Reality: Legs vs. The Gut

Last year I had my sights set firmly on doing some endurance racing this season.  The last few days have shown me that my race-readiness is better suited for competitive eating than endurance cycling.  A Triumvirate of harsh weather, winter unemployment, and love of junk food has rendered my upper body useless to my lower body.  Kind of like a frog or a triple dip ice cream cone.  Monday and Tuesday I mounted my trusty Peugeot track styled bike and attempted to put in some good, hard miles.  Every fricken mile was hard due to my legs (which are in fine shape and would handily carry the rest of my body over most gravel finish lines if not for the "cupcake top") bumping in to my belly.  The steady diet of Dairy, Starch, Fat, and Booze have smashed my dream of a TransIowa finish in 2010, made me thankful for the Daughter's graduation the day before the Chaquamegon100 (100 miles, mostly single track) making it impossible to be at both events, and even kept me from competeing in CIRREM last weekend.  This is the bad bad bad one, as I live 2.7 miles from the START OF THE RACE.  I just kept thinking about those rediculous Madison County hills and the difficulty of climbing with a beer belly of doom.  Classic Wuss-out Move.  Well, Friday night was a bloodbath of wiskey that kept me in bed well past 8 am.

I NEED TO GET OFF MY LAZY ASS AND TRAIN.  I mean for cycling.  I need to drop about 30 lbs and gain better core strength.  I need to increase my avg speed by 7-8 mph and decrease my avg food intake by 7-8 meals per hour.  As far as food, I am a fucking vegetarian chef and can't seem to get a proper diet together.  I know nutrition.  Just not for myself.

(My trusty cat Bathory is also having a similar problem with overeating while my dog Mollie has managed to increase her speed to a squirrel catching pace this winter.  Maybe she has some training tips)

Reading this makes me realize I may need a trainer or maybe a muzzle.  Or maybe to stop collecting bikes and ride them more. 

I have a new goal.  I will get that Cup O Dirt this year (c'mon, I live on a gravel road that is the gateway to all gravel south and west of DSM), and train towards a 2011 season of torture including Diry Kanza, Trans Iowa, Trans Wisconson, CIRREM, and any other event I can fit into my schedule.  It would be sweet to throw down during Cross season this fall (Cat 6 single speed class). I have been riding for years and have not competed since 1990 (Cherokee 100, 16 years old). I love riding for fun and transportation, but it is time to really work towards some goals.

I want to get race ready.