The BEEFMAN Bloggeth

Ride the Rockies Preview Day Four: Pagosa Springs to Alamosa

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Day Four of Ride the Rockies (June 12) is longest mileage day on the 2013 ride and features a climb over Wolf Creek Pass, one of the major mountain passes in Colorado I have not ridden. Leaving Pagosa Springs we will climb the first 24 miles from 7,126 ft. to 10,850 ft. at the summit. Although the elevation profile makes it appear as though it is all downhill from there I know better.

At a rest stop somewhere in the San Luis Valley on RTR 2006 with Patti and Mr. Potato Head. The rest stop featured locally-grown baked potatoes with all the fixins. I hope they are back this year!

After truckin' on down the other side of Wolf Creek Pass the terrain flattens out into San Luis Valley, the largest intermountain valley in the world, covering more than 8,000 square miles at an elevation of just over 7,500 ft. above sea level. The final 50 miles into Alamosa will be mostly flat riding through potato and barley fields with no protection from the sun or wind. However, the views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the eastern border of the valley should provide some distraction (if we remember to look up!).

Crossing the New Mexico
state line in 2006

We rode up the valley from the south on the 2006 ride after an overnight in charming Chama, New Mexico (the only time Ride the Rockies route has strayed from the State of Colorado). By all accounts it one also one of the best stops in the history of the ride. I admit I was a little disappointed when the day three route was announced and it didn't include Chama. I would have welcomed a return visit to the charming town of 1,200 people, most of which showed up to welcome us, including the mayor.

Kris (with a K) adorns the mayor of Chama with a Team DFL tattoo

Riding north into Alamosa that year we spent most of that day battling a stiff headwind. And it was hot. I got into a small pace line for the final 30 miles or so which helped, until I had a flat with just under 10 miles to go and had to stop to change my tube. When I finally rolled into the overnight are a the fairgrounds I was sweaty, tired and unhappy. I don't have the fondest memories of Alamosa. It is my least favorite stop on the six RTRs I've completed. But there will be beer, so life will go on!

And so will the ride. Day Five we will head north out of Alamosa to Salida, my absolute favorite overnight stop on RTR :)

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Training Update: Ramping Up the Mileage

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

With only four weeks left until the start of Ride the Rockies 2013, it's time to ramp up the mileage on the road. Fortunately, spring has finally sprung in Colorado and the snow is (hopefully) gone in Denver. My goal is to ride 775 miles in the month of May, averaging 175 per week, or 25 per day. That's about an hour and half of riding per day (an average) so it is a major time commitment!

My Bike to Work route takes includes parts of the Cherry Creek and E-470 Trails in south Denver.

Finding the time to ride can be tough, especially when you are balancing travel for both your job and family events this time of year (like graduations this month in Kansas and Portland!). One of the ways I have made it work in past years is riding to and from my office, a 50-mile round trip, during National Bike Month in May. Riding 25 miles 2x per day is great training for Ride the Rockies.

Click to Enlarge

I hit my goal this week, riding 175.6 miles. However, next week is going to be tough since I am traveling 5 of the next 7 days! In fact, it is not possible. My goal is to get in 75 miles, so I will need to do some serious catching up in the weeks ahead to make my goal.

So how is your training going? Are you Ready to Rock?!

Ride on!

Daren

Why Do Motorists Hate Cyclists?

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:48:00 +0000

Charles, a non-cycling friend, tagged me in a Facebook post this past weekend. The question he posed sparked an interesting exchange that has bugged be ever since:

What is it about a bicycle marathon past my home that rubs me the wrong way? Maybe Daren Williams has an idea. Wife says I am jealous. So that one is already taken. Lol

It's a great question. Why do motorists hate cyclists? A comment from Lisa, one of Charles' friends, shed some light on the answer:

Either you like cycling or you hate it. Cycling is big out here, and we've got behind races- they cause big headaches. And the last race they had through Colorado Springs, people went as far as spreading tacks and glass on the route.

