This last installment in this series is all about static stretching. It’s my favorite of all mobility training. Maybe it’s because it calls to the inner gymnast in me. Maybe because it feels so good! But static stretching is the icing on the cake of any workout for me, as long as I take the time to do this!
Ideally, this is done after some type of fascia releasing modality as I reviewed with you in part 3 of my series about foam rolling. However, there are times this may not be possible or convenient after a workout, for example, after a group run away from your home. I actually carry a stick roller and a roll-up picnic blanket in my car to use after a run to which I have traveled.
Static stretching is intended to lengthen muscles and improve overall flexibility and range of motion. You get into a position to a comfortable end range, then hold for at least 30 seconds. Try to do 2-3 reps per stretch. Some stretches I like to hold for longer, more like a yoga pose. Static stretching should not be painful.
Speaking of yoga, taking a class is absolutely complementary to your flexibility training, and I firmly believe it can be hugely beneficial for a number of aches and pains!
Some of my favorite stretches on the floor are as follows:
Half Cow Pose
This I try to hold for at least a minute, once with my left leg on top, once with my right leg on top. I thank my friend and yogi Amanda Myers for this stretch!
Hip Flexor to Hamstring/Calf Stretch
Start in a deep lunge. Here, I’m stretching my left hip flexors, transitioning to stretching my right hamstrings and calf muscles. Try to hold each position for about 30 seconds.
Glute Stretch
Hold for about 30 seconds on each side.
If I can’t sit or get onto the ground after a run, for example, after a big group run, I have a series of stretches I do in standing:
Quad stretch
Hold for about 30 seconds, using a stationary object to hold onto or touch for support if needed.
Hamstring stretch
Hold for 30 seconds each leg.
Glute stretch
You’re in a bit of a squat here. Cross your leg over your opposite knee, and add pressure with your hand for further stretch. Hold onto or touch something sturdy for support. Hold for 30 seconds each leg.
Calf stretch
Press your toes into a wall, curb, etc. and lean forward to a comfortable stretch. Try shifting your hips a bit to each side to stretch different portions of your calf muscles. Hold for 30 seconds. This is also a handy mid-run stretch if needed.
I hope you find these helpful! Maintaining flexibility is an important part of your injury prevention and recovery routine. Taking a few minutes, a few times a week, to focus on maintaining and improving your flexibility can improve your overall comfort with running.
Want to learn more? Look back at the rest of the series! Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Do you take the time to do static stretches after a run? What are some of your favorite stretches? I’d love to hear about it! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy. Happy running!
*I offer this advice as a courtesy, and bear no responsibility for injuries incurred if you take my advice. Please consult your doctor if injured.*
One of my vegan friends clued me into the fact that the Silver Diner has recently upped its vegan game. Since the Innsbrook location is not too far from home, my husband and I ventured there for dinner for the first time in a couple of years.
Real diner style!
The juke box at our table
Known regionally for seeking locally sourced items for their menu, the Silver Diner offers a wide selection of omni and vegan friendly choices, including breakfast served all day. They have several locations throughout Virginia and Maryland, with one restaurant in New Jersey. Paying homage to American kitschy decor, their diners look like they jumped out of the 1950’s. For Covid, they have plexiglass barriers between the booths, and the counter seating is not in place right now.
My meal at the Silver Diner!
For our dinner, my husband and I both chose breakfast, although I was tempted by the beyond meat tacos and the seasonal vegan menu item, Hummingbird Farms roasted tomatoes. I almost got the Just Egg Benedict, but I had my heart set on the oat milk protein blueberry pancakes before I even walked in the door. I also ordered a side of vegan sausage, and my husband and I shared an order of home fries.
The Oat Milk Protein Blueberry Pancakes
I was really happy with my meal. The sausage was really tasty. The pancakes were amazing! Packed with blueberries, the real surprise was the addition of crushed pistachios! With a whopping 40g of protein, they came with a side of agave syrup and coconut whipped cream, which added a perfect extra sweetness to these.
Check out some of the veggie menu items:
Just one part of the menu at the Silver Diner that features vegan items!
