A New Record! -- Log

Hey, so i think this is a new lack-of-posting record, yay me! =P

A lot going on...was sick for a week and didn't ride or do much of anything.. Back in the gym now, nice to hit the upper-body again. Travelled to San Francisco and Connecticut for work (pics here).

All the good stuff, in brief:

Training

Taking it easy on the bike, FM instead of EM intensity, and time to build up muscles...so will be hitting the hills for the next month or more, then CTS Tempo intervals (EM intensity, 70-75rpm for 30+mins) for another couple months....then starting to throw in intensity - woot! Should be flying come April or so.

Gym

So i'm gonna mix things up a lot - i'm *not* going to workout my legs in the gym this winter. I'll figure in some activities to stress the legs and bones to keep up bone density (like running - arrgh!), but will just focus on the upperbody...chest, back and forearms (gonna build those babies up!) on Tuesdays, and Thursdays are vanity night: biceps, triceps and shoulders. Core-work and stretching both nights as well.

Nutrition

Gonna mix this up as well.. Will aim for slightly less calories than i 'need', and am going to keep my protein intake much lower...say 5-10%. About the same amount for fat (high quality, and lots of ground flax seeds), and the rest will be carbs. Lots of veggies.

Supplements

Am continuing to take Vega (which totally rawks!), and am seriously considering taking Cordyceps..which is an Asian mushroom which does really wonderful things for athletes..tho i've yet to find people who know anything in my vegan circles!! Have you heard of them? Post a comment!

Bike!

So my plan was to get a fancy road bike by the spring (mmm..Tarmac) - but then i realized 'what's the point of having a $3,500 bike to *train* on?' So i scrapped that, in search of a more useful bike.

A TT machine was next to come to mind...but naaah...again, too specialized, tho fun!

Winter is coming up, so i got to thinking about fenders....and i've also been hearing about the local Cyclocross scene...and that was it! I'll get me a CX bike!

And this is where it gets fun. I'll buy a frame and fork, and swap my Veloce bits from my road bike over. Whammo - instant bike! Throw on some fenders, and i've got a rockin' winter machine too!

Now - what about the Argon18? I'm gonna set it up with a brand new 2007 Campy Centaur group.. How do you like them apples? It'll be pretty much 'new' again, lighter and 10 speed even - woot!!

Finally, there's my track bike.. I don't think there's a real need to get a new frame, i really like the Kona, it's light and is a great color, which matches my OA outfit. =)

So i'm planning on upgrading a few bits on it. Get myself some new aerobars, handlebars (watching eBay for a pair of Specialized road bars, 40cm width..), and maybe upgrade the trispokes...get a lighter Specialized trispoke in the rear (mine weighs almost twice as much as a newer one!) and get a matching one for the front.

Maybe some new cranks too, and definitely an aero helmet. (Anyone wanna get rid of a Bell? Do they come in orange or green?)

OrganicAthlete Pro Team!

I'm really excited for my organization - they're getting themselves out on the road, and will have a Women's and Men's team for 2007, racing the California scene, as well as putting on educational programs, etc.. Within' five years they want to have upwards of 15 pro riders, and competing at some international events. Rocks my world - an all-vegan bike racing team! Maybe in a couple years i'll be fast enough to join. Gotta get them on the track too! =)

In addition, i *finally* met these guys! They were also at the San Francisco Vegetarian Festival, and so i finally met Bradley (we've been emailing nearly 3yrs i think!) as well as the rest of the male half of the OA team - Justin and Ben. All really great people, i felt sad leaving - it'd be so awesome to train with these guys!! (No offense to all my local riding buddies!! It's just really inspiring to ride with other *fast* vegans!! =)

I believe they're planning a training camp in CA for Feb, so i'll be there!

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That's it for now, my dinner is ready - keep on ridin'!!!