I assume she is talking about the USA Pro Challenge, which rolled through Colorado Springs this past summer. But you know what they say happens when you assume, so I shouldn't. But that didn't stop her from assuming something about me in her next comment:

I think it has to do with the perception that cyclists see themselves as superior, part of the environmentalist liberal elite. And just the fact they cause traffic problems.

Well, I must say that is the first time I have ever been accused of being "part of the environmentalist liberal elite." And I don't take that as a compliment! Fortunately, another friend of Charles, Matt, came to my rescue:

I get annoyed when people talk about the Liberal environmentalist elite. There is a religion out there that shuns science and embraces ignorance. Unfortunately for them, their raft is sinking from all the people jumping on it and soon it will capsize from a changing climate and rising seas. I could go on, But that's the crux of what I was getting at. BP has estimated that we only have about 17 decades of recoverable natural gas left. I've studied scarcity of resources and what happened to former civilizations that overused their gifts from the commons, they disintegrate, and collapse, after taking everyone else's resources. Riding bikes isn't a terrible idea from the standpoint of sustainability.

Oh great, my only ally in this conversation is part of the Liberal environmentalist elite! Just what I needed. Riding bikes isn't a terrible idea from the standpoint of sustainability?! I assume (there I go again), that Matt is talking about replacing cars and trucks with bikes. But I'm sorry, as a cyclist I can tell you that bicycles are a terrible form of transportation.

I ride 25 miles to/from work every May in honor of National Bike Month but I don't do it to be "sustainable." I'd much rather be driving my car. It's faster, more comfortable, and much more efficient. I ride to/from work to train for Ride the Rockies. Riding 25 miles 2x daily is great exercise but it is impractical for commuting on a regular basis (especially during winter in Colorado!).

So why do motorists hate cyclists? Is it jealousy, as Charles' wife suggested? I doubt it. Why would anyone riding comfortably in a climate-controlled, audio-infused, petroleum-powered vehicle be jealous of some sweaty middle-aged man in Lycra?

Is it the terrible inconvenience of having to share the road with an occasional cyclist or that once-a-year cycling event? Seriously? Are you in that big a hurry to get to work? Thankfully, I think Lisa finally came up with the answer:

Okay, then, maybe it's the shorts!:)

Granted. Spandex shorts don't look good on very many people. Especially middle-aged men. So allow me to explain. The shorts are not a fashion statement. They are functional. Without getting too personal, suffice it to say that padding and spandex help prevent cycling saddle sores.

I tried to explain this to Charles in my response to his question: "What is it about a bicycle marathon past my home that rubs me the wrong way?"

Not getting rubbed the wrong way is why we wear spandex. You could try that.

Ride on!

Daren

P.S. An oldie but a goodie. Why bike shorts should be black...

Ride the Rockies 2013 Preview Day Three: Durango to Pagosa Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Tue, 07 May 2013 03:12:00 +0000

Departing Durango on day three of Ride the Rockies 2013 we will climb from 6,512 ft. to 8,000 ft. in the first 15 miles, crossing briefly through the San Juan National Forest. The rugged peaks of the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado make them one of my favorite ranges in the Colorado Rockies. The contrast of the rocky outcroppings rising from the desert valleys is dramatic.

The high and rugged San Juan Mountains

Around mile 15 we will turn south and will come within a few miles of the New Mexico border, riding through Navajo State Park before turning north to Pagosa Springs, a popular destination for people seeking the healing powers of the hot springs ("Pagosah" is the Southwester Ute Indian word for healing waters). After riding 225 miles in three days I may just have to take a plunge myself.

NO BIKES OR SKATEBOARDS ON SIDEWALK!

Although the hot springs would not qualify as an official Team Bar2Bar "watering hole" the Bear Creek Saloon definitely does. We spent several hours liquid carbo-loading at this fine establishment on the 2006 ride, my first visit to Pagosa Springs.

Team Bar2Bar captain Paul the Pilot and a rider we have met several times on RTR (but whose name I can't remember! Ann, maybe?)

We may want to take it a little easy this year, though, as day four begins with THE CLIMB of the 2013 tour, Wolf Creek Pass. But I'll save that for next week's preview. Until then...

Ride on!

