos, potato chips, chocolate and deep-fried mushrooms. All that would be technically eating vegan, but it’s not going to do much for your health or running. On the other hand, you could go vegan and begin eating primarily fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, leafy greens, etc. and then reap the benefits. The choice to engage with vegan food in a way that will help you thrive instead of struggle is entirely up to you.

Pop Tart Preparation

I am a simple cook, as if I never graduated from college and am still prepar-ing foods in the dorm’s shared kitchen. I have a saying, “If it takes longer to prepare than it does to eat, it’s not worth it.” That’s a slight exaggeration, but should give you a pretty good idea how I operate. That doesn’t mean you can’t make nutrient dense meals, or will be relegated to eating only packaged foods. Not at all. I know a stumbling block for most people is that food preparation can be daunting and new ingredients can be too, but fear not. Personally, I run from cookbooks with long ingredient lists. I give up as soon as the instructions reference other recipes in the book to complete the meal. I give up as soon as the preparation time is over 30 minutes. So I’ve adapted simple preparation methods for my meals, which I’ve included towards the end of this primer. Feel free to use them directly or take this approach and come up with new ones. Just don’t feel you need to become a chef or grow, hand-pick and painstakingly prepare vegetables until they are suitable for an upscale restaurant. Hell, put a carrot in your mouth and call it a day! Nu-trients are nutrients, whether you’ve artistically sliced them, sprinkled them with exotic spices, paired them with complimentary flavors or just yanked them from the fridge and jammed them in your mouth. Don’t sweat it. Just get them in you.

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Diet Delusions

Be wary of a diet with a special name or number (Atkins, Thrive, 80/10/10, Paleo, etc.). I don’t look at veganism as “The Vegan Diet”, but rather as a manner of eating that is part of “veganism” or the vegan lifestyle, which means it has boundaries, but doesn’t have strict rules based on theoretical per-spectives. Veganism doesn’t claim superiority because it is “the way humans are meant to eat” or tell you to selectively cut out foods because it is the only way to optimum health or any other absurd claim. Veganism simply says, don’t harm animals. How you use that to inform what you eat is up to you. There will be diet gurus that try to claim their way is the ONLY way and ulti-mately scare you into eating how they tell you. They will say ONLY eat whole foods. They will say avoid ALL oils. They will say you must eat in SPECIF-IC ratios or you will be throwing yourself into a pit of physical misery and degeneration. They will tell you all that because they have books and videos to sell, powders and energy bars to market, appearance fees to collect, and so on. Be wary of all that. There are really some basic, simple and universally understood rules to eating well, and of which I’ll touch on in this primer in a non-dogmatic way. They aren’t rules central to “veganism”, but rather to health in general, and that is what separates this approach from those selling you The Vegan Diet as the ONLY way to optimum health. It isn’t and I’m not going to recycle that lie.

Finally, this primer will be about eating smart, running smart and combining the two. It will also directly and indirectly always have the victims of animal agriculture as it’s motivational premise. The tragedy that comprises the lives of animals trapped in the systems of food production is indefensible and no matter what diet trend is at the forefront of our cultural conversation, if it’s not working to remove animals from their horrific conditions then it’s not worth the page it’s printed on.

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CHAPTER ONE - DIETARY PERSPECTIVE

Diversity is Strength

Whether we are speaking of human relations, the natural world, or diet, diversity always equates to strength. The principle behind this is when one component of a system begins to fail, there are multiple other components acting as support structures and the system remains intact. Our natural world is a system of diverse strength, where we can lose entire species of animals and yet continue on with only the most minor of disruptions. That process is changing for the worse, however, as the more extinctions take place, our diversity dwindles, and our strength is compromised. Nature functions best within diverse systems. When healthy gatherings of predator and prey exist in the same environment, they work to equal each other out through breeding and culling, but remove a predator and the prey grow unbridled, then begin depleting the plants they subsist upon, leading to a slow process of starvation. Conversely, remove the prey from an area and the predators begin to starve, until there are huge gaps left in the ecological niche of an area and the entire process begins to breakdown. The natural world reminds us again and again, diversity is strength, and we can use this perspective to eat well and build systematic, physical strength.

Our bodies operate using a complex array of nutrients housed within the foods we eat. Eating foods consisting of nutrient diversity enables muscular strength, immune strength, skeletal strength, and more, in contrast to relying upon diet limitations that restrict nutrient diversity. It is the individual that relies on bland repetition in their diet who allows the process of deterioration

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to begin through nutrient deficits. No matter if you eat foods adequate in protein and calcium every day, if you are neglecting the foods that provide potassium, iron, B-12, etc., the body will not be able to function at its peak levels. Eating McDonald’s every day will provide basic nutrition to live, but it won’t provide beneficial nutrition. Eating bananas and carrots every day will provide nutrition, but it won’t provide adequate nutrition. Does this mean we must painstakingly catalog every nutrient and its quantities within specific foods, making sure we are continuously achieving adequate nutritional intake at every meal, every day? Goodness no. There is a much simpler way to ap-proach eating that builds strength through diversity. I light-heartedly refer to it as “Kitchen Sink” food preparation.

I am not a culinary wizard.

I keep cookbooks at arms length and simply eat for the sake of nutrition. I do this by adding as many different ingredients, and therefore nutrients, into my meals as possible. I put in “everything but the kitchen sink”, because it’s the easiest way for me to ensure I’m getting protein, calcium, B-12, iron, vitamin D, potassium, zinc, and all the necessary nutrients into my systems. There are nutrients I’m getting in my foods that I’m not even conscious of, but I know are there simply by the complexity of the ingredients I add. For example, on most mornings my oatmeal looks like this:

OatsPeanut ButterAlmondsCinnamonGingerRaisinsBananas

I can then add any number of other ingredients to complement the nutritional density:

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Dried CherriesDried cranberriesCocoaWalnutsApplesDatesEtc.

In comparison, consider what passes as “instant oatmeal” and you can see the differences in both amount and quality of ingredients. Most likely they will be heavily processed, stripped of important components (fiber, nutrients, etc.), and excessively sweetened. You can certainly get by with this approach from time to time, but you will probably end up hungry and weaker earlier in the day than if you made your own. And making your own takes such a mini-mal amount of time. I have a “breakfast shelf ” in my kitchen where I stuff all the ingredients I can quickly pull to fill a bowl of oatmeal. It takes a minute, at the most, every morning. The list of ingredients one can add is endless as are the combinations, but the end result is always a bowl of varied nutrients that aid in either fueling for a run later in the day or recovering from an ear-lier run, not to mention just keeping the body’s nutritional needs filled and functioning properly for normal activities.

Stir fry is another of my personal “kitchen sink” meals. There are so many combinations of ingredients to add and I always sleep well knowing I’ve got a system packed with good fuel and nutrition. I prefer to buy multiple packages of the frozen stir fry veggies that often include various ingredients, some with beans, some with region specific vegetables, etc., then add more ingredients I have stocked.

A standard menu for me:

Bag of frozen stir fry vegetables

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AlmondsSesame seedsNutritional yeastRaisinsTofuSoy SauceSpinach KaleCinnamonGingerTurmeric

If I want leftovers I’ll simply make a pot of rice, quinoa or cous cous to throw into the mix and I’m good to go! More ingredients can be easily added and with experimentation you can make some pretty tasty dishes! This takes very little time and effort to prepare and yet the nutritional payoff is high. You easily get protein, calcium, fiber, antioxidants, etc., and created in less time than it takes to eat. I’ve found that smoothies, mexican foods and other “one pot based” dishes lend to this manner of kitchen sink preparation. Ultimately, always consider how you can add at least one or two other ingredients to any dish you make and you’ll always be better off.

Duh Indeed

You may be rolling your eyes at this point and saying, “Right dude, duh.” And that’s my point! Duh indeed. Eating and fueling well does not have to be hard if you apply the simple perspective that Diversity Is Strength. For some reason though, nutritional gurus and diet creators complicate the process with “secret” foods, special preparation methods, extreme ingredient exclu-sion and so many other ridiculous perspectives designed to make you reliant on their knowledge and products instead of just letting you eat in simplistic peace.

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Don’t be SAD

One of veganism’s greatest assets is the inherent oppositional stance to the dominant culture’s diet. I think MOST “diet alternatives” or “diet programs” greatest assets’ is NOT being the Standard American Diet, the appropriate acronym being S.A.D. For one example, the Atkins diet “succeeds” at first because people lose weight as they anticipated, but they do so not because the overall perspective is based in sustainable health, but because one of the first changes it asks participants to make is cutting out processed and excessively sugared foods. Of course if you eliminate the crap the S.A.D. diet is based upon you are going to see health benefits and weight loss, though over time you are probably going to struggle and start to experience negative conse-quences. This same process applies to most diet systems that are fundamen-tally oppositional to the Standard American Diet of foods that are processed, sugared and loaded with saturated fats. Veganism is no different.

At its foundation veganism requires one to cut out meat and dairy from the diet, effectively eliminating the foods our culture relies upon for, well, most everything. Although veganism can be approached in an unhealthy manner, it appears to have an almost inherent advantage in eliminating many of the less desirable components of our dominant culture’s food choices that have led, in part, to increasing obesity, heart disease, and a myriad of other health concerns. Because of this elimination, when one switches from the SAD diet to a vegan diet they will likely experience an increase in energy and overall health (lowered cholesterol, diabetes risk reduction, cardiovascular strength, etc.), but it is important to note this change is not definitive, as I will detail.

Fill the Void

Veganism is, from one angle, an “elimination diet”. It asks you to eliminate specific foods whether based on ethics or health. For people making the

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switch from the SAD diet to the vegan diet, it IS an elimination diet, but only temporarily if done properly. What happens when switching to vegan-ism is that a dietary void is created. Where meat and dairy once resided, there is now an empty space on one’s plate that will only sit empty for so long, probably only as long as their hunger can stand. That void will eventually get filled and how that void gets filled is what either maximizes veganism’s poten-tial or decreases it. Technically, one can cut out meat and dairy and replace them with Twizzlers, Oreos and other detrimental foods, but what will likely follow is weight gain, a decrease in sustainable energy, clogged arteries, weak-ened immune systems and, speaking as an athlete, decreased performance.

There is another way of viewing “elimination”, however, that can enable good health. As the SAD diet is so omnipresent, it becomes convenient to eat poor-ly. Drive down any main street in any US city and you will be offered poor food choices that outnumber healthy choices by an absurd margin. You will encounter low quality fast food, deceivingly cheap meals, animal products and by-products, etc. What you won’t easily find are farmer’s markets filled with produce, whole foods geared towards healthy living, fresh fruits and nu-trient-dense meals both at the ready and as inexpensive as the other options. Your best bet is to find a grocery store, but even there you are faced with a skewed ratio of low-quality to high-quality food choices. The ratios are not in favor of healthy eating or veganism. The ethical vegan, however, is less likely to be subject toward this convenience compulsion. We have completely elim-inated the option to see animals and by-products as food and so that desire to stop at McDonald’s simply because it’s RIGHT THERE is non-existent. We learn to either bring our own meals, figure out where we can eat ahead of time or get creative with our options.

