What the H....

What the h....but not what you think. It's actually h for health. 'What the Health' was a documentary I watched last night that was rather mind-blowing. But we'll get into that in a minute.

This is actually a real-time photo. Like, I literally just took this as I'm writing this.

We closed out week 4 of training with roughly 28 miles ran and also, 28 miles road. I had two big highlights during this past week. I had an awesome long run with a faster finish and didn't lose my breathing technique like I tend to sometimes do when I speed play. I also survived my first double workout. My coach prescribed my typical Friday recovery ride but also threw in the option of doing a short run. Of course, I was going to go for it because I wanted to see how it felt. I hopped on the bike, road steadily for 45 minutes, keeping my RPMs between 85-90. Afterward, I set out for a 20-minute run. Is this what it feels like to do the beginning of a duathlon? One day I'll know what it feels like to train for that. Either way, I was happy how my body responded despite the run being in the mid-80s. My legs felt slightly tired at the beginning of my long run but quickly got into their proper form. I'm really thankful to be in a mindset where I appreciate my performance for what it is. Is every workout perfect? Absolutely not. But, I don't dwell on it anymore like I used to. I used to be so hard on myself for not hitting specific paces or whatever. I see so many people on Strava or whatever platform they share their stuff on throwing up a million excuses as to why the run they did wasn't what they wanted it to be. Maybe instead of creating an excuse, just accept how it went. You went out there and you did the dang thing. Be thankful your legs still turn over. One day, they might not. Positive mental attitude. On to week 5 and it looks like we're getting spicy with tomorrow's speed work.

Okay, so back to what I began with. I'm a little behind on watching the documentary (it came out in 2017), 'What The Health'. I'm on a free trial with Netflix right now (just to have access to one show, lol), and it popped up on there. I'm all about watching documentaries in general, especially if it involves supporting plant-based diets. Going vegan was the best decision I've ever made. My husband and I just got our yearly blood work done and his cholesterol numbers dropped dramatically. I highlighted this in my Instagram stories but, my protein level is perfect. You know where all protein comes from? PLANTS. Sometimes I just want to slap every vegan hater in the face and tell them to go read up on science. Anyway, the documentary. 

I'm pretty bad at summing up films but I'm going to do my best here. Of course, this film is criticized for "cherry-picking" specific information to make it look like the food industry is terrible and vegans rule the world in health. Maybe we don't rule the world BUT the food industry is indeed horrible. I didn't need a film to tell me that. However, the amount of detail poured into this film was intense. Kip Anderson basically goes on this hunt to talk with all of the major organizations and just simply wants to know why they promote eating specific foods that have direct links to causing cancer and other diseases. Dairy alone has been proven to cause breast cancer yet the Susan G. Komen Foundation has a sponsorship with Yoplait. WHAT THE H. Komen also receives sponsorship from Kentucky Fried Chicken, for Christ's sake. How does that even make sense? The American Cancer Society is sponsored by Tyson Foods, one of the largest corporations that produce poultry products, yet there is also scientific data linked to eating meat and poultry to specific cancers and disease. Shoot, even the American Heart Association is linked with the Texas Beef Council yet we're told not to eat red meat because it could cause HEART disease. I was seriously mind-blown by the end of this. My husband still eats eggs every once in a while but he must have said multiple times "I'm never touching eggs again". I wish I took notes or something to show the specific data that was presented. Even the interview between Kip and the American Diabetes Association ended with the chairman walking out because he couldn't talk about how their promotion of specific diet changes actually doesn't help mitigate diabetes at all. It's all a vicious circle, right? I've never been a fan of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Do I think they've done a lot of good for breast cancer and raising awareness? Yes. However, organizations like this shouldn't be paying their board members millions of dollars every year. If everyone decided to adopt a plant-based diet then there would be less sickness in the world, fewer cancers, and less chronic illness. But then, fewer visits to doctors and hospitals which in return means fewer prescriptions. Heaven forbid the drug companies don't get paid. Then the government....oh the government. It's all a crooked scheme. Anyone that comes to me thinking about adopting a plant-based diet, I automatically tell them to read "How Not to Die" or "The China Study". Both books are huge and super long but full of specific scientific data proving that this way of eating works. Maybe I'm just up on my vegan high-horse but in reality, I just want people to be healthier. The next time you put a hot dog in your mouth, you probably should light up a cigarette too while you're at it. Both are in the same category and labeled as carcinogens. For the record, I don't think you're a jerk if you eat meat. I don't think of you any less. However, I would hope you would drop the stigma of how we vegans are crazy and don't know what we're doing with our lives. Clearly, we're on to something. 

