Rich Roll

So… where do you get your…? Vitamins Edition

When choosing to deviate from the standard American diet and instead follow a plant-based lifestyle, many assume there will be a lack of… things.  In the first of our series “So… where do you get your…?”, we will discuss vitamins.

  1. Cal-Mag Plus
  2. Daily Multivitamin
  3. B12
  4. D3
  5. Omega-3 DHA
  6. Alpha Brain

Prior to June 2016, I was not taking vitamins.  I felt fine, was eating a “balanced” diet, and had a vegan chip on my shoulder that food intake would be sufficient enough to meet my vitamin and mineral needs.   I was also an avid runner, just off my first marathon,  my body was at its peak. Then, the unthinkable happened… I got a stress fracture in my shin.

WHY ME?! HOW!?

At this point, my running coach Rita, asked if I was getting enough calcium. UMMM OF COURSE I WAS!..nt.  After reviewing my MyFitnessPal food diary, that I was keeping meticulously to make sure I was getting enough calories while training, it revealed I was getting sad amounts of calcium.  What a disappointment! The vegan chip on my shoulder was quickly knocked off.

My new plan, add tons of food sourced calcium to my diet!  I began consuming crazy amounts of fortified plant-based milk. Almond milk with breakfast, almond milk with lunch, almond milk with dinner…  this got old… quickly. That is when I decided to buy a supplement.  I searched on trusty Amazon and found that Deva has many varieties of vegan vitamins and landed on their Cal-Mag Plus tablets.

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The bottle calls for 3 tablets per day, so I added this supplement to my daily routine.  I took one tablet with breakfast, one with lunch, and on with dinner, sometimes.  Often, per my MyFitnessPal food diary, I did not need a 3rd tablet, as I already met my calcium needs for the day.  I did notice one thing, shortly after taking the supplement with breakfast and lunch, I would grow a tad sleepy.  Funny thing, mag, short for magnesium can make you sleepy!! Now, I take one tablet at night before bed.  Not only does it make my bones strong, it helps me get to sleep more soundly!

It was not until speaking with friends that I decided taking a multivitamin, was a good decision.  Friends scared me with stories that B12, not found abundantly in a vegan diet, deficiency was silent and irreversible.  Stating that once damage of deficiency is done, there is no coming back from it.  NOTE: I did not look up any information or consult a doctor.  I just believed them and acted.

Again, I took to Amazon and went with a Deva product, Multivitamin & Mineral Support.

I had recovered from my stress fracture in about 3-4 months.  I continued to take the cal-mag tablets because I definitely did not want another one.  Though things seemed to be going well, I wanted to be sure all my levels were in good standing.  During my yearly physical, I had a full panel of blood work done.  The results were not that bad.  Turns out, I was slightly low in B12 and significantly low in vitamin D.  My doctor was not worried and did not associate these almost deficiencies with my plant based diet.  Turns out, most people are low in both as sun exposure, due to a million different things is not strong in the northeast, and B12 absorbancy is generally low.  Back to Amazon I go….

Life went on and so did my continued education into the world of vitamins.  Turn outs me and Vinny both listened to different podcasts, Rich Roll and Joe Rogan, with Dr. Rhonda Patrick  and decided to add Omega-3 DHA, essentially algae, to our list of supplements.   This is normally found in fish oil and has a wide list of functions in the body.

Just when I thought our supplement intake was perfect, Vinny brought Alpha Brain into the mix.  Alpha Brain is a nootropic that supports memory and focus.  This was not added to fulfill a lack of vitamin, just an addition to the group.

To conclude, I am no way throwing shade on the vegan diet.  A lot of the time, we lean towards a junk food vegan diet and these vitamin supplements keep us meeting out dietary goals.  I also forgot to mention why we order specified vegan vitamin supplements.  As some people may not know, many vitamins contain gelatin, which is not vegan.  Be careful when ordering your supplements.

— Erin

 

 

All Things Running – 2017 Training (and other things) – Month Uno

It is 2017 and I have BIG running goals, well one big running goal, QUALIFY FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON.  Training for something like this entails more than just constant running. In addition to my body, my mind needs to be equally, if not more, trained for the months of work and the race itself.

The Race

My official go at my BQ will be at the Via Marathon in September.  I know that sounds like a lifetime away, it is for typical 8-12 week marathon training plan, but in order to meet my 3:30 goal, training starts now.

Let’s take it back to the Philadelphia Marathon in November 2016.  This was my unofficial first attempt at a Boston qualifying time.  If anyone was in Philadelphia this day, the weather was not ideal (40 mph wind gusts, 30 degree temps, yada yada yada) and long story short, I clocked in at 3:36:50,  1 minute 50 seconds over “BQ time”.  I say “BQ time” because even if I did clock in at 3:35, I would not be guaranteed a spot due to time cuts made after submissions are final.  The end of the race was bittersweet, my friend Lia’s mom gave me my metal. I was greeted by my boyfriend who followed me on a bike the majority of the race. I had PRed my marathon time by almost 20 minutes but I was still  not qualified for Boston. This 1 minute 50 seconds only fueled the fire to make me more focused and determined to still qualify for 2018.