Similarly, the same perspective applies in social situations. The Standard American Diet is, well, standard, so whenever there is a gathering amongst family, friends, co-workers, etc., the options are primarily not vegan. They tend to be cookies, cakes, foods saturated with fats and cholesterol and comprised of low-quality ingredients. It certainly doesn’t HAVE to be this

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way, but let’s face it, most of the time it is. The ethical vegan has eliminated these foods as options and so they don’t have to become subject to that social norm. Where others might say, “Well, I’ll just have one piece of cake,” or “I’ll take a couple hot dogs and Coke because I didn’t bring my lunch,” the ethical vegan has eliminated those considerations completely and finds other options. Finding those other options then, and what we allow those options to be, is when we turn the value of eliminating certain “foods” into the value of including many more.

It is this perspective of inclusion in which I choose to base my veganism

Admittedly, when I first went vegan I relied on all the traditional food alter-natives. I eliminated meat and dairy from my diet and replaced them with soy meat, soy dairy and all the other concoctions that served to mirror the SAD diet, but retain it’s ethical nature. And ethically speaking, I had no problem with this, but as I continued to expand my dietary perspective, and specifi-cally when I wanted to increase my athletic performance, I began to include more and more foods. My knowledge of food in general began to expand and I found my previous perspective as an omnivore quite laughable. I became knowledgeable not only of a greater variety of fruits and vegetables, but also individual types of each. Grains were no longer just pasta, but also quinoa, teff, brown rice, bulgar, millet, etc. Dates became Deglet Noors, Medjools, Holwahs, etc. My knowledge of ethnic foods grew as well. I became familiar with foods from India, Ethiopia, The Middle East, Asia and more. Suddenly my veganism didn’t feel at all like I had limited my food choices, but instead expanded them massively. And in concert with that expansion I had not just eliminated the nutrients that are a part of meat and dairy foods, but began including so many other foods that not only replaced those nutrients, but diversified and expanded them as well. Diversity is strength.

As an athlete the benefits of inclusion are huge

Speaking as an athlete, this transition from an exclusionary to an inclusion-

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ary approach to veganism has been crucial in maximizing my potential for staying fueled and keeping all the complementary systems working properly. Being compelled to weed out the unhealthy and rely on the healthy keeps my training and race weight stable, strengthens my immune system to prevent losing training time to sickness, and helps me recover in time for the next hard effort. This inclusion also complements the Diversity is Strength ap-proach by expanding our food knowledge and allowing us to reap the benefits of various options dense in nutrients and accessibility. Finally, as an outreach strategy, presenting veganism as an inclusionary diet is far more appealing to others than an elimination diet that is only made feasible by standard meat and dairy alternatives, viewed as “fake food” by most. It becomes obvious, when viewing veganism as more inclusionary than exclusionary, that we have the upper-hand in both appeal and health.

Altering Your Food Environment

In the same manner the ethical vegan eliminates the option to eat non-vegan foods outside the home, the same applies for eating healthy foods inside the home. When I’m asked for tips on eating well one of my first suggestions is to focus on altering your food environment. Excluding animal products from your home after going vegan is a no-brainer, but the next step is to make sure your vegan options are healthy vegan options. For instance, if you are suddenly hit with a craving for sweets and the options available to you are various fruits, packaged cookies or leftover cake and icing, guess what you will PROBABLY choose. This isn’t just a matter of knowing what is good for you or not, but denying the body’s natural impulses (survival instincts) to consume sweets, salts and fats. If I have the option to eat sweets and fats, no matter how concentrated and unhealthy for me, if the option is available I will eventually succumb. It does not matter how concretely I know eating a large batch of cookies late at night before a long run the next morning is a bad idea…I will do it. It does not matter that I know what excessive sugar consumption does to my body, if a leftover bowl of icing is in the fridge, I will continue to take swipes until it’s suddenly empty. It does not matter if

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I have healthier options at my fingertips, at some point I will consume the package of cookies, probably in excessive amounts. It then follows that if I want to eat proper vegan food to aid my running, not hinder it, then I need to no longer make that excessive consumption an option.

I love making cookies, and I love eating cookies, but when I do make them it is with the intention of giving them away. Yes, I will do some quality control during baking and save some for myself, but I always make them knowing I’m going to put them in a container and hand them out to friends and strangers as I go about my day, because it makes me feel good first and fore-most, but also because I know I’m shaping my food environment to always rely on healthy options. I know if I make cookies to just keep around the house “for special occasions” or for “every once in a while”, it will always be a special occasion and it will always be once in awhile. If there is left over icing in a bowl from making a cake, that icing WILL get eaten, despite knowing just how jittery and unhinged that amount of sugar is going to make me feel. Sure, you could just respond, “Have some willpower!”, but it’s easier to sim-ply alter your environment so you don’t need the willpower. You don’t have to create that inner struggle, but instead rely only on foods that will fuel you properly.

I know I should not eat excessively right before bed. I know I should not eat dense foods or processed foods that tend to bind me up late at night. I know if I’m going to get up and run 20 miles the next morning I should eat easily digestible foods that will properly fill my glycogen stores, not processed dense foods (meat alternatives, cookies) that will sit in my digestive tract and become problematic on my run, so I make sure the good foods are the only foods available to me. I do not even let the inner struggle to avoid poor fueling foods exist, but only give myself good options, knowing whatever I choose is going to make my run the next day enjoyable and effective. There is something very liberating about entering your kitchen and knowing that whatever you grab will aid your athleticism and quality of life. It is incredi-bly satisfying to know if I’m hungry or feeling “snacky”, I’m going to resort

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to eating bananas, dates, almonds, raisins, apples, walnuts, etc., instead of Cheetos, Oreos, Red Bull, or Doritos - while keeping in mind that eating discretionary calories and indulging aren’t always “failures” or “run ruiners”, as I will address later.

The Protein Question

At some point every vegan is asked the question, “So, where do you get your protein?” as if animal flesh is the only source of protein available. This is, of course, patently false and there are seemingly endless supplies of protein in the vegan diet, all from sources that not only have the benefit of protein, but often without the negative aspects of saturated fats, cholesterol, antibiotics, etc. It’s a tired line of questioning, but it’s also worth addressing, because it opens up a conversation that throws all the misconceptions about vegan diets and nutrition out the window. As a high-performing distance runner, protein has never been a concern of mine and I take pleasure in letting others know when they ask. It should be noted that although I personally don’t have concerns about protein in my diet, others might need to pay closer attention, such as those in physically debilitating disease states, individuals with restric-tive injuries and athletes who are striving for significant muscular gains.

I have heard the “Where do you get your protein?” question often, but oddly enough never directly until I had been vegan for 17 years. I had just finished running and winning a brutal trail marathon in deathly hot temperatures and performance debilitating humidity, picked up my trophy and check wearing a Chicago Soy Dairy “Go Vegan” t-shirt, when a man in his 40’s came trotting up to me.

“Hey, you’re vegan right?”, he asked rather quickly.

“Yeah, I am,” I responded a little taken back.

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And almost before I could finish my abbreviated reply, he jumped in,

“So, where do you get your protein?”

It was asked so routinely and directly that I paused, expecting him to break into a mischievous smile and start chuckling, as if asking me jokingly or mockingly as a fellow vegan himself. But he didn’t. He kept his eyes locked on mine, waiting for a response. When I realized he was truly curious, I had to quickly gather my standard response I’ve delivered via keyboard often, but never verbally.

“Well, lots of places. Honestly, it’s not even a concern for me. I get it from legumes, beans, tofu, nuts, protein-fortified foods, soy products, grains, spin-ach and more. There are other nutrients I’m more careful with, but protein is just a non-issue for me. It’s just nothing to be concerned about if you eat a diverse diet.”

My response satisfied his curiosity and we talked veganism and nutrition a little more before going our separate ways. The interaction did get me to think about “the protein question” a little more, but not regarding nutrition. I thought about that perception and why it’s always the first thing on omni-vore’s minds when they find out someone is vegan, especially an active vegan. I think it goes back to the idea that protein is the building block of flesh and so flesh is the best, and even only, source of protein. It IS a substantial source of protein, but it’s amusing that one doesn’t consider the animals they are consuming are more often than not herbivores. That source of animal protein was first generated through plant foods, not always animals eating other animals. The amusement continues when one considers some of the strongest animals on our planet are mostly, if not completely, herbivorous, including elephants, horses, gorillas, hippos, and more.

Though I didn’t realize it at first, when I started advertising my veganism as a runner and through my blog, I was essentially responding to this protein

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question. The perception is always, if you don’t eat meat you can’t get suffi-cient protein and you can’t be strong. Vegans are constantly being stereotyped as frail, weak and pale individuals, constantly withering away into a state of nothingness. This has been the case for many years and it has been only recently that athletes from all practices have stepped up to counter these absurd claims. Vegan athleticism has developed to become something of a movement on its own as weight lifters, MMA fighters, professional athletes, distance runners and more have countered that “weak vegan” stereotype. When I started my blog, I responded to the protein question and subsequent stereotype by winning races and lowering my PR’s whenever I stepped to the start line. I was, in effect, saying, “If veganism is inadequate as a diet, if it makes you weak, then I simply would NOT be winning races, lowering PR’s, setting course records and continuing to perform physically as my mileage and intensity continues to rise.” I saw my race results as the ultimate answer to both the protein question and ridiculous stereotype. And I did so to show that one will not wither away, therefore, adopting the vegan diet for the ani-mals’ sake does not pose any inherent compromise or sacrifice to one’s quality of life. Quite the opposite really.

The Protein Process

Ethical considerations aside, the role of protein in the runner’s diet is important. When a runner puts down a hard workout or long run, they are essentially damaging their muscles, creating small tears in the muscle fibers through prolonged stretching and contraction. That pain and soreness felt in the legs is the effect of all those micro-tears making themselves known. Those tears are small gaps in the muscles that must repair themselves in order to sustain further pounding and exertion, and it is protein that fills those gaps and small tears. It is protein that fills the gap and builds the muscle, enlarging it and making it stronger so those tears don’t deepen. The runner, after sufficient recovery, pushes themselves to recreate those tiny tears and begin the rebuilding process again, getting stronger and stronger. It is this process of regeneration that makes protein so important to athletes striving to become

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stronger and stronger, to runners wanting to go further and faster. Without sufficient protein, those tears and gaps go unfilled and the muscle doesn’t repair. Without protein, the muscle actually weakens and can’t handle further stresses without those tears actually worsening until the muscle becomes unusable or severe injury takes place.

