A (Failed) Foray into Veganism

For my February resolution, I planned to be vegan for an entire month...

Folks, I made it 1 WEEK. Only 1 week! 

Here’s a summary of my experience: 

For the first few days, I was feeling great! My stomach felt fine, my energy levels seemed normal, and my running hummed along. The only thing that seemed ‘off’ was my energy level in the evening…I was getting really sleepy by 5pm or so and could barely do anything but sit on the couch and stare blankly at my computer --I’m supposed to be doing homework during this time--. As the week progressed, the sleepiness set in earlier and earlier, so that by the end of the week I could barely function past lunch time…definitely not typical for me.

Other observations: I felt very fuzzy-headed along with the sleepiness; I was having noticeable concentration issues.  In the last couple days, I also noticed a dizziness that I have never experienced before. Perhaps all of these feelings would have subsided if I had persisted for a few more days or not gone ‘cold tofurkey’ off of all dairy/eggs/fish. But as a busy graduate student running 60+ miles per week with impending races and exams…it didn’t seem like the right time to continue experimenting!

Instead, I’ve joined Sophia (@Trails4life) in her strength training goal.  As many of my race photos suggest, I need some serious help with my running form.

I’ve been doing strength training on days that I do a track workout or tempo run (so that I’m not sore when trying to do run a workout).  So far so good, although the above photo is true evidence that I also need drills and probably professional help.

What are you favorite functional strength training exercises? Does anyone have helpful websites for strength-training-for-runners?