the Weight...

Like a lot of cyclists, I watch my weight. I haven't been obsessing about it, but I've been cognizant of how much I shovel into my pie-hole. Portion Control and getting past the idea that I can eat a lot because I'm exercising was what I've focused on the past few months. At the end of cyclocross season, I was giving FatMarc a run for the title of fattest Marc(k) in the mid atlantic. I was holding steady at 175 to 178. Weight is an issue in cycling because of the simple ratio of weight to power. Less weight on the bike with equal or more power being put in the cranks, the faster I go.

I lost ten pounds over the holidays. It just came off without much effort. That kept me focused on losing more. After many laps in the pool and consistently riding the bike to work, I plateaued at 165. I started on a structured swimming plan and added 1 or 2 runs a week, still watching the amount of food I put on my plate.

Five more pounds and I saw 160 on scale, I can't remember the last time I was at that weight. When I ran crosscountry in college I was around 155. Then I couldn't eat enough food with the 50-70 mile weeks in the mountains of West Virginia. Plus I was 13 years younger and had the metabolism of a rabbit on crack. Not anymore.

Again, I was on a plateau at 160. Until tonight, when I broke through that barrier with a scale reading of 158. It's probably because I'm dehydrated, but I'll take it anyway.

I'll add more run mileage in March along with continuing with the swim workouts (thanks Connie). My goal is to get back to 155. I may see the scale creep back up once the bike and run workouts begin and muscle mass is built in the legs. But I'd rather see the weight move up under those circumstances as I know the power will be built as well.

Have a great day.