100miles-and-running-blog

[100miles-and-running-blog]

The Struggle

The more I dive to a vegan, plant based lifestyle, I'm learning there are more assholes in the world.

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These Major Ice Cream Brands Have Rolled Out 9 New Vegan Flavors This Year

by Sarah Von Alt - July 28, 2017 There’s no question, vegan ice cream is more popular than ever. While all-vegan brands like Tofutti and So Delicious have been around for years, it’s only recently that several big names in the ice cream business have decided to capitalize on the growing demand for nondairy alternatives. • Ben & Jerry’s

With a total of seven mouthwatering flavors made with almond milk, Ben & Jerry’s was one of the first major companies to expand into nondairy territory, and we’re so glad they did! Our favorite flavors include Cherry Garcia and Coconut Seven Layer Bar. • Breyer’s

Earlier this year, Breyer’s unveiled two dairy-free flavors at select stores across the country: Oreo Cookies & Creme and Vanilla Peanut Butter. BONUS: They’re sold by the quart! • Häagen-Dazs

The latest additions to the wide variety of frozen vegan treats come from Häagen-Dazs in not one, but four new flavors: Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle, Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge, Mocha Chocolate Cookie, and Coconut Caramel. – It seems that nondairy is the biggest trend in ice cream right now, and for good reason. Mercy For Animals’ investigations into dairy farms have revealed cows and calves being mutilated without painkillers, “downed” cows too sick or injured to stand being left to suffer for weeks before dying, and newborn calves being forcibly dragged away from their mothers and killed or sold for veal production. As a result, more and more people are eating less dairy or ditching it altogether in favor of plant-based alternatives. These new ice cream products are yet another sign of this change. Ready to try vegan ice cream for yourself? Click here for 12 of our favorite flavors.

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Was tired of being cooped up in the hotel room, so I got out for a 2nd run for the day. The weather was a little more tolerable on this run but still another hot one. Can't wait to see what Monday brings!

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Most people hit the bars when they are in San Juan. I hit the streets to enjoy the views.

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I hope everyone enjoyed their free chicken yesterday.

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5 rounds in the home gym today!

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I've seen & heard a lot of silly "diets" that people are doing. Even before I cut meat from my life, I have always thought diets are a waste of time. What happens when whatever grain, carb, or sugar that you cut is introduced back into your diet? Being meat free is not a diet but a lifestyle & for me it's the best lifestyle change I've ever made. You won't just feel better, you'll feel better about the choices you make & the animals you don't harm.

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#RNRNOLA

Well, another marathon has come & gone. It's hard to believe that just under a year ago I submitted my info to get registured for the Rock-N-Roll Marathon in New Orleans. I finished my last full in November of 2016 so I was already in my peak training for this race. The training is probably the hardest part of racing, not the actual race. A lot of late night & early morning runs logged & it is finally done.

My wife & I traveled out to New Orleans on Friday, about a 9 hour trip. Got to the hotel, checked in & went straight to the Expo. One of the nicer expo's I've been to in awhile. I normally don't buy anything other than nutrition but I decided to splurg & buy a collapsable hand-held water bottle. I'm still undecided if I like it our not. Anyway, Saturday morning was a 5K challenge that was added last minute. I don't consider myself a hardcore enough runner to do a race the morning before a full but there was a shit-ton of people who did. So Saturday was spent sleeping in, nursing a sore shoulder. Not sure where it came from but it was a real pain in the ass. After everyone had finished the 5K that morning, we decided to head out & check out the town. I could write a whole other blog about how much I loved NOLA. I literally fell in love with the city & the food & the overall kick-ass'ness of the city. Fast forward to some grub, sites, back to the hotel & a early dinner with one beer to calm my nerves.

Sunday morning rolls around & it's raceday. typical running routine that I do on my Saturday long runs. Get up about 2 hours earlier to poop, clean up & try to consume something before heading out to run. I've never been one that can run longer distances without something on my stomach. We got to the start area & I'm feeling ok! This is my 4th full, so I feel that I'm somewhat seasoned on what goes on. It helps that I have people I know to hang with right up until the start of the race. Corral 1 goes & then I get the oh shit moment... It's happening! Coral 2 goes & there are 2 ladies in front of me who distract me to take there picture. Coral 3 goes & I'm totally unaware! Coral 4 goes & I'm just telling myself that all is good. You had 2 good healthy poops & you didn't eat too much prior to the race. We are walking up to fill in space & it's 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1... We are off!!!