Since protein is primarily a muscular building block, the optimal time to replenish muscles is within 30 minutes of completing a workout, when the muscles have been stressed and damaged and are desperate for the nutrients needed to repair themselves. It doesn’t necessarily matter how those carbs and protein are replenished, whether it is through a sports drink, protein-based smoothie, energy bar, whole foods or complete meal, just as long as it hap-pens. Think of your muscles as hungry baby birds, screaming for sustenance to enable themselves to grow. The accepted replacement ratio for effective recovery is 4 grams of carbohydrates to every 1 gram of protein, which most energy bars worth their weight base their nutritional content. The carbohy-drates and proteins work together at this ratio in order to synthesize muscle regeneration and glycogen replenishment, allowing for the speediest recovery, setting you up to run further and faster again. It should be noted, studies have shown ingesting MORE protein than the 4 to 1 ratio slows down rehy-dration and glycogen replenishment, having a negative effect on recovering well. The same goes for eating only carbohydrates without protein. If you leave one equation of the ratio out, you cheat yourself of proper recovery. The simple solution, however, is to have a sports drink or energy bar based on the 4 carbohydrates to 1 protein ratio within 30 minutes of a workout and you’ll be fine.

It is worth repeating again. The cultural concern about vegans not getting enough protein is baseless.

The sources of protein are expansive and the quality is just as great. For runners the same holds true, but it is worth knowing the best times to focus on replenishing protein so as to optimize recovery and strength building. At

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some point our cultural attitude will finally move away from the ridiculous assumption that vegans can not get sufficient protein and I believe the success of vegan athletes will be at the front of this progression. We “prove the possi-bility” every time we step to the starting line, every time we set new personal bests and every time we end up on the podium. And once we finally break down this stubborn perception, simply pointing to our results as evidence, naysayers will struggle to find any reason that veganism is detrimental to athleticism or sustainable health and we can continue to focus on what really matters, the ethical considerations.

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High Quality Vs. Low Quality Foods

There is a saying in running culture, “If the furnace is hot enough, anything will burn”. This has always been the justification for runners to eat absolutely anything they want, essentially viewing foods as mere calorie holders. The idea is that runners, being able to burn ridiculous amounts of calories on any given run, can guiltlessly indulge in ice cream, cake, candy, fatty foods, etc., knowing that we will “burn it off” and almost magically not gain an ounce of weight. We drive weight conscious dieters nuts. There is SOME truth to this perception, in that we can eat a lot of calories without even giving it a second thought, sometimes even NEEDING to eat more than we’d prefer in order to fuel our runs. We can do this and keep our weight stable. It’s annoying, I know.

It is a deceptive perception, however, because although we will burn through any calories we ingest, not all foods are of the same nutritional quality and the differences can be detrimental to athletic performance. From the body’s perspective, calories are calories no matter where they come from. The body doesn’t know or care whether the calories it has taken in came from donuts or sweet potatoes, cake or kale. It only knows it has energy to use. The body also doesn’t compartmentalize nutrients. It is a system of complex functions that needs a variety of nutrients found in high quality foods to operate best and fill all the complementary systems of the body. It needs those calories, wheth-er from cake or kale, but it also needs the protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals that some foods (high quality) offer and others (low quality) do not.

CHAPTER TWO - TRAINING NUTRITION

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Let’s define a high quality training food specifically. A high quality food is going to contain the necessary calories for fueling a run, but it’s also going to contain the carbohydrates that turn to glycogen and allow us to run further and further without breaking down. A high quality food is going to contain the fiber that slows down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream and leads to sustainable energy instead of the quick release and subsequent crash of simple sugars. A high quality food is going to contain sufficient amounts of the nutrients that build muscle, build bone and fulfill various nutrient needs of the body. A high quality food is going to contain phytochemicals that help build the immune system and fend off sickness. These are the types of foods we need to concentrate on to get our calories, but to also get everything else that makes us both effective runners and healthy individuals, keeping us strong enough to keep training and keep racing.

In order to always ensure proper fueling and nutrient density, I concentrate on eating whole foods as much as I possibly can, primarily through grains, vegetables and fruits. If I eat grains, I choose whole over processed and my vegetables and fruits are most often ripe and ready to eat, though purism isn’t the goal here and frozen and canned veggies and fruits are suitable choices all the same. I choose stir fry vegetables, whole peppers, sweet potatoes, fresh kale and spinach, avocados, bananas, apples, dates, etc. more often than packaged options when applicable. Eating whole foods kept in their most simple state is the best way to get the fuel that will keep you running, but also to avoid all the excess added to processed foods in order to make them more palatable or preserved.

Conversely, let’s describe a low quality food.

A low quality food will lack a diversity of nutrients or will be infused with a high concentration of nutrients, such as sodium, sugar or fats, which can become problematic in excessive amounts. It’s important to understand that sodium, fats and sugars do play an important role in proper health, but only

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in certain amounts and according to an individual’s activities. A low quality food will rely on added simple sugars that break down quickly and can not be used for long term fueling, being stored as fat if unused completely. Fruits and carbs are comprised of or convert to simple sugars, but their amounts and how they do so differentiate them from low-quality foods that are comprised of added or excessive simple sugars. A low quality food will not supply the slow burning carbohydrates or the protein necessary for post-run recovery. The low quality food will be devoid of the phytochemicals that help rebuild the immune system after a hard run, leaving the body susceptible to sickness. Simply put, a low quality food isn’t so much what it contains, but what it doesn’t contain. If it doesn’t contain the necessary fiber, phytocemicals or minerals, it is low quality and isn’t going to lend to optimal running and recovery.

I am reminded of an individual on the Weight Watchers system that tracks caloric intake based on “points”.

If you eat under a certain “point” range, you are undoubtedly going to reduce weight, because you are eating less calories. In a social situation the individual on the system was presented with eating some candies, an obvious low quality food, but which they weighed against the point system and determined they could eat the candy and then just cut back on other foods later in order to stay within the point range. They were actually following the program successfully and probably going to lose the desired weight eating like this, but the low quality foods they were permitted to eat lacked the nutrients that would keep them overall healthy. This highlights the fallacy that, as high performing runners, we can eat whatever we choose and be without concern since we’re going to burn it all off anyways. The furnace may be hot and the furnace may burn strong, but if there is no maintenance to the furnace it will eventually break down.

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Caloric Intake, Caloric Expense

Calories are energy. Calories keep us running and running and running, and we need them desperately. It’s amusing that everyone is obsessed with CUTTING calories and runners are always considering how to get MORE. Somewhere in between all that is a happy medium where one eats enough calories to stay fueled and energized, but not so much the calories go wasted and get converted into weight gain. For high mileage runners, however, it’s always about getting enough calories and I am often asked how I do this. How do I get enough calories when I’m usually burning no less than 1200 on each run?

It varies for everyone based on body type, body weight, and level of exertion, but the general rule is that for every mile run, you burn approximately 100 calories. Run 10 miles and burn 1000 calories. Run 20 miles and burn 2000 calories. There is also the “after burn” effect to consider, and you can expect to burn another 100 to 200 calories even after you’ve stopped running. For my calculations, I estimate that I burn 1100 to 1200 calories on every 10 mile run I do, which is usually my base mileage. This amounts to a lot of calorie expenditure every day, because it’s not just the calories burned during the run you must consider, but also the calories you burn doing everything else the rest of the day. Simply put, you are ALWAYS burning calories. When you are running you are burning calories and when you are sleeping you are burning calories, so that need to constantly replenish them in order to keep going is crucial, especially as a runner.

The standard approach to ensuring proper calorie intake is through “calorie counting”. There are phone apps that act as calorie counters, diet systems that do the same or just plain old math. Due to a personal preference of simplicity, I use none of those. I simply eat whenever my body says, “I’m hungry, feed me.” I trust the intuition of my hunger mechanism because I tend to rely on whole foods that offer calories, but not the excessive calories in most processed foods. If all I ate was cake, cookies, energy bars, chips,

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and sugary drinks, there might be the chance I overdo calories and can’t burn them off quick enough despite the amount of mileage I run. Since I eat primarily whole foods I’m able to eat whenever I feel the need and ensure adequate caloric intake, which never follows the “three meals a day” routine that dominant culture tells us is best. I eat breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, dinner, snacks, pre-run, snacks, post-run, snacks, etc. I tend to follow the humorous line of thought, “I don’t count calories, I burn them.” I’m not saying my approach is the best, or foolproof, way to achieve proper caloric intake, but it does work for me and I think it helps cut down on the excessive worry around the consideration. I just can’t imagine the time-suck and lost joy of eating when worrying about how many calories I’ve consumed or not consumed. It’s much simpler to consistently eat high quality foods whenever the body tells you to do so. With that said, there are times runners need to concentrate on specific foods in order to make sure energy stores are com-pletely filled, whether you are actually counting the calories or not.

Fueling Always

When training for my first marathon a teammate advised me a week before the race,

“Start eating a lot! Eat pasta, and none of that healthy, whole food crap you eat, but the cheap stuff. You need LOTS of calories, LOTS of carbs!”

I was amused at his assertion and responded, “Dude, I ALWAYS eat pasta. Carbs are the BASIS of my diet.”

And it was true, well, not that I ate pasta ALL the time, but that the very foundation of my veganism was eating carbs. Because I often rely on eating grains and fruits and vegetables that are high in carbs, I’m constantly fueling for my runs instead of needing to focus on eating SPECIFIC foods leading up to a run. It makes sense that if your diet is primarily meat and dairy, fun-damentally low carb foods, you are missing out on the necessary carbohydrate

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storage that will keep you running at your best. If, however, your diet is car-bohydrate dense at it’s core, you are always going to be able to run far and fast whenever necessary, whether that is in a race or training scenario. I look at my veganism as consistently aiding me in getting the energy I need to always train hard, instead of having to constantly adjust my food choices according to my workout schedule. I’m always ready.

When it comes to performing your best at races, it must first be established that you perform your best in training. The hard workouts are the runs that amount to personal bests or put us on the podium, so although it is important to “carb load” leading up to a race, it is just as important to store carbs for your hard workouts, especially if you are increasing your mileage or consistently hitting high mileage. For some, a half-marathon is their goal race and goal distance. They may never run 13.1 miles prior to the event, but for high mileage runners, a 13 mile run is pretty standard. It’s our Tuesday and Thursday. The fueling needs, however, are the same. Where the lower mileage runner might feel compelled to carb-load leading up to the race in a way they didn’t during training, the high-mileage runner needs to carb-load all the same prior to the workouts, to make sure they are fueled enough to complete the workout without running out of energy. This doesn’t mean high-mileage runners are gorging themselves on plates of pasta every night, but instead, eating high-carb foods on a consistent basis so they never end in an energy depleted state. As a vegan, I feel my diet offers me an advantage in continu-ously preparing me to train hard, in effect leading to race hard.

I constantly fuel through bananas, apples, grains, dates, oats, beans, sweet po-tatoes, raisins, beets, etc. These are foods central to my diet and which ensure that I’m always ready to run long distances and run them hard on a consistent basis. I don’t ever need to adjust the way I eat for my running, because I’m not only always getting the appropriate fuel to run, but because the foods I do eat offer me the added nutrition that keeps me healthy in every other way too. A primarily whole foods vegan diet is a win/win situation for the athlete.

