The Long Road Back

[xc62701]

As of this morning - 25 lbs down!

By next week I could see the high 160's, that's craziness. At this point I'm hoping for the mid 160's by end of April and that should set up nicely for the rest of the race season.

Tomorrow is short track and who knows what's gonna happen. I'm still a bit tired from last weekend and had a great 2.5 hour ride today. If tomorrow goes well that will just be a bonus.

 

[xc62701]

Holy crap short track was fun - and painful. It reminded me just how much more top end I need to get back. The legs felt heavy but good. I started to find a better rhythm later in the race but by then it was almost over. I needed 10 more laps to really get going.

The best part of short track is that looking back at my lap times I usually fade a bit over the bunch of laps that are completed. All of my laps were between 9:11-9:15. That's pretty consistent. I'll take that!

 

[xc62701]

And just like that, the winter is over for me. Yesterday was my last day of coaching the ski team, except for a few cleanup days, and I'm excited to have more freedom in my schedule. I'll have more baby responsibilities, but I can make that work. At this point I'm doing more work catching up on things I should have been doing the last 2 months like fixing things, paying bills, and actually catching up on work but cycling is always on my mind.

There's only 1 month left until the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek and hopefully all of the training I'm doing is going to pay off. Short track is helping get the top end back and I have been putting in some good long rides as well. Actually I'm hoping that my legs show up a little better this weekend than the last one as at this point I think I'll be back for round two of the short track. I wish it was on Saturday so I could race Saturday and go long on Sunday but it is what it is. As long as the weather holds up I'll be trying to hammer those rocks and keep chasing those fast guys.

 

[rottin']

And just like that, the winter is over for me. Yesterday was my last day of coaching the ski team, except for a few cleanup days, and I'm excited to have more freedom in my schedule. I'll have more baby responsibilities, but I can make that work. At this point I'm doing more work catching up on things I should have been doing the last 2 months like fixing things, paying bills, and actually catching up on work but cycling is always on my mind.

There's only 1 month left until the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek and hopefully all of the training I'm doing is going to pay off. Short track is helping get the top end back and I have been putting in some good long rides as well. Actually I'm hoping that my legs show up a little better this weekend than the last one as at this point I think I'll be back for round two of the short track. I wish it was on Saturday so I could race Saturday and go long on Sunday but it is what it is. As long as the weather holds up I'll be trying to hammer those rocks and keep chasing those fast guys.

My weekend is shaping up to be Lebanon 52 on Saturday am, then ST on Sunday. Long hilly ride followed by ST... Fully expect cement legs for the race as I will be hurting

 

[xc62701]

My weekend is shaping up to be Lebanon 52 on Saturday am, then ST on Sunday. Long hilly ride followed by ST... Fully expect cement legs for the race as I will be hurting

That's a proper setup for short track At this point I told myself not to allow short track to get in the way of fun on Saturday. If I do ok on short track that's a bonus.

 

[Mountain Bike Mike]

Just catching up on this thread.. Well done on the weight loss. Very impressive.

I think a little while back, I made some suggestions on diet in this thread or another thread on diet suggestions... I think... I also took some of my own advice and tweaked a bunch of things. As of this morning.. 8-10lbs lighter than my race weight last year... within the past month dropped 6lbs in combination with an uptick in ride hours due to BIYF. One other thing that is helping drop lbs is I am not longer weight lifting. All upper body workouts are on the bike in rocks. Strictly riding and yoga / stretching.

it really is amazing how much weight you can lose when you focus on what is really clean vs what most people think is healthy.

 

[MadisonDan]

As of this morning.. 8-10lbs lighter than my race weight last year...

I found your 8-10lbs. They currently reside around my mid-section, and are sponsored by IPA's of all different ilk.

Let me know when you want them back.

 

[rottin']

That's a proper setup for short track At this point I told myself not to allow short track to get in the way of fun on Saturday. If I do ok on short track that's a bonus.

Right? Lol. More just getting miles, elevation, and intensity for groundwork for TSE.
Bonus is I'm already down 12 pounds from my New Years weight, so I got that going for me....

 

[xc62701]

This is awesome seeing you guys also staying on track and doing well. I've allowed myself to stray a little the past couple days and enjoy some treats. It's been nice but wyes on the prize. I think I can get in the 160's in the next week or two and hopefully keep dropping from there.

