Friday Reads: No Meat Athlete Marathon Roadmap by Matt Frazier

A while back, Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point was raving about a Marathon Guide for Vegetarians.   I was still on the fence about going the marathon distance, mainly from a nutrition standpoint, because nothing out there was targeted just for us veggies.   I went right online and bought the ebook.   By the time I reached the included 24 week training plan...I had resolved that I could do it and started to plan which marathon to register for.

This book is written in a very straightforward way.  Its no nonsense tone clearly lays out what a vegetarian needs to think about when undergoing the gruelling training for their first 26.2.   In a nutshell, Frazier makes it seem do-able.   I think the part that won me over the most, though, was that he clearly said that for your first marathon, you shouldn't set a time goal.  The goal is to finish and to not put any further pressure on yourself than that.  It is hard enough getting there without adding stress.   Suddenly, I was looking at the marathon as though it could be a reality (and on Oct 9, it will be)

Also included with the ebook were a number of mp3 interviews.  I'll admit I haven't had time to listen to them yet...but I will.  They feature well known veg athletes like Brendan Brazier and Scott Spitz. 

The formatting of the ebook itself leaves a fair bit to be desired.  It looks great when viewed on a desktop computer but loses something when put onto a dedicated ebook reader.  The landscape orientation and 2-column layout is clunky and distracting.  That being said, my Sony had no problem re flowing the PDF to make it work and it was crafted in such a way that none of the text was lost.  If I were Frazier, I'd consider re-doing the book for ebook readers since they are becoming fairly common and a dedicated reader version of the book might gain him some sales.

A vegetarian marathon guide would not be complete without covering the food aspect of training.  The book covers the training aspect very well and doesn't skimp when it hits nutrition talk.  He speaks to both the vegetarian and vegan aspects of fueling.  There is a bit heavier slant toward vegan, but vegetarians are certainly not poo-pooed. There are sample meal plans and recipes.

As I train for my own first marathon, I am not following the book to the letter - I've selected a training plan that fits my life better.  But I am paying better attention to fueling properly - particularly during recovery.  Heck - I even got myself a real breakfast after a recent 10K instead of stuffing myself with a latte and a Cranberry Blondie (the runner girls who weren't there might be shocked to hear that).   The book affected me and how I think about my running nutrition...and that is a really good thing.

I do recommend the book but, as with everything I advocate, I say make it your own and adjust it to fit your life.  For those of you looking to tackle the half distance - he is also working on a half marathon version of the book.  It is not covered at all in this version.

To buy: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/marathon-roadmap/