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Helpful Eating Before A Run

Once you establish proper nutrition for fueling your runs on a continuous basis, it’s good to focus on your eating habits to make runs effective and enjoyable. No one likes running with a full and bloated abdomen or fighting the urge to vomit as the effort and distance increases. It is also valuable to understand the eating habits that aid glycogen release, so you have the energy on the run when you need it, instead of the “energy window” closing on you prematurely. The two considerations you should focus on are what to eat and when to eat.

Long Run Nutrition

The weekly Long Run for most runners, usually between 15 and 22 miles, can be daunting in regards to effort and nutrition. I’m asked how I prepare for this specific run often, because it’s rightly a concern. The distance is such that runners can enter glycogen deprivation, where if one hasn’t stored up enough carbs, the body eats through them and a crash ensues. As I outlined earlier, the benefit to a carb heavy diet is that one is most likely ready for this distance ahead of time and any energy concerns can be taken care of the morning before the run, “topping off the stores” as it’s described. All it takes is 100 to 200 quickly digested calories to make sure you can get as far into the run as possible. That means a piece of toast or a bagel is all that is needed prior to a run, preferably at least an hour prior, if not an hour and a half, for the best digestion and energy release later into the distance.

Depending on the type of workout I’m doing, I’ll spend between 2 and 2 1/2 hours on the actual run. I have found fueling the day and night prior take care of all my energy needs. The morning of a long run I’ll simply drink a cup of coffee to get all my juices flowing. Sufficiently caffeinated, out the door I go. If for some reason I’ve eaten lightly the day before a long run I’ll feel an emptiness and nagging hunger as soon as I wake. In that case I’ll eat a piece of toast with peanut butter, if only to keep the hunger pangs at bay further

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into the run. I know this confuses some people, that one could run 20 miles on nothing but a cup of coffee, but it’s important to know that it’s not always the distance one runs that requires specific caloric intake, but also the effort. If I’m going to be out for a 3 hour run or a long run with a strenuous work-out included, I’ll certainly go with something a little more substantial than a cup of coffee. Although my preference is to only have a mug of coffee before my run, there is nothing problematic with eating a quickly digested snack, such as a banana or piece of toast, to stave off hunger and fuel for the run.

For instance, if I’m going to run 20 miles with a couple sets of hard 5 mile repeats, that effort during the speed portion of the run is going to eat up more energy than if I just went for a slow paced run of equal time. The harder one runs, the greater reliance on glycogen stores and need to be prepared to restock those stores due to the effort. In contrast, an individual who walks for the same amount of time as someone who runs does not need the same amount of fueling because they will be more low end aerobic and will utilize a higher percentage of fat. Similarly, if I’m going to hit the trails for 3 hours, I’m going to add to my energy stores so as to keep myself going further into the run, and it STILL won’t be enough…which is where fueling on the run comes in.

When eating before a run you can only fill the tank so high. There is a point where you’re fully stocked with carbs that will convert to glycogen and keep you going, but it’s not like you can eat more and store that in a reserve tank. So after two hours of running, if you run out of glycogen and your body has burned off the fat it has trained itself to consume, it’s going to start cannibal-izing your muscles, which you never want. It is important to understand that carbs also enable the body to metabolize fat and use it as an efficient energy source. Without carbs as a complementary component to fat, it is utilized much less efficiently and running performance suffers. The way to avoid this is to “eat” on the run, but not a bbq tempeh sandwich or 10 ingredient salad, of course. “Eating” on the run amounts to squeezing simple sugars straight into your system that will get broken down quickly and enter your

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bloodstream stat. It’s important, however, not to wait until the tank is empty and you’ve begun the crash before consuming gels. The point is to continue fueling through your run to stave off glycogen depletion and a subsequent energy crash. So instead of squeezing three gel packets in your mouth 2:15 into a run, take one every 30 minutes to keep your energy consistent.

I have adapted to not eat before a long run, nor rely on gels when I’m doing a less strenuous workout, but if I’m going to really throw down for a run or will be on the trails for 2 and a half to 3 hours, I absolutely carry a few gels with me. They make the difference between a successful and enjoyable run and a disappointing crash. They are tiny little globs of sugary goo, but they are powerful tools in effective distance running.

How Soon To Eat Before Running

All these considerations about how to fuel for your run really mean noth-ing if, when you start the run, you feel bloated and gassy and full and have to stop when you’ve barely started! It is important to know when is best to eat before your run, so your efforts are unrestricted and you feel light as a feather. With that said, it’s a futile effort to offer a very specific time to eat for optimal running, because it’s going to depend on the specific time you run in the day, what you have eaten during the day, how late you ate the night before, etc. Everyone’s running schedule is different and each schedule affects your fueling needs. Keep in mind, these are more guidelines and suggestions to consider and it is best to experiment for yourself. Think about how you feel each run and when and what you ate prior. Did you eat an hour before? Two? Three? Did you eat fruit? Vegetables? Dense energy bars? Espresso and chocolate? All these different food choices and times will really impact your running and you’ll need to do some tweaking to find out what works for you.

If I had my way I would run early (but not too early!) every day. I find when I run early the only consideration I have to make as far as fueling goes is how late I ate the night before. A full night’s sleep will digest and store any needed

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energy for a run and a quick trip to the bathroom will leave me light and ready to run without restriction. There is no intestinal discomfort and my lungs are free to expand fully. I also don’t worry about what sort of foods I ate the night before. I tend to stray from foods I have learned are slow-digesting and problematic to my intestinal tract, so my meals and snacks digest quickly and easily leave my body when I wake, keeping me feeling empty and light for my run. These types of foods include grains, veggies, fruits, beans, etc. The foods that tend to “back me up” are processed treats (cookies, candies, etc.) and thick meat substitutes. It makes sense those foods would digest slowly and if they aren’t COMPLETELY digested upon waking, I might have to deal with them on the run. I know, it’s not pretty, but that’s how it goes. The goal for my morning runs are to have as little leftover food in me as possible, knowing it has all converted to the energy I’ll need to run well. To that end I will eat a full dinner between 5 and 7, stop snacking at 8 and if I anxiety eat before my 10 o’clock bedtime, I limit myself to fruits and other easily digestible foods, not desserts or dense foods. I try anyways. If I find myself really craving more foods, I’ll try and resort to a cup of tea to stave off the hunger till bedtime. That seems to work pretty well.

Lately, however, I have transitioned from early morning runs to late afternoon runs. This proves more difficult in eating properly, resisting eating and drink-ing too much and yet managing my hunger all the same. The same concerns apply as above, trying not to become too full before a run and essentially “restricting” my breathing and adding extra pounds I’d rather not run with. My weight can fluctuate from morning to afternoon by a solid 2 to 3 pounds via food and water weight, just through normal eating. The problem with re-stricting eating, however, is feeling incredibly fatigued during the day due to low blood sugar and general lack of caloric energy, leading to excessive eating prior to a run in weaker moments.

My current strategy for late afternoon running is the following. Eat a solid breakfast (oatmeal w/ fruit, spices, peanut butter, etc.) in the morning, then snack throughout the day to keep food intake low, but keep hunger at bay.

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Run with as little food in my system as possible and then gorge myself after. Ok, not “gorge” in a negative sense, but eat unrestricted, constantly remain-ing “full”, without needing to worry about how doing so will affect my running the next day. All the fiber and excess of those meals after the run will be dealt with the next morning, only building energy for the run later in the day. The foods I eat after the run are dinner-portioned meals of typical whole foods, supplemented with various snacks, whether those are fruits, nuts, ce-reals, grains, etc. Once I finish my run, it’s a free for all as far as caloric intake and nutrition go. It’s the entire time leading up to the run that I restrict my intake so as not to affect my ability to run far and hard.

I’ve experimented with eating patterns and foods leading up to the run and found it’s crucial to avoid foods that leave me gassy and bloated. A full stom-ach is hard to run on, whether it’s full with fiber or gas or both, so I make sure to eat foods that keep me full, yet are not “heavy”, of excessive portions, or gas-inducing. These tend to be slow digesting foods or quickly digesting foods with slowly digesting supplements. After breakfast I’ll eat a couple piec-es of fruit throughout the day for the energy, but make sure I’m adding nuts or peanut butter to the mix, which help keep the hunger subdued. Sometimes I’ll resort to just spoonfuls of peanut butter if I’ve failed to plan well with my foods, and although that doesn’t sound like the greatest pre-run nutrition, it works! I’ve also found some energy bars go a long way to keep me feeling full and energized leading into a run, but don’t make me gassy. Leafy greens, broccoli, fake meats and too much coffee, however, are NOT good choices for me. Too much of these foods and I’m fighting stomach bloat with my core instead of using it to hold form and maximize efficient breathing. Remember, these are just my choices and you’ll have to do a little experimenting on your own.

One rule I think applies to everyone is erring on the side of eating after a run instead of before. It’s not bad to go into a late run hungry. I’ve found I can feel generally weak from hunger before a run, but once I start in on the distance or workout, all that hunger falls to the wayside in favor of con-

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centrating on the effort at hand. Then after the run I feed that hunger with abandon. As a high school runner I ruined a lot of races due to poor eating and low energy, but I’ve now come to know the difference from hunger and weakness and how to feed both. On the nights I have workouts in the evening it takes a much greater amount of restricted eating in order to keep my hunger satisfied, but have enough energy to put everything on the line at the proper time. I’ll eat the same breakfast as my late afternoon runs, snack the during the day as usual and then put in one small bit of fueling before starting the workout. That fuel usually consists of a double espresso and a couple medjool dates or pieces of chocolate. Those choices sound a little ridiculous, but they give me a serious energy boost very quickly and push my hunger away for that last stretch before the workout, leaving me light and ready to run hard without bloat, acid reflux or any other performance sapping feelings. What I won’t do is eat a couple meals or enough food to completely keep my hunger satisfied throughout the day, because if I ate how my body was telling me to eat, I wouldn’t be able to run. Instead I “suffer” (maybe a tad of an exaggeration) through the hunger and err on eating after the run instead of before. Seriously though, some days all I can think about is getting to the run so I can get it over with and start stuffing my face. I know it sounds a little restrictive, unhealthy and unnatural, but then again, running 100+ miles a week isn’t very “natural” either. The bigger consideration is mak-ing sure that when you DO eat without restriction that you are concentrating on high-calorie, nutrient-dense foods, not just high-calorie (via simple sugars) treats and desserts. Always eat to prepare for the next run.

How To Eat After Running

However you eat leading up to your run, the most important nutritional consideration comes after your run, when your body has been depleted and is most receptive to replenishing itself through quality foods. The optimal time to replenish your body’s stores is within 30 minutes of completing your run, when your body’s energy stores are like screaming birds with their beaks wide open, yelling, “Food! Food! Carbs! Protein! Now!”. It is in that 30 minute

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window that your body can most readily absorb the carbs for glycogen storage and protein for muscle building, instead of pushing the excess aside or restricting absorption over time.