Phew, that was a doozy. I'm still pretty fired up about it. I even put a hold on "How Not to Die" from the library to read it a second time. 

I know I haven't shared a recipe in like forever and today, you aren't getting one but I will share something I made! My husband was saying how his yoga mat wasn't smelled the greatest. I also realized that mine was getting rather dirty. You know tile floors and living in the desert means your floors are NEVER really that clean. My friend, who is an RYT 200, told me you shouldn't clean a normal mat with just water and soap. It actually can make the mat deteriorate quicker. I did some searching around and long and behold, my yoga guide, Adriene, had made a video on how to make homemade yoga mat spray! I already had all of the ingredients, minus the little spray bottles.

Got this set on Amazon for like $6. Three glass bottles with sprayers and a little funnel!

Three simple ingredients. Yes, it says facial mist but it's fine.

Boom! Homemade spray!

Tee tree oil smells so good and clean. I learned it has anti-fungal properties in it, too. I sprayed down both our mats and used a microfiber towel to wipe them down. I highly suggest this easy combo.

The end!

Bench Warmer

So, remember last week, when I said things were going well? They were until they weren't.

I set out for three easy runs last week. Monday felt fine, Wednesday felt alright with some slight pain, and Thursday, well let's just say that afternoon, it felt like someone hit my knee with a sledgehammer. Like many, I try to defer going to the doctor unless I believe there's a real problem or the problem persists. Don't be like me. Go at the first sign of pain. I even worked in the medical field so you'd think I'm a picture-perfect patient. Thursday, I threw the towel in and called to make an appointment for that following morning. Now, the pain in my knee wasn't really worse really but it definitely wasn't better. You could notice swelling compared to my left and the pain area was definitely easier to identify because it seemed to have built a home on the interior part. After some exercises, adjusting certain ways, and the other fancy crap, she determined that my meniscus is fine (oh good, there's a positive) but I indeed have some really bad tendonitis. So bad, the swelling pushed my patella slightly out of place. I left with a physical therapy script and a warning of "no impact activities for at least the next month" and to wait until I was evaluated by therapy. Now, this isn't my first dance around the room with PT. I'm actually a huge advocate for it. But, with traveling the next three-ish weeks, I can't start until October. After chatting with my coach and deciding to be the bigger person, I've decided to withdraw from my fall half marathon. That was really hard to swallow. Lots of tears were shed. Lots of WHY ME. Lots of why do I even still run. This is my third injury in a year in a half. But, alas, we will come through. I still have plans for a winter race that I will eventually be discussing later on in November. For now, I'll be mastering my yogi-self, building strength, and trying to learn how to swim better.

After sulking basically all weekend, it's a new week. New, fun things are ahead. I've accepted the fact that I won't be running for quite some time. Can't lie and say I get sad scrolling through Instagram seeing all of my amazing running friends accomplishing great goals but 'comparison is the thief of joy'. Don't worry, I'm still super happy for all of you.




OKAY. Now that the world's worst update is done. I do have new food to share. Ta-da:

So, think of your typical summer noodle salad but put an Asian twist on it. The only thing that requires cooking is the noodles unless you decide to add tofu like I did. Nothing wrong with extra protein! It's refreshing, hits the tongue with some spice, and is super easy to make with leftovers for the next day. Sam, you did me right again. You can click here to get the recipe!




