I need my sugar and bread!

I'm off the elimination diet and I learned a few things. The whole purpose for me we to try and figure out how to help clear my skin and aid in muscle recovery. In my case, it had the opposite effect. By eliminating grains and refined sugars, I was not able to hit my 3000 calories a day that I burn and wieght fell off rapidly, as did my training performance. My weight bottomed out at 136 lbs and my waste went down to 28 inches. On the plus side, hill climbing has gotten easier and I found my long lost abs! 

On the minors side, my acne got worse, probaby due to hormone swings from my reduced caloric intake. My muscle recovery was appalling. I could hardly handle 60 miles a week of training volume and I had my word race of the year at a time of the year at a time I should be thriving biased on my training callender. I took two rest days after 5 days and 50 miles and my legs were still tired.

On week three, I gave up on the diet. I started eating sub sandwiches, MetRX bars, and cake along with lots of salad and like a switch, I feel like I'm back from the dead! I set 2 KOMs this week bringing my grand total to 5. The carbs seem to re charge my legs like some kind of super fuel and a day or two after a hard ride, I'm ready for more. 

More KOMs are on the horizon. I set both of these in my work shoes with a 5 lb messanger bag on my back. 

Roslyn Rush XC race 2014

My wife and I made the trip over to The tinny town of Roslyn Washington to break my racing dry spell. Traveling to a race the night before and camping always seems to negatively effect my performance as the stress and exertion of camping and traveling tends to wear me down. My legs were still tired after 2 rest days in a row but I was there and it was time to race!

The beginning of the very steep start climb ( this was my second lap).

I had a few mechanical issues and did not feel great. I was racing as an intermediate and on a good day I should be in the higher category but on a bad day like today, I'm a mid pack finisher. 1200 feet of elevation per lap would have been nice for me had I felt my best. I had a good lead at the top of the climb at the start but my legs would not last. My consistent calorie defincite lately seems to be taking its toll on my body and my bottom bracket failed during the race as well. By the end, the bearings were nearly frozen and my new rear break rotor was rubbing quite a lot. My fork was too soft and my bar ends came loose forcing me to stop for a 60 second trail side repair. I should have done an equipment shake down ride last week. 

Headed toward the finish line.

Despite everything, I didn't want to bail on the second lap. I pushed the envelope a bit too much on the second lap decent and was cramping up a bit. I overshot a corner and had an collision with a large cunck of wood. Oops. 

With everything that went wrong and how bad I was feeling I was happy with my results, 4th in my bracket and 10th overall for cat 2. In the end, I was glad to have made it out to a race and although I didn't make the podium this time around, I re- learned some lessons. It's always better to sleep at home on race day. Always ride the bike a few days before a race to verify your setup. Sealed bearing cartridges need to be packed with greases at least every few years. Keep your training rides chill on race week. If your loosing weight, day after day, eat more food! 

Mid May Fitness Pogress

I am really starting to feel my training pay off this month. I also dropped 5 lbs since starting my elimination diet so my climbing speed is the best it's been since I was 19 years old and 120 lbs (see picture in my header from 2002).

I am now around 136 with significantly stronger legs. The beer belly i had at 150 lbs has been replaced by washboard abbs. I am on the verge of getting too lean but I enjoy the increase in speed at a given effort up all the hills. 

This week, I snatched my fist KOM in 2 years this week on the hardest hill I know of. The steeper and longer the climb is, the better shot I have at s KOM. 

I was stoked to have taken the hill by such a nice margine, about 10% faster than the previous king. 

I also has another fast ride up a killer hill producing a strong of top 10 placements.  Nice!

My legs still hurt. Today is my 2nd day in a row off the bike and I am racing tomorrow at the Rosland Rush XC race tomorrow. Hope my legs will be ready in 24 hours! I have been on reduced volume and higher intensity lately to try and produce some more power out of my skinny little legs. I am just past 1400 miles so far this year, on track for about 3,000 miles by years end. Hast year, I only logged 1000 all from very short rides so I am feeling like a proper cyclist again. 

Home made energy drink 2nd try

I made a second attempt at a home made energy drink free of fillers and refined sugar. This time, I believe I am on to something. 

One batch contained:

1 3/4 cup filtered water

1/8 tbs natural pink Himolayan salt

1/8 tbs baking soda

1 fresh squeezed organic Lemmon

4 tbs coconut blossom sugar

1/4 cup organic unfiltered apple juice

The resulting 4 cup batch needed to be watered down 50% so it was enough for 2 tall 24 oz water bottles. It was tasty and unlike my last attempt with honey and tea, it did not hurt my head and it contained citrus to slow the sugar absorbtion 

The clean diet is going OK. I hove cheated a little here and there on sugar and alcohol and the sugar is an acne trigger for sure. I am trying to substitute Clif bars for apples followed by a loaded salad with beats, seeds, and sweet potatoes post ride with acceptable results. I'm feeling good, but hungry most of the time. I am now between 135 and 140 lbs and floating up hills with relative ease. My beer belly has been replace by a six pack and my upper body is building up more than my legs oddly. Cycling seems to work every part of my body. Must be the constant out of saddle hill climbs out here.

I believe I can get into the top 10 if not top 5 on most of the hard climbs around Everett on Srava. I hit 3rd on the 75th st Boeing climb in Everett shown above in work clothes with a messenger bag. Still a long way from KOM though. If I can take that top spot over, I believe it would stand for a long time. 

Cleaning up my menu

Well, I'm about a week into my elimination diet although I have not stuck to it 100%. I have eaten some MetRX bars and had a little sugary snack here and there to keep me going. I am averaging 7 hours of cardio a week and my carb cravings have been intense. I am trying to eat the last of the processed foods at home and quit buying them. No more coffee either. That means my training rides and races will require a new fuel. That fuel will come from fruit, sugar, and salt. 

My first try at a home made energy drink is shown bellow. I drank this during my 42 mile training ride last Sunday.

So the results? Well, I logged some fast miles and kept a bonk at bay on two bottles of my mix and an apple but it was not a beverage I enjoyed and craved more of. It was a sweet tea with a weird aftertaste that made my head hurt. I did not dilute it enough and the formula needs work. Next time I think I will do without the tea and add more juice. I also picked up some coconut sugar so I will give that a try instead of honey for the calories. 

On the equipment front, I got a lot of flack (rightfully) for showing up to a shop ride without a buddy flap in the pouring rain. My previous full fender was glued on with shoe gu so it was not an easy morning of type install. I needed a hard point at the bb to bolt the fender to. Why not glue one on and leave it there year round?

 

Some 6061 painted black with a hole should serve the purpose of mounting my fended. Zip ties can be removed once the shoe gu is cured: 

Home made extra long buddy flap made from 1/8" industrial conveyor mat, 3m reflective tape, and some stickers for rear approach distance perception:

It might be May but we are not done with the wet weather yet. At times during my ride in the paceline I was wishing for a snorkel and diving mask.