Overall, I was pleased with our experience today. I’m impressed with the variety of choices for vegans on the menu, including a few things made with Beyond Meat and Just Egg. The service was great. They have kept many of the Covid precautions in place, and their staff are still wearing masks. Now if they could just make some vegan milkshakes, it would be perfect! We will be back!
Have you ever been to the Silver Diner? I’d love to hear about your experience! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
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In May 2022, I updated my review in this post! The Silver Diner answered my plea for vegan milkshakes!
It’s the fitness recovery task we love to hate. Let’s face it: the older we get, the more help we need to recover from our workouts. And our bodies beg the question: why does foam rolling hurt so good?
In Part 1 of this series, we talked about why foam rolling is thought to be beneficial. The hypothesis is that when we do intense workouts like running, our muscles become inflamed and stick to the overlying fascia, reducing our overall mobility and flexibility and causing discomfort. Foam rolling is thought to help break up these adhesions, to signal the body’s stretch receptors (golgi tendon organs) to relax, and improve overall mobility, preparing your muscles for static stretching.
But what exactly is fascia, you ask?
The simplest way to explain is to use a real life example. If you have ever eaten chicken on the bone, you may have encountered this fibrous, stretchy muscle covering and not realized it. It looks white-ish and somewhat translucent, and you definitely found some if you separated one muscle belly from another. (Another reason I don’t eat meat anymore!)
What tools can we use to foam roll?
Types of rollers are abundant. Even discount stores like Five Below have them. I’ve bought a few from places like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshall’s, who always seem to have a few kinds in stock, from smooth to bumpy. And then there are the Cadillacs of models that do things like vibrate and heat. If you aren’t used to foam rolling, try getting a smooth version that is a bit squishy; it will be more comfortable for you.
You can also buy stick rollers, again, cheap to expensive. I love my stick roller from Five Below as much as my $20 version from Target. Then there is The Stick, which our local Richmond Fleet Feet owner loves to demonstrate to runners at group events. These are far more portable than their foam roller versions, and they don’t require you to lie on them. You simply rub them along the muscle belly, applying as much pressure as is comfortable to you. I often find using stick rollers more comfortable when I’m really sore!
How do I foam roll?
Using your foam roller is easy. I try to do this one or two times a week, and especially on long run day after my shower when my muscles are warm again, doing some static stretches after. Just lie down on the floor on your foam roller, and roll back and forth. Focus on one muscle group at a time for about a minute each. You want to roll over muscle bellies, not on ligaments, tendons, or bony prominences. This process should feel comfortably uncomfortable, if that makes sense, but not necessarily painful.
Short video demonstrating all the tools under the “foam rolling” umbrella. Concentrate on one muscle group for about a minute each for best results.
Did you catch that trick?
Warm muscles respond better to any flexibility training. That includes foam rolling. So working on foam rolling and static stretching after your post-run shower or epsom salt bath is a great time to do this. It’s one of the premises behind hot yoga.
What about massage guns?
Yes, I include the latest recovery craze under the foam rolling umbrella. If you want to invest in this tool, you can’t get away with cheap like you can with rollers or sticks. As a rehab clinician, I use the Hypervolt in the clinic, and this is the brand I personally use at home. There are comparable versions on the market, but I would not recommend the $15 model from Five Below for this tool. Costco has a version there for around $100 that has been reviewed well.
Massage guns work on the same premise, but the percussion and vibration of these devices are a different kind of stimulus than the friction and pressure of foam rolling. If you are lucky enough to have a partner who is willing to hit areas you can’t, like your posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and calves), low back, etc., consider yourself blessed. My CrossFit fanatic husband and I often help each other out with this when we are feeling particularly beat up.
Spending a minute or two on each major muscle group after a run or workout can help reduce discomfort, increase circulation to the targeted muscles, and improve mobility. Again, focus on the muscle bellies, avoiding bony prominences (the gun will actually bounce off of these) and ligaments or tendons. But do try this on the bottoms of your feet. It feels like heaven!
What about using a lacrosse ball?
It’s true that I have one of these in my arsenal of self-torture tools as well. These are great for targeting trigger points, smaller muscles, and the bottoms of your feet. What are trigger points, you ask? If you’ve ever had a small knot in a muscle, this is a trigger point. These are generally the size of your fingertip. (If you have a large, raised, perhaps superficial area that is very painful and/or warm and seemingly in a muscle, this is NOT a trigger point. Seek medical attention!)
