New Running Shoes and Tacos for the List

I am loving this long weekend! It’s cooler out, the weather was great for my long run this morning and I think I will be taking the dogs for a long walk here in the few. It has been a tough week for training. I had the house to myself this week with hubby on business travel which is usually relaxing, but not this week with work being so crazy and there was this nasty little 2 day bug running through the office and my family that I think I picked up because I had body aches and a sore throat for a couple of days. I was tired and dragging through housework and it was pretty much bed time by the time I wrapped everything up for the day. My legs seemed to be feeling the extra miles more than usual and I only got in 4 training runs with one tempo run. Eh, I had to listen to my body and throttle back a bit and I made my long run goal still.

With my ankles and knees feeling the extra miles, I decided to try a pair of Altra Zero Drop running shoes and got in one easy 30 minute treadmill run in them so far as I gradually get used to them.

I’ve been thinking about trying them since listening to No Meat Athlete’s podcast interview with founder Golden Harper. Basically zero drop shoes have no slop in the sole from the heal to the toe, the padding is flat to not force the foot in to an angle and has a toe shaped toe box area to give toes more room to splay while running and not jam them into a point like more traditional running shoes. But I had a tough time selecting which pair to try because they do not come in half sizes for my size range which baffles me. I’m kind of self conscious about my larger feet, having to order an entire size up in a shoe that already looks a little larger with a roomier toe box is a big deal to me. The Provision 2.5 seemed like a good choice to start with for distance running because the style seemed less odd to me and none of the reviews complained about them running small so I wouldn’t have to order a size up.

It’s still early, but I could feel the extra work on my calf muscles and in my ankles which is supposed to be a good thing for making them stronger. And I did not notice any pain around my big toe which I do sometimes in my Brooks Glycerins. I noticed I still clenched my toes in them and need to focus on breaking that habit to hopefully make longer runs more comfortable.

I’ll log one more easy run in them this week before per the transition guide and try tempo runs and long runs in the coming weeks to report on.

I wore my usual Brooks Glycerins for this mornings 9 mile run and kept the pace easier as I focus on pushing the distance. The temperature was perfect, but a little windy.

Eats have been simple and basic this week while getting through everything else – like this fast tofu and veggie stir fry in tamari and a dash of sriracha sauce.

A unique salad with kidney beans, sauerkraut, chopped apple, and carrots in a tangy hummus dressing.

And Thai tofu cashew takeout Friday when hubby arrived home.

Since it’s a nice holiday weekend and my dad is in town, we’re having multiple family gatherings which is great. Last night we chatted over hummus, guacamole, veggies, chips, and wine at my sister’s house.

Before having a simple, build-your-own taco plates for dinner. Mine was layered with lentils, black beans, fresh veggies, and hot salsa for a beautiful plate.

And we’re having another family dinner tonight! Plus I have lots of fun goodies to write about soon. But for now – the list!

The more I learn about the environmental hazards of plastic, the more I try to avoid it which is really tough today. Mainly it’s buying foods in less packaging and choosing plastic free packaging when available. But gah, it’s everywhere!  Chic Vegan has this great article for starting the journey of reducing plastic use.

On my long run, I got through most of this Rich Roll podcast with Alexis Fox & Micah Risk discussing Lighter, an all-inclusive service for helping everyone get to a healthier, plant based lifestyle. What a great startup from very hard-working and driven women. It does a great job of profiling a variety of people on plant based diets and what they eat and shows a supportive community of people wanting to live healthier and more compassionate. It’s a great listen.

One Green Planet tackles the recent vegan diet and environment articles.

Turns out running is not bad for your knees.

Actor Wagner Moura lost the Narcos weight on a vegan diet.

This 12-year-old started a gourmet vegan popcorn company.

5 things learned from this author’s first year as a vegan.