Nice easy pace, crowd wasn't too bad, I'm enjoying things so far. I look down & because I was bobbing & weaving so much, my watch said I was running at a 7:30 pace!!! Whoa... back it off! After about a mile things thinned out a little & I'm just focusing on the pavement. Parts of the road were pretty beat up & uneven so my main focus for the next few miles would be to not step in a hole & roll my ankle. A few miles of this & we are all good. Out onto a major road & things are going smooth. The next thing I noticed as the race went on is that the temperature was rising pretty quick. I went a few miles thinking that I didn't want to give up my gloves that I've had for a couple of years. I have other gloves but this pair has served me well... another mile goes by & I'm over it, goodbye gloves! Another mile passes & my next problem is my beanie hat. Now I paid a lot of money for this fucker & I was starting to get in my head about overheating. I thought about carrying it for the rest of the race but I don't do well holding things on a long run... Fuck it, it's gone! My last piece of gear to go is my sleeves. Again, same thing... I've had them awhile & they have served me well. 10 miles in & I'm dying... There gone! Ok, halfway point & I'm a little fatigued, I stopped to use the bathroom at the port-o-jons & I'm feeling ok. The course is moving from a shaded neighborhood to a wide open road. This is when it started getting really hot! Around mile 18-20, I decided to start a run/walk method. If I hadn't I don't know I wuld have made it all the way. I feel like a blew through what was left of my nutrition. At one point I was hurting so bad, when I hit the waterstop I drank the water & gatorade way too fast & almost lost it. At this point I could see my 4 hour goal was slipping away, so my goal was to just finish the damn race. I wasn't mad about it, I just wanted to get off the course & enjoy a beer. Lets fast forward to mile 24... I'm doing about the same, keeping the run/walk going. The last couple of miles ended up being in the shade so I took advantage of that. By the time I got to the finish area, I was planning on taking a quick walk break to stretch out my legs really good & finish strong (for the pictures at the end). Well I saw one guy snapping away & said shit! I might as well keeping going before they see me. So the last bit I was going to use to stretch ended up being a awkward looking sprint as my legs had enough at this point. I saw the finish & just kept on trucking!

Marathon 4 was over! I will say that I haven't done many fulls as of today but this one will rank up there at the top as far as my overall experience. I had a blast & the fact that I fell in love with the city of New Orleans helped out as well. I enjoyed the rest of the day with a few beers & being UBER'ed back & forth because my tired ass wasn't walking!

The next day was more walking to keep the legs from getting stiff, & to also enjoy some food. Then a nice long happy hour at the hotel lobby. The next morning was a long car ride back to Florida & fast forward straight into work & here we are. I'm about to go hang my bib up on the bib-wall & figure out where to hang my medal. RNRNOLA kicked my ass & I'm a little wiser because of this race. This will only help me going into my next marathon which will prob be a long ways away. Until next time New Orleans... Run Happy!

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#ThrowbackThursday to just a few days ago. This was the path leading to the finish line. I wanted to take a quick walk break to get ready for a strong finish but as I turned the corner, there was a line of photographers waiting so I just had to keep going. 😜

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Finally! My first #medalmonday of 2017. #RNRNOLA was a blast! If my legs weren't so damn sore, I would do it all over again. My first RNR series race & def won't be my last. Going to enjoy the rest of the time in #NOLA & once I get back home, Spartan training will begin. I'm coming for the trifecta again this year!

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Signing the wall for #RNRNOLA @100milesandrunning #twentysixpointtwo

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I finally found a chart that reflects a #marathon & it's spot on! This is exactly how the emotional roller coaster is during the race! 😂 5 days until #rocknrollmarathonNOLA & I can't wait to experience them all again.

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3 easy paced miles tonight. Today was pretty blah but tonight's #run is just what I needed. Time to start finalizing my game plan for #NOLA this weekend.

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Have you ever lied about your finish time?

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Just picked up the shoes that will get me across the finish line at theRock-N-Roll marathon New Orleans. Breaking them in tomorrow morning!

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Time to retire another pair of shoes tonight. Just hit the 400 mile mark on these bad boys!