That's it for this week, folks. I will probably take a break from updating as I will be out of town for most of September but you can always follow me on the 'gram (is that how they say it?) to keep in touch with my whereabouts: @britanyg :)

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Inspiration is Everywhere

Sometimes I wonder how people keep up with these things and then I remember that it's their job to. I'm just here for fun. Hello! It's been a few weeks. No content from last week because of a few reasons (excuses): not much to showcase and not much running. If you remember from the last post, May is the month to focus on getting my bro on with lifting big weights and building muscle. I've been running 3x/week, two light, one long, and just slowly building up on those. I know I've mentioned it before but I'm going to say it again: strength training is important, people! I've made it such a priority this year and it's made a big difference in how I feel and how I perform. I'm currently on week 3 of Body Beast and while it's definitely kicking my arse, it's a good burn. Sidenote: it starts getting daylight around 5 am here. Check the metadata on the photo if you don't believe me. If you don't know how to do that, go read a book. Learning new things is fun.

Looks like the headlamp and Noxgear Tracer vest will be getting a break for a bit, at least until we're doing 4 am training runs before it gets to be as hot as the surface of the sun.

This week, I'm switching it up and talking about something we all seek: inspiration. I don't do many treadmill runs because, quite frankly, I hate them, but when I am on them, I need a good podcast or YouTube video to keep me going. The following are my favorite podcasts and YouTube personalities I like to listen to and watch. They aren't ranked in any particular order, by the way.

YouTube

Meg-freakin'-Squats aka Megan Gallagher. She is one of the first people on YouTube that I started watching pretty regularly because powerlifting is badass. She's super genuine and doesn't care about body image or anything related to it. While she will talk about specific diet needs, how to get enough protein, etc, she showcases lifting and technique such as how to do your first pull up. Her sense of humor is also pretty A+ if you ask me.

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Not much to explain here except being inspired from cinematography alone. Billy Yang is a film-making superstar in the running world. From Lake Sonoma to Western States, it's just an eye-catching wonder to watch his work. With many famous runners, especially in the Ultra world, I definitely like watching his films for inspiration, especially before a race.

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I don't even know what I would do without Adriene and her Yoga. I followed many of her practices before setting foot in an actual classroom because I was too scared to do so. She has so many specific moves for people with hip issues, tired legs, runners specifically, chair yoga, and so much more. She is definitely a go-to when I can't make it to class or I need a little extra zen in my life.

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Podcasts

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Marathon Training Academy: I feel like I should start this one with a disclaimer: you do NOT have to be a marathon runner to listen to this podcast! Trevor and Angie are a married couple who are both runners (surprise!) and have episodes from race recaps to how to perform better and even have some awesome interviews with authors and other athletes like Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi. Angie is currently on a quest to run in every state which has been really fun to follow along with.

Run Eat Repeat: If I'm being honest, which is going to happen anyway, I clicked on this podcast solely because of the name when I was on a hunt for something good to listen to. It proved to be awesome! Monica started up her RER journey by blogging her way through race training and weight loss. She also has a blog that goes along with her podcast channel so make sure to check that out as well. Some great recipes too! The link only features some of the earlier episodes but you can find her on either iTunes or Google Play.

No Meat Athlete: If you're new here, I'm a vegetarian! I discovered No Meat Athlete while searching for more information on how to transition to a more plant-based diet as an athlete. While they mostly follow a vegan diet, they do not discriminate against those of us who still dabble in the world of cheese and eggs. I've learned SO MUCH from these guys about food and fitness alike.

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I could probably share a lot more but those are my core go-to people. Do you have a favorite podcast or youtube channel you go to for inspiration? Let me know in the comments and I'll check it out!

Alright, it's that time again: a new recipe! I'm so excited to announce that we finally got a tofu press! We had been talking about it for a while but holy hades, there are so many to choose from. We ended up going with the Tofuture and it works pretty great! Before, I was just doing the whole towel and cast iron pan method. While there isn't anything necessarily wrong with that, let's be honest, we like easier methods.

