speedvegan

Dinner, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Lettuce wraps with cooked veggie ground, peppers, a simple guacamole and sprouts..

1 mile run – 10 mile bike – 3.1 mile run

On the podium

Total Time: 1:06:48
Run 1: 7:15
T1: 1:37
Bike: 30:37
T2: 1:25
Run 2: 25:54
Overall Place: 41
Gender Place: 4
Category Place: 1

I wasn’t as nervous as I usually am leading up to this race. I signed up for it after finishing the 5K I did with Geoffrey recently. It’s been a psychological struggle for me to get back out there among “the athletes” after being injured and unable to train properly for what seemed like an eternity to me. Although I have been feeling stronger and almost “back to normal” recently, I hadn’t plunged into the racing scene yet because races always make me incredibly anxious. I know some nervousness is normal, and helpful even, but I really freak out. However, I felt good after the 5K. I was cool and collected during that race. It was a good way to break the ice. I wasn’t sure if I’d be ready to handle the swim in a triathlon just yet, so I signed up for a duathlon. Things couldn’t have been better. I mean, things can ALWAYS be better, but I was satisfied with my accomplishments in the end and the best part is that I enjoyed it. I had so much fun !

Getting branded

The first run was hard since I didn’t have time to warm up. I underestimated the amount of time it would take to drive down to the race location, so we got there twenty-something minutes before the race start. Luckily I had picked up my packet the day before so I had enough time to get my chip, get my body marked, set up transition and hit the ladies room. In the process I lost the gels I was planning to use so I ended up doing the race on half a smoothie consumed at 5:30am and water. I was scared, but smartly paced myself. I must admit I felt like crap on the first run. It’s hard not to when you’re running a mile and everyone in front of you is going all out and your heart feels like it’s gone 0-60 in 1.2 seconds. But I survived.

I made it to transition and panicked a little. My transition area was right by the run exit, which I thought was awesome until I got there and couldn’t find my bike. I was so confused, but eventually found it.

Finishing the first run – definitely the hardest part of the race

The bike portion is my absolute favorite part, except for the idiots who don’t follow USAT rules. I was happy-go-lucky on my bike, sporting my new “biker chick” socks that my friend in Atlanta got for me as a present. I was very cautious not to go too hard on the bike considering I’d done a painful 2 hour ride yesterday and I had nothing but water to keep me going until the end. It was a sad moment when I finally had to dismount my bike, but I was happy with my performance.

Finishing the bike leg

Biker Chick socks from my friend

The second run was better than the first. I found my transition area much more easily the second time. When I made it out of transition and into the running course my heart rate was 84%, which may not be high for some people, but it’s very high for me. I just kept running what felt like a “safe” and constant pace. I ran into a guy who was sort of struggling on the run but I think he must have kicked ass on the bike if he was ahead of me on the run, so I tried to cheer him on only to find out afterwards that he thought I was laughing at him. You can’t win with some people and the lesson I learned is to just keep my mouth shut from now on. He won an overall Clydesdale spot at the end though, so I was happy for him. He totally deserved it.

Finishing and still smiling

Overall, I was very happy with my performance. I came in first in my age group and not just by seconds. I also came in fourth female overall, which shocked the hell out of me. But I still have to wonder, what makes guys so damn fast ??

I know I’ve said this a million times before, but I just have to say it again. Geoff is absolutely the most supportive partner I have ever met. He was there cheering me on and taking pictures the entire morning without a thing to eat and probably bored to death. He didn’t even want to leave until I got my prize even though we had to wait a very long time. What’s amazing to me is not what he does, but how generously he does it. That’s what gets me every time.

First !, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I finished first in my age group and got this fancy trophy. I’ll write all about it in the race report and post some of the awesome pictures that Geoff took.

Getting ready, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

For tomorrow’s duathlon. Hopefully I will have a race report to post. Stay tuned.

Geoff and I are going to Portland for a few days next week (8/27-9/1) to celebrate his birthday. We’re very excited to finally visit this music and veg mecca together. My blog-buddy Webly and friend Josh have both recommended a few veg options in town. I also consulted Stumptown Vegans and Happy Cow and have put together an incredibly large list of places I’d like to try or at least “browse” since I do only have ONE stomach.

