Eat a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet and Rock Your Next Marathon!

What This Vegan Ate While Training for a Marathon – Part 9

As I get deeper into training for the Chicago Marathon the scarier it gets. This morning I ran five and a half miles. It started with a one mile warm up at an easy pace, then one mile at a 9:30 pace, then two miles at an 8:35 pace, then back to a 9:30 pace for a mile, and a half mile cool down at an easy pace. I couldn’t get to the 8:35 pace. There was an air quality alert in the Chicago area, the temperature was 70° when I started and 76° when I finished, and the humidity made it feel like I was being wrapped in a steamy wet blanket. No matter how much I pushed myself to sustain that 8:35 pace, my body said, no thank you, I’m not going faster than a 9:00 pace.

Of course, not being able to maintain the faster pace for two measly miles made me start doubting whether or not I could actually run 26.2 miles.

When I finished that run I made a protein smoothie, stretched, and meditated in the shower. When I was finished I felt a sense of calm, and I realized that the only thing (short of an injury, God forbid) that would prevent me from finishing the marathon was me, myself, and I.

The mind is such a tricky thing. It can be your best friend, your cheerleader, and your worst enemy. Learning to kick the negative thoughts out of your head isn’t easy, it’s a process, and it takes practice. I’m learning to do it every time my ASICS and I hit the pavement.

When my legs get heavy and my hip flexors start yelping, I tell myself that it’s just part of the journey and I’ll survive. When my heart is pounding during hill or speed training, I tell myself that it’s a short distance and I WILL finish. If the self-defeating voices in my head start to win, I think of my dad.

If my dad could fight to keep his memory for as long as he did, then I can certainly run a marathon. And run I will. I just pray that it’s not hot and humid on race day.

What I Ate in a Day While Training for a Marathon

Breakfast

A glass of lemon water, a cup of coffee with almond milk, a banana before my run, and a protein smoothie and two pieces of seven grain bread with almond butter, banana, and strawberries after my run.

Lunch

A salad with chickpeas, baby spinach, tomatoes, blueberries, and chia seeds. I put an entire 16 ounce can of chickpeas in the salad and about 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and ate two-thirds of the salad. It was a BIG salad!

Afternoon snacks

A large piece of watermelon, a handful of salted almonds, and a bowl of strawberries.

Dinner

A big bowl of pasta with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, onion, and basil, sprinkled with Miyoko’s Kitchen mozzarella cashew cheese, and a glass of white wine.

I’ve been posting pictures of how much water I drank throughout the day, but it takes up too much space. Instead of showing you when I drank water I’m going to show you how many glasses I drank in one day. Cool?

On this day I consumed approximately sixty grams of protein. That’s perfect for the amount of activity that I did throughout the day.

Activity for the week: 

Friday – Active rest day. I took the dogs on a 2 mile walk and rested my left knee because it was giving me trouble.

Saturday – 14 mile run and a 2 mile dog walk.

Sunday – Two  singles matches that lasted approximately 2 hours each. I won both and our team won and will play in the district championships on Sunday!

Monday – 5 mile run, 2 hours of doubles tennis, 2 mile walk.

Tuesday – 6 mile run and a 4 mile walk.

Wednesday – 2 mile walk.

Thursday – 6 mile run and a 2 mile walk.

Friday – 2 hours of doubles tennis and a 2 mile walk.

Total Miles Run: 31 miles

Total Miles Walked: 16 miles

Total Hours of Tennis Played: 8 hours.

Tomorrow I have a sixteen mile run to look forward to. Things are getting real!

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Have a fabulous weekend!