To use the lacrosse ball, just sit on the ball and roll over any sore spots. If a lacrosse ball is too firm, try a tennis ball instead. This is a popular means to release a tight piriformis muscle, that tiny little complainer deep under your glutes. If you need to target a spot in your upper back, place the ball in the toe end of a long sock, throw it over your back, and use the end of the sock to align the ball as you press into a wall. The ball is also a great way to massage the bottoms of your feet! Simply stand on the ball, press, and roll.
Putting it all together:
Dynamic Stretches pre-run to prepare your body for the work ahead. You can also incorporate short, static stretches to problem areas. If this is your long run, take the first mile or so fairly slowly to fully warm up. See Part 2 of this series for more details.
After your run, ideally take some time to utilize one or more of these methods under the foam rolling umbrella prior to static stretching. If this isn’t practical, say, for example, after a big group run or a race, try to do this after your shower at home, when your muscles are warm again from the hot water.
Static stretching. Again, if it’s not practical to foam roll after a run, do at least a few static stretches. And it’s always a solid plan to fit in a good static stretching session after foam rolling. More on this in my next article in this series.
I hope this information was helpful to you! Do you currently incorporate foam rolling into your flexibility training and/or recovery from workouts? I’d love to hear about it! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy. Happy running!
*I offer this advice as a courtesy, and bear no responsibility for injuries incurred if you take my advice. Please consult your doctor if injured.*
It’s no secret that the best caregivers possess the soft skills of connecting with their patients. As a physical therapist with over 22 years of practice, I try to find ways to do this with each person in my care. This ability to connect with patients became even more vital during the pandemic, as strict visitation guidelines to prevent the spread of infection made our patients very lonely.
With many years working PRN, I’ve realized that I have about 30 seconds to establish trust with a patient. So I start by taking ownership of the session, simply introducing myself, stating that I am their PT for the day. I’m not “from physical therapy.” I am “your PT.” I also briefly discuss the game plan for the session so there are no surprises.
I’ve realized that the universe tends to place me in spaces where I’m needed often. I may work with someone who will benefit from my exact set of skills, my patience to listen, or the ability to navigate the system to get them to the right resources to help them best. Sometimes the reason is much simpler, like a common interest, or simply the ability to read someone and deliver exactly what they need in that moment.
I recently worked with a patient who was not that much older than me. We got into a discussion about college and music, and we discovered that we love many of the same bands! So whenever I worked with her, I took to playing music from my phone during our sessions. One day, she asked to hear the “busy” song, and I knew exactly what she meant. She wanted to hear Hairdresser on Fire by Morrissey, a song I happened to have in my iTunes collection. It was fate!
During another recent session on a weekend, I had a patient who simply didn’t want to do anything. In reading her, I felt that she was really just scared. I talked her into doing some bed exercises. I quickly realized she needed to be changed. After summoning some help, I ended up getting her to stand up multiple times in the process of getting cleaned up. And then since she was already standing, I convinced her to get into her wheelchair. Her hair was an absolute mess. Her reward for all the hard work she did for me? I braided her hair. I left her not a scared woman, but a happy lady who felt pretty for perhaps the first time since she was admitted to the hospital. It was a win for both of us.
One of the most rewarding things I get to do is to help someone reduce their pain. Shoulder pain is often a big problem for the very old with “end stage” shoulder arthritis and also for those with hemiparesis, when there is either limited structure left of the rotator cuff, or there is no muscle tone to approximate the joint. Tape to the rescue! I’ve got several methods to do this, but taping often reduces pain levels significantly, turning anguish into smiles and relief. Sometimes I’m the PRN that figures this out.
I made friends with a lady in an assisted living facility where I once worked. One of the beautiful parts of working in these settings is that you get a building full of adopted grandparents! She was a patient who benefited greatly from my shoulder taping skills. I learned early on in geriatrics that older people love to impart knowledge gained from their years of life experience. It’s always fun to see their faces light up when you let them indulge.
