How to Get Enough Protein and Nutrients While Training for a Marathon on a Plant-Based Diet

It’s been HOT in the Chicago area. Sizzling hot, and oh so humid.

I’m not complaining. Throughout most of the winter and spring I pine for sunny summer days and balmy nights, and now that they’re here I’m not wishing them away.

Although the heat and humidity isn’t the best for running long distances, I’m making it work, with a lot of discipline.

If you can drag your body out of bed around 5:00 am, eat something light, do some easy stretching, and get out the door by 6:00 am, running is actually pretty pleasant. The more that I get used to it the better it gets.

It’s quiet, the birds are active, and the air is fresh; it’s a peaceful way to start the day. I don’t listen to music or podcasts when I run so early because nature provides a pretty awesome playlist, and it’s also a great time to be alone with your thoughts. I like to think of it as active meditation.

Check out the beautiful sights that greeted me this week.

Vegan Food to Keep you Strong and Energized

On this particular day I focused on my veggies and grains. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know that my motto is Eat the Rainbow!

The more colorful and textural your food is, the better you’re going to feel. It’s all about balance.

Breakfast

The alarm woke me up at 5:15 am and I began the day with a big glass of lemon water, then a cup of coffee with almond milk, and a piece of seven grain toast with blueberry preserves.

After my run I had a handful of almonds, a glass of water, and my new favorite smoothie that consists of water, spinach, frozen pineapple, frozen blueberries, a half of a scoop of chocolate plant-based protein powder, and a tablespoon of hemp hearts.

Once I finished the smoothie and made sure that I didn’t have a blueberry mustache, I took the dogs on a two mile walk and came home and stretched and foam rolled, took a shower, and ate a bowl of oatmeal with spinach and tomatoes.

It was only 9:00 am  and I had already eaten three cups of spinach!

Lunch

My husband and I are rabid fans of Mexican food. We seriously eat it at least twice a week. I made two black bean and red cabbage slaw tacos with leftovers from the night before.

Snacks

I had a half of a small watermelon. So hydrating! A few hours later I had a few baby cucumbers (more hydration) and some roasted red pepper hummus.

Dinner

I had a tennis match so my husband, also known as, The Breakfast King,had a fabulous tapas dinner waiting for me when I got home.

Grilled radicchio and broccolini, heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mixed olives, whole grain bread (not shown) and a glass of chilled white wine. Perfection.

Of course I didn’t eat that entire platter! I ate half. 😉

I consumed a TON of clean plant-based protein today! Because of the black beans, the hummus, the oats, and all of the fruits and veggies, I ate approximately 100 grams of protein. If I were a sedentary woman that wouldn’t be optimal,  because the average woman should consume 46 grams per day. However, I’m training for a marathon and playing a lot of tennis these days. One of my teams won our flight and we’re going to district for the second summer in a row! Add in weight training, dog walking, and housework, and I need extra protein to stay strong.

Activity this week:

Total miles run: 26.1 miles

Total miles walked: 16 miles

Total hours of tennis: 8 hours and 45 minutes

Have an awesome weekend! See you next week. ♥

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