Vegetarians may want to look away…

Today I’m here to describe the wonders of the “Brurger”. What is a brurger, you ask? A brurger, also known as the “hambur-brat”, is a fascinating mix of wonder-meats. The core unit consists of a hamburger patty, cheese, and a Johnsonville bratwurst, all tucked into a standard hamburger bun. The bratwurst is first cut in half, and then split along its longitudinal axis before mounted on its greasy beefy base.

However there are a plethora of variations and enhancements can can be performed to the standard brurger. One nuance is simply additional condiments. We have tried salsa (Tex-Mex Brurger) and blue cheese dressing (Fatty-fat Brurger), all with great success. Another novel idea is adding fry sauce (Utah Brurger). *Note* for those who don’t know, “fry sauce” is a mixture of ketchup and mayo, and is generally only found in Utah for some reason.

Furthermore, the standard brurger can be built upon by simply adding more meat, for instance bacon (Pig Brurger), a second bratwurst half (Br-Brurger), a second hamburger patty and a second bratwurst half (Double Br-Brurger), or a chicken breast (Noah’s Ark Brurger — give me two of every animal!). Most of these variations are experimental and not recommended for people who want to live past age 60.

The best brurger I’ve ever had was just last week, while camping with my wife and a friend in northern Washington. After my first “Standard Brurger”, I decided I wanted something more, and soon invented the “Br-Brurger”. The layers were: bun, bratwurst, cheese, patty, cheese, bratwurst, bun. Although it dripped the largest amount of grease I’ve ever seen, it ended up being about the best thing I’ve ever eaten.

So what does this have to do with running, you ask? After all, this is running blog. Well, the brurger’s history roots deeply into the realms of running. The original brurger was invented by myself and several friends after the 2004 Canyonlands Half Marathon. After working ourselves over in this early-season half marathon, we all decided that we deserved something “special”, something that would replenish our depleted calories and fat stores. Being a Wisconsin native it seemed logical to me that bratwurst should be involved. One thing led to another, and after some group collaboration the first brurger was born in the campground at Arches National Park.

The brurger soon become a traditional post-race meal. The deal is that you have to “earn” it. Usually a half marathon is sufficient, although special exceptions are allowed as well, such as long journeys and reunions with friends.

While in training, I keep my diet pretty tight: a lot of vegetarian cuisine, lean poultry, and fish. However, at times I feel it appropriate to let loose and celebrate, whether it’s finishing a tough race or enjoying the companionship of friends. For me, the brurger symbolizes the balancing of rigid training with celebration. Eating healthy is definitely beneficial for running…but something you just gotta unbuckle the belt and enjoy!

And while I’m off-topic, go Packers!

Let me just start off by saying I am NOT a true vegetarian or vegan. I am merely a fan. I would be classified more as a “flexitarian” or “semi-vegetarian” due to my occasional indulgence of bratwurst and other irresistable fatty meats. But I have come to recognize and believe in the positive effects of healthy vegetarian and vegan cruisine on not just our general health, but on running performance as well. Here’s why:

1) Reducing or eliminating meat and dairy helps keep weight off. A runner carrying extra weight is slower, less economical, more prone to injury. I struggled to lose those 10 extra pounds for quite some time until I tried more vegan cooking. Exercise wasn’t doing it, but diet did.

2) You will feel better. A vegan or vegetarian diet will gravitate toward foods, fats, and oils that are natural anti-inflammitories, and stay away from foods that actually increase inflammation (red meats, grease, eggs, processed foods, sugars, etc.). I noticed that my inflammation from plantar fasciitis and back pain was at an all time high after a work conference where I ate out every meal at brew pubs (nachos anyone?). When I switched to healthy, low-fat, low-sugar vegetarian the next week, I quickly started feeling better, and even my plantar fasciitis finally starting improving. Other people I know have had similar successes in reducing their back pain and other inflammitory ailments through a change in diet.