This particular lady was very helpful as my older daughter made the transition from little girl to tween. I guess my daughter had been particularly moody lately as a 5th grader, and I was venting a bit. She asked if I had thought about the possibility that she may be getting ready to start her cycle. Whoa! I had not thought of that. But I got prepared that day, had another talk with my daughter, and made sure she had supplies and was ready. Thank goodness for my friend, because the event for which we had planned happened just a few weeks later. I was so grateful for her insight.
My best story, though, is from my many years working in a skilled nursing facility. I had this patient I had been working with for well over a year to heal a wound. We alternated between diathermy and high volt e-stim to stimulate healing, and with e-stim, you turn up the intensity until the patient feels it. He was very hard of hearing, and we worked out a system where he would hold my hand, then squeeze it when he felt the buzz.
We developed a friendship over time. I greatly admired his adoration and devotion to his wife. She had severe dementia, but was more mobile than my patient, as he was non-ambulatory, yet mentally intact. She lived next door in the assisted living. But my patient made a point of having dates with her once a week. It was so very sweet! I loved that our staff made it happen.
He was also a very handsome fellow. He looked just like Victor Kiriakis from Days of Our Lives. He had never seen the show, and eventually I was able to share his likeness with my patient. He joked that he looked better than Victor!
I was devastated when I came into work one day, and he wasn’t there. He had suffered a major stroke. It happened right before I left for a weeks vacation. On our last night there, I had a dream about him.
In my dream, I was at work, and it was a Friday afternoon, when often the rabbi would play music at the nurses station for residents. My patient was there, and as I walked through, he stood up out of his wheelchair, took me into his arms, and danced with me, much like a father dances with his daughter at her wedding. He then let go, walked away, and faded into the distance. I woke up already crying. I sobbed like a baby for several minutes, because I knew in my heart that he was gone. Later that day, his obituary was posted. I’m certain he came to me in my dream to let me know that he was leaving, and that he was ok.
You never know how much your interactions with someone will make a difference. While not all of my sessions with my patients are extraordinary, I hope that most of the time, I convey care and compassion, sharing common human experiences and applying my skills to help my patients feel heard, valued, and better. It’s really not enough to just address someone’s physical needs in healthcare, especially when we spend as much time as we do with patients in the rehab world. The golden rule of nature is to leave things better than you found them. The golden rule of people skills is to treat others how you want to be treated. Combine the two, and that’s the power of connection.
Have you ever been the recipient of caregiving from a provider who took the time to connect with you? Or have you been on the caregiver side? I’d love to hear about your experiences. As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
So in part 1, we talked about the ways that dynamic stretching, foam rolling, and static stretching work together to help improve and maintain your flexibility and prevent injury and when it’s best to do these activities. In part 2, let’s delve further into dynamic stretching.
Dynamic stretches are designed to get your body ready to move. For running, it’s super helpful to spend a few minutes before a long run doing a few different movements to lengthen muscles and prepare for the work ahead. Of course you will focus mostly on leg muscles, but don’t ignore your core or arms, especially on those double digit runs.
My basic pre-run routine is as follows:
Leg pendulum swings
Front to back
Side to side
Try to do about 10 of these on each leg.
These hit all of your major hip muscles.
You may find it easier to do these if you are holding on to something for balance. I often touch my car or my porch rail, or the arm supports of the treadmill, depending on where I’m running!
Leg pendulum swings front to back
Butt kicks
These are a great warm-up for your distal quads.
Try to do about 10 on each leg.
Butt kicks
If I’m running about 10k or less, I stop here. But for double digit runs, I also add these:
Trunk rotations
With arms out to your side, simply rotate side to side to warm up your core. Do 10-20 of these. It’s really amazing how much you use these muscles while running!
Trunk rotations
Arm swings
Simply swing your arms front to back, letting them choose a natural path. Do 10-20 of these. I think I get just as fatigued in my arms and shoulders as I do in my legs during double digit runs, so I definitely do these before!
Arm swings
This is also the time to do some short static stretches, 30 seconds or less, to focus on some areas that may typically cause discomfort on a run.
Have you had calf or ankle pain? Do a few calf stretches.
Have a grumpy set of hamstrings? Do a standing hamstring stretch.
IT band acting up? Do a standing stretch to focus on this area.
I’ll have more about these in my final article in the series.