 

[Dave Taylor]

I am down to 202 from 215 around xmas. I have been doing more gym work than bike work however. Hopefully when I get outside more I can shoot below last year's beginning of season weight of 196.

 

[xc62701]

Yea my goal was to try and get to 165 by June but the way things are going I think low 160's or high 150's are possible. I haven't seen those numbers in 6 years or so.

 

[UtahJoe]

If you mentioned it Ryan, I didnt recall.. Are you doing something different than you have in the past diet wise?

 

[xc62701]

If you mentioned it Ryan, I didnt recall.. Are you doing something different than you have in the past diet wise?

Nope. I'm just eating clean and riding my bike really. When I was super light in the past I was really watching my intake and probably cutting down maybe too much at times. I'm doing the same now. Aiming for around 1800 calories a day of good foods and trying to keep the cheating to a minimum. The eating thing is pretty straight forward. It's just preparing to have good foods that's the hard part. Whether it's having the food in the house or cooking a few meals at a time the preparation is key for me. If I have the good stuff readily available I'll eat it. This has been great so far as now I'm hovering in the low-mid 170's. If I could drop 15 lbs more that would be amazing.

 

[stb222]

Nope. I'm just eating clean and riding my bike really. When I was super light in the past I was really watching my intake and probably cutting down maybe too much at times. I'm doing the same now. Aiming for around 1800 calories a day of good foods and trying to keep the cheating to a minimum. The eating thing is pretty straight forward. It's just preparing to have good foods that's the hard part. Whether it's having the food in the house or cooking a few meals at a time the preparation is key for me. If I have the good stuff readily available I'll eat it. This has been great so far as now I'm hovering in the low-mid 170's. If I could drop 15 lbs more that would be amazing.

have you been talking to @Mountain Bike Mike

 

[xc62701]

have you been talking to @Mountain Bike Mike

I've seen some of his posts but there's nothing I'm stealing from elsewhere. Just eat the right amount of clean healthy calories, ride my bike and enjoy some bad stuff here or there. It's working well 2 months in and a lot lighter than when I started.

This is the one of the benefits - I'm fitting into old clothes I thought I might not wear again. Super motivating...

 

[xc62701]

Back to 171 this morning. 160's are close.

 

[Dave Taylor]

My road is a bit different. I get hooked on alcohol. Not a lot of quantity but too frequent. I love IPAs but atleast for now am done with them all together. Too dangerous for me. I switched to Jack on the rocks with water. I atleast lose weight with this stuff. Now I have stopped all together. Atleast until easter but hopefully longer. It's bad when I could have 4 or 5 strong IPAs the night before a race last year and hydrate enough drinking water in between to feel great the next morning and go out and win. I don't want to be this guy. Alcohol is my inner demon. On the food side, we are going out once a week but even then I am trying to be "good". On the daily breakfast is usually two sittings. Plain yogurt and granola followed buy some fruit and a granola bar. Lunch is usually leftovers consisting of chicken and pasta or soup. I drink plenty of coffee but all of it is black. Dinner is usually lean and portioned. I have been snacking a bit(pretzel goldfish or some blue cheese and crackers at night. Race day breakfast is usually oatmeal with syrup, walnuts and some fruit. Hoping to eventually get down to 185. I think I will be unhappy mich lower than that.

 

[ChrisG]

Hoping to eventually get down to 185. I think I will be unhappy mich lower than that.

I think this is a key sentiment to keep in mind.

When I was at my peak of road racing fitness, my weight was hovering in 140-142 range. I went long. long stretches with no alcohol, no cheese, and was basically eating like a monk. Eventually, I moved toward a more moderate eating strategy that allowed for occasional "fun food" while largely still focusing on good fats, high-quality protein sources, and complex/low-glycemic carbohydrates.

Alcohol is still largely a weekend-only thing, and generally one drink is all I'm having.

 

[jShort]

Back to 171 this morning. 160's are close.

What were you at when you were at your best?

 

[xc62701]

What were you at when you were at your best?

157 I think was my perfect number. I hit 149 for a day and also weighed in the lower 150's for a bit but 155-157 was easier to maintain, and I was light and powerful. I'm hopeful that I may get back there. Maybe not this season. It might take 2 seasons to get back to that.