Back to current time… I chose the Via Marathon due to its location, course and time of year.  The Via Marathon is only a short turnpike trip away in Allentown (plus it is in close proximity to Bethlehem, aka dreams of post marathon ice cream at Vegan Treats).  A close marathon means not too much adjustment from traveling.  The course is flat and previously 27.50% of participants received a Boston qualifying time.    The marathon is on September 10th, 2017 which is the last possible weekend for Boston qualifying as the cut off should be one week later on the 17th.  Some might see this as a risky move or wonder why I did not pick a marathon earlier in the year, here is why.  I toyed with the idea of a spring marathon, the New Jersey Marathon on April 30th to be exact, but the back to back training I recently did between the Philadelphia Marathon 11/20/2016 and the Dopey Challenge 1/5/2017, left me feeling exhausted.  I was not mentally prepared for another 12 weeks of marathon training so soon.  A summer marathon was an immediate NO.  I do not fare well running in summer temps and I did not want to travel far to avoid them.  So here I am running the Via Marathon in late summer and, I think, if train problems do not repeat themselves, this is my BQ marathon.  PLUS, my friend Aaron from my Strong Hearts Vegan Power team will be by my side a pacer!

The Running

Since officially signing up for my second attempt at a offical Dopey Challenge, my coach Rita, has put me in full training mode.  My typical week consists of 2 easy runs, 1 day of coached track speedwork, 1 day of on-my-own speedwork, 1 long run, 1 optional cross training day and 1 rest day.  One rest day and all those work outs might sound vigorous for the “off-season”, and at times it feels that way, but Rita knows what she is doing and I can feel myself improving as the weeks go by.    I have now come to terms with the fact that I have no off-season, as it does not really fit with my current goals, and I am happy about that.  When I am running, I am happy.  It is the part of day set aside just for me, no distractions from my phone or TV or anything really.

All that being said, it is March and it was February.  Both of those months, are part of a thing people like to call winter.  Winter running is not pretty.  Red cheeks, running noses, teary eyes, numb limbs, ice avoidance — all happen and make it hard for any winter runner to be as gazel-like as they believe themselves to be.  Most of my running has been completed on my “home course” of Delaware Ave, the Temple University Track and, sadly, the treadmill at my local Planet Fitness, which I only resort to under unpleasant weather (i.e. freezing rain, snow, temperatures below freezing).  In addition to the cold, I have been haunted by wind since the Philadelphia Marathon.


My most notable and fun run happened during a trip to the PA mountains.  Coincidentally, Lake Harmony, where I was staying for the weekend, was set right on the course of my future race with my team Strong Hearts Vegan Power, the Ragnar Pennsylvania, benefiting Tamerlaine Farms.   I had this idea to complete the final miles, of the last leg, of the race.  To my disappointment, the course proceeded down private property and I could not complete my planned course which was for the better.  I ended up running the majority of my first 4 miles downhill then had to turn around and proceed up hill all the way back home.    It was as challenging as it was fun but my brother, who volunteered to run with me, probably wanted to kill me.


The Eating

I am a creature of habit…  2 hours prior to any run over 5 miles – caffeinated CLIF Bar; Night before a long run, some combination of red sauce with pasta, on pizza, with a baguette, any combo works;  1 GU energy gel every 4 miles; Recovery smoothie after.  They are the basic and things I keep consistent.  I am not perfect, my diet through this month of training has been confusing.  I’m logging 20+ miles per week, my body is in hunger mode and I am compensating, and then compensating more on top of that.  Next months goal: eat more consciously.  Stay tuned for my favorite recovery smoothie recipes as well as my weekly meal plans.

The Listening

I am not the type of runner who relies heavily on music during my workouts. I make playlists, sure, but if music was to fail on race day or during a run, it would not ruin my performance.   Music more or less became backround noise, so after the Philadelphia Marathon, I cancelled my Spotify subscription and went in a different direction with my audio of choice.  I started diving into that purple icon on my iPhoen… podcasts.  Some might find it odd listening to someone talk as you run but podcasts, specifically the Rich Roll podcast, has transformed my running on a mental level.

Ok “transformed my running on a mental level” sounds hippy and out there, I get it, weird, but hear me out.  The Rich Roll podcast features some of the most inspirational guests of our time.  The guest that drew me in and made me a regular listener of the podcast was Kerri Walsh Jennings.  Her interview was so real and though I am not a professional athlete, parts of it were so relatable.  I had to hear more.  This led me down the rabbit hole of the Rich Roll podcast, current and previous episodes, all of them teaching me something new about others and myself.  I loved all of them, except I must confess the more hippy dippy episodes cannot keep my attention, so I skip those.  They probably are enjoyable to some, just not me, especially while I am running! Anyway, I continue to love the podcasts and listen weekly.  There is just something about listening to a person with an inspirational story, while creating my own personal inspirational story, that settles the mind and makes me feel like I am floating through a run.

My suggestion, listen to this podcast.  It does not have to be done while running.  My favorite episodes so far include #273 Mark Allen, #269 Travis Barker, #268 Darin Olien (even though it made me rethink my regular ass water consumption), #266 David Goggins (HE IS BADASS). #262 Kerri Walsh Jennings, #259 Dean Karnazes (the no foam roller), #256 Chris Hauth, #277 Brogan Graham and #230 Robin Arzon.  The list goes on and on and will definitely continue to grow!

Side note, Rich is vegan but not all of this guests are.

Until next month!

Erin