3) You will have more energy and better daily performance. After eating a big steak or a couple bratwursts, I’m usually ready to just wash my face and curl up for a nap. On the other hand, after a nice vegan meal, or a good salmon cruisine, I’m ready to go out and run! Digestion is faster and takes less energy, plus my body is fueled with nutrients designed for performance. Since switching to a mostly vegetarian diet, my daily energy levels have never been higher. I sleep less, am more productive, get sick less, and maintain steady, consistent running performance. Sasha can attest this as well; the year he switched to a “vegan-ish” diet, he dropped his marathon time from around 2:31 down to 2:24. Scott Jurek, America’s best ultramarathoner, is a vegan. He attests that his performance is related to his diet.

How many of us are willing to sacrifice a few of our favorite meats and junk foods for a performance jump like that? I encourage people to give it a try. If you are looking for ways to keep weight off or lose weight during the off season (or during season), give the veggie thing a shot. If you’re dealing with chronic inflammation-related injuries, give the veggie thing a shot. If you’re out of training ideas but still need a performance boost, give the veggie thing a shot. If you just hate it, or don’t get the results, you can always go back. But diet should be a tool to help our running, and it is an available resource.

Before people jump all over me, I want to make clear that just switching to a haphazard vegetarian or vegan-based diet will NOT help us. If the diet does not fulfill fueling requirements, it will hurt us. Educate yourself on what composes a well-rounded healthy diet with proper energy requirements. This goes for all diets, not just vegetarian (yes, a meat-based diet can be extremely healthy and performance-enhancing as well — I just think vegetarian/vegan has better potential). A good resource to read for those considering introducing vegetarian cruisine to their diet is “The Vegetarian Sports Nutritiion Guide” by Lisa Dorfman. This book helped demystify vegetarian fueling for athletes, and contains a lot of great profiles of elite vegetarian athletes, as well as their favorite training meals and recipes.

Like I said, I still indulge occasionally in various wonderful meats and junk foods. I strive for moderation and balance, and enjoying all types of foods can help us enjoy life more as whole. Remember, there is more to life than running, but making certain lifestyle choices, including diet and nutrition, can help us out with our running!

I’ll conclude by sharing some of my favorite vegetarian, vegan, and pisco-vegetarian recipes. These are all available on the Whole Foods Market website. These recipes, along with being very healthy, have an amazing amount of taste, and my wife and I always look forward to making them.

Indian Dal — one of my favorites. Lentils provide protein, and cardmom, fresh cilantro, and a jalepeno provide the style points! (vegan)

Quinoa with Broccoli and Cashews — high protein, gluten-free. The sun-dried tomatoes and red onion make this dish. (vegan)

Black Bean Burritos — these are GREAT. The crushed red pepper, hot sauce, lime juice, and fresh cilantro ensure both kick and zing. Leave out cheese for vegan. (vegetarian)

Honey Miso Dijon Alaska Salmon — oh man, this is a taste sensation. Salmon provides Omega-3 fats, which are natural anti-inflammitories. Remember to buy only wild-caught salmon to avoid the toxins in farm-raised salmon. (pisco-vegetarian).

I weighed in today at 132 pounds. So that means I’ve finally hit my goal and returned to my college racing weight. Hurrah! I celebrated by getting my chin-up PR (14). Chin-ups are a lot easier without love handles. Celebrated more when I got home by eating an orange.

I am originally from Wisconsin, and love things like beer, bratwurst, and cheese Danishes. It had taken its toll, and I developed the dreaded “skinny-fatguy belly” after college. I was about 145 pounds last winter when I got hurt, and over 140 pounds during the Grand Slam when I got hurt. A couple winters ago I hit 155. I think I read somewhere that every running stride you take, your joints bear 3x your body weight upon impact. Running downhill, it is even more. So for me to lose 10+ pounds is really like losing 30+ pounds, as far as my knees, back, and feet are concerned. It also factors into running economy and VO2Max, which may explain why holding a 6:30/mile pace seems pretty effortless right now, whereas my easy pace the past few years was 7:00+/mile. So I think meeting this weight goal will continue to help with injuries and also performance. 90% of my meals now are vegan or vegetarian, and that has been key for shedding excess weight, plus my energy levels have never been better. The funny thing is that after a while, you really start to like rice, beans, lentils and buckwheat. There are some excellent recipes out there. I still like the occasional bratwurst though, and if I lose any more weight, I will have to start adding more sausage and battered food to my diet! I am happy where I’m at and don’t need to lose a pound more.