Daren

May is National BEEF BIKE RUNNER Month!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:40:00 +0000

I love May. It's my birth month. May is alsoNational Beef Month, National Bike Month and National Runners Month! So what's not to love?!

Back in 2010 (the year Dick's Sporting Goods designated May as Beef Runners Month), I launched the National Beef Runners Month Challenge to "eat beef and get some exercise every day in the month of May." Only this year I am focused on cycling. So, I an renewing the challenge but changing the name to the National Beef Bike Month Challenge!

Frankly, I don't care if you run, ride, walk or Zumba. The goal is to move for 30 minutes (elevating your heart rate beyond normal activity) and eat at least 3 oz. of lean beef to fuel your physical activity, every day for 31 days. It's a simple, doable, tasty challenge!

My personal goal is to ride an average of 25 miles per day during National Beef Bike Month. That's approximately 90 minutes of exercise each day, so I get to eat a lot more beef :)

This was taken THIS MORNING, May 1, 2013!

My goal is part of a much bigger goal to ride 2000 mile between January 1 and June 8, in training for Ride the Rockies 2013. And I'm behind schedule. An unusually snowy spring in Colorado has made it difficult to log road miles. But I've spent a lot of time on my Cyclops Fluid2 indoor bike trainer, so I'm not too far behind. 175 miles per week, 775 miles in 31 days. It's a stretch goal, but it's doable.

So what is your goal? Wherever you are in your persoanl fitness journey, I encourage you to challenge yourself this month. If you are doing nothing, start small. Walk for 30 minutes. If you already exercise every day, try something new. And every day after you reach your goal, reward yourself with lean beef, the nutritional powerhouse.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Preview Day Two: Cortez to Durango

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 02:32:00 +0000

After a fun evening in Cortez, Day Two looks like a good day for a late start. It's the second shortest day of the tour. Maybe Woody and I will stop for breakfast on the way out of town. At only 64 miles and 3,442 ft. of elevation gain, the ride east to Durango looks relatively tame.

I'll probably live to regret those words. It'll be hot or windy (or both). It's never as "easy" as it looks on paper. But the highest point on day two is Hesperus Hill at 8,091 ft. And I don't remember it being much of a climb when we rode this same route in the opposite direction on day one of RTR 2008.

Hitting the road with Woody and we stopped for breakfast in Leadville on RTR 2013.

Ride the Rockies attracts all kinds of riders. There are hard core early risers who break camp before dawn and head out at first light dressed in winter gear. They are the "Early Truck" people . The masses head out between 7-8 a.m. They are the Midde Truckers. Woody and I (and most of Team Bar2Bar) wake up about the time everybody else is taking off. We are the Late Truckers (RTR hauls one bag per person from stop to stop in three 18-wheelers).

Morning at our campsite in Gunnison on the first day of RTR 2012.

We like to ride toward the back of the pack. When we roll into the next stop on the tour we ride straight to a predetermined watering hole for some liquid carbo-loading. Everybody else heads straight to the cmpsite to set up their tent in the heat of the day then wait in line at the shower trucks (impressive 18-wheel mobile shower units).

About the time the masses head out for dinner (and more lines) we head to the campground and find the perfect spot nobody else took (probably because it wasn't in the shade at 2:00!). We walk right into the showers, change clothes and head back out for the evening (about the time the early risers are headed to bed).

I'm fairly certain the official Team Bar2Bar destination in Durango will be Steamworks Brewing Co. This was the gathering point on the first day of RTR 2008. Apparently I had a great beef philly with pablano peppers that night after the long bus ride from Denver. I don't see it on the 2013 menu (.pdf) but the French Dip with House Smoked All Natural Brisket, Swiss Cheese, House Cured Bacon, on a Ciabatta Hoagie sounds amazing!

After Steamworks we'll probably hit a few more local spots before heading back to camp to get some sleep before the 86-mile ride from Durango to Pagosa Springs. Check back in next Sunday for a preview of Day Three of Ride the Rockies 2013.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Training Update: It's all downhill from here!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:07:00 +0000

Every time I run a race I figure out the halfway point before I start (for a half marathon, it's at 6.55 miles, 5K is 1.55, etc.) so I'll know when I'm halfway there. There's something about the halfway point that get's me fired up. I get a little shot of adrenaline, like a horse riding back to the barn.

