Vegan Athletes

This weekend I was helping out at the Langley Herbivore’s booth in the Langley International Festival. We were providing information about plant-based diets to those that looked somehow interested. I found that, generally, people have this stereotype about vegans, and I say this because some of them made comments like “I will starve” or “I won’t have enough energy to exercise” or “I need to build muscle and meat is the best way to help your body build muscle.” Every time someone made a comment like this I was kind of shocked about how misinformed people are about the vegan diet.

I am far from being an elite athlete but nonetheless I am an athlete. I train hard, I train every day and I demand a lot from my body. Because I am vegan my body can perform at its best, and the healing process after training is way faster than that one of a meat eater. Lack of energy is not a problem; actually we have more energy than the usual meat eater because our bodies don’t have to exhaust themselves trying to digest heavy, acidic foods. Our digestion is fast and efficient so our bodies are always ready for more. And last but not least, I wonder if people have actually seen pictures or videos of the strongest animals in nature: gorillas, buffalos, elephants, horses, zebras, hippopotamus and the biggest dinosaurs were all vegan. Something that I also find amazing is that none of these animals are naturally aggressive. They are strong and they are also nice fellows (yes, like me!).

A month ago I was reading about a group of 15 vegan body builders that won the Naturally Fit Supershow Bodybuilding competition in Austin, TX. They competed against hundreds of bodybuilders with traditional omnivorous, heavy meat, dairy, and egg based diets. The strong and nice vegans won 5 out of 7 categories, and in those that they did not win, they ended up in 2nd and 3rd place!

So, we vegans are proving that we can also be strong (sometimes stronger). We are proving that we can be fast (check out vegan marathon runner, holder of three world records, Fiona Oaks). We are proving that we can be healthy (not anemic like some people think! actually far from that). We are proving that we can eat amazing food but at the same time we can be compassionate with our fellow earthlings. We are proving that there is a better way (like it or not, there is).

Some (just a few) vegan athletes:

Vicki Cosio – Winner of the Washington State Open National Senior tennis title.

Fiona Oaks – Vegan marathon runner. She holds five marathon course records.

Jim Morries -- Known for possessing an outstanding physique in his later years. At 75 he still trains hard and releases
bodybuilding photos.

Mac Danzig -- Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitor. In 2005 he won the King Of The Cage Lightweight Championship which he successfully defended four times, and has also won the Ultimate Fighter 6 competition.

Rich Roll -- He is a regular ultraman competitior which involves a 10km swim, cycling over 200 miles and running a double marathon.

Carl Lewis -- Voted World Athlete of the decade (1980s) and Olympic Athlete of the Century (1900s), and winner of nine Olympic gold medals. Carl also excelled in long jump and achieved one of athletics' longest unbeaten runs.

Seba Johnson -- Slalom skier who has represented her country at the Winter Olympics. She has been vegan since birth and has been ground-breaking in her sport as one of the youngest ever to compete in her sport at the highest levels.

Laura Kline – Cyclist. She has achieved world titles at tough endurance events.

Brendan Brazier -- Has achieved national titles in triathlons and ultra-marathons and has set course records.

And it goes on……

Half Marathons

As I said before, with the race package you get your bib number and a t-shirt with the race logo. When you finish the race you also get a finisher medal.

My first half marathon race was last year, before that I was running up to 13k and did three 10k races. My total number of half marathon races so far is 7: two races ran last year and five this year (plus the one I will be running by the end of November).

Here are my medals, bib numbers and t-shirts from last year (2012). My very first half marathon race was Scotia Bank Half, then in November I ran Vancouver Historic Half.

Medals, bib numbers and t-shirts from this year’s races.

By running these four races I got the HALF FANATIC status. For this I needed to have run three races in 90 days, so I can count either the first three of the last three races. They will soon send me a half fanatic running tank-top that I will proudly wear.

I have found that running the same race several times gives you a better chance of working on your personal best. Once you face a route that you are familiar with your mind knows what is coming, therefore there aren’t any surprises. By knowing the route you can also strategize your race, decide your walk breaks, as well as your pace for the first and second half of it. Personally, the way I see PB’s (personal bests) is comparing one race with itself. I ran my first Scottia Half in 2 hours and 10 minutes. This year, when I ran it again, I did it in 2 hours and 4 minutes. I know I was able to accomplish this major PB because I knew what to expect. Based on that I decided to skip the first two walk breaks, and run as fast as I could during the first half (I knew it was flatter and had more downhill), so I could slow down a little bit in the second half of the race, when it was more hilly.

In November I will be able to compare times again when I run Vancouver Historic Half, and of course next year, I will run Scotia again, as well as See Wheeze (plus hopefully two full marathons). That way I can start working on doing PB’s for each different race I run.

My Animal Lover Note:

Lululemon See Wheeze Half Marathon. August 10th, 2013

Yesterday I ran my 5th half marathon of this year. I have one more left to complete my goal of 6 half marathon races with in a year. I can’t believe I have already ran 5 races this year, plus two half races from last year, makes a total of 7 half marathon races!!!!

Lululemon See Wheeze Half Marathon is so far my favourite one. Everything started in March, when Melanie told me that the registrations for this race were opened. I usually register 2 to 3 weeks before the actual race so I did not pay that much of attention to her at the time because, since the race was in August, I still had plenty of time to register. 3 weeks after they were opened, Melanie told me that she got an email saying that the race was already 80% sold. At this point I freaked out because that 20% left was not going to last until July! So that night, I after my run, I got home and registered for the race. I ended up being the person number 8364 to register. Two weeks after, the race was sold out!

