Sucker for Punishment

I have 2 weeks to go until my Wales marathon.  I'm feeling pretty good about it, my training has been going well and I feel pretty strong. Only issues are a niggle with my right foot and some reoccurring blisters. I probably won't beat my Edinburgh time since the course is so hilly, but I'll see what I can do.  I really would like to to nail 3:15, but I'm not sure that my fitness is up to that level without a flat course.  I'll give it my best though ;)

Training continues, even through the ever rainy British summer

On the diet front I've really been neglecting myself.  I've always tried to explain to people that the central part of a vegan diet is to eat more vegetables.  Vegetables are awesome, varied and packed full of nutrients, yet I've forgotten my own advice and been neglecting them.  I had a low point earlier this week where I really felt crappy, a low energy vibe that I haven't felt since going plant powered.  The good news is I recognised the issue and a daily dose of quality veg has turned things around before it became a problem.

Listen to your mum folks - eat your vegetables!

Next up is some exciting news. I've been looking for the next challenge, something that is both scary and exciting, to get me motivated and pushing forward.  Today I signed up for two new events that I think fit that description (and then some) perfectly:

• April 2014 - South Downs Way 50 mile ultra marathon
• May 2014 - Thames Path 100 mile ultra marathon

I've signed up for both.  Madness! More news as it breaks...

Edinburgh Marathon

Two weeks ago I successfully ran the Edinburgh Marathon in a fairly respectable time of 3:22:22.  I have sat down a couple of times and tried documenting my thoughts and experiences from the day, but each time I drew a blank.  I think I needed some time to get some perspective on the experience and mentally digest the challenge as a whole.

Running past Arthur's Seat early in the race

Running Vegan
Since I set up this blog to talk about going vegan and how it has affected my build up to marathoning, it seems appropriate to start with diet.  I've written a couple of times before about the various good and bad aspects of eating a plant based diet, so I'll try to avoid covering old ground here.  In relation to the marathon I can say that I went in feeling strong (having just recovered from a cold), was able to stay strong throughout the race (mostly, the end part was a bit of a push) and my recovery was surprisingly quick. 

I put much of this down to my diet allowing me to stay healthy, fuelling me for the day and giving my body all the goodies it needs to put me back together again after the race.  While I obviously could achieve this with any moderately healthy diet, I think the no-meat approach significantly heightened the degree at which I was able to prepare, perform and recover. 

Has vegan eating been the principle driver behind feeling great and performing well? Or was it just the extra exercise making the difference?  Since I still feel really good even when I have taken a break from running (such as when I had my calf issue) I'm going to go with the diet being the root of all my mental and physical improvements. Of course nothing works in isolation, but I consider it a solid foundation for all my other endeavours.

Home stretch, sprint finish

About the Race
Finally, just a few words about the race itself.  If you are considering a marathon, I can highly recommend Edinburgh's event. It is well organised, has great scenery, is relatively flat and had good support for much of the route.  I'm really glad I picked a good first marathon race, since I'm now all psyched for my next one. Bring on Wales in July!