Corral dynamic stretches
If you are stuck in a corral and have limited space before a race, you can do these:
low squat, gently wiggling side to side for about 30 seconds at a time.
Butt kicks are also doable in a small space.
Lunges, maybe modified for space, may also be possible, both forward and lateral.
Keep in mind that there are additional recommended dynamic stretches for speed/track work, which is a more specific workout.
In addition to these simple stretches, it’s important on the long run especially to not start out too fast, using the first couple of miles to ease into the work ahead.
On your next run, try some dynamic stretches first, and see if your run is more comfortable!
Do you take the time to do dynamic stretches before your runs? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear about it! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
*I offer this advice as a courtesy, and bear no responsibility for injuries incurred if you take my advice. Please consult your doctor if injured.*
When I went vegan in 2017, one of the things I missed most was pizza. I simply couldn’t find a vegan one that really stacked up to their non-vegan counterparts. It was easier just to not eat pizza. (I know. Sad, right?) That is, until I discovered Hop Craft RVA, which has quickly become a family favorite. They are vegan friendly, but have options for everyone. This is very necessary in my multi diet household.
The My Vegan Girlfriend pizza
My first trip there was with my daughter a couple of years ago. I can’t remember how I heard about the restaurant, but we had been museum hopping, and a Google search for vegan friendly restaurants reminded me that I’d wanted to try it. I was so excited to have not just one choice, but multiple menu options!
We loved our meals so much, we brought home pizza to go for the rest of the family. The next time my husband was up for a dining adventure, he was like, “Hey, what’s that pizza and beer place you got that pizza from last time? Let’s go there!” Clearly, I created another fan.
Speaking of beer, in addition to great pizza, they have a variety of adult beverages on tap. Selection rotates, but they typically have at least one cider in the mix, which is my personal favorite. Don’t see anything you like? You can purchase a cold 6 pack from their fridge or a bottle of wine. Lots of variety.
The Pickleback pizza
I’ve had a few of their pizzas now, but my default is the vegan Pickleback. There’s something hilarious about eating a pizza whose name is inspired by the band everyone loves to hate. But with Unmoo vegan cheese, soy chorizo, pickles, a kick ass red sauce, and the best crust ever, there’s nothing to hate about this pizza. Even my omnivorous younger daughter thinks this one is delicious. The rest of my family is equally happy with the non-vegan options.
Closeup of the Pickleback! Look at all that melty Unmoo cheese!
What’s even better is that they have Unmoo Vegan Slice night every Thursday with a rotating variety of vegan options. One day, I will make it to one of these! If you’ve never had Unmoo cheese, you should. It’s a cashew based vegan cheese that melts like dairy mozzarella, and it’s made locally in the RVA. It really makes the pizza. A Thursday visit supports two locally owned businesses at once!
An example of their selections for Unmoo Slice night! Graphic courtesy of The Hop.
The Hop also participates in Vegan Food Week every year in Richmond. Last time, they did a vegan lasagna special, which I missed. I really hope they bring this back!
Logistics notes: even though The Hop is on Cary Street in the heart of the fan/VCU area, they do have parking. They also have a few indoor tables and a large outdoor dining area.
I’m ecstatic that we found a restaurant that makes everyone in my family super happy! If it’s been a while since you’ve had pizza as a vegan, go get one of their vegan pies with unmoo cheese. I swear, it will make you cry, it’s so good.
Want to learn more? Visit their website and/or follow The Hop on Instagram @hopcraftrva to see what’s new! If you live in the Richmond area, have you ever dined here? I’d love to hear about your experience! If you haven’t, you should go! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
Static vs. Dynamic Stretching vs. Foam Rolling: The Great Debate of Sports
As many of us prepare for fall running race season, I wanted to visit this topic to educate my team! This is part one: the why. I love to geek out on the science of things! If you understand it better, you can make better choices.
The debate over which is best has been researched fairly extensively, and the answer to this question is still highly variable. Personally, I think all fill their purpose, and which you choose and when is largely dependent upon your sport or activity.
Recent research has shown that static stretching before activities can actually decrease your power. Does this make dynamic stretching the answer? Still other scientists swear off stretching altogether, which is advice that hurts my very soul as a physical therapist!
