Aiming for Progress in 2013

I have decided to take a more structured approach to my cycling in 2013. When I bought my first road bike and started racing two years ago, I never really put applied any sort of plan to my preparation  Although I was consistently riding my bike to work and doing random interval sessions, I knew I could do better.

I'm planning on leaving the citizen class behind and moving on up, so I think I need to focus on these four things;

• eat a healthier diet
• commit to a preseason training plan
• attend more races
• join a cycling club or team

Eat a Healthier Diet

In the past I used cycling as an excuse for eating excessive. I knew I could eat or drink pretty much anything because of the amount of calories I would burn while cycling. Needless to say that isn't the way to improve.

My wife randomly picked up some Vega One samples and a couple coupons at Douglas College in the fall. We both really enjoyed the products and decide to do some more research on vegan principles and plant-based nutrition.

I signed up for Thrive Forward, an online program to help me learn more about plant-based nutrition. It starts very basics and I have started using some of the things I learned already. I've lost some weight and generally feel better. I don't really crave all the unhealthy things I was eating before.

It seems unlikely I will switch to a complete plant-based diet, but I'm willing to keep an open mind and continue experimenting.

Commit to a Preseason Training Plan

My training has been relatively haphazard so far. I've experimented with different things and read a lot of information, but haven't really put a lot of it into practice.

I found the skeleton of a training plan on the internet that is flexible enough to work with my work schedule and family life. While it's not perfect and probably not the best, I race bikes for a hobby and personal enjoyment. I have to face the fact I'm far too old to become the next Ryder Hesjedal.

This is what my week of training will look like. I can only squeeze in about 7 - 10 hours of training time each week and this plan seems to work for a number of reasons. I work a graveyard shift Monday, from midnight to 8:00am. Generally I feel terrible, so its a good day to take off. I enjoyed the boot camp class I took before Christmas so I signed up again. It can't hurt to continue work on my core strength. Two interval sessions each week should help with my racing ability. Saturday and Sunday I work during the day, so I can squeeze in some longer rides to and from work to build my endurance. 

Hopefully this will give me a good starting point for when racing starts in the spring.

Attend More Races

This is a bit of a challenge. Most races are held on weekends, which I normally work unless I'm on holidays. I do want to try to attend some of the weekday criterium races. I have Tuesday and Wednesday off work, so there isn't really any excuses not to try and attend these. Maybe not every single one, but I could start with a couple per month.

The World Tuesday Night Championships at UBC is very popular, although pretty far from home. In the past races were held on Wednesday evenings at Mission Raceway. Hopefully those will be back for 2013.

Join a Cycling Club or Team

This could prove nearly as challenging as attending more races. My work schedule prevents me from participating in many of the group rides clubs and teams offer. It would seem strange to join a club or team and never participate in any activities.

I would like to find something local, with others interested in racing, and maybe with weeknight activities. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

I'm hoping I can improve my cycling in 2013 and have more fun and maybe even post some good results.