Within that timeframe you always want to replenish via the 4 grams of carbs to 1 gram of protein ratio, which is most often available in sports drinks or energy bars created for this specific purpose. Be careful though, because some energy bars are not created with the 4 to 1 ratio and are heavier on the protein, which has actually been shown to block glycogen storage and leave you less prepared for the next run. I rely on Clif Bars, Picky Bars or anoth-er temporarily satisfying energy bar to hit that ratio, or else a smoothie or recovery drink/shake (not like gatorade) that hits these numbers too. If you are a little more nutrition savvy, you can also hit these numbers with a little focused food preparation via dates and nuts or something similar. I, however, am NOT that driven and would rather rely on a simple energy bar or basic mixture of carb and protein foods.

The next timeframe to keep in mind is the two hour window in which to eat a full, substantial meal. This is my favorite part, because now that the run is over and I don’t have to concern myself with feelings of weight, bloat, etc., I get to go all out. I do most of my runs in the late afternoon, so dinner is where I focus on getting the most variety of my nutritional needs, coupled with the snacks I use to supplement that meal. It’s also my most satisfying meal because I no longer have to worry about it’s effect on my run that day, but also because I’ve been in a state of consistent hunger waiting for the run. Once that run is over, I go to town without restriction.

Depending on your mileage, the food you end up eating after a run shouldn’t fill you with a great sense of concern or even dread. Those meals, if planned around a variety of ingredients and sound nutrition, should be eaten with a sense of positivity and the idea that you are eating to fuel, not indulge. For high mileage runners, the concern about eating too many calories just doesn’t factor in to our meals, so there isn’t much need to count calories or really

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hyper-analyze our foods. There is only the need to make sure one isn’t hungry, is eating a diversity of nutrient dense foods and isn’t trying to unnecessarily restrict oneself in fear of gaining weight. I prefer to err on the side of eating too much rather than too little. The worst that can happen is you have a couple extra pounds that get burnt off a day or two later through normal run-ning activity, and the best that can happen is you are sufficiently fueled for any upcoming runs as well as stocked with all the nutrients needed to keep all systems strong and healthy.

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How To Eat Before Racing

Depending on the distance you’re racing, the meals you eat to prepare for a specific race will change. For instance, anything under a 10k does not necessarily need any special consideration, unless you are severely undernour-ished on a continuous basis. Hopefully you eat well enough that you aren’t consistently drained during your training and, therefore, races. Even if you are putting in your strongest effort, a 10k isn’t going to necessitate any special “carb-loading” measures to get you through the late stages of that distance. Regular eating will have you stocked to take on that distance, however, you could always risk overeating and suffering from gastrointestinal issues either before or, worse yet, DURING the race. You obviously don’t want that. For shorter distances, which you probably cover in your daily training, I wouldn’t concern yourself with preparing or carb-loading as long as you are conscious of what you are eating during training.

The normal eating consideration before a race is the carb-loading phase, where one fills any drained glycogen stores with easily digestible carbohydrate heavy foods, most often pasta and breads. These foods are fine and if you read the nutritional labels on a box of pasta you’ll see just how substantial it is for carb loading, compared to most other foods. Because of these precious energy producing carbs, most races host pasta dinners where runners tend to gorge themselves on all those carbs, yet studies have shown that eating significant carbs the night before a race isn’t optimal. Instead, it’s better to eat a carb heavy meal two nights before a race and at breakfast the morning before the

CHAPTER THREE - EATING FOR THE PODIUM

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race. The reason for this is so the body will have time to sufficiently break down and properly store all those carbs, making sure you are fully stocked to take on any longer race distance from a half marathon to full. Loading the body the night before can result in excess fiber, gastrointestinal stress and un-filled glycogen stores, where loading further in advance avoids all those issues.

If I’m racing anything from a half marathon to a full, I make sure to eat a standard pasta meal two nights before a race, not worrying too much about eating a little more than usual, as any effects from being too full will work themselves out the next day. I will eat similarly the next morning for break-fast, though resorting to carb heavy pancakes to keep my stores up leading into the race. Since I’m sufficiently fueled from the previous meals, the night before a race I’ll eat a normal-sized dinner and not much else. It may be pasta or it may simply be stir fry, quinoa, cous cous, etc. I won’t eat a large meal to avoid any excess fiber or potential problems the morning of or during the race. That pre-race dinner meal is to continue “topping the stores” from any normal energy expenditure that occurred during the day and into the night.

Eating On Race Morning

Eating the morning of the race can be tricky. For those of us who rely on a substantial breakfast to kickstart our metabolism and give us a great deal of energy for our usual days, not having that substantial breakfast feels awk-ward. We get concerned about the hungry feeling in our stomach and any subsequent weakness that may arise, especially when we are about to start an important race. What I have found is, despite any feelings of hunger, when I get into race mode and start warming up those feelings of hunger subside or get pushed to the side in anticipation of everything else that is come. I don’t feel weak or undernourished and am simply ready to race fast and light. Sometimes it just takes a little time in the morning to get to that point. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t eat though.

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The intent with breakfast on race morning is to top off the glycogen tank, replenishing any energy that was lost during sleep the night prior. This energy loss is not great, but can be crucial during races of longer distances. My coach doesn’t like to see his runners eat more than 150 to 200 calories on race day, to avoid any excess food that will go unused or cause gastrointestinal stress during the race, but exceptions are made if an athlete has experienced success through experimentation. Breakfast on race morning should amount to nothing more than a couple pieces of toast, a bagel or small bowl of rice pudding or any other quick digesting, carb-based meal. I always supplement my breakfast with coffee to get all my mental systems ready and help stave off that hungry feeling. If I’m feeling especially hungry on race morning, I’ll add a bit of protein, maybe a spread of peanut butter on my toast, to help keep the hunger away until the gun goes off. Some runners suffer from problems related to fructose and gastric emptying; if that is you, consider experiment-ing with a different source of carbs that isn’t comprised primarily of fructose or foods that have given you problems in the past.

It is important to know when to eat before a race, to digest that last bit of food before the race starts. I try to complete my meal two hours prior. My coffee, on the other hand, I finish an hour to 45 minutes before the race to get the most benefit from the caffeine boost. I think to the video of Haille Gebreselassie’s pre-marathon meal, which consisted of a muffin, a piece of toast with jelly, tea and orange juice three hours before the race, and nothing else. That is more than I prefer, but he also eats it a full hour before I do, al-lowing for further digestion time. Eating larger meals early and/or eating light snacks just prior to the start on race morning is the best strategy for running at your best.

How To Eat During Racing

The gun goes off and you start your race, beginning to burn through all the carb stores you’ve sufficiently stocked with the meals leading up to this race, but at some point, if you run far and fast enough, you’ll burn through every

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last carb you took all that precious time storing and hit that dreaded “wall”. I know, it doesn’t seem fair, but that’s how the body works. The body is geared to essentially run unfueled for approximately two hours, using all the energy you’ve stored before it starts to cannibalize itself, eating into muscle to derive any more energy to keep going. The goal is to avoid this at all costs. To do so takes energy storage before the race, but also continuous fueling during the race to replace what you lose in the effort. For efforts below two hours, you can rely on the foods you ate up to that point and not worry about fueling beyond that, but over two hours and you’ve gotta find some way to get more energy in you. There are a few standard options for doing this.

The best way to continue supplying the body with energy is feeding it simple sugars that are absorbed into the bloodstream almost immediately. The preferred way to do this is ingesting energy gels, which are usually 100 calorie packets of sugar that need almost no breakdown process before the effects are felt. They are nothing more than sugar in it’s most absorbable form. They are simple carbohydrates which breakdown quickly before being released into the bloodstream, allowing the body to feed off that energy rather than muscle. That doesn’t mean you wait until you’ve hit “the wall” or are starting to experience total collapse before resorting to the simple sugars. The idea is to avoid that experience completely by slowly taking gels during the race and keeping your stores replenished enough that you don’t ever start running on empty. Especially in a marathon, once you hit bottom, there is no climbing your way out and proper fueling during the race is what prevents that horri-ble experience.

Think of it this way. Your body is running a marathon stocked on 2000 calories, but with each successive mile your tank is dropping by 100 to 150 calories. Further into the race you are running on 1000 calories, then 500, then 200 and you’re getting dangerously close to hitting the wall. Adding these simple sugars periodically and earlier in the race means that caloric drop is essentially slowed, so that HOPEFULLY, when you’re sprinting through the last .2 of 26.2 miles, you still have a few hundred calories left to pull

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from. Without fueling you can estimate spending 1000 to 1300 calories by mile 10, but with fueling you may have held that off to only 700 or 800 calo-ries, setting you up for avoiding a total crash later in the race. Keep in mind, however, the body can only process up to about 250 calories an hour while exerting significant effort, so aim for a range of 100 - 250 calories per hour, which amounts to a 100 calorie gel packet every 30 minutes.

If gels are difficult for you to stomach, the equivalent in rapidly absorbed sugars can be found in energy drinks. These drinks are designed with ingredi-ents that supply a significant dose of easily absorbed sugars in ratios that will extend a potential crash further into the race. It only takes two to three swigs every 20 or 30 minutes to fend off that crash. Some runners find drinking sugars much more difficult than ingesting gels, and vice versa, so rely on a swapping method of drinking fluids at some stations, taking gels at others and supplementing both with straight water to ease the effects of mainlining sugar. What works best for you will take a process of experimentation, and hopefully not disastrous lessons in the process. Be mindful though, not all gels or energy drinks are made with all vegan ingredients and it’s advisable to find out what is being offered on the course or to bring your own.

How To Eat After Racing

Eating after racing isn’t much different than eating after a hard workout. The same need to replenish your systems with a 4 grams of carbs to 1 gram of protein ratio still stands and that 30 minute window is still just as important. Beyond that though, there are a couple perspectives that I personally like to keep in mind with eating after an especially difficult race.

When you throw down at any distance above a 10k, most often a 15k, half marathon or full marathon, you drain your body of a significant amount of fuel stored up to the starting line, but the carbs aren’t the only loss. The effort to maintain speed at such distances takes its toll on a number of the body’s systems, notably the immune system. After a hard effort, whether that is a

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workout or race, it is important to replenish carbs and protein, but also give a boost to your immune system to avoid getting sick. I make it a point to get an intentional amount of vitamin c into my system after a hard race, whether that is through red peppers, kale, kiwi, broccoli, papayas, oranges, etc. I con-centrate on those fruits and vegetables that contain the most Vitamin C and try to include them in my post-race meals, effectively filling my empty cells with virus destroying vitamin c instead of leaving them open and vulnerable.

In case the immune system process has never been explained to you, let me give a quick summary. Essentially, viruses of various types and quantities are often trying to reproduce themselves within the body, but our immune systems are fighting them off. The immune system is able to fight off the viruses because our cells are filled with the nutritional components that pre-vent viruses from entering the cells and setting up shop. When we eat well, we basically fill the cell void with virus fighting nutrients and the virus can’t build a home and reproduce. To be more specific, sugar and vitamin c fight for homes inside our cells and prevent each other from getting in, but only one of them has the ability fight off viruses, therefore, if we eat great quan-tities of simple sugars we are filling our cells with the sugars and preventing the vitamin c from getting in, leaving us vulnerable to attack. It then follows that the key to ensuring a strong and powerful immune system is to continue flooding it with virus fighting nutrients. This why after I’ve put in a hard effort for a workout or a race and essentially lowered my immune system’s virus fighting ability, I make it a point to replenish by concentrating on fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin c. Simple as that!

