VegRUN: Online Running Resource for Vegetarians
When you run in certain crowds, it seems like everyone does half marathons and full marathons and Ironman triathlons and ultramarathons all the time, everywhere. And that can make it seem like those things are no big deal. I mean, everybody does it, so how hard can it be, right?
Not exactly. They’re meant to be challenging, and, for all but the luckiest among us, they’re all pretty tough. But the right training and preparation is where the playing field can be evened out a bit, and proper preparation requires the right resources. (Take it from someone who did her first half marathon with nothing but a vague idea of how far 13.1 miles really was and paid for it on the last couple of miles. Oof.)
But where do you find the right resources? How do you know whether a training plan is legit or whether the nutritional information you’ve learned is valid? I always recommend starting with your local running (or triathlon, or ultrarunning) community if possible, but finding online sources that are backed up by serious athletes is a great option.
One such resource is VegRUN. Unsurprisingly, it’s geared toward vegetarian runners and offers not only half- and full-marathon training plans, but also awesome, nutritionally dense plant-based recipes, coach pages from renowned athletes like Brendan Brazier and Scott Jurek, a wealth of expert training tips, and fitness-focused nutritional facts that got me to reconsider some of my recent dietary choices.
Plus, when you sign up, you can join the Facebook community to chat with other runners about your training, your veggie dishes, your goals, whatever. Very cool for anyone who isn’t part of a running club in their own town, and pretty interesting even for those of us who are already part of a club or two. (My running/beer drinking club doesn’t focus a whole long on vegetarian recipes, as it turns out.)
I had fully intended to follow one of VegRUN’s half-marathon training plans (they have a “to finish” for those who just want to, you know, finish, and a fitness plan for those who have ambitious time goals), created by No Meat Athlete founder Matt Frazier, but after injuring my knee, I had to put my plans for a December half marathon on hold.
Still, I like the training plans — the weekly mileage isn’t crazy, it’s easy to understand (especially the “to finish,” but even though the fitness plan incorporates more variety, it’s still easy to follow), and there’s a focus on cross-training, which too many runners (especially newbies) downplay. It’s really, really informative, and honestly, I’m super bummed I didn’t end up being able to try it out. Yet, anyway.
VegRUN is a part of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group of physicians, healthcare professionals, veterinarians and compassionate laypersons who support advocating for ethical research, ending cruelty to animals in labs and education, and promoting positive nutrition policies and practices. That’s all stuff I can get behind, so although my membership (which allowed me to view all the VegRUN goodies) was comped in order for me to do the review, it’s not something I would have any problem coughing up $25 to join otherwise. The information provided is worth well more than that.
Have you followed a training plan to complete a challenging race? Do you have a fitness community in your city or do you prefer online ones like VegRUN?