I didn't even wear that shirt on purpose for the photo, I swear. Anywho, back to the recipe. So, I've made a peanut sauce tofu before but this is just so totally different and way more yummy. Thanks to Reddit for this one. It was so easy, too. I think it took a total of maybe 30 minutes? Either way, if you like a Thai-flavor to your dish with some crispy added in, this is up your alley. If you've never had tofu because you think it looks disgusting, you should try this to change your mind. Plus, it's loaded with protein and you probably need a little more of that in your life.

Crispy peanut sauce tofu with broccolini and brown rice

Okay, folks, that's all she wrote for this week. Thanks for coming by! Stay tuned for Wednesday as we update the Wine of the Week!

The System is Down

Hola amigos! It's been a bit. Maybe you're wondering what the hell happened and maybe you're just whatever. Either way, my beloved phone decided to die mid-navigation drive to somewhere I hadn't been so that was fun. While I had my (burner) phone, it wasn't worth the bad camera and figured I'd just let you sulk for a week and pick back up today! Insert Homestar Runner graphic:

Some of you will know what that's from. Oh, so many high school computer class hours wasted by not learning and watching Strongbad. But really, not much missed. "Summer" has kicked in and the temperatures lately have been getting up there but it's still comfortable. I definitely do not miss the humidity in Michigan, that's for true.

Let's kick things off by talking running. That's mostly why we're here, right? Last week was one of my highest totals since last fall topping out at just under 30 miles. Shall we peak at the numbers?

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No, you're not seeing double on accident. Thursday was a 6-mile day that I broke up into two-3 mile runs because let's face it, the treadmill is so lame. I slept in that morning, went to yoga and just sucked it up. Saturday was my longest run so far and I had the privilege of doing it with a great group of Nuun ambassadors from Arizona. If you haven't tried Nuun yet, you really are missing out. Put the Gatorade down! We had a great time running through the Phoenix Mountain Preserves for a bit and hit up OHSO in Paradise Valley for brunch. My first time at this place and I'd go back in a heartbeat. The patio is insane. I don't have any visuals but I'm sure Google can wow you.

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Which brings me around to some new things I've tried lately. First off, Dutch Bros coffee. When we moved here, I started noticing them around. They were always jamming, with drive-thru lines out into the street. What's so special about this place? Well, my friend swung in after our Saturday run. I like my coffee black with no frills. The friendly girl taking orders suggested the nitro cold brew. "Okay", I thought. "This will be good but nothing amazing I'm sure". Holy hades (Steph), I don't know what it is about their nitro cold brew but it's literally the best thing I've ever sipped through a straw that involves caffeine. It's smooth as molasses and they didn't overload it with ice, like I asked, which Starbucks NEVER gets right. Not only was the drink delicious, but they also gave it to me for free and even gave me some song and dance at the pay window. Dutch Bros, you definitely have made me a believer.

Which brings us to new thing #2: the Impossible Burger. With all of this press going around about Burger King adopting it at their testing restaurant in St. Louis, I was curious as to how it tastes too. If you're new here, I am a vegetarian but I still appreciate a good (veggie) cheeseburger with all of the fixings. As of late, I've been a Beyond Burger fan. They are delicious with tons of flavor. While at Thirsty Lion Gastropub at Tempe Marketplace, I noticed they had one on their menu so it was time to play judge. Insert not super appealing photo:

First impressions: it looks more like a normal burger than Beyond Meat. It also tastes more "meaty" as in, like beef. That slightly grosses me out at this point but that's just me. But when it comes down to it, it's all about flavor and the Impossible Burger just does not cut it for me. While this one had a good sauce on it and the usual burger suspects (lettuce, tomato, etc), it was just.....bleh. If you are meatless, I still suggest you try it for something different. As for myself, I am still a Beyond Meat fan. Do you have a favorite veggie burger? Let me know in the comments and I'll give it a try!

