Comments on: Guest Post: Running On A Plant-Based Diet

By: Monika {windycityvegan}

Monika {windycityvegan} — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:35:48 +0000

@Coleen: Oi! I never thought about cold watermelon, and that sounds sooooo good right now. I usually carry dried apricots, but like the idea of dried dates even better. Thanks for the great feedback!

By: Coleen

Coleen — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:26:28 +0000

I so *love* this post! It brought me out of lurking mode to actually post! I love reading about vegans taking up running!

I’m a vegan ultrarunner with countless ultra finishes anywhere from 50K to 100 miles 48 hour races and I swear being vegan is the only way I can do it. Recovery is so much faster compared to my meat eating friends and I don’t get injured or sick nearly as often as they do too. I run my best when I am 90-100% raw and mostly I fuel with dates and cold watermelon. A little baggie of dates is super easy to carry on a run and the sugar is a fantastic boost. I must have my fruit smoothie both pre and post run too!
I can’t wait to direct people to this post.. super informative and well written.
Love the blog Sayward!

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:53:25 +0000

@ Monika: Thank you! Yes, I think that is a great way to think about it. I can’t wait to get training again.

By: Sayward

Sayward — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:38:13 +0000

I love all the talk on this post! Maybe we should have more articles on athletics/running?

Thanks fr all the help Monika! And I agree with everyone else – that picture of N is too adorable! She just looks *so* *happy*. =D

By: Monika {windycityvegan}

Monika {windycityvegan} — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:32:37 +0000

@Sara: I meant to say ‘counting the number of ounces of liquid you consume.’ Hope that makes more sense than ‘counting numbers of liquids’!

By: Monika {windycityvegan}

Monika {windycityvegan} — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:03:32 +0000

@Carey @treesa: I have worked so hard not to let my family fall back on processed soy or gluten products for their protein. None of us has a soy allergy, but we limit our soy to edamame and the occasional bit of sprouted tofu. My husband and I both have a gluten sensitivity, so I keep gluten out of our diet as much as possible, too. The only exception to that is Field Roast grain-based sausages. Totally worth keeping any other gluten out of our diet to eat FR in a blue moon! Otherwise, I just make all of my own mock sausages, etc from scratch.

@treesa: There is an amazing powdered/instant mac & cheese mix out there, it’s cashew-based. Let me know if you want the link to the recipe!

@Amy @Sara: I love that picture, too! Pure joy and unbridled energy.

@Sara: The best way to measure your input (hydration) is to measure output (urine). Your urine should always be a pale yellow – not clear, and never dark yellow or brown! There is water in everything, so unless you never eat fruits or vegetables, counting the numbers of liquid you consume is not an accurate way to ensure hydration. In fact, it can lead to being over hydrated, which leads to hyponatremia, which is extremely dangerous.

Also! Those gels you’re using are not having a placebo affect, and you should probably be taking something by the time you’ve been running for 60-90 minutes to ensure you don’t completely deplete your glycogen stores before you hit the wall. During a half, most people take their first gel somewhere between miles 4 and 6. I take two dried apricots in place of each gel packet, and it works very well for me. I’ve used vegan jelly beans in a pinch. And I’ve even had success with salted pretzels. Whatever you decide to use – be it GU, dried fruit or something salty, you want to drink some water with it. Nothing is worse than that stuck-in-the-throat feeling while you’re trying to run!

{okay, taking my Coach Hat off now…}

@Moira: There is a new website, xgfx (http://xgfx.org/), that’s dedicated to Vegan, Gluten Free recipes. I think there are a fair amount of soy-free recipes on there too. Also, I’ve had a lot of luck with raw websites for recipes and inspiration. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I belong to and submit recipes to this site. But even if that weren’t the case, xfgx is awesome!

By: Moira

Moira — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 03:09:12 +0000

Excellent post. I always like to throw out names of vegan super star athletes to people who question the vegan diet.

I, too, share Carey’s sentiment. I can’t tolerate any soy and have a moderate intolerance to gluten. And depending on the day, beans make my tummy upset too. Oh my! It’s great to see the soy and gluten free recipes out there.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:34:09 +0000

I second that! Great picture :) and great post! I am a runner too and I’ve actually been wondering about hydration. Recently, I’ve been reading that in general we aren’t supposed to be drinking as much water as they usually recommend…do these recommendations apply to runners?

Also! Is there something you have during races? (I know you said dried fruit). The longest I’ve run is a half-marathon (I’m going to train for a marathon in the fall I hope!!!) and I always seem to hit a wall at 8 miles. I swear that little gel pack during the race got me through it but it could have been a placebo effect. What do you recommend?

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:45:47 +0000

I am not a runner but just reading this makes me consider it. All of your food choices sound so good and you are so inspiring. Love the picture of your daughter, she looks so happy running along with Mama!

By: treesa

treesa — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:01:58 +0000

I mostly frequent vegan blogs because of my dairy allergy (vegan mac and cheese omg) but this was really useful! I have a chronic illness and high metabolism that means I am constantly eating, and recently I’ve actually found that plant-based foods actually keep me fuller longer than a ton of meat or fat (my usual fallback). So thank you for this post, Monika!

@Carey I wish I could “like” your comment, I agree–a wide and varied diet =/= only soy protein.