Indulgence

With all that good virus fighting information in mind, let’s not forget about the value of totally PIGGING OUT! I’m a strong proponent of throwing novels of good advice out the window and engaging in complete indulgence from time to time. It’s undoubtedly good for the mind and good for the body too! Granted, I’m not saying go on a total bender, stuff your face with an

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entire vegan cake and follow that up with bags of skittles, but there comes a time when it’s ok to simply not worry about caloric intake or nutritional re-finement and simply eat with abandon. That time is usually after a successful (or even unsuccessful) race of considerable distance, when you’ve completed a long period of training, expended a significant amount of energy, and are looking for a reward past the completion of an incredible task. So have at it!

After both road marathons (and a couple trail marathons…and that one treadmill ultra) I’ve run, I made it a point to head to the local vegan restau-rant and peruse the menu for anything that sounded good…which was basically everything. I didn’t worry about calories, hesitate on significant amounts of meat alternatives, or even give a second glance to the saturated fats in the ice cream shake I was about to destroy. And it was always worth it. I didn’t gain sluggish amounts of weight, clog arteries or sacrifice anything I had worked for up to that point. This was episodic indulging, not a consis-tent behavior of eating. My body at that point actually NEEDED most of that nutrition, despite any excessiveness that came along with it. At the point of complete exhaustion, it is better to rely on over intake of nutrients than under intake. My body probably needed a lot more sodium than I usually gave it, a lot more carbs, a lot more protein and, well, basically a lot more of everything. The idea isn’t to flood an emptied system with sugars and fats, but certainly not to worry about adding more sugars and fats than you are accustomed. So go ahead, order that root beer float with vegan ice cream, you deserve it!

There are also great mental and emotional rewards to indulging that help combat more detrimental ways of looking at food and eating habits. The majority of runners are conscious about what they put into their bodies already, and I’ve found that vegan runners are that much more conscious due to our ethical parameters, but I’ve also noticed that runners have personali-ties that draw them to extremes, which can result in unhealthy perspectives when it comes to eating and nutrition. As an ethical vegan, my only concern is making sure I’m removing myself from the industrial animal agriculture

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process of supply and demand, but the wider vegan community often finds itself succumbing to the trend of, if not outdoing one another, then seeking a mythical sense of higher and higher purity through increased food restric-tions. Veganism becomes Whole Food Veganism becomes Raw Veganism becomes Fruitarianism becomes….I don’t want to know what comes next. Couple the runner’s mentality of refining eating habits for optimal athletic performance with the purist mentality of the dietary vegan community and you have a potential recipe for compromised athletic performance at best and a full on eating disorder at worst. This type of eating perspective does no one good, not runners and not vegans. And this is where indulgence can have a grounding and positive effect. Indulging has the potential to throw a wrench in the machine of hyper-refined eating. Trust me, when you’ve reached some-thing of a peak with your running and you’re trying to find any edge to push the glass ceiling a little higher, it is very easy to fall prey to purist mentalities of eating while falling into an overly concerned outlook on calorie con-sumption, fat consumption, etc., but if indulging isn’t just seen as a periodic reward and instead becomes a beneficial component to healthy eating, you’ve done a great service to both your athletic performance, running longevity, and overall eating perspective. When you’re putting in significant training miles, building and breaking your body on a repeated basis, it REALLY is ok to eat that entire bar of chocolate, that 500 calorie cookie, that extra piece of pizza (or entire pizza!), or that sandwich made up more of processed gluten than anything else. Don’t worry about an excessive commitment to whole food eating, baseless perspectives on “origins” diets, or any other dietary fear mongering that mars the landscape of eating culture today. Eat well, run often, follow your intuition and indulge. You have my unsolicited and unnecessary permission.

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Supplementation

Ah yes, Supplements. Just uttering the word threatens a heated battle of conflicting theories on proper eating, “origins” diets, and the inadequacies of eating habits on the fringe of popular culture. Admittedly, I was once wrapped up in these heated discussions, vehemently defending the nutritional value of veganism by denying the need to supplement our diet, scoffing at the idea of taking pills, and writing off any perceived nutritional inadequacy as a by-product of modern day agriculture and sanitation methods. I am not ashamed now to simply say, I was wrong. I was wrong to assume the vegan diet is an inherent cornucopia of nutrients that will fulfill the body’s every need. I was wrong to assume the nutritional inadequacies are directly related to modern day agriculture. I was wrong to assume that we don’t need to supplement because we can get everything our body desires without any extra effort. I was wrong about that, yes, but not to the extent the value of vegan-ism is negated, that veganism is somehow inherently flawed and “unnatural” (to use an inadequate term), or to the extent that our meals should always contain a bowl of pills as a side dish.

It really comes down to perspective. When we think of supplementation, we envision pills and highly concentrated non-food-like nutrients that we oddly swallow whole instead of enjoying as part of a complete meal, or even just a snack on the go. The truth is, the majority of our foods are supplement-ed with nutrients, both vegan and non-vegan. The processed cereals that are stripped of their wholeness and then reworked to include vitamins and

CHAPTER FOUR - ALL THE LITTLE THINGS

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minerals have been directly supplemented. The milks (dairy and non-dairy) fortified with vitamin d and a slew of other nutrients have been supplement-ed. The orange juice, bread, packaged snacks, energy bars, etc., that have been rendered something different from the ingredients that once made them “whole” have been supplemented in some way. Just because one is not swallowing a B-12, calcium or iron pill does not mean they are not supple-menting their diet. Looked at from this angle, EVERY diet engages with supplementation to fulfill the gaps of its nutritional inadequacies.

We are often presented with the idea that the omnivorous diet is the “proper” diet. It is the “complete” diet, and to take away any large grouping of food from it’s menu is to lessen its value and necessitate supplementation to fill the hole created by those removed nutrients, but it’s worth examining whether the omnivorous diet is lacking in nutrients as well. And, it is. The vegan diet does prevent challenges to getting easily absorbable and readily-avail-able nutrients - B-12, Vitamin D, etc., but the omnivorous diet also poses challenges to getting enough B-12, Vitamin D, potassium, etc. In the current social context we live, having access (financial, geographical, social, etc.) to a diet that is sufficiently diverse is not as easy as we would like to hope. For all of us, it takes a deeper nutritional knowledge to eat the optimal foods for our nutritional needs, and even in doing so, supplementation is a beneficial component.

The Importance of Vitamin B-12

Let’s look at the more controversial nutrients in the vegan diet that require more vigilant supplementation. First and foremost is B-12. Study after study shows vegans find themselves lacking in B-12. Not only is B-12 one of the least readily available nutrients in our diets, but it is also difficult for humans to absorb. It can take a great deal of time before the effects of inadequacy are felt and, as well, for B-12 supplementation to get one to the appropriate levels, so it is crucial to constantly be ingesting B-12 as either a fortified food (soy milk, nutritional yeast, etc.) or in a concentrated pill form. If you have

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sufficient B-12 levels and eat fortified foods, a sublingual supplement every few days should be just fine, but if your levels are low, you will want to be more vigorous with your supplementation, quite possibly requiring a highly concentrated B-12 injection. The reason B-12 supplementation is stressed so heavily is not just because it isn’t as available in the vegan diet as others, but because the effects are downright dangerous. A lack of B-12 can lead to neurological disorders, brain atrophy, heart disease, infertility and more. It is simply not something to mess with or neglect, especially concerning infant development and through the process of aging. It takes the most minimal of effort to supplement our diet with B-12 and the value of staving off the negative consequences of B-12 deficiency go infinitely further in proving the value of the vegan diet than holding to some sense of “dietary purity” and relying only on whole foods for all our nutritional needs. Personally, I keep my B-12 levels sufficient by taking a concentrated sublingual every few days, adding nutritional yeast to many of my foods, and eating and drinking fortified cereals, milks, and other foods. The fortification has simply become part of my daily eating habits.

The other nutrients vegans often find themselves needing to be mindful of tend to be iron, zinc, omega 3’s, among others, primarily for the same reasons B-12 is problematic, whether they are simply not as readily available in our diets or absorption rates of plant sources are lower than animal sources. This, again, does not erode the foundation of the vegan diet as valuable or necessary, as other diets lack different nutrients the same as ours and require focused eating or supplementation. All the same, vegans can concentrate on certain foods to get these nutrients, whether they are fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, grains, legumes, seeds, and more. Speaking from the perspective of a vegan runner, iron tends to deplete quicker in our bodies than it does for non-runners and can have detrimental effects on our performance, therefore requiring closer attention to iron levels in our bloodstream to fend off ane-mia. Studies have shown each foot strike during running aids in the depletion of iron, and add up the foot strikes during a good 100 mile week and you can see why we should pay close attention to getting enough of this nutri-

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ent. Iron deficiencies lead to anemia and a problematic drop in energy and stamina, which will severely affect running performance and health. Runners have higher iron needs than non-runners and vegans have higher iron needs than omnivores. This is because iron is absorbed less well from plant foods. It’s important to eat iron-rich foods-some the best sources are spinach, Swiss chard, sea vegetables, dried fruit, beans, tofu, veggie meats, almonds, cashews, peanuts and peanut butter, dark chocolate and blackstrap molasses-and to maximize absorption. Eating a good source of vitamin C with every meal and snack is the best way to boost iron absorption. Female vegan runners in particular may need iron supplements and it’s important for them to have their iron levels assessed regularly.

Zinc absorption is lower in vegan diets, too, and in this case, vitamin C doesn’t help. Good sources are beans, veggie meats, tofu, almond butter, pea-nuts and peanut butter and tahini. Consider eating some whole grain bread, too, since the leavening improves zinc absorption.

The essential omega-3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid) is found in only a few foods, but you don’t need much of these foods - just a tablespoon per day for most of them. Good sources are walnut oil, canola oil, flaxseed and hempseed oils, whole walnuts, ground flaxseeds, and soy nuts. If you want to include the long chain omega-3ds DHA and EPA in your diet, the only way to get them is from a supplement. Vegan supplements of these fats are derived from microalgae and they provide the same fats as fish oil supplements.

I won’t belabor the specifics of each nutrient that vegans tend to lack more than I already have, but focus on the need to supplement our diet, as we all, regardless of our differing eating habits, should and often unknowingly do. We know enough about nutritional science to understand that no diet in the modern day context will supply absolutely everything we need at optimal levels, and so we should no longer attempt to present veganism as a “perfect”, “most pure” diet that will fulfill our body’s complete nutritional needs. We should always reject the idea of an “original diet” or “perfect diet” and act to

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better understand what we lack and then fill that nutritional gap. Accepting the nutritional inadequacies of the vegan diet and supplementing to prevent their detrimental effects will go much further towards presenting veganism as easy, viable and beneficial for the animals, than will attempting to set a false standard of “dietary purity” that is grounded in poor anthropological theory, bad nutritional science or just plain “sounds good” perspective.