Let's ride the food train a little longer by closing out today with a new recipe! With the hotter temps creeping in, I thought it was a perfect week for an easy-to-prep, cold salad. We're big fans of anything thai-inspired so I turned to my favorite recipe website and pulled up a recipe for an Asian quinoa bowl with a peanut sauce! Simple ingredients and when it all comes together, it's just a fork full of yum. If you want to save yourself even more time, buy tofu that's already cubbed.

I think that's enough visuals for the day. Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you next week with some new content!

Mindshift to Enjoyment

"I was ready to come in last place if that's what it took to finish." - Courtney Dauwalter

Honestly, that quote is me right now. And, well, you know Dauwalter is one of my biggest inspirations. If you have a spare 38 minutes, you really should check out the latest video documenting her 200+ mile race. I'll link it here.

I really wanted to start with that quote, though, because I've had a big mind-shift this past month or so. I really use to obsess with trying to be fast all of the time. Literally, if I didn't feel like I was working hard, breathing deep, and didn't have the taste of blood in my throat, the workout was pointless. Instead of beating myself up and comparing myself to others, I've shifted toward running just to run. Enjoying every mile. Still pushing myself but not the point of draught. There is so much uncharted territory out there, even in this small town we live in, that I have yet to set foot on and that's more exciting right now than wishing I was better or sulking after a bad run. I've been living more in the moment with each run and it's really brought out more of my love of this sport. I still have personal records I'd like to close books on but for now, let's enjoy the ride of distance.

This past week brought some really great, quality miles! The weather here in Arizona is literally perfect. Breezy, 85 degree days with the sun rising by 6:00am. It almost pained me to cycle indoors but alas, we still have yet to look over our bikes since the move to make sure everything is in working order. Let's take a look at this week's workouts:

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  45 min spinning

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  4/1 - 5 easy miles

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  4/3 - 3 miles w/strides

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  4/4 - 3 easy miles

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  4/5 - 6 mile trail run

The biggest takeaway from these would have to be Friday. I know I've mentioned before but in case you were absent, I said I'd like to get more into trail running. We set out on a new trail in town, Andrew-Kinsey. It connects to Sunrise, the trail we had done previously. The terrain of Andrew-Kinsey is so much better for running at a more consistent pace. It's like a semi-groomed single-track trail with your steady climbs and fast descents. The Adero Canyon Trailhead is super nice and you pass by some extremely expensive homes on the way down the road to it. My Peregrine shoes are holding up very well and I'm glad I decided on them in the beginning. I didn't include the data but my husband and I did a 10-mile hike Saturday morning. After a 6-mile trail run, my feet were barking after but I think I can say that for the both of us. It was, again, gorgeous out. We really are blessed to live here with access to so many things to do outdoors. And yes, the desert does have flowers. I have proof:

Another goal, besides cycling once a week, is to read more. It's hard to time manage everything else going on but I find it relaxing and inspiring. Before we left for Michigan, I saw a friend reading Deena Kastor's book and wanted to check it out for myself. What a winner! It was really interesting to follow her career through college and to see her journey after. You can really connect with the highs and lows, especially if you are a runner yourself. I really related to the part where she talked about feeling by herself after finding that the men's team didn't like her. Although I don't have experience with running with men, I know what it's like to feel alone in something you love. I highly suggest picking it up from your local library or reading it on your Kindle. My next read will be Meb's 26 Marathons, which I received as a birthday gift from my parents. How could you not want to read this? I'll review it once I'm done. In the meantime, you can check out a great interview he did with my favorite podcast, Marathon Training Academy.

As we talked about today, the weather is perfect. With temperatures reaching into the mid-90s, meal prep took a shift to a refreshing salad. I think I hit a home run with this one not only with the veggie servings but the dressing! If you're a fan of simple yet delicious, look no further than this Thai quinoa salad with a peanut butter dressing. Holy hades (I said it again, Steph), I could eat the dressing alone right out of the mixing bowl. I think it took me maybe 15 minutes to put enough lunches together for both me and my husband? I cook the quinoa in my Instapot so it's done in 6 minutes and let it cool in the fridge while I chop the veggies. I'm sure you could cut time with that as well by using a food processor. I always rely on my portion fix containers to keep me in the game by hitting my eating goals. Really though, give this salad a go. If you're dying to add meat, I'm sure some grilled chicken would be a fine addition. I'll link the recipe here. Happy prepping!

