How I Accidentally Became a Better, Stronger Runner by Eating Plants

I developed some truly unhealthy habits in my college years. It got to the point where I was out of shape, depressed, and on an unhealthy path.

After reading some really interesting books about nutrition and personal development, a change was in order. As one does for a “life transformation,” I set my sights on running a half marathon.

Training and running the half (and raising money for a great cause) was an amazing experience! So much so that I did it again the following year.

It was when I was training for year three that I sprained my ankle and had to completely stop running. I hung up my shoes for what I thought was for good, and I soon realized that everything was falling apart…

Just kidding! Well, sort of.

When I was regularly running, my life was…better? I had more energy, I was less stressed, I could think super clearly, and just about everything in my day-to-day seemed more manageable.

But I kept getting injured! That was that.

Fast Forward to the Mid-30s

My twin boys were a few months into daycare/preschool and we were about one year into a global pandemic when I started to think about adopting an exercise regimen.

You see, I was a bit stressed out (like everyone), and there wasn’t much time for exercise.

I now worked at home, and I needed something I could do on my lunch break that I would stick to.

I looked at my sneakers and thought: “Should I? CAN I?”

I got started with the Couch to 5K app. I went SUPER SLOWLY, repeating weeks until I felt ready to transition to the next week.

I was VERY worried about potential injury. I mean, how would that would work when my kids were literally running all over the place?

Well, I completed the eight-week Couch to 5K app in about eight months. Without injury. Without aches and pains. I WAS PERPLEXED.

There was never a time that I could remember where I didn’t feel sore after running. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I never truly was consistent about running.

So here I was, more than a decade older than when I started running the first go around. I was also running FASTER than I did in my teens and 20s.

The only thing that had changed?

I was now a vegan.

The How I became a Vegan Story

About a year before I re-started running, I had a medical scare, or as some might say, “WELCOME TO YOUR 30s.”

I decided that if I was going to be around for my kids well into the future, I’d have to go on a wellness journey.

• I said goodbye to animal products.
• I decided to try and live as close to plant-based-whole-foods vegan as possible (no oils, no processed foods, no excess sodium, no processed sugar).
• I started having a daily green smoothie and salad to meet my daily vegetable quota.

It’s been four years, and while there are times when I have to eat processed foods, I stick to the plant-based-whole-foods lifestyle the majority of the time.

So, my body — which had been through many years of chain-smoking cigs (not proud of it), nights out drinking, eating robust amounts of fast food and birthing twins (!) — became more resilient due to…PLANTS?!

I reached out to an expert.

Consulting the Coach

Coach Claire Bartholic has led hundreds of athletes to the best performances of their lives through science-backed training, plant-based nutrition, and proven mindset programs. She’s also the host of one of the most popular running podcasts in the world, The Planted Runner Podcast.

Coach Claire has an amazing library of plant-based recipes on her website. She says that the benefits of eating more plants is consistently proven by science, however, she adds: “You don’t have to be 100% plant-based to get major health and performance benefits. Even 80–90% is amazing.”

Coach Claire has an entire blog about all of the Powerful Ways a Plant-Based Diet Transforms Your Running. You can read more here, but some of the benefits include things like reduced inflammation, better glycogen storage, and better blood flow and oxygenation.

Eat Plants, Run Fast

So, that’s it! That’s the story. A diet with a lot of plant-based foods will transform your body and make it run more efficiently.

HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!

Do you want to see the research? Check out this video from one of my favorite science-based sites, NutritionFacts.org: Why All Athletes Should Eat Plant-Based Diets.

✌🏻❤️🥬

Katie