Hey everyone! I just finished up SS Base - HV 1 and started SS Base - HV 2. I’m pretty happy with the results. I started TR 6 weeks ago at the heaviest point in my life and doing the least riding I have ever done since I was a kid as well.
A quick little riding history:
- Bike commuter my entire life until last year when I bought my first car (at 31 years old) because my new job demanded it.
- I have never competed, but I have toured the west coast and across the US via the Trans Am.
- I have done a little bit of bike courier work in Seattle which led to century length rides all over Seattle becoming the norm.
- Rode a Surly LHT most of my life until I finally saved up for my first real road bike, a Canyon Endurace SL 8.0 Di2. Changed my world and led to a lot more riding.
I have been drawn to ultra endurance races for the last couple years and I am kitting the Canyon out for the Trans Am Bike Race. 4200 miles self-supported from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia.
So! Here are my starting stats:
Height: 6’5 (195cm)
Weight: 265lb (120kg)
FTP: 236w
Goal Weight: 200lb
I had played with fasting / keto before and saw results but did not stick with it and had hit my all time high weight. It’s probably not ideal, but having the race goal in my headlights has helped keep me focused and disciplined.
So the steps I took were:
- I started with a 3 day water fast to help kickstart ketosis. This was before starting the TR Plan.
- From there I started a OMAD style intermittent fasting regime, which meant eating only one meal around dinner time. I wanted to keep my calorie intake pretty restricted (about 1500 a day), so I started tracking my calories which is a lot easier when you only eat once a day.
- I ate lots of greens and as much whole natural food as possible. This usually ended up being a big ass salad in a mixing bowl every night. Trying to shovel in 1500 calories with a decent amount of protein is actually pretty tough even for a guy that likes to eat.
- 90% of my workouts are in the morning and around 12 hours fasted.
- I have been supplementing with Vitamin D, Fish Oil, and L-Glutamine mainly. Sometimes I’ll throw in amino acids and/or creatine if I’m feeling particularly depleted.
First thing I will say. Training sweet spot fasted is TOUGH! I don’t think I have actually been able to complete a 2 hour work-out yet. I have been okay with this though, because my main goal at the moment is dropping weight. It is probably not an ideal situation trying to train for this race and lose a considerable amount of weight at the same time, but here are my results after SS Base - HV 1:
Weight: 238lb (108kg)
FTP: 274w
Pretty big jump in FTP! I’m a little nervous for what tomorrow will bring with the training starting back up again. I’m hoping to drop to about 225-230lb by the end of SS Base - HV 2. I will probably switch to a more cyclic keto diet at that point with a little bit more carbs before a couple of hard training days.
I will be updating this after SS Base - HV 2. I have paid my dues and am on the roster for TABR '19 so there is no turning back now. All of this training makes me feel like all of this work is the hard part and the race will be my reward. Anyone else feel this way about training for your A race?
Let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas! Is there anything I should have included to give a better overall picture of what I am doing?