Mtnracer

It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I succeeded in not drinking coffee yesterday. It wasn’t too difficult, as long as I had ibuprofen on-hand (I get real bad caffeine headaches). Today, the goal repeats itself.

Goal: Don’t drink any coffee today.

Confession

In 2004, I was road racing pretty seriously. The collegiate series in the Northwest is pretty competitive, and I was doing well in the Men’s A, Division I group (the toughest).

On the drive home from the omnium in Seattle, I saw a Krispy Kreme donut on the side of the freeway. “I’ve never had one of those,” I exclaimed, ominously, to Stacey. “Well then. We’re just going to have to get you one.” My fate was sealed.

If you know me well, you know that I have a ridiculous sweet tooth. And, a bottomless pit of a stomach, especially when I am in training.

“Kid in a candy store” doesn’t even begin to describe it. More like heroin addict on a poppy farm.

I saw the donuts, glistening under the heat lamps. They were singing to me. “Fa la la, Andy. Come to us, Andy. We are custard filled, jelly filled, sweet as can be, Andy.”

I glided forward, entranced by the hypnotic song of the Krispy Kreme donut line. “I want all of them,” I said to the person at the counter. “Umm. Sir, you can’t have all of them. Which ones would you like?”

“How many can I get?” I replied. A small pool of saliva had accumulated around the base of my sweating hands on the counter.

“Would you like a dozen?” The now-scared teen asked, hoping I didn’t hit maul for being so presumptious.

“Yes. I want that.”

A “Baker’s Dozen” assorted donuts

1. Bavarian
2. Bear Claw
3. Chocolate Cake
4. Chocolate Bar
5. Cinnamon Swirl
6. Creme
7. Custard
8. Custard-Filled Maple Bar
9. Glazed
10. Lemon Jelly
11. Maple Bar
12. Maple Donut
13. Original

I took my new friends back to the car, offended that they ever had to spend time with that mean kid. I promised to treat them better.

On the drive home, I did treat my friends better. In the four hours between Seattle and Portland, I assimilated all thirteen of them.

On long rides I like to bring energy bars to eat. I’ve tried eating homemade snacks, sandwiches, fruit/pb wraps, even fruit & pudding pies (damn you Doug O. for showing me these). But, nothing beats a plain-jane energy bar. Whether your brand is clif, power, or otherwise, energy bars kick ass!

They recently had a sale on Odwalla bars at WinCo for 88 cents each, so I bought a case. I usually get Clif bars, as I like the texture and flavor more than other energy bars.

Always a sucker for variety, I couldn’t just get a simple case of “Berries Go-Mega,” so I had to throw in a few Banana Nut Bread and some of the Superfood flavor Odwalla bars. I’ve seen the Superfood smoothie that Odwalla sells, and it looks nasty! Talk about green sludge that you dig out of the garbage disposal when it’s backed up, or the stuff that comes out of the toilet after a heavy plunging…Anyway, it looks gross. Their energy bars, although retaining the same horrific green color as their sludge smoothie, are solid, so I figured they wouldn’t invoke my gag reflex quite as quickly. I especially don’t want to blow chunks half-way through a 4 hour hammer fest, just because my energy bar reminds me of something I need to call a plumber to fix.

Much to my surprise, these things are good! Real good! I think I ate the first one without even looking at what I was eating. But after I realized what the pleasant date-like, sugary flavor in my mouth was, I quickly made it a favorite. I have stocked one of these ugly green bars on my training rides each day since. So, Clif, you’ve got a rival in the Superfood Odwalla bar. I have to say, I am enjoying the change, and might make it a staple in my training diet.

Here’s another one of my favorite snacks/lunches. This one you can even pack/slice up and bring on a training ride:

• 1 whole wheat/flour tortilla
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/3 sliced banana
• 1/4 cup sliced strawberries, mandarin oranges, and/or raisins
• 1 tsp honey – or – 2 tbsp yogurt *optional*

Roll it up in burrito-like fashion, and slice into 2 inch-long segments. Wrap in plastic wrap and pack for your next long ride. Mmm, mmm, good!

Mmmm…I wanted to share my favorite power lunch meal:

• 1 cup non-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup favorite berries or raisins

Mix together and spoon-feed it to your favorite loved one.

The cottage cheese is lean and provides a solid 24 grams of protein. Whey to go! *insert sympathy chuckle here*  Also, the walnuts are a good source of Omega fatty acids, which are good for your heart, blood, etc. The berries provide the quick blood sugar that is needed to rev you up at this time of the day. The total calories is under 500 kCal, (140 for the cottage cheese, 200 for the walnuts, 20-100 or so for the fruit depending on its density), and it tends to fill me. Plus, with the slow burn of the walnuts and proteins from the cottage cheese, it should hold you over for a while.

Enjoy!

I have found my new breakfast – slow cooked Quaker oats (3/4 cup) and 1/2 cup of raisins – total calories 485 kCal. It sticks to my ribs for at least 2 to 3 hours, and that’s saying a lot for as frequent of an eater as I am. I then boil up some hot water for Good Earth’s Sweet n’ Spicy tea. This stuff is so good, I can’t believe it’s not sweetened!

I found out yesterday that staying around 2300 kCal/day is actually not too hard. I wake up hungry, but that’s what I’m supposed to fee like – right? I just substituted water and tea for each time that I wanted to drink juice or soda (the Devil itself). I figure that if I stay around the recommended 2300 kCal, which is 500 less than my current total, I will lose 1 lb a week. Plus, if I increase my activity level from its current amount (3-5 days a week, approx. 1 hour) to 5-7 days a week 1.5 hours average, I will be increasing my caloric burn rate by an additional 1500-2000 kCal/Week, which is a further 1/2 pound. At this rate, I will reach my goal of 156lbs in somewhere around 15-16 weeks. This is much more in line with my goal of the key races of the season which come around May, June, and July.