Food

I was asked to write a post about what I eat. I get asked what I eat a lot. Really, I think the requests are from people who must be a bit delusional to think that I have good advice, perhaps it's all the time they spend in a hypoxic state from too much excercise or screaming at the kids (actually, I have no idea if they scream at their kids but I digress). 

There's a bunch of theory behin all this I picked up from mom (the registered dietician), "feed zone portables" by Allen Lim and my trainer at lifetime. Basically it's all about replacing what the body burns through...and it burns through a lot when you ask it to do something silly like propel a bicycle across the Sonoran desert or over a mountain pass. 

I figure I can make this useful for myself, as this post will know provide a nice checklist for rides and races. So, here goes. 

What I eat during a race or long rides starts a few days in advance. It's not so much what I eat as what I drink. And that's water. A lot of it. Like one of those little 10oz bottles every hour I'm awake. This also means I pee a lot. It is a fact. 

I also take a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement every day, and try (often not very successfully) to get most of my calories from protein and veggies, and some fruit, limiting carb intake as much as possible without being a lunatic who eats nothing by dried mastodon meat and pine nuts. 

There's a bunch of research as to why the protein emphasis. Mostly it's about having protein to rebuild the muscles I guess, and getting the body excited about the carbs I provide on the rides. Something about being more efficient at turning sugar into glycogen which is what the muscles use to go when your brain says "pedal NOW!"  

Since 95% of my rides are in the wee hours, including the races, I have the following pre-ride nutrition almost always:

- 8oz coffee with a splash of milk (why 8oz?  That's how big the cups at home are)

- tortilla (small) or 1 slice of toast with almond butter and ginger jelly (never tried ginger jelly?  I think you're missing out...to me ginger jelly says "time to ride"!!  or sometimes chocolate almond butter

- 50g Karbolyn (200cal worth) in 24oz water. Karbolyn is a "super carb" made by all American efx. Whatever stuff is in there (all natural!) there's no carb crash...My trainer at lifetime turned me on to it a a pre-workout neccesity, and I'm a believer 

If the ride is under 2 hours, I take water. 1 big bottle per hour. That is all

If over 2 hours...

- 24oz (big bottle) with 1 scoop of carborocket half-evil per hour. 1st half of ride non-caffeinated. 2nd half, caffeine. Carborocket half-evil is 111cal of carbs per scoop (they recommend 3 scoops for 333 cal..half evil...get it?), plus electrolytes, and amino acids

- 1 roctane gel at hour 1

-1 gu/cliff/other 40 min later

- roctane 40 min later 

Continue pattern...

If out for more than 4 hours, I try to have a waffle (Belgian cookie...because, cycling) or another tortilla or similar every 2 hours to give my stomach something to do. 

I'm trying to consume about 300cal and 24oz of water each hour...the assumption is I have the hammer down. If I'm spinning on glass pedals, I'll reduce calorie intake

Post ride, 200cal protein shake with glutamine added.  Also make sure to take my supps and fish oil post-ride. 

I think I'd like to switch to more real food instead of gels but the gels are convenient. The concept of making my own awesomely perfect baked goods for rides is a cool. Practically...it ain't happening. 

I have no idea if this schedule of eating will work for anyone else. You may try it and puke your guts out, or cramp, or you may have the best day ever on a bike.  Roctane and carborocket may make you gag...maybe ginger jelly is the nastiest flavor you can imagine. Who knows??  One of the guys I met eats slices of ham wrapped around a stick of parmesean...another eats Oreos...another subway ham sandwiches....whatever it takes to get the sugar, salt, and aminos to replace what you used up. 

Do remember pro endurance athletes have stomachs that are as finely tuned as their legs and arms. Where I can eat 350cal/hour of excercise before I hit gastric distress, pros can put down 500-600cal...

Anyway it turns out, be sure to think of me chugging along behind you imploring you to HTFU or wait up...I'm likely to do both. 

Fat Tire 40ish Pics

Race report is coming...in the meantime pics before and after the crashes

Photogs that make me look fast are my heroes

Hammering Home

"Rohit Bery earning his glass....crumpled number and soil samples, but he brought it home.  The Keg is tapped Rohit"

Good announcer

As requested...

The essay that was used to get me into Leadville this year.  

The requirements for the essay were:

Submit a two- to three-paragraph essay or a video that includes the following:

• A summary of your biking credentials
• Your home club and how long you have been a member
• A brief story about why you should be chosen to represent your Life Time destination at the 2014 LT100
• Your kit size (please indicate bib shorts and jersey sizes; click here for a size chart and note that these kits are a snug, race fit)
• The address to which you would like the kit to be mailed

By "winning" I get to pay the entry fee and buy a Lifetime Cycle Kit, which I have to wear on race day.  I guess they also get to use this essay for whatever marketing purposes they want, but that's all cool.  There's not much truth stretching in here, and certainly no blatant lies.  The 30lb drop was measured post race....so, ahhh, some of it has come back :)

Summer of 2011.  An overweight, overstressed father, husband, brother, friend and IT exec moves his family from New Jersey to Scottsdale, AZ in pursuit of a better lifestyle, a shorter commute and a pool in the backyard. Two and a half years later, thanks in large part to the team at Lifetime Scottsdale, that guy dropped 30+ lbs, regained his place as “fast guy on the bike” (among his buddies), saw his wife regain her confidence and fitness, his three children turn into budding athletes (as well as all around rockstars) and his mother be excited by what he was doing (besides creating 3 of her grand-daughters)!