There are some sports that require extreme flexibility, like gymnastics, that require tremendous flexibility to perform as expected. In this sport, a dynamic warmup like running laps around the mat precedes a prolonged static stretching session to prepare your body for the workout ahead. This formula has remained relatively unchanged since I was a gymnast in the 80’s.
Speaking of the 80’s, do you remember all of the fitness videos with bouncing stretches? That’s as out of fashion as the leos and tights worn in the videos! We have these mechanoreceptors in our muscles called Golgi tendon organs (GTO’s) that sense stretch. They are not as quick at detecting extreme stretch as you might achieve with a bounce, so it makes it easy to go too far into a stretch when we do so, potentially leading to injury. Just don’t do it! However, GTO’s are also hypothesized to send signals to our central nervous system to encourage our muscles to relax when foam rolling, potentially helping to improve our flexibility as we are breaking up adhesions.
So, what is best for running?
Personally, I like to do a few dynamic stretches prior to setting out for a run. This gets my muscles warm and ready to move. I save the majority of my static stretching for after my run. Stretching is important for improving and maintaining your flexibility. This works well in conjunction with foam rolling, which is meant to help break adhesions between the fascia and your muscles, allowing further improvements in your flexibility. Some PT’s recommend foam rolling before your static stretching for this reason.
But what does the science say?
Static stretching and power:
For power sports such as sprinting, jumping, etc, static stretching prior to the activity can significantly impair your performance. However, further studies have noted that there is no significant decrease in power with shorter static stretches of less than 45 seconds. I interpret this study as it pertains to recreational runners, especially marathon training, that short static stretches integrated into a dynamic warmup prior to a run are likely just fine and can improve your comfort during a run, especially if you have areas that tend to complain consistently.
Dynamic stretching and running:
A recent study suggests that a short, dynamic stretching routine focusing on all the major lower extremity muscles prior to a run can actually boost performance for endurance runners. Of course, this study was conducted with all male subjects, but does seem to support the notion that dynamic stretching is beneficial.
Foam rolling:
Although we know foam rolling feels good, does it actually improve performance and flexibility? A meta analysis study seems to prove so. How it works is still largely hypothesized, but foam rolling is believed to help break up adhesions between the fascia and muscle while also encouraging trigger point release. It’s generally advised to roll prior to stretching, as breaking up any adhesions will help the muscles mobilize and stretch more effectively.
A variety of rollers in my arsenal of tools. I have foam, stick, and foot rollers, and this is only part of my collection!
In summary, the research says:
Dynamic stretching before your run is best, with some short static stretches (about 30 seconds) on targeted areas that tend to bother you while running as needed.
After your run, foam rolling first will help break up any adhesions prior to stretching.
After foam rolling, static stretching will help improve your overall flexibility.
Obviously, after big group runs, you may not always have your foam roller available to recover in the “right” sequence, but maybe try to incorporate this into your recovery after cross training workouts or later in the day. You may also find a stick roller more portable for these instances when it may not be convenient to get on the ground and foam roll!
Now we know the science behind the why. I will follow up this post with the “hows” of dynamic stretching, foam rolling, and my favorite static stretches!
Do you stretch when you exercise? I always say it’s my favorite part of my workout, although I’m admittedly not always the best at practicing what I preach! I vow to get better at this. As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
*I offer this advice as a courtesy, and bear no responsibility for injuries incurred if you take my advice. Please consult your doctor if injured.*
Once again, Sports Backers has managed to pivot a traditional race due to the pandemic and turn it into something awesome. Normally held in downtown Richmond, starting and ending in Monroe Park adjacent to the VCU campus in late March/early April, this year’s race was delayed a bit. That’s OK, though, because it coincided nicely with the start of marathon training!
Our team, the Pink Nation, met on one of the two courses at Dorey Park on Sunday, and many of us ran the 10k race together. Sports Backers also had another official race course in Byrd Park, and since the courses were open for 4 days, you could take on the challenge of running both, earning you both an extra, special medal, and your own container of Ukrop’s famous rainbow cookies. (Unfortunately, not vegan.) I’m regretting not taking part in the challenge!
Ukrop’s Rainbow Cookies!
