R and R

After weeks of taking on too much at once, my body and mind are shouting, "Stop!"
I fell asleep by 6:30 pm, exhausted, with headache, and managed to get to my lower body workout today only to feel like I was present physically...not a workout in my opinion. My body is exhausted...my mind is mush.
So, what brought all this on, you ask?
1) I signed on to be an instructor at my gym- this means for the last two weeks I have been taking training classes (sometimes lasting over two hours).
2) I continue to train for my May marathon- this means that after two hour workout days I am running long miles.
2) I decided to stay with my early plan of doing a triathlon- this means I signed up for an 8 week training to start in mid-April and have been in adding pool time and spinning classes in order to have an appropriate base when training starts.
3) I am still running a few times a week plus long run.
4) I am still taking kickboxing 3x a week and strength training 2-3 x a week.
5) lots of changes happening at work- this means mental stress and exhaustion.

Any questions?

My eating habits are not changing- still vegan and loving it!
I have been learning so much about the planet and its relationship with plant-based eating and it makes me feel great about my decision to eat this way.
I have also been following a great blog (The Crucible) after hearing the author speak at a clinic held in my city. Check it out!

Now I shall rest.

So Much to Know!

I feel like I have a pretty good handle on eating Vegan. The hardest part for me has been explaining to people why I am choosing to eliminate certain things from my diet. When I mention Food Inc. as one of my inspirations many people make the statement "I like to eat and am afraid that movie will make me not want to eat what I like."
My response: "You should watch it BECAUSE you eat!"
I am making progress with my sister who has recently purchased chicken with no antibiotics or growth hormones. Baby steps...
I just finished 'The Omnivore's Dilemma. I loved it! I made small changes to my already limited diet while reading this book. The section on organic foods was a real eye opener.Definately a suggested reading.
I am now on the prowl for safe make-up...Vegan foundation if you will.
Suggestions are welcome!
Had an 8 mile long run in prep for my marathon in May. It went suprisingly well after two days totally off. My body had some adjustments to make last week to this new way of eating. I was absolutely exhausted and nauseated most of Thursday and Friday. I slept over twelve hours Friday night into Saturday...I guess it was my body's way of saying "Whoah!". This week I have been vigilant about taking my multi and changing my running days so that they are not on the same day as my kickboxing. Stay tuned for that change's effects!
I have been truly inspired by the upcoming Olympic games and feel myself pushing a little harder through weight training and running a little quicker on the treadmill (snow, snow, snow!). I just wish that there was a tv station that continuosly played "behind the scenes" with athletes, training videos of well-known runners, etc. That would be so inspirational!
Stay warm and try to look at the sunny side if you, like me, are in those places where snow has seemed to take over!

Being a Runner and Being a Vegan

One of my most recent endeavors involved becoming a vegan. Why? Because if I am going to recycle, educate myself on living a lifestyle that helps to sustain the planet, and preach about the waste, pollution, energy consumption, and the disregard people have for the demise of our planet...well, then I should probably not be staring at a steak in front of me, knowing the path that steak took to get to my plate and the effects its path on the earth. And because I would never eat my cat, so why eat any other animal?
So, here I sit, with The Kind Diet in hand, on my way to becoming a "Superhero" (in every sense of the word). In case you have no idea what The Kind Diet is, I encourage you to check out the website www.thekindlife.com and get to know Ms. Alicia, buy the book and bask in the knowledge she offers.
I consider myself to be pretty aware of what is taking its toll on this planet and what we can do to lessen our carbon footprints but feel like I still learned a lot from just the first few chapters in her book....plus the recipes sound delightful!
As a runner, and training for another marathon, I feel like I need to be very careful about what I put in my body. So, in addition to The Kind Diet I also follow Thrive in 30. Through Brendan Brazier's "lessons" I am learning how a vegan lifestyle is the leading factor in a healthy, energy heightened, performance enhancing, endurance-based lifestyle.
I didn't create this blog to dwell on any particular topic...I have many ideas, hobbies, interests, and goals and through this blog I plan to share, inspire, educate, learn, reach, plan, and create. Welcome!