Final Training Run for the List

I survived my final 20-mile training run today and actually have enough energy left to take the dogs for a walk. The poor pups have been a little spooked this week, maybe all the political drama has gotten to them too.

I caught up on podcasts during the run which all seemed to be political, I think I’m done with politics for awhile too now!

Friday night hubby decided to head to a local sushi place we have not been to in awhile in a trendy shopping area … but so did everyone else and neither of us was interested in waiting for 1+ hours! Luckily Pho Vegan Asian Cuisine was nearby with no wait. He got a tasty noodle “beef” dish.

And I got the vegan wonton soup.

Oh man, what a fun dish! I haven’t had wontons in ages, finding vegan wontons can be a challenge. But this was a delicious throwback to childhood that I just loved and will be going back for soon.

Saturday morning I worked through the next unit of the Forks Over Knives program at Rouxbe while sipping a breakfast smoothie.

And it’s on a topic I could really use improvement on – knife skills. Great usage videos, practice assignments, and defined the basic knife cuts for veggies. Leela was a big help taking in her favorite weekend morning activity of sleeping.

I did my usual post-gym lunch of a huge salad with enough leftovers for an easy lunch today. Romaine, black bean hummus dressing, carrots, and chopped veggie burger.

And got a little creative for a pre-long training run dinner simmering about 1/2 cup of quinoa in a can of Amy’s Organic Chunky Vegetable vegan soup.

The soup itself is a very light, low-calorie soup loaded with veggies. Simmering quinoa into it turned it into a hearty meal served with sauteed yellow squash.

And this morning I got out at 8 AM for my final 20 mile training run. It was nice and cool then, but warmed up fast into the 70s by the time I finished and felt like the 80s with the sun out. I packed a lot for this run with a full hydration pack, lots of energy gels, snack bar, and tissues and drained the 2 liter hydration pack by the end I was so hot.

Not a super fast pace, but I wasn’t pushing myself too hard with this distance and being slightly weighed down. Overall it went well. But now I’m torn on if I should wear the hydration pack for the marathon. Initially I was planning not to with the water and energy gel stations, but the storage is nice for emergency supply. We’ll see. And I am feeling pretty wiped, should sleep well tonight! Oh yeah, the list!

Tips for switching to a plant-based diet.

Simple ways to add more plant foods to your diet.

Sesame seeds for arthritis.

Whole grains for gut microbiome.

V-Dog now has mini kibble bites for small dogs! Hope they start selling larger bags soon since my dogs go through a lot of it!

These videos can help calm your cat or dog.

Quorn now offering more vegan products!

Miyoko of Miyoko’s Kitchen demonstrates amazing Thanksgiving dishes.

Wilson Chandler discuses his vegan diet.

Inspiration for quitting plastic.

And I need these superfood granola bars for my next run.