Indulging / Splurging AKA Discretionary Calories

I discussed the idea of indulging in the last chapter, but only in the context of post-race eating where it is easily justified, so what about indulgence or splurging while in the throws of regular training? I think back to my change in eating habits as I began preparing for my first marathon, so thoroughly frightened by the distance that I started cutting out many dietary splurges I once engaged in without reservation. Those bags of Oreos, done. Those frequent root beers, no more. Those constant desserts and vegan candy bar snacks, obsolete. And it was a GREAT idea. I was able to eliminate so much excess sugar and readjust my body so when I actually consumed high fructose corn syrup and other small amounts of concentrated sugars I was left with an anxious, jittery and unpleasant feeling. The benefit was I felt compelled to replace those foods with healthier options, still holding to sufficient calorie counts, but with greater nutritional density, longer lasting energy sources and simply better options for fulfilling those dessert cravings. In turn, my splurges and indulgences were not only kept in check, but also reworked to be fundamentally healthier than they once were. An entire package of Oreos (Yes, I COULD eat one) turned into a chocolate, peanut butter and banana smoothie. Candy bars became energy bars. Dinner desserts were replaced with something of greater nutritional value, but without sacrificing any of the joy of eating dessert. I indulged, certainly, but with much less detriment to my overall health or running performance.

Let’s not paint such a nerdy portrayal of dessert here. While training, I did indulge. I did splurge. I can make a mean batch of cookies, and I often did.

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I also took the opportunity to bake chocolate raspberry cakes for loved one’s birthdays, heat up large batches of hot chocolate with marshmallows on cold nights, and work on expanding my knowledge of the world’s best brownie whenever the feeling struck me. I never bought into the idea of purist eating and knew that doing a sufficient amount of taste testing wasn’t going to negate the effects of my training or come back to haunt me on race day. I fully understood that occasionally celebrating birthdays with cake, consuming frowned upon sugars “just because”, and eating a larger than normal batch of chocolate chip pancakes was not only just fine, but actually emotionally beneficial in combating the effects of excessive worry during high intensity marathon training.

Training for the marathon, or other long distances, is hard. Undoubtedly. There is the need for continuous and consistent running, no matter the other pressing responsibilities and obligations of life. There is the mental and emo-tional preparation to knock out physically taxing workouts two, sometimes three, times a week. There are the miles upon repetitive miles that can accu-mulate into one intimidating stretch of distance. There is suffering through the cold, the heat, the wind and the rain. There is… well, this isn’t a very pretty picture I’m painting here, but suffice to say the rewards outnumber the hardships. With that said, the need to throw aside the repetitive regiment of hard training and healthy eating doesn’t only become beneficial, it becomes necessary. To know that one can devour something relatively unhealthy for the body, but experience no lasting detrimental physical effects is IMMEA-SURABLY healthy for the MIND. To be able to splurge and indulge like this during training makes the stresses of the process less demanding, less crucial, and in a way, less important. That drive to splurge keeps us grounded and lets us know that we can take a step back from our efforts without concern. We can temporarily back off in our training and eating and still continue on our upward trajectory, bending so as to avoid breaking.

I have a saying, “Cookies never killed anyone”, which is totally NOT true. The key here is, of course, moderation. There are those that eat packages

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of Oreos…every day. There are those that eat bags of potato chips, not as episodic indulgences, but multiple times every day. There are those that drink high sugar sodas at every meal, every day. THAT is not ok. That is the oppo-site and equally detrimental equivalent to purist eating, of which said cookies WILL kill you, albeit slowly. Our culture, unfortunately, presents these food items and eating habits without any sort of context or perspective, instead simply lending a permissiveness to excessive indulgence through the amount of options, ratios of advertising and other nefarious methods of profit mak-ing. As runners, however, we are almost inherently tuned in to the need for beneficial eating habits and can easily avoid indulgence as our culture views it. Our dietary indulgence is still a very reserved manner of eating, and in that we have minimal cause for concern. When I say we should feel free to indulge and/or splurge, it is in the context that we have already established a manner of eating that is fundamentally healthy and the inclusion of indulging is simply another component to those healthy eating habits, one that takes care of our mental health as does our food to our physical health.

The Fear Of Dying

In order to run successfully, one must first start running. This is a simplifica-tion, I know, but I also know there is a lot of fear and apprehension in simply starting the act of running due to the concerns of doing it right, doing it properly, doing it in such a way that won’t leave the runner sprawled out on the side of the road, left for the vultures. Couple this fear of running “right” with the fear of transitioning to veganism and you end up with an almost paralyzing dose of self-doubt and lack of ambition to even put one foot in front of the other or move your fork from flesh to vegetable. If we can tear down the fears and apprehensions in simply starting, whether that is the physical or proverbial start line, then we will have made great strides (yeah, I said it) into all manners of accomplishment for both ourselves and the animals. Unfortunately, there are too many naysayers regarding both activities and it is necessary to spend some time dispelling the excessiveness of what can

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be well-meaning advice in relation to running or downright doomsaying in relation to veganism.

Let me simplify all this by saying, “Running is not hard.” It takes effort, yes. It takes commitment, yes. It takes any number of motivations, but at it’s most base, it is simply putting one foot in front of the other and going. It doesn’t require intaking an exact amount of fluids, coupled with a specific number of simple sugars and slow-burning carbs. It doesn’t take a practiced form, balanced ratio of soft and hard surfaces, exact portions of pre-race and post-race fueling, or any other number of magazine article advice. It is, at it’s most important level, just getting out there and doing it, figuring out what works best for you and what doesn’t. I feel it is worth expressing and simplifying, “Running is easy.” It won’t kill you, probably just the opposite, if you merely get out there and do it.

Fluids

Fluid intake is, no doubt, an important consideration for successful running, but the confusion arises when we start looking at how much to take and when to take it, so let me try and simplify this. The most important time to concentrate on getting enough liquids in your body for successful running, whether that is for a race or just a training run, is BEFORE you run. Proper hydration is achieved by drinking sufficient liquids consistently for the day or days (depending on weather) prior to beginning a run. The general wisdom, to the contrary, seems to focus on drinking during the run, and often quite heavily. Not only will taking in fluids in this manner not help you much (at all?), but can actually compromise your running performance through a feel-ing of weight and bloat at best, and hypnoatremia (excessive water consump-tion without proper sodium replenishment that can lead to kidney failure and death) at worst.

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No Benefit to Carrying a Ton of Liquids

I see this often with amateur runners who go for 3 to 5 mile runs carrying an entire bottle of water, a hip belt with 5 or 6 water flasks attached, or at it’s most extreme example, a runner carrying a 32 oz. gatorade in EACH hand. Unless they were using them for strength training, there was no way they were going to run far enough to necessitate the caloric or fluid consumption contained within those bottles. Granted, my body has probably developed differently in order to go without water for longer periods than some, but on days of average temperature, I go for 20 mile long runs with nothing but a cup of coffee consumed before I head out the door and then nothing else until I return. On hotter days, however, I most certainly need fluids during the run, but they are never much more than what I can get in a few sips at in-termittent water fountains, streams or established water stops. I don’t mean to dissuade you from carrying water, not by any means, but simply understand that you don’t have to go out as if you’re crossing a desert for a couple days.

There are suggested amounts of fluid intake for necessary hydration during a run, specifically those extra cold days your body is working harder to keep the core temperature stable and also those extra hot days where the body is expelling extra fluid to do the same. The basic rule is you should take in about 6 to 8 ounces of fluid (preferably water with electrolytes) every 20 minutes if you’re already properly hydrated starting the run. This will vary from runner to runner and dependent upon the weather, but the important thing to recognize is this amount is not a lot. That’s a few sips every 10 to 15 minutes, nothing huge.

The most important times to get hydrated are the days leading up to your runs.

STAY hydrated and you don’t have to GET hydrated. There are any number of formulas you can find to calculate your sweat rate and necessary hydration leading up to a run, but I like to rely on the pee test. If your urine is pale or

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clear…you’re hydrated. That’s all you need. If it’s dark, you’re either going to be in trouble or better pay close attention to fluid intake during the run. And don’t think you can down a 32 ounce sports drink an hour before a run and be hydrated. It doesn’t work that way. Most of that fluid will not become absorbed by the body and you won’t benefit from the fluid or electrolyte re-tention you will need. The easy way to deal with this concern is simply carry a water bottle filled with either plain water or electrolyte enhanced fluid at all times. Take sips from it intermittently throughout the day and any pre-hy-dration concerns will be completely taken care of without any complicated weight to sweat ratio or other confusing formula.

The Big Media Effect

I have a theory. Magazines, blogs and other media dedicated to the activity of running, write content in such a way “to not get sued”. What I mean by that is I feel the articles in running media are so heavily detailed and the advice can be so excessive that I wonder if their main concern is not killing anyone, so no one gets sued. There is SO much information related to running performance, whether that is proper fueling, proper eating, VO2 max levels, suggested intervals, appropriate form, sleep patterns, shoe replacement, race day peaking, etc. The considerations are seemingly endless and can get mind bogglingly complex if taken at face value, which is amusing since all we’re doing is just putting one foot in front of the other and just going. It IS a physical activity, however, and all physical activities have risks along with the rewards, which is why I think running media is careful to either present every side of every issue to claim neutrality or beat a subject to death to make sure every nook and cranny has been explored. When really, running is just running. It’s not complicated until we make it that way.

If I can lend any value to the act of either beginning or furthering one’s run-ning, it would be to take away the concern and just convince you to put one foot in front of the other. Don’t think you need to understand the “correct” way to run, the appropriate amounts of fluid and energy intake, or even the

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right clothes to wear. Remember, I started out in swimming trunks and worn out shoes a half-size too small. It didn’t matter. I kept running and managed to figure it out along the way. Sometimes I used information from magazine articles, sometimes I listened to other runners and sometimes I just figured out how my body responded all on it’s own. In the end though, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other….and I’m not dead yet.

Running can be hard. It takes effort and consistency. But running is also easy. It takes simply starting. Over and over, all you have to do is start running. That’s all.

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Just as running is the most simple of acts, I like to keep my cooking all the same. I mean, who’s got time for the preparation of just one ingredient for a complex dish anyways? There is training to be done! Some of us run so many miles that food becomes less about the meal itself and more about a consumption and processing of ingredients that will fuel our next physical effort. Food is merely fuel. To that end, I have a very simple way of preparing my foods that is quick, yet adequate both in regard to energy and nutrient density, of which I have titled,

“The Kitchen Sink Method”

That is to say, I put basically everything in my foods except the kitchen sink. I do this by either starting with a base, often a carb-rich source or leafy greens, and then adding as many other diverse ingredients as possible. This way of food prep adequately gives me a solid energy source to fuel my running along with as many supportive nutrients I can get to keep all the other systems strong and working properly.

