No Meat Athletes

Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.
Anonymous

Now that we have another year and some ahead of us here in the UK, we decided to have a second go at the Athens marathon in November. Last year, we decided in mid-summer that we would try and run our first marathon. Not only were we short on time but we were very unprepared. In the end, we had to bail because I started working a job that made it impossible for me to train and Clint was so busy at work he barely had the time either.

So now that it's February and we can give ourselves a full 8 months to train, my biggest concern is my diet. I have always told myself that I can do anything an omnivore can do. Proper nutrition will happen with whole foods and variation. But for the last few years, with a workout scheme that continues to advance and performance levels that are not, my diet and protein intake have become a bigger concern for me than in the past. Mac Danzig is a vegan ultimate fighter and he used to be a tremendous inspiraiton. But last year, while researching vegan diets and protein for vegetarian athletes, I found out he relied on plant protein supplements such as Vega from time to time for a protein boost.

I was also disheartened to hear a friend of mine quit her pescatarian diet and converted to the Paleo diet after a doctor that subscribed to the Blood Type Diet told her her blood type would not support a vegetarian diet. Just so happens she is the same blood type as me. She's been converted to the Blood Type Diet now that her symptoms of fatigue and slow recovery have faded since her conversion. We have similar symptoms but I don't quite buy in to the idea that blood type determines your diet... at least not yet. However, I am intrigued and I am very concerned about whether or not I am getting enough protein and if I'm even absorbing all the protein I do ingest. I'd really like to believe that I can do anything (physically) as a vegetarian.

The other day though, I came upon a blog that might be my new inspiration. The blog is called 'No Meat Athlete' and the author is a vegetarian athlete who has run 6 marathons and is now focusing on ultramarathons. He posts some very familiar recipes (by familiar, I mean either I've seen a similar recipe at 100 Cookbooks or I've conjured up something similar myself) as well as some great advice on running adn recovery.

Lately, I've been craving protein... when I say craving, Imean I'm blood-thirsty for fish, chicken, babies, you name it. So having this blog to read can help me stay focused and motivated and remember, other people do it too. It's like having an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor but for meat.

I'm hoping in November I can post a blog, either about my spectacular(ly high) time in Athens or at least the strides I have made in training and with CrossFit.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/about/ Thanks Matt!