Racing for keeps

Getting close to winning is almost worth more than winning when it comes to being motivated. For a brief moment racing Cat 3 at Sequim last week, I had a real gap on the field -- breaking free with about 2 miles to go, crossing the 200 meter mark in first place, only to see about 10 guys pass me by in the final 100 meters of the 60 mile race. It was as close as I've come to winning and I probably altered the outcome of the race.

One of my teammates -- Alex -- earned 5th place and later said something like that was "the only way to beat that guy" -- Venable from the Carter team, seen by many as the strongest man in the race. It was Venable, who 600 meters out, started his sprint to catch me and also pulled much of the pack with him. It was a do or die effort for him and by the time he caught me he was too tired to fend off the handful of guys around him including my teammate.

After the race my teammates all come up to congratulate me. It was probably the first time I made a recognizable impact on a race. Getting close to winning is relative of course. Many riders lament over losing a race by half a bike length. I wasn't nearly that close but it felt like it to me.

So even getting close has led me to ask what else I can do to narrow the gap on guys like Venable. There's always the option of throwing more money at the challenge. Yesterday, I turned to none other than Lance Armstrong's coach Chris Carmichael. Chris was incredibly personable and motivating -- for a $20 DVD:) Still, the video workouts are right on the money and I need that kind of structure to do the interval workouts. There's some pain and hopefully a sliver of gain.

Then there's the issue of diet. Not exactly my strong suit being an ice cream lover and all that. But this was what I needed to get more serious. At least for now, no ice cream, very limited alcohol, no bread, no egg mcmuffins, etc. I do have a diet that's worked before -- one full of grains like Quinoa, steamed vegetables, tofu products, lentil soup -- all that good stuff.

But I have limits on the amount of money I can throw at this. I started talking to a nutritionist who told me if I really want to lose weight fast in a month, I should sign on to a full meal delivery plan customized to my requirements. But at a cost of $40 a day, I need to reserve this as a last resort:)

One of the mental challenges here is being able to amp up the effort and keep expectations in check. I have to be able to throw everything at this but still be content if it amounts to little or nothing at all. At least I'm having a go. And if I can help get my teammates over the line to win or place then that would be victory.