Vegetarian with Vegan Rising

If anyone had told me that the hardest part of owning my own business would be keeping up with a blog, I would never have believed you.  And I would have been wrong!  But, new year, new me, right?  So, here we go!

"It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.”  ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Today is January 16, and it is the 21^st anniversary of my becoming a vegetarian.  (History note:  it’s easy for me to remember because January 16, 1991 was the day the first Gulf War started, when Bush #41 was President.)  I’ve been asked many times if I miss meat, and the answer is no, I don’t, and I never have.  It was a very easy transition for me.  It was harder on the people around me who couldn’t understand that this could be a healthy lifestyle choice.  I made the decision because I’d just read too much on a wide array of related topics to keep eating meat.  The simplest answer is that I could no longer see a difference between the cats who live in my home and the cows in the field.  I couldn’t eat the cats, so I couldn’t eat the cows any longer, or the chickens and pigs.  

In the past year, I’ve focused more on vegan eating – no animal products at all.  It’s been a harder transition for me than becoming vegetarian was, but I’ve cooked more than ever before and have had fun experimenting with new cookbooks and recipes.  I’ve finally learned to love olives (how did I miss those salty wonders before?), avocados, sweet potatoes, roasted chickpeas, and a host of other foods I’d been ignoring.  I’ve also had to get a lot better at saying no, a skill that’s hard for me.  I still have a lot to learn, but it’s been very interesting, I feel great, and I am learning to read labels like a pro, a necessity for a vegan. 

I still think of myself as vegetarian with vegan rising.  I never try to convert anyone to my way of eating, but I answer questions honestly when asked.  If you’re interested in vegetarian or vegan eating, there are more and more resources available every day, with new books being published daily and new food options available nearly every trip to the supermarket.  Do an Internet search for “vegan recipes” or “vegetarian recipes” and see what comes back.  Some of the best information and recipes I’ve found have been on blogs – go figure! 

We just got back from the Houston marathon expo, where we had a great time and I got to see the men’s Olympic trials finish!  For an Olympics junkie like me, it was a once in a lifetime treat.  We have new product coming soon, literally as soon as we can get it on the website, so we’ll keep you posted on that, and in the mean time we’re working on our 2012 race calendar.  We hope to see you soon!  Run like a warrior!

Delicious Autumn!

             ”I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house.  
So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.” 
~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

It’s gotten a lot cooler in Texas.  Mornings are in the high 50’s or low 60’s, and perfect for running!  After months of 100 degree days and lows in the high 80’s, it’s unbelievably refreshing to head out the door in the morning and feel a chill.  With the cooler temsp, I finally had the opportunity to run in our short sleeve tech shirt this week for the first time, and it was wonderful!  I try to be really conscious of what I wear on runs, because it’s one of the easiest things for runners to control.  Can’t always control how my legs feel or my stomach feels, certainly can’t control the weather or the traffic, but I can control my hydration, my fuel, and my clothing.  In an upcoming post, I’ll share the guidelines I use for what I wear on the path based on the weather.

We had a great weekend at the Heels & Hills & Him packet pickup and race last weekend.  We saw some old friends and met a lot of new friends, all of whom we are very grateful for.  And we love seeing our shirts on runners!  I ran the 5K Sunday morning and really enjoyed it, Paula and her team always put on a great event.  It’s been a good week for running for me. 

We had a very nice review written of our long-sleeve tech shirt by a triathlete and blogger, Rebecca Korb, who is a member of the Team Cook Train Eat Race (www.cooktraineatrace.com), and is going for a Boston qualifying time at the Portland Marathon this coming weekend!  Go Rebecca!  Here is the link to her review: http://tribeccato.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/virawear-run-like-a-warrior/  Rebecca has a great blog, so be sure to look some around while you’re there. 

We still have free shipping on the website - come and shop with us!  Have a great week, and run like a warrior!

Clothing for Warriors

We are excited that our website is up and running after much planning and hard work.  Our friends are ‘liking’ us on Facebook and following us on Twitter, and we are grateful for every one of you.  We plan to expand our line of offerings, but right now we have some great fitting and looking women’s running shirts with inspiring designs in reflective inks, in addition to cotton t-shirts, and hats and visors.  We have V-neck shirts for women and short-sleeve shirts for men in the pipeline at the moment.

A lot of people have asked where the idea for this adventure came from.  There is a LONG story and a short story, so today I’ll give you the short story and save the long story for later.  Went to the local running store one day and picked up a couple new running tops.  Most technical shirts run very short, hitting right at the waist even if the manufacturer called them “long tops.”  These actually were longer in length, so I had high hopes they would be a good fit.  They weren’t cheap by any means, the bill for the two totaled over $100.  Nothing special about the shirts other than the length.

Headed out the very next morning before work for a run in one of the new shirts.  My house is two from the corner; by the time I got to the corner, this nice long shirt was bunched up around my waist, and I was so mad!  Why make the shirt long if you don’t make it so it will stay where it’s supposed to stay?  I knew what I paid for these new shirts, and I knew that I’d always be frustrated wearing them, especially all the times I run with a hydration belt.  I fight with long shirts to not ride up and gather underneath the belt, or fight with shirts that are so short I have to tug on them the entire run just to keep them under the belt.    

Got back from my run that morning, and I was frustrated enough that while getting ready for work, I spent the whole time thinking ‘there has got to be a better way to do this.’  And that is where this all started.  Our shirts run a little longer than the average shirt you find in running and workout lines, with a very flattering fit.  But, they are a little more generous through the hips so there's a better chance of not bunching up at your waist.  Our experience so far has been if someone has tried on the shirt, they’ve bought it. 

Had a great long run on Sunday around White Rock Lake here in Dallas, and some shorter runs and interval workouts since then, and a little yoga thrown in.  I’m building my mileage back up for some half marathons this fall and winter, and maybe a marathon, and really enjoying the process.  I hope you’re enjoying your runs these days, too, and the slightly cooler temps if you’re in Texas like me.  Hope to see you on the path! 

Run like a warrior!

Run Proud for Dessert 5K

Had a great Saturday morning at the Run Proud for Dessert 5K at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, under the new tent!  A very fun event, we were glad to be part of it.

Welcome Warriors!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for visiting our website and our blog.  We are excited to be launching our line of athletic wear, designed with you in mind.   We want you to be comfortable, feel inspired and empowered, and then forget about your clothes and do what you want to do! 

So where did our name come from?  Honestly, from a yoga class.  When we were thinking about what we wanted our brand to represent, the image that kept coming to the front of the line was that of a warrior.  I know I feel like a warrior every time I set my mind on a goal, like I do in running, and then lay out the plan, do the training, and go for it, and I see my friends doing the same.  Whether it’s finishing your first 5K or hitting your goal time in a marathon or heading into the world of ultra running, you are a warrior.  Trying something new for you, like biking, or yoga, or maybe kickboxing?  You’re a warrior.  So there I was in a yoga class, and the instructor called out the pose, one I’d done and heard called out hundreds of times, as “Warrior One, Vira One.”  On came the light bulb, and the name “Virawear” was born.  It comes from the Sanskrit word “Vīrabhadrāsana.”  We want you to release your inner warrior into the world!

We are a small business, founded, owned and operated by people who love to live an active lifestyle.  We’ve had lots of support from family and friends as we have gotten this off and running, and we want to thank everyone who has helped us or offered a word of encouragement or advice as we have headed down this path.  It’s been fun and exciting, and we’ve learned a lot already, and we look forward to what the future holds.  We are excited to be taking the huge step of launching our website, and we hope to see you visit us here frequently and at a race expo soon!  Run like a warrior!