Vegandurance

I often get questions about my vegan diet, especially as it relates to endurance training. On this subject, I'll share my reasons for choosing a plant-based diet and it's impact on my training for mountain ultramarathons of 50-100 miles.

In the United States, we have the option of eating almost anything we choose. Even those with very little money, can eat in abundance each and every day. In grocery stores, we have 800 options for bread, 16 options for milk, every type of meat, and incredible choices of produce shipped to your local area from all over the world during any season of the year.

So how do you choose to eat and what motivates those decisions? Are you eating for a reason? Are you completely unaware of what you eat? Do you forget what you ate after you swallow as if it doesn't matter anymore? Sadly, this abundance is something many people struggle with in our country.

If you can choose anything you want, then how are those decisions made? Some of those guiding factors become things like convenience, cost, taste, health, etc.. and, of course, our selections are often tweaked by media, culture, lifestyle, and education.

It is a statistical fact that many people in western society are making the decisions about what they consume based on the wrong information. They are sacrificing their health and happiness for short-lived benefits like cost, convenience, and taste. Sadly, diagnoses of type 2 diabetes are growing exponentially as well as obesity, cancer, and heart disease.

I was raised in a house of meat and potatoes. My dad has basically sustained himself on fried potatoes, flank steak, and beer for his entire life. "Greens" were fried spinach with bacon or iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing. I always loved fresh fruit as a kid and my parents expressed their support for my interest in "odd things" like that.

So, my diet changed throughout my life after leaving home based on those things mentioned above...convenience, taste, cost,etc... Then Jenifer and I got married. Jen, a type 1 diabetic, had to concern herself more with diet based mainly on glycemic index. The impact of things like pasta or orange juice on Jen's blood sugar can send her blood glucose sky high and make her very sick.

So, for the first time, I started thinking more about the impact on food in my early 20s.
I became involved in endurance sports in my late 20s and then my interest in the subject grew. By the time I was in my early 30s, I had become completely passionate and consumed by my continued improvement and performance in mountain ultramarathons.

Within a couple years, it became obvious that physical training alone would not yield any better results.
By simply running harder or faster, I would not see my athletic performance get any better. I considered other ways to improve my endurance abilities.With that, I mingled and allowed myself to be influenced by vegan endurance athletes.

Most of them have no idea they influenced my individual decision, so I wish to mention a few of them from memory. Some were acquaintances, training partners, or competition. With respect to some of those athletes, I recall conversations and training runs with southern California athletes Kevin Nasman, Keira Henninger, Keith Kirby, and Darrick Cook (ultrarunners). Each of them added more fuel to my smouldering
interest in plant-based fueling. I also learned about vegan athletes, Scott Jurek (7x Western States winner) and Brandon Brazier (Pro triathlete) fueling their bodies on plant-based fuel alone. Rich Roll, an ultraman triathlon competitor, tossed info into my thinking bucket through his facebook posts about his vegan endurance cookbook, "Jai Seed."

My interest grew and grew until I believed I needed to make a true effort for positive change in my own life.
The evidence was everywhere. So, about 2 years ago, I stopped thinking of reasons why I couldn't make the change. Instead, I asked "how" and sought the information needed. And that information was easy to find, through the Internet, the people above, and books.

So...I "went vegan".

The immediate impact on my life and training was astounding. Here are some of the things I experienced upon changing my dietary intake to plant-based choices:

1. Sleep: I slept deeper and woke up more rested within the first few weeks.

2. Digestion: I realized how much garbage we hold in our gut each and every day and finally got rid of that crap.

3. Body Fat Comp: I dropped 10 lbs and significantly improved my power-weight ratio with 6 weeks.

4. Energy: I had steady alertness from morning until night.

5. Memory: I noticed an incredible improvement in my short-term memory, allowing me to remember phone numbers, names,
addresses, and other useful daily information at work, etc.

6. Anti-Inflammatory: Previously, I experienced swelling in my knees and ankles during ultrarunning beyond 30 miles. Once I began consuming antioxidants and plant-based proteins alone, I no longer had this response and only experienced it at a
very minor level at distances of 90 miles or beyond.

7. Recovery: I was able to recover from training runs in half the time, allowing me to run multiple marathon-level runs day after day after day. The body repairs itself extremely fast when it's fueled with the right nutrition.

These are just a few of the things I still remember about my first few months eating a plant-based diet. I still enjoy the same benefits today, although they are no longer novel...they are now daily benefits of my dietary choices I would never give up.

CLARIFICATION:
Admittedly, I am not 100% vegan. That is, a very small portion of my diet is animal-derived. A blood test through my doctor's
office yielded remarkable results on almost everything, but did show some of my fats to be lacking. I began supplementing a
fish-based regiment of omega pills called, "Wholemega". This slight modification yielded more positive results in my training
and furthered my stamina, endurance, and recovery. (I could write an entire post on that alone.)
I also use one endurance nutrition product containing whey. I have used "Spiz" for years and believe so strongly
in it as a part of my endurance nutrition plan, I continue to use it on a limited basis during heavy training or recovery.

TYPICAL TRAINING DAY: (examples of food I consume under different situations)

PRE-TRAINING:
Coach's Oats oatmeal w/ agave, earth balance butter, flax oil, cinnamon

DURING TRAINING:
Electrolyte fluid, clif mojo bars, bananas, gels, Spiz, oranges, almond butter.

RECOVERY:
Spiz, soymilk, fruit smoothies w/plant-based proteins, fresh vegetable juice.

"TYPICAL" DAY OR WORK DAY:
Intake approximately every 2 hours:
Snacks: Banana, apple, Clif mojo, mixed nuts, almond butter, fruit smoothies, fresh vegetable juice, kale salad
Small Meals 2x day: Pasta w/tofu, kale w/Gardein, black bean burritos, thai curry w/vegetables, indian foods, veggie burger.
Meals coupled with supplements: Emergen C, 5hr Energy, magnesium, Wholemega.
Water intake is adjusted for weather maintaining hydration and preparation for the next day's training.

JERRY'S DAILY ANTIOXIDANT SMOOTHIE:
(This is a meal-replacement or, at least, a meal-postponer)
3 cups soymilk
1 packet Sambazon Acai
1 cup frozen berries
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 handful blueberries
2 tbl spoons flax powder
1 tbl spoon raw honey
2 tbl spoons "Vega" epa oil (or flax oil)

Conclusion:

My intent is not to talk anyone into a plant-based diet. If you feel a need for change, however, I encourage you to read up on the subject. Reasons for eating in this manner are extensive... you can simply google terms such as "benefits of a vegan diet".

Athlete or not, a majority of your consumption should be plant-based. This is the case with recommendations from every nutritionist, dietitian, or weight-loss expert there is. For me, this focused effort to eat plant-based is made simple by excluding meat and dairy completely. All I am left with is the richness and variety provided by things other than animal-based food.

Having thrived with this type of diet for 2 years now, I not only believe in this diet for health and athletic performance, but also because it is also inhumane to think animals don't deserve dignity or respect. This is also something that comes with the choice to eat plant-based. I am happy to have made a decision that rewards my body, the earth, and other living things each and every day.

In the effort to keep my post somewhat brief, I hope you have developed a sense for how I eat each day and what I use to participate in training and endurance races. I have made an effort to cover the common questions I am asked when someone finds out I don't eat meat or dairy...especially when they know about my endurance training and distance running.

Run long...eat plants.

jerry