Justin's vs. Nutella

It's been almost two full years now since I made the decision to go Pescetarian, and I could not be happier. I don't miss beef, chicken, or pork at all (well...once in a while I do miss homemade pork chili verde that's been in the crock pot all day long...but that's the only thing).

Two of the big reasons I don't miss it: I can still eat chocolate and peanut butter!


And no, I'm not immune to the tastiness of Nutella. But let's face it, that stuff is evil in a jar. First two ingredients? Sugar. And Palm Oil. Ouch.

So we've been looking for a decent replacement. And we found it: Justin's!

Justin's is incredible. It's some of the yummiest stuff I've ever put on a bagel, or a pancake, or a piece of toast...or a spoon. And the first two ingredients in Justin's? Hazelnuts and almonds. Justin's is a little pricy, but I'll tell you a secret: the Justin's Chocolate Peanut Butter is just as good...and a lot cheaper.

Now I'm not going to try to tell you Justin's is health food. Anything made with nuts and chocolate is going to have a lot of fat and a lot of calories, but comparing it to Nutella, or most major brand peanut butter, isn't even a contest.

Justin's wins!

No, my friend, you win.

Running and Triathlon Links Monday!

As usual, lots and lots of good stuff here. Get reading and by next Monday, you'll be setting PR's like nobody's business!

Lance Armstrong takes third at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix - Losing to Andy Potts is not something to be ashamed of

How to be a lifelong runner - hey, I'm halfway there and still running

Runners and what they eat - should you be a vegan...or a pescatarian? Go pescatarians!

Jesse Thomas and tatted-up Heather Jackson win Wildflower - Oregon represent!

A little photo album from Wildflower - And another one

How to race strong through your "go zone" - that zone is usually the third quarter of races...where most runners fall apart

Megan Goethals turns her life, and her running, around - the UW cross country star was "near self-destruction"

Study shows jogging can extend lifespan by six years - yes, jogging, not necessarily full-out running/racing training

Favorite local races of seven triathlon pros - including Linsey Corbin and Oregon homeboy and Wildflower winner, Jesse Thomas

"Float" workouts to build strength for midrace attacks - personally, I'm only attacking my so-called "love of running" midrace

Inspiring article on Liberia's first marathon - trying to put a 14-year old civil war behind them

Do you have $1500 burning a hole in your pocket? - if you don't, you should get out of triathlon now

Off-season workout plans from superstar triathlete Miranda Carfrae - she's pretty damn fast...you should probably pay attention

Top three new running shoes for men and women - these seem like pretty random picks, but what do you expect from Yahoo?

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Running Hills Like a Vegetarian!

No, I'm not a vegetarian.

But, as you may remember, I'm almost to a full year as a pescatarian (yeah, that's fish, but no beef, chicken, pork, lamb, bunny, etc...) and so far, I'm pretty happy with it.

So yesterday, the big plan was to head to Bald Hill and work on my hill running in preparation for the Mac 50.

But first, nourishment!

So the R's family unit headed to First Burger in Albany. Never been there, but always wanted to try it. Unfortunately, they don't have a fish burger on the menu. I'll always take a fish burger over a veggie burger, every single time. But it was not to be.

OK, fine, so I went for the veggie burger. The Hottie Burger to be exact. And wow, that is the best veggie burger I've ever had in my entire life. Clearly homemade. Clearly fresh. Not clear exactly what was in it...rice, barley, other stuff...but it was SO good.

So then came the test.

Hills.

Yeah, three times around. Ouch.

But not bad, except for my quads being a bit sore from the downhills.

Maybe I need to get a First Burger, veggie style, for the Mac 50! I wonder if they deliver...

Pescatarian Ahoy!

Yes, I've lived the fishy life for a full three months now and I'm feeling pretty good about it. So far, I haven't had a true hankering for beef, chicken or pork. In fact, if anything, I've become more certain that I can live without those meats and I'm even, gulp, sure that I can skip the turkey this T-Day.

I know, right?

Now the problem is how to spell the stinking word! Wiki says pescetarian, but Merriam-Webster says Pescatarian. What the?!

I'm sure there's some kind of Latin root word in there somewhere, but I'm just going to go back to Spanish 101 at the UW. Pescar: to fish. That works for me.

Pescatarian it is!

Mary Tyler Moore, David Duchovny...and Me!

It's like one of those comic-page puzzles - which one of these items doesn't fit?

Well, they all fit now! Because all three - Mary, David, and me - are currently pescetarians. Those two, for who knows how long, and me for all of four days now. Woot!

What is a "pescetarian," you ask? Well, here's the scoop, but to put it simply, it's a vegetarian that also eats fish. No beef, no chicken, no pork.

I've always had issues with the diet side of serious running training. I just like eating. I think this will help me limit the crap I eat while still letting me eat enough food that I enjoy. To me, that's the key to not ending up "cheating" on your diet plan after the first week.

Wish me luck!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF JULY 26th TO AUGUST 1st

July 31st / All Women's Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon / Fairview, OR

July 31st / Grizzly Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Choteau, MT

July 31st / Beaverhead Y-Tri Sprint Triathlon / Dillon, MT

July 31st / Anacortes Art Dash Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Anacortes, WA

July 31st / Ellensburg Sprint Triathlon / Ellensburg, WA

July 31st / Federal Escape Olympic and Sprint Triathlons / Federal Way, WA

July 31st / Torchlight Run at Seafair 8k and 5k / Seattle, WA

August 1st / Troika Half-Iron Triathlon / Spokane, WA

August 1st / Whisky Dick Sprint Triathlon / Ellensburg, WA

August 1st / Wildwood Trail Run Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 10k / Portland, OR

August 1st / XTERRA Black Diamond Off Road Sprint Triathlon / Black Diamond, WA

August 1st / Mid-Summer Olympic and Sprint Triathlons / Fairview, OR


Thanks to Zazzle.com for the fishy t-shirt!