When you register for a race you get a race package that has the bib number/time chip, a t-shirt with the race logo and some other goodies added by the sponsors. With See Wheeze, instead of the regular t-shirt, we got a pair of Lululemon running shorts that were mailed to us in May.

Last Friday Melanie and I went to pick up the rest of the race package, and, by the end, this is what we got: canvas bag, head phones, a pouch with some natural oils, time chip (no bib number for this one), and a bracelet with my number and name.

Once we got our stuff we went to check out the special edition collection that Lululemon had designed for See Wheeze. Of course, as everything with Lululemon, the things they were selling were amazing! (I bought the shirt that you see in the picture with the running shorts). At noon they were offering a yoga class outside the convention center for all the runners that wanted to join them.

Race day: 10014 runners running in the most amazing course ever. I felt so blessed to be able to be part of this beautiful experience. Here are some pics of the race.

I find that Lululemon always tries to be original with what they do, and maybe that is why people like them, because they do things different. The finishing medal was made out of wood, and you could open it and stick inside a picture from the photo booths they had by the finish line.

So, how did I do? Great! I finished the race in 2 hours and 8 minutes. This is amazing because running under 2 hours and 10 minutes (which was almost impossible by the beginning of the year) has become a constant in my last three races. This means that I am a faster runner, and something that I used to find totally impossible is becoming fairly easy (it does not feel easy when I am running though!).

Next race: November 2013, Stanley Park.

My Animal Lover Note: As you all know, after I finish running a race the only thing I want to do is eat, eat, eat, and eat a lot of delicious vegan food. This time we went to BANDIDAS TAQUERIA, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant on 2781 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. It was my first time there and OMG! what an amazing place and food. Who said we vegans don't eat well and delicious?

Long Distance Runs and Race Day Mind Journey

Long distance is usually 18 kilometers or more. Most of the runners I have talked to go through similar mental stages while running these distances. I used to feel this more at the beginning, but there are still some days that the mind game comes back to you with all its strength. Training runs are easier because they are slower, so these feelings have virtually disappeared, but they are the main demon you have to fight every time you race.

So, what is it that I am talking about? My body needs about 4 kilometers to warm up and feel good running. Those first 4 kilometers are hard because everything hurts (legs, hips, quads, etc.). Of course, my body is just warming up (and I know it because it is always the same) but my mind starts having crazy thoughts like, “OMG, if everything hurts this much right now, I don’t want to even thing when I get to the 18th kilometer. I know I will finish but it won’t be fast. I don’t think I can run faster today, everything hurts already and I still have 18 kilometers left!” These thoughts go on for a while until I magically warm up and feel great. Usually I hit the 10th kilometer under the hour and I feel in heaven. I start making my mental math, which means that if I can keep up with the same pace I can finish the race with a very good time. (For most people the second half of the race is slower because you are tired, dah!)

This feeling of greatness and enjoyment basically disappears around kilometer 15th. By this point I (and everyone else!) are exhausted, the pain becomes real and acute and you know there are 6 more kilometers to go. Usually 6 kilometers are nothing for us but at this point of the race they are hell. These are very dry kilometers and you have to hold onto any piece of motivation that is left. What takes you through them is literally your mind. This is what goes through mine “Shit, I am dying. I am super tired. I don’t know how I am going to make it. How can that bitch run faster than I do? My hips hurt so much. I can barely keep up with my pace. (I look at my Garmin) Shit, I should be running at 5:45 minutes per kilometer and I am running at 6:20. I won’t hit my goal and I can’t literally run any faster. I can do this, I can do this. (An older person just passes me) If she can do it I can do it too, come on, pick it up princess, you have trained so hard to be whining right now. It is just 6 kilometers. I run 6 kilometers like nothing. 6 kilometers is nothing, is nothing. I can do it, just 6 kilometers left. Shit, my hip keeps hurting. I don’t care if I can’t walk after the race. Don’t think about it. Think about something else, I know, brunch. What am I going to eat when I finish running? Oh yeah, I want to go to this restaurant and order vegan sausage, potatoes, bread, vegan muffins, vegan chocolate cake (I can just think of carbs! I wonder why!). Yes, shopping, I need to go shopping. I want the top that that lady has. I need a skirt…….”

So, all of a sudden you see the sign for kilometer 19th. There are just 2 kilometers left, just 2. At this point you are (and everyone else!) literally dying. Here is when I look at my Garmin, check my pace, check the time I have left to hit my goal, and start focusing on breathing to overcome the real pain and to get energies from somewhere in the universe (I am certain those don’t come from within my body because I have nothing left!). These 2 last kilometers are the point where you take yourself beyond your own limits. These 2 last kilometers are the ones that prove you are the best because when you thought you did not have anything left in you, you actually had more than what you had imagined. I, magically, always pick up the pace at this point, run faster than my expectations (like 5:30 minutes per kilometer), and the only think I say to myself is, “I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, come on, I can do it.” I will repeat this to myself for the time left. Seeing the finish line in the distance, and all the people cheering at you, gives me more energy. I focus on the finish line and how close it is, “I can do it, I can do it. I am almost there.” And then, I make it. I cross it and check my time, and I see that I actually did a better time that what I was expecting! This is where I feel so freaking proud of myself. I smile, keep walking (or lumping because everything hurts), get my finishing medal, get a bottle of water, and look for my friends (or wait for them) to take a picture of all of us together.

Running is not just about training your body to run certain distances, it is also about training your mind to work for you, it is about training your spirit to lift you up, and finally, it is about training your will to take you further.

My Animal Lover Note: