Hello everybody!
I am Jason. I've been vegan for over 4 years and have come here looking for information, inspiration and ideas about physical fitness. My background is in bicycling. I've done many long distance trips, including a ride from Bar Harbor, ME to Minneapolis, MN last summer. My only goal in life is to ride my bike from Alaska south through Canada, down along the west-coast states across the southern states over to Florida and on down to Key West, FL. I plan on doing this within the next seven years (before I turn 35) as soon as I've saved the amount of money I think it will require plus enough so that I'm not penniless when I return.
I'm very skinny, with no muscle mass, except for my legs. I am an undisciplined eater; although I eat a wide variety of foods daily, including the good stuff like greens, fruits, veggies, flax seeds, almonds and whole grains, I eat a lot of junk and just generally overeat. I am not too concerned about overeating, however, since I don't drive, thus burning many calories in my commute to work, etc, in addition to my other riding.
I've always wanted to be a runner but have never been able to build any stamina. But, after reading some threads here a few weeks ago and buying some running shoes, I've made it up to 4 miles, which I am able to do 4 times per week (so far, let's hope I can build on this).
As for the weightlifting, I used to go to the gym all the time, working out with friends who were solid muscle, even trying things like creatine. But, I've never been able to build any mass in my upper body. So, with no reward other than the feeling of a good workout, I gave up on it after a few years. Now, pushups are the extent of my upper body workout. I also prefer the experience of running and bicycling as they can be outdoor activites and I like to be outside, and at the gym I belonged to, all the equipment had a potent bleach odor that really turned me off.
I'd really like to get into road racing but I don't yet have a training regimen that would make me competitive. I usually just go full bore, trying to race cars around the lakes here, or finding guys that look stronger than me and trying to outride them. Maybe by next spring I'll have researched this enough to get into it next season.
That's about it, I guess. Oh, I'm in Minneapolis but am thinking about relocating in the next few months. I'm 28. I work at Whole Foods Market. I'm a militant vegan for about 15 minutes a week, the rest of the time I think I set a positive example for those around me. I recognize the impossibilites of eliminating all suffering and only hope to make my impact, my footprint, as small as possible.
Peace,
Jason
Windproof clothing is the key, not layers!
