1500 A Month Diet Plan

Well, 1500 was the number of training miles I hit for the month of January. I've been training with a power meter since the end of November, and I feel that I am getting in the highest quality training I've ever been able to. With power, I get a real time readout of the amount of work I am doing, minus all the exterior influences (like hydration level, temp, etc) introduced when only using a heart rate monitor. My power meter can also be my overtraining early warning system, because if my power output starts dropping over a day or two, that is a pretty good indication that I need to rest. Cool technology.
This is usually the time of year that I am at my lowest weight, just because of the amount of training I put in, and not because of any special diet. I do injest more protein due to the increased training load and the fact that I also lift weights during this time, but otherwise, I find my "normal" diet works well. I am semi-vegetarian, I eat a lot of Asian food (low fat/high sodium--athletes need lots of sodium), and eat whole grains whenever I can, so my normal diet isn't exactly "normal". I have my parents to thank for raising me on health food, and for good genetics.
I say say good genetics because while I achieve very noticable gains in muscular strength during my weight training in the off-season, I still see a net decrease in weight for this time period, meaning I must be losing fat faster than I am gaining muscle (muscle is heavier than fat). The funny thing is that in the context of cycling, this scenario is considered a good thing, whereas it is the oposite most everywhere else.
Well, enough with this quasi-scientific mumbo jumbo. Time to start thinking about tomorrow's ride.

Dreams of Hawaii on a Snowy Winter Day

Today is probably the third time it has snowed here in Fort Collins since Fall, making this a very dry winter in town. Meanwhile, the mountains have seen all kinds of snow, and all the skiiers are happy. This is just about a perfect medium where everyone is happy.
I just happend to be working on my computer and was listening to some music on Rhapsody (online music subscription service). I came across a new album by Kapono Beamer (Slack Key Dreams of the Ponomoe), and it got me reminiscing a little about Hawaii. Lets say it took me to a place a little warmer, sunnier and greener.
This week has been a good one of riding for me. Since last Sat., when I did a good group ride with my boys from Colativa, I have logged a little over 19 hours on the bike. I still have two days to ride this week, so I might break my personal best of 25.5 hours (set last year). Another important note worthy of mention, was surpassing the 1000 mile mark (yesterday) for the month of January . Also occruing yesterday was my longest solo ride ever, at 5 hours and 20 minutes. I plan on breaking the 6 hour mark in the next few weeks.
Here's something else to keep you warm on a cold day:



This is Boss, the new addition to the Maka family. He is a little over 3 months old, and is a Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix. The little guy has been having touble with seizures, but with a lot of love and some medication, it seems to be coming under control.

New year, new chance to get it right...

So, it's been a while...
Well, my excuse is that I'm getting a lot of good riding in, and am fitting my weight lifting program in nicely. However, all this is definetly kicking my butt (in a good way), and I am still trying to fit in family time, leaving me with little time for much else. The New Mexico weather has been nothing but 50 and 60 degree days since I have been here for my "winter training camp", so I've not had any excuses to not ride outside.
On New Year's day, I got in a big ride to start the year off right, and did so with a local weekend group ride that leaves from the UNM campus. I had a good chuckle seeing some of the riders quite bundled up due to the wind we were experiencing that day. Having experienced cold Colorado wind, this was like a summer breeze to me, and I could have ridden all day in it.
Another chuckle I had was when I was riding into the wind at the front of the group, when I was reprimanded by one of the locals for "going too hard". Sorry...just trying to get some base miles in.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have brought on Hayes Disc Brakes as a personal sponsor for next season. My plan is to exclusively use their new El Camino disc brake.
My very first race bike (circa '99) came with the original Hayes hydraulic disc brakes, and I have owned several other pairs on my downhill (yes, I used to race downhill, and actually still do on occasion) and freeride bikes. I have used V-brakes for cross country for the last 4-5 seasons, and I feel that a good pair (especially with ceramic coated rims and pads) perform just as good as hydraulic disc brakes in dry and wet conditions (not factoring in how V's like to accumulate mud). However, I have become very tired with all the adjusting and maintenance that is required with V's, and I look forward to the simplicity of discs. Oh, and you just can't forget how discs add a sexy sleekness to your bike.