The following sections will give a basic list of meals I prepare for my Break-fast, Lunch and Dinner meals, but don’t feel you need to follow these AT ALL. These are simply examples that work for me. Feel free to pull from them as suits you or discard them completely.

CHAPTER FIVE -KITCHEN SINK RECIPES

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Oatmeal

OatsBanana slicesRaisinsAlmondsWalnutsDatesCinnamonGingerPeanut Butter

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and pour hot water over to soften the oats. Done.

Pancakes

1 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (always whole wheat)1 1/4 Cups Milk (Soy, Almond, Coconut, Hemp, etc. - Just not milk made for baby cows)2 Teaspoons Baking Powder2 Tablespoons Oil

Now add whatever else you want - Peanut Butter, Bananas, Spices, Apples, Etc.

Stir together and cook on appropriate heat in a pan or on a griddle.

BREAKFAST58

Smoothie

BananasAppleSpinachKalePeanut ButterMedjool DatesCinnamonGingerMilk (Soy, Almond, Coconut, Hemp, etc.)Add other ingredients (oranges, cocoa, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, protein powders, etc.)

Blend and drink!

Scramble

Sweet potatoes TofuSpinachKaleOnionMushroomsRed PepperGarlicNutritional YeastSoy SauceHot SauceAdd other veggies, spices, etc.

Saute all together and go to town!

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Stir Fry

Bag of Frozen Stir Fry VegetablesAlmondsSesame SeedsNutritional YeastGingerSoy SauceTofuRice, Cous Cous, or Quinoa, if you prefer.

Cook the rice, Saute everything else and mix together. Done!

Taco Salad

RiceBlack BeansSalsa (in a jar is just fine)SpinachCrumbled Taco Shells

Cook the rice, heat the beans, cut the spinach, crumble the shells….Combine all ingredients.

Salad

I don’t know what to tell you about salad, except that salads are not simply iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and dressing. Salads for me are salad bowls filled with lots of spinach or mixed greens as a base and then everything else I can put in there. Tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, nutritional yeast, apples, peppers, broccoli, tofu, a little dressing, etc. Salads can be very filling and the

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ultimate example of “The Kitchen Sink Method”. Grab a bowl, cut up the ingredients, fill it, eat. It’s that simple.

Pasta with Veggies

Whole Wheat Pasta (Rotini, spaghetti, etc.)Cut up spinach / greensRed PeppersBroccoliAny vegetable really (or add sauteed stir fry veggies)Tofu Nutritional YeastPasta Sauce from a jar

Cook the pasta, cut up the vegetables, mix and eat!

BBQ Tempeh

RiceTempehKaleBBQ Sauce

Cook the riceCut up and sauté the Tempeh with the kale and BBQ sauceLay the kale on the rice, add the tempeh, then add more BBQ sauce on top…..Or just mix them all together!

Add sliced avocados for extra awesomeness.

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Cous Cous

Cous CousAvocadoSalsaSpinachBeans (Black, Garbanzo, Navy, White, etc., whatever)

Prepare the Cous Cous (takes 5 - 7 minutes tops)Add the cut avocado, pour over the salsa, add the chopped spinach and heated beans (whichever you chose)….Eat!

Banana Mash

BananaPeanut ButterCinnamonCocoa

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mash with a fork! Done! I call this “Monkey Poop” and my son loves it.

Banana Ice Cream

Bananas

Cut bananas into chunks. Freeze. Add frozen banana chunks to a blender and turn on. Done!

Fruit

Grab. Eat.

SNACKS / DESSERTS

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Laura Kline

Sport: Trail Running, Duathlon

Occupation: Sales & marketing

Favorite Meal or Recipe: Recovery pancakes

Favorite Cooking Song: Can’t say I have one. I just put on a Pandora station that matches my mood.

Website: www.laurajkline.com

Brad Dumville

Sport: Ultrarunning

Occupation: Clinical Research Compliance Specialist

Favorite Meal or Recipe: Thai curry

Favorite Cooking Song: The entirety of Ulver’s “Nattens Madrigal”

Website: Please Don’t Feed The Bears cookbook

MEALS BY VEGAN ATHLETES

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Matthew Ruscigno

Sport: Cycling

Occupation: Registered Dietitian, Seeker of Adventure

Favorite Meal or Recipe: Burritos and recipes for burritos

Favorite Cooking Song: Reunited, Wu-tang Clan 

Website: truelovehealth.com / strongesthearts.org

Micah Risk

Sport: Marathon Runner

Occupation: Director of Nutrition / Nutritionist for Lighter

Favorite Meal or Recipe: Quinoa Chickpea and Dill salad - Lots of healthy carbs and protein from quinoa and chickpeas, plus crunchy raw lacinato kale, and strong flavors from fresh lemon and dill.

Favorite Cooking Song: Anything by The Beatles

Website: www.lighterculture.com

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Websites

The Vegan R.D. “Thoughts on being vegan - a dietitian’s perspective” www.theveganrd.com

True Love Health Matt Ruscigno R.D. www.truelovehealth.com

Animal Liberation Front Supporters Group Animal Liberation Prisoner Support www.alfsg.org.uk

Jack Norris R.D. “News for vegan advocates and those eating plant-based diets” www.jacknorrisrd.com

JL Goes Vegan “Food and Fitness with a side of Kale” www.jlgoesvegan.com

Vegan Fitness A UK based forum on vegan athletics www.veganfitness.net

RESOURCES

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Animal Liberation Front Worldwide News and Information Resource about the A.L.F. www.animalliberationfront.com

Animal Liberation Frontline Covering Animal Liberation Above The Law www.animalliberationfrontline.com

Kale Or Be Killed The Bad Girls’ Health Club www.kaleorbekilled.com

Books

Vegan For Life - Jack Norris & Ginny Messina

Vegan For Her - Ginny Messina & JL Fields

Eat & Run - Scott Jurek

The Sports Gene - David Epstein

Movies

Blackfish A documentary exposing the cruelty of captive entertainment animalswww.blackfishmovie.com

Earthlings A documentary about our society’s treatment of animalswww.earthlings.com

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Meet Your Meat A powerful expose of the factory farm modelwww.peta.org/videos/meet-your-meat/

The Cove A documentary of the dolphin killing industrywww.thecovemovie.com

Food, Inc. An expose on our nutritional crisis.www.takepart.com/foodinc

The Ghosts In Our Machine A documentary exposing the hidden animals in our culture.www.theghostsinourmachine.com

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While writing this primer I was in the middle of intense marathon training, running approximately 90 miles a week. Everything was progressing as it had during all my training for years prior…until suddenly it wasn’t. I was experiencing odd bowel movements on every one of my runs and harboring a distended stomach that was untypical for the amount of mileage I was hit-ting. I was very confused and started doubting everything about my diet. Was I eating too much peanut butter? Too much coffee? Was I eating too much at night close to my runs? Were all those swipes at the raisins and almonds accumulating in a way I hadn’t experienced before?

I had not changed my eating habits in any significant way leading up to my confusion, so this weight I couldn’t shed was as baffling as it was frustrating. Suddenly, after a normal day of running, my abdomen was consumed with a significant pain. I told myself it was probably muscle soreness from my weekend trail run, or that I was excessively gassy from consuming too much coffee that afternoon. A few days later and the pain remained, inhibiting sleep and preventing me from running at all. To keep this story short, after a few visits to sports specialists and then referrals to doctors, it was determined I was experiencing a very rare form of abdominal cancer. Suffice to say, I was dumbfounded, yet admittedly a little relieved that I had discovered the source of all my recent physical complications. Turns out, it wasn’t any problem with my diet after all.

But, well, I still had cancer. Everything going on in my life, including fin-ishing this primer, fell to the wayside as I steeled myself for dealing with this

AFTERWORD

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new circumstance. Three weeks later I was wheeled into the hospital for an extensive surgery and my life changed from then to the present. And I still have cancer.

I address this change in my overall health because it really underscores the value of healthy eating and physical activity. I didn’t get cancer because I was eating the wrong foods, sitting sedentary through my days, or doing anything we’re told raises the risk of the body “cancering”. With that said, I’ve come to understand that we don’t really know why the body starts cancering. We can point to aggravating factors, but the process is so complex and interconnected that it’s nearly impossible to say, “This is why your body started cancering out of control.” It happens to the healthy, the unhealthy and everyone in between. It happens to the young and the old alike. It just happens.

This change in my life, however, did not necessitate a change in my diet or ethical perspective. There is NO REASON why my ethics towards animals would change in light of my cancer, and although less informed individuals might disagree, there is also no reason why I should abandon my vegan diet because of my cancer. To this day, the advice given for lowering your risk of getting cancer involves three suggestions. 1. Eat more fruits and vegetables. 2. Live a physically active life. 3. Don’t smoke. The evidence in lowering cancer risk by adhering to these basic suggestions is plentiful, but I’ve found that it’s not just the avoidance of cancer that gives this advice teeth, but also the ability to counter the effects of cancer and treatment should you find yourself unlucky enough to be diagnosed.

Throughout this cancer experience my doctor’s have assured me that my previous running lifestyle and adherence to healthy eating helped me recover quickly from my surgery and continues to help me combat the effects of chemotherapy. Prior to surgery I was given a 6-month recovery timeline, but in less than three I was already going out for short runs. I have continued to push through chemotherapy in a spirit of “thriving, not just surviving”,

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and I attribute that ability to the strength built into my body leading up to diagnosis.

Admittedly, it’s hard to shake the feeling that someone with cancer shouldn’t be disseminating advice on healthy living. The truth is, unfortunately, that even doing all the “right things” won’t make us bulletproof. That awareness shouldn’t detract from our efforts to live fulfilling, high-quality lives on a daily basis, and maybe it should even compel us to try our best despite the risks. The advice I put down in this primer before I realized my body was cancering was applicable then and hasn’t changed now either. I still view an-imals as sentient beings and not food products. I haven’t changed my eating habits, save making adjustments to portion-size and frequency due to a drop in activity levels.

All things said, my views about not eating animals and living active lives have not changed in the slightest. The importance of doing both resonates even stronger in light of my current health circumstance, and continues to afford me the highest quality life I can manage. At some point in the unforeseen future I hope to be beyond cancer and back to running and training consis-tently, but until then I keep pushing for gains at every opportunity. All I ask of you is to not waste the abilities you have, to consider what it is to live a healthy, high-quality life, and to extend that privilege to the least fortunate among us.

Run Fast. Go Vegan.

-Scott Spitz

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Spitz is an accomplished runner with a 2:25:55 marathon PR, a long time blogger, and distance running coach. He is continuing

to train for a new marathon PR and the pipe dream of qualifying for the US Olympic Marathon Trials.

Spitz blogs at runvegan.wordpress.com where he expounds on ideas related to running, animal liberation, vegan nutrition, and cancer.

He can be contacted through the following:

Email : morexfire@gmail.comFB : Scott Spitz

Instagram : morexfireCoaching : whitepinedistancetraining.com

Blog : runvegan.wordpress.com