Here is the list so far. I know it’s ambitious and we won’t be able to try all of these, but at least we’ll have options for whatever we feel like on any given day. Please let me know if I’ve missed anything I must absolutely have to try and I will add it to the list. I have to be honest, though. I had to stop browsing and reading reviews because my head was literally reeling from all the choices. It must be so amazing to live in a place like that !

From Webly and/or Josh:
Sweetpea Baking Company
1205 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 477-5916
Hours: M-F 7am -8pm Sat & Sun 9am – 8pm
Saturday is doughnut day!

Blossoming Lotus
925 NW Davis, Portland, OR 97209
(503) 228-0048 x2
Hours: Daily 8am-10pm

Nutshell
3808 N Williams, Portland, OR 97227
(503) 292-2627
Hours: Open daily at 5pm

The Farm
10 SE 7th Avenue, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 736-FARM
Hours: Daily 5pm-11:30pm

Flavourspot
North Lombard between Greeley and Denver in the Videorama Parking Lot
Hours: Daily 6am-3pm

Sip
3029 SE 21st Avenue, Portland, OR in front of People’s Coop
Hours: M,W,Th:12-8 F:12-9 Sat:10-9 Sun:10-8 Closed Tuesdays

Food Fight
1217 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR
(503) 233-3910
Hours: Daily 10am-8pm

Voodoo Doughnuts
22 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR
(503) 241-4704
Hours: Open 24 hours !

Backspace Cafe
115 NW 5th Street, Portland, OR
(503) 248-2900
Hours: Daily 11am-11pm

From Stumptown Vegans:
Paradox
3439 SE Belmont, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 232-7508
Hours: M-Sat 8am-9pm, Sun 8am-3pm

Vita
3024 NE Alberta, Portland, OR
(503) 335-8233
Hours: M-F 9am-10pm Sat & Sun 8am-10pm

Laurelthirst Public House
3000 NE Glisan, Portland, OR 97232
(503) 232-1504
Hours: Daily breakfast 9am-3pm, lunch and dinner all the time

Junior’s Cafe
1742 SE 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 235-5474
Hours: Daily 8am-3pm

Proper Eats
8638 N. Lombard Avenue, Portland, OR 97203
(503) 445-2007
Hours: M-Th 10am-10pm Fri & Sat 10am-12am Sun 12pm-10pm

Red & Black Cafe
400 SE 12th Avenue & Oak, Portland, OR 97202
(503) 231-3899
Hours: Daily 9am-9pm

Chaos Cafe
2620 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97202
(503) 546-8112
Hours: M-Th 7am-10pm Fri-Sat 7am-10pm, Sun 9am-2pm

From Happy Cow:
Veganopolis
Grandma Leeth’s
Someday Lounge

Coffee Shops:
Little Red Bike Cafe
The Clearing Cafe
Wholesome Blends
Half and Half Cafe
Milkyway Tea and Pastry
Jace Gace

Friday – rest
Saturday – 37 min run
Sunday – 37 min run
Monday – rest
Tuesday – 30 min spin class
Wednesday – 55 min spin class
Thursday – 35 min run

Half and half dinner, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Geoff was jealous of my lunch-time avocado boats so I made him his own fleet tonight. He cooked veggie ground and peppers and we had some left over pate and sprouts so we made wraps. I also made “snowballs” for dessert – dates, raw almonds and shredded coconut.

Also, that’s fresh coconut water from a REAL coconut in those glasses. Geoff knows how much I love coconut water, so he picked up some local coconuts the other day. Yum !

Hannah (BitterSweet blog, My Sweet Vegan) just came up with the most brilliant idea ! She created The Vegan’s Hundred, a revised list of the now popular and disturbing Omnivore’s Hundred. In contrast with the cruelty-ridden omnivore list, the vegan list is not responsible for animal suffering and that makes me happy.

Take a look at Hannah’s post for yourself, but the point is to:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

So here is my list:

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

Our raw dinner, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Lettuce wraps with mushroom pate, some funky cashew pate, avocado, tomatoes, sprouts and coconut water !

Banana and raspberries, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Every time I go to a raw foods talk or demonstration, I leave inspired and wanting to eat healthier. I had a great smoothie this morning and now I’m having some fruit and tea for my mid-morning snack. I love cooking so much that sometimes I foget how important it is to incorporate more raw foods in my diet.