A few months ago, Matt Frazier of No Meat Athlete sent a message to his readers that he had a vision of No Meat Athlete Running Groups forming across the country. His vision has started to come into fruition. Here is an update from last month. I am grateful that Orange County is part of the movement!
In my few years of running, I’ve never been part of a running group. I’ve almost always run alone. I don’t know, I guess I was always afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the others. But when I heard that Orange County was going to be forming a NMA Running Group, I knew that I had to participate. Now, three months later, I am glad I joined.
- It’s nice to be around other people plant-based folks for a change–in all of my other circles, I am usually the only one. Some of us are vegan, some of us are vegetarian, some of us are in transition, some are veg-curious… but our group is safe wherever you fall on the plant-based spectrum.
- It’s nice to run with others sometimes. I wouldn’t say that I’m a lone wolf, but I’ve gotten used to running solo. Running with a group gives me motivation and encouragement.
- I’ve learned about new places to run. Orange County has so many places where you can run but it’s easy to just keep going back to the familiar. Running with this group has introduced me to new routes that I probably would’ve never ventured out on by myself.
- I’ve learned about and tried new vegetarian & vegan-friendly restaurants.
Here are some photos from our outings:
Our Inaugural run, then lunch at Seabirds Kitchen.
Beach Run, then smoothies at Jan’s Health Bar.
Running Back Bay in Newport
Brunch at Seabirds Kitchen
Beach Run!
Running the Fullerton Loop
It’s been fun meeting new people, running new routes, and dining with fellow veggies. I look forward to our group’s growth in 2015. Let me know if you want to run with us!