The Scottsdale Lifetime Fitness family has taken me on a journey from finishing rides to performing in races. From riding alone to leading friends and family on group rides and races. I made that journey on trails in Scottsdale, racecourses in Traverse City, MI (Iceman 10+ years), Flagstaff, AZ (Barn Burner 2 years), Prescott, AZ (Whiskey Off- Road, three years) and Cave Creek and Fountain Hills, AZ for local races about five times per year.  This journey also took me to Leadville, CO in 2012, where I earned a buckle from a lottery spot.   This year, I’ll go back to all those places--plus Lake Tahoe. And hopefully, I’ll go back to Leadville and represent Lifetime Scottsdale in pursuit of a Big Buckle!

* I love my Speedy Motor City Jersey...but would leave it in the bag for a Lifetime Kit at 6th and Harrison on 8/9.

But the most amazing thing about this journey is that it is not mine alone: I’ve found that my commitment to cycling and to fitness has sparked others to do the same. In the past year, my riding buddies (some of whom live 1000s of miles away...hooray for Strava, Facebook, and Twitter!) have all upped their training, my brother-in-law has bought not one but two new bikes and work colleagues have started endurance cycling. My employees and co-workers have gotten themselves in better shape. Now we even have a small team for our local races, and several have signed up for Tahoe, BarnBurner and even for Leadville.

* Barnburner 2012...put this guy in an LTF kit

People have provided me inspiration over the years--coaches, teachers, writers, friends and family, and my superb trainer at Lifetime Scottsdale, Jamie Meng, tells me it’s time to start returning those favors. Indeed, I owe it to all of them to pass the encouragement along. As a representative of Lifetime Scottsdale, I can show everyone what a person with three kids, a full-time job, and daily challenges can do.  Whether it's my friends and family, or the person at the Scottsdale club who looks over and sees someone who's wears size "L" (sometimes “M”!)  instead of "XL"--I know that by finishing Leadville in a Lifetime kit, I will be that example for every other weekend warrior who wants to make a change in their life. There’s not many 6’ tall Indian-American men putting their knobby wheel on a start line, so I know I stand out!

I'm after a Big Buckle. My Lifetime teams ensures me that with the right training, it’s possible. I know that there are some hard miles between here and central Colorado. Maybe I get one, maybe I don't. But I plan to take a lot of folks with me on this journey. I want to pass Bahram Akradi on the slopes of Columbine again and show him what his trainers can do. I want to encourage another friend or two or four to make a commitment, and allow me to take the wind or crew for them in 2015 and beyond.  And I’d love to do it all in my lifetime, wearing a Lifetime kit.

Thanks. I'll see you all at the club in Scottsdale and on the starting lines in Lake Tahoe, Flagstaff, and hopefully Leadville!

Fat Tire 40-ish

Raced today. Fat Tire-40 (a badly named race if you ask me)  Went hard, went fast.  Had a great ride, until I didn't.  Big Gunz and Momma had some good rides too.  Big Gunz figured out at mile 35 that 1 Gu pack ain't gonna feed the beast for an endurance ride.  

Me and Big Gunz

I turned in a 3:48 for a 47 mile course.  12.5 mph. Last year course was 41.2 miles, and i did a 3:51, for 10.8mph. not a bad ride today I must say. Got passed by 2 guys whilst on the trail, and 3 while i was laying in the dirt collecting soil samples. Went down hard twice. Once at about 20 mph, once at about 12. same thing happened both times. Downhill left hand corner and the front tire didn't grab, until it did, dumping me straight over the bars. The 2nd one took the fight out of me, and I limped home the last 4 miles or so. Likely could have turned in a 3:30 but for the crashes.

Note these crashes both happened after mile 40...but I'm not bitter, really I'm not.  I am in pain.

Another race where I landed in the med tent. Don't think the new hard tail is busted, but the headset may be toast. I'm a bit banged up. Right lat is definitely bruised. Need to recover quick. 

That's all for now.  Full report later

Game on

Acquired a new go-fast machine yesterday.  Carbon hard tail. Carbon wheels, carbon fork. Carbon post and bars.  Damn. 

Feather light, whippet quick in the corners and a goat on the climbs. Slower than the full suss on the descents, but more precise steering and flick-ability of the rear means I'm not getting beat up even in the big rocks. 

Race season is going to be fun

It all happens for a reason

So I finally got the email. It was a bummer of an email.  When I read it I was a bit deflated, sad, and irritated. For the amount of money I spend at Lifetime Fitness, I figured I would be able to walk into Leadville just by asking!

Then I got mad at myself for feeling that kind of entitlement...that I could just buy my way in. As I was beating myself up for being an entitled jerk, I remembered it is pretty clear there is more than one way to buy your way in ($2000 for a 2.25 day training camp, not including lodging anyone????)

So I got over it.  

As always, Suman provided the real insight to what's going on here. 

Last year, on a whim, on my first try, I got into Leadville from the lottery. Getting the email transformed me in many ways. I'm not a huge believer in fate, but it certainly seems that the universe was not only telling me something, but giving me what I needed as a cyclist and as a human when I needed it. 

This year I need to qualify. Put some more sweat in, get myself organized, and earn my place at the corner of 6th and Harrison. Maybe I need that race in Lake Tahoe to make me fast.  Maybe I need the trip to let the fam have some time to themselves. Maybe I need to connect with new and old friends. Maybe I need to be transformed again. 

Time to dig deep!

It's HERE!

The go fast machine has arrived.  It's in this state.  it's in this city.  it is not in my garage.

now all i need is that email...

I am going absolutely batshit crazy waiting for the email.  

I know you all care :)