Taking Stock of the Month: March

Here's what came to pass in my third month of being vegan.

My energy levels remained high this month, and could not be curbed by a 14 day do-it-at-home riding camp at the start of the month. I spent a total of 24 hours in the saddle over the course of this month, which quadruples what I did in either January or February on the bike (eek). I ran for a total of 12 hours, which is the same as I did last month and an increase on January's 8.5 hours. Swimming was up significantly, for a total of 5 hours in the pool. Oh, and I snowshoed for 2.5 hours.

So, total training volume was 43.5 hours in March, compared to 24.5 hours in January and 23.5 hours in February. I hadn't realized I'd ramped it up quite this much until I looked at these numbers; it suddenly makes me feel tired and like I should stay in bed this morning. It also makes me ever so slightly nervous that I've done too much too soon. I am being diligent with having one total day off every tenth day or so, and there is always one day in the week where I rest my legs completely. I have let my ab work and flailing-on-the-carpet weight bearing exercises slip; I will try to reimplement them this month (doesn't that sound convincing).

Some people have been asking me if I'm taking supplements, and the short answer is that I'm not. Since I am interested in seeing whether our bodies can sustain high volumes of training on a plant-based diet, I don't want to muddy the waters with taking supplements (the whole argument for supplements is that our diets lack essential micronutrients and we need to replaced them with synthesized versions). I have, in fact, cut out one supplement that I've been taking for years (all this in the same of scientific discovery): iron.

I have suffered from non-anemic iron deficiency for years (like 20% of the female population, apparently). It was first discovered by a clever running group coach in Vancouver, and blood tests confirmed that my haem was low, and my serum ferritin (a measure of stored iron) was particularly low (10 μg/L, for those who know about these things). I have been taking a variety of oral supplements and eating lean red meat 3 times a week every since....until this year. I cut out my liquid iron supplements on January 1st, and after three months of training without animal flesh, am ready to be retested. It just so happened that I had a day lay-over in England on the way back from Cyprus last week, and I persuaded my brother's family doctor to do a blood test while there (for those who don't know, I hold British citizenship and therefore have a claim to free healthcare). I am eagerly awaiting the results which should come through any day now; stay tuned on that front.

To complete my summary of the month: my weight remains exactly the same, which means it's time to get serious about leaning down for race season. I am starting out April with a two week stint of no sugar and no flour (this includes two of my favourite foods - bread and red wine) and also no eating after 7pm at night (which is when I most like to eat the bread and drink the red wine). This is a sure-fire way for me to lean down, it's worked every time in the past.

And finally, here's recipe of the month. I haven't been quite as experimental in the kitchen as I was in January and February - must be all that time on the bike - but I did discover one particular recipe that I have delighted in since it utilizes the major by-product of my almond milk production (I hate waste in the kitchen). It's a recipe for almond crunch granola:

Almond Crunch Granola

* 3 cups rolled oats
* 2 cups almond 'pulp'
* 1 cup wheat germ
* 1 cup oat bran
* 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

This is the base of the recipe, and my volumes are approximate. I've been making my own granola for years, so I tend to throw in a handful of this or that and eyeball the final consistency (which is very annoying to those who want to recreate what I did). Using damp almond pulp has produced the best granola I've ever made becasue the water int the pulp helps it to form 'clusters'. You can add in other nuts (walnuts or pecans are good) or dried fruits (apples, pears, mangos or coconuts) as you like. 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey will work to sweeten it if you don't have stevia, but I prefer to keep my cereals low-sugar.

Mix everything together in a bowl with your hands, except any dried fruit. Spread ona baking sheet and bake at a low temperature for 30 minutes until the mixture just starts to turn golden brown, then add the fruit and bake for another 15 minutes (if you add the fruit too early, it goes a little burnt). To avoid almond overkill, serve with soy or rice milk.