Speaking of rainbow cookies, Sports Backers commissioned RVA Coffee Stain artist Doug Orleski to design the medal and shirt this year, inspired by the famous cookie itself. My kids, now teenagers, still remember getting a free rainbow cookie whenever we shopped at Ukrop’s.
Really love both the shirt and the RVA cookie sticker!
The medal. Photo courtesy of Sports Backers.
The Ukrop’s Monument 10k is as much a Richmond tradition as the rainbow cookie, usually with over 25,000 participants. It’s one of the most popular 10k races in the nation. There are training teams in conjunction with the metro Richmond YMCA locations, which is how many area runners first experience the benefits of organized group runs in the RVA. I’ve had the pleasure of both participating in and coaching with the 10k training team! This race is known as a gateway experience to tackling more significant distances, and I am certainly a product of this phenomenon!
With teammate Maria after the race.
Sunday’s run was hot, but not impossible. I got to run with my fellow teammate, Maria, and catch up with her about her year off from serious running for a number of reasons, including, like many of us, the pandemic. My second official “race” on the Virginia Capital Trail, it certainly helped to be familiar with the terrain. The trail is definitely not flat, but it was beautiful, as usual, with lots of great company from friends on the course!
One of the many hilarious signs along the trail designed by one of our Pink Nation head coaches, Lisa!
Thanks again, Sports Backers, for yet another great event! Here’s hoping that next year, we can race downtown again!
Have you run an event with Sports Backers? Have you participated in any Sports Backers training teams? I’d love to hear about your experiences! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
This has quickly become a staple recovery smoothie for me, combining the sweetness of chocolate and banana, the protein of a vegan protein powder and plant based milk, and the goodness that is peanut butter. I simply don’t tire of the combination.
Ingredients for the smoothie. Note that you use very ripe frozen banana instead of one of these fresh, green ones!
Mix all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth, and enjoy!
Notes: you can use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla, and if you do this and/or use chocolate protein milk, you can omit the cocoa. I tend to keep vanilla protein powder on hand because it’s more versatile! You can use your favorite vegan protein powder; it doesn’t have to be Orgain. I just like this one because it tastes great and is readily available.
Unfortunately, the secret is out about my favorite plant based milk, the Silk 10g Protein variety. I’ve been having a difficult time finding it in the grocery store! I’ve been making special trips to Food Lion to buy a few at a time, since it’s been weeks since my local Kroger has had it in stock! It’s not typically available at Walmart or Publix. It’s also available at Whole Foods and Wegmans, which are special trip stores for me, since they are not close to home.
If you are looking for a tasty way to supplement your protein intake, this smoothie fits the bill, providing 27g of protein!
Feel free to share this graphic!
Do you like making smoothies? I’d love to hear about your favorites! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
My husband and I took a trip to Richmond for pizza, and then he had a craving for something sweet. Looking up places that were vegan friendly for dessert, WPA bakery popped up! Pretty famous on the local Vegan scene as a great place for vegan wedding cakes, I was certain they would have something we would both enjoy, since WPA Bakery is omni and vegan friendly.
We took the short trip from the fringes of Carytown to the Manchester area of Richmond, and we were not disappointed! Walking in, you are greeted by a display case with cakes and pies sold whole and by the slice, clearly labeled vegan, gluten free, or regular. Some items were even vegan AND gluten free!
Cookie and cupcake display at WPA Bakery
My husband chose a blueberry buttermilk pie and a mixed berry muffin. For my vegan treats? I chose a slice of German chocolate cake and a key lime cookie. There were so many options, I was overwhelmed! I actually had a choice of a few different cakes and cookies. I ended up asking for a recommendation on a cookie.
The vegan German chocolate cake
I thoroughly enjoyed my choices! The cake was amazing. Great crumb. Not dry. Just enough coconut to balance the rich, sweet chocolate. That slice may or may not have been my dinner that night. The cookie was delicious as well. Not too sweet with a great, sweet tart icing. It was a great treat after lunch at work the next day!
The vegan Key Lime cookie
In addition to their sweet bakery treats, WPA also serves lunch items and coffee, including vegan options.
Next time your sweet tooth calls, go visit WPA! It was worth the drive for us!
Have you visited WPA bakery? I’d love to hear about it! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
Anne the Vegan 