Thai Quinoa Salad w/Portion Fix

Alright, folks, that's the end for this week. Keep an eye out on Wednesday when I drop a new 'Wine of the Week'! Thanks for stopping by.

Pressing Start

If I had to describe the first week of training, I would have used the term "exhilarating". I'm sure if I hadn't kept up with my fitness during my post-marathon injury, I would have felt like a big heavy brick with super glue stuck to the bottom of my shoes but man, nothing felt better than pressing start on my first training run Monday morning. This week was all about easy pacing. Building a base is what our main focus was all about. I'm honestly terrible at keeping pace, especially slower paces. I took this time to take advantage of the 'workout' setting on my Garmin Fenix 5X and created workouts specifically tailored to my training calendar Kristen created for me. Yep, who knew you could set paces to stay in? I've had this watch for quite some time now and am still learning new bells and tricks on it. Whenever I would either be going too fast or too slow, it would start beeping at me. It took me probably two-three out of the four runs I did to get comfortable with easing up and keeping a solid cadence. Once you get in the mindset, it just comes naturally. Oh yeah, and trying to find a course without any type of incline or decline around here is damn-near impossible. I better be a pro at running hills if they ever (which they will) come in a race course after living here. I'm talking to you, Brooksie Way. I will have my revenge on you one day even if it means flying back to Michigan for the weekend.

Week 1 at a glance (sorry, hard to read!)

I'm honestly surprised how well my paces lined up for the first three workouts. Saturday we incorporated strides to the end of the run. If you aren't familiar with running terms, strides basically mean you go faster for a designated period of time. My recovery for each stride was a steady walk. It felt so good to get out in the early morning but damn, it is so dark around here. Street lights and whatnot are pretty non-existent as they follow a "no light pollution" rule. Thank the lord for headlamps and my Tracer 360 vest! *SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: I have the privilege of being a Noxgear Ambassador and right now they are offering 42% off if you use my code BRITTERS at checkout today (2/10)! You can head here to check out their products. If you are reading this at a later date, you can still get 35% off with the same code. You're welcome!

Tracer 360 Noxgear Vest

All-in-all, I am happy with how week one went. I'm also paying close attention to my pre-run warm up and I believe it's helping. I'm sticking with being consistent with my hip exercises I was given in therapy last spring and do them before every run. I traditionally do a dynamic warmup before and then static stretch and foam roll after. These all add up to me keeping my hands off the Aleve bottle more, that's for sure. Another thing I'm trying to change up is my diet. Yes, if you know me, you know I eat pretty clean most days, so you're probably wondering 'well, what's there to change?' if I eat relatively healthy. I've been eating more of a plant-based diet since November. I don't really like to use the label of 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' as I will most certainly not skip out on a burger from In 'n Out but my wheels are following the veggie road route more than ever before. Why did I choose to do this? I honestly don't have a clear explanation. I'm not looking to lose weight or save the animals (I do love them, though). I definitely feel a difference in energy levels and my digestive track is certainly friendlier, for lack of better terms. As promised in my Instagram post from yesterday, I wanted to share a new recipe I'm trying this week for breakfast. Well, in my case, this is second breakfast. I really hope you get that joke from Lord of the Rings.

Mango Smoothie Bowl

There she is, in all of her glory. I'm basically eating ice cream for breakfast. This bowl is packed with nutrients and is seriously more delicious than I thought it was going to be. I hit up Simply Quinoa for a lot of my plant-based recipes. They have a great filter option that I hope you can use to try something new to make! Oh, and you can click here for the recipe for that yumminess up there.

Next week, we focus on more strides and slightly longer easy-paced runs. The forecast is dipping down a little bit into the 50s but that's perfect running weather if you ask me.