Joanna Macdonald

However, 300,000 t0ns of clothing go to landfill in the UK each year (The Economist) and many runners don't use their race t-shirts, disposing of them after the race, which adds to the textile waste in landfill. Manchester Half Marathon decided to do away with T-shirts completely in 2019, after recognising that the 100kg of left over t shirts from their 2018 race was not okay. Running solo in your own city or town is definitely not the same as travelling to New York or London to race with thousands of other runners from all over the world, BUT a virtual race may be something to consider for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint or to gain confidence in racing without the pressure. As things go back to normal post Covid it may be possible to link up with local groups of runners or friends, who also want to run virtually, and take part in a big event but run at home.

There are 3 types of Omega 3 fatty acids. Something I'd never considered prior to eating a plant-based diet myself was how fish become a source of Omega 3. Fish eat algae, which makes them a source of Omega 3 for humans. We need to consider foods that contain Omega 6, which is present in things such as hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, soya spreads, because this can reduce the body's ability to make the conversion from ALA to DHA & EPA.

Bottles were heavier than plastic and plastic was cheaper to transport, so plastic won the day. Since 2018 and what has been dubbed The Attenborough Effect (after Blue Planet revealed the damage being done by plastic) there has been a resurgence of dairy milk in glass bottles. I believe we are standing on the bottom step of an escalator, which is about to escalate at high speed when it comes to plant mylk in refillable bottles. I could be missing others, within refill and plastic free stores, that don't promote themselves as mylk companies in their own right but do offer a refill service within their store.

I particularly enjoy listening to topics that help me understand ways I can improve my life, relationships with myself and others, lessening my impact on the planet and having better mental and physical health. If you've made it this far through my rambling, I'm about to share my favourite podcasts that have provided me with so many insights, inspiration and ideas to improve my life, relationships and focus on my values. I found his story from Stanford Graduate, to lawyer living an unfulfilled life, to alcoholic, to distance runner and plant-based wellness advocate fascinating. The topic of conversation revolves around that person's life and expertise more than running per se but it is all connected by running as an interwoven thread.