Plant-Based Ironman Training Feels Good So Far To FitOldDog

I never knew, while I was eating meat and dairy, that raw zucchini squash could taste so good, but it does. Full of subtle flavors. Photo by FitOldDog (locally grown veg).

Life is full of surprises – didn’t think I would ever get back to this kind of pace, and feel so good, while doing it. Thank goodness – data from my FitBit.

Plant-based Ironman training is another FitOldDog experiment in life, and it is coming with some interesting surprises – embrace surprise for healthy aging. I’m not the first, but I am one of the older people to try it, I imagine.

My run is coming back, after two years. Yes! Two years, but it was a smooth and steady run, of 7 x 400 repeats, at the track, with Julie, today. My pace was not horrible, finally!

Now I’m going to try, yet again, to qualify for Kona. In fact, I’d like to run the Boston Marathon again. It will just take a little patience, and I want to do it on a plant-based diet. Don’t have to kill any animals, it’s apparently good for my health, and at age 72, every day is a bonus day, so I don’t want to waste any.

Flowers for Deb, from FitOldDog!

The plant-based (vegetarian, dairy-free, essentially vegan) diet is fascinating, and I don’t know why I took me so long to give it a try (you can follow my diet on Instagram, if you so desire). I’m finding that my food tastes better every day, I don’t miss dairy or meat, and I’m saving 95 animals a year, based on someone’s calculations.

Why such a good run today?

1. Hip realigned.
2. Lots of careful training and soft tissue rehab.
3. Ramping up my bike distance, which definitely helps conditioning for the run.
4. Great running partner, Julie, who pulls me along.
5. Encouragement from other athletes.
6. Body awareness and running skills (learned from lots of people and books).
7. Following the FitOldDog Training Wheel approach to exercise.
8. Oh! Yes! A little romance helps, too!

Wishing You Happy Trails,

FitOldDog