On a typical day on Ride the Rockies the halfway point isn't the mileage. It's the top of the big climb, the highest point on the ride. As we always say at that point, "It's all downhill from here" (although it rarely truly is).

My and Big T at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Today I crossed the halfway point towards my training goal to ride 2,000 miles before June 8, the start of Ride the Rockies 2013. It was a great training ride for RTR, a 56.29 mi loop with a total ascent of 3,992.78 ft. and a maximum elevation of 7,887.14 ft. (minimum 5,453). We started near Chatfield Reservoir, road up Deer Creek Canyon, through World Famous Tiny Town, Indian Hills, Evergreen, Red Rocks, Morrison, Bear Creek Lake Regional Park and back to Chatfield on the C470 trail.

As we took off on our ride around 7:00 a.m. there were a bunch of hot air balloons taking off from Chatfield Reservoir

After today's ride, I have ridden 1,021 miles since January 1 (most of them on my Cyclops Fluid2 indoor trainer). But that means I still have 980 miles to ride in the next 6 weeks. That's an average of 163.33 miles per week, more than I have ridden any week so far this year.

So, it's definitely not all downhill from here! I definitely need a shot of adrenaline to get me going and maybe reaching the halfway mark will be it. So, how's your training going? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from fellow RTR riders around the country.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Preview Day One - Telluride to Cortez

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:35:00 +0000

Ride the Rockies 2013 starts seven weeks from today! Today and each Sunday until the start of the ride I will preview one day of the sevevn-day, 513-mile, ride from Telluride, Colorado, to Colorado Springs. Here is my preview of day one, Sunday, June 8...

With fresh legs and a mild hangover from the opening night party in Telluride, we'll ride 75 miles from Telluride to Cortez. We rode this route in the opposite direction on day two of Ride the Rockies 2008, from Cortez to Telluride. That day the ride began with a 62-mile climb to the summit of Lizard Head Pass. I posted from the summit that day looking forward to the 15-mile downhill slide into Telluride to Smuggler's Brew Pub, the official Team Bar2Bar finish line for the day.

The Ride the Rockies 2013 route travels 513 miles from Telluride to Colorado Springs

Telluride is a laid-back mountain town offering some of the most stunning vistas in Colorado. In 2008 we ended the evening at Poacher's Pub in the Mountain Village where I left my debit card at the bar. But that's a whole 'nother story. I look forward to returning to Telluride for the start of the 2013 ride. We may even try to go up Friday night to enjoy the sites before we meet up with old friends and make some new ones.

Sunday morning the ride will start in Telluride at an elevation of 8,750 ft. and ascend to 10,222 at the Lizard Head Summit, climbing approximately 1500 ft. in 15 miles. That'll be a good wakeup call! But then it's practically all downhill through Rico, Stoner and beautiful Dolores to Cortez, in the southwestern corner of Colorado near Mesa Verde National Park and Four Corners (the only spot in the U.S. where four states meet in one spot.

Ralph Dinosaur

Cortez is a historic mountain desert town founded in 1886 (the same year my great, great grandfather homesteaded in western Kansas. As I recall, I met up with Team Bar2Bar and Team DFL at the Mainstreet Brewery in 2008 then we went to see Ralph Dinosaur and the Fabulous Volcanoes at the street party (there is a party in every host town on Ride the Rockies!). Ralph Dinosaur also played when Cortez kicked off Ride the Rockies in 2006. No word yet on whether he will make an appearance in Cortez this year.

I am looking forward to returning to Cortez for the third time on Ride the Rockies. Day Two of Ride the Rockies 2013 will take us from Cortez to Durango. Check back in next Sunday for a preview.

Ride on!

Daren

Exposing the Big Fat (Beef) Lie

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:23:00 +0000

This past weekend we hosted my daughter's high school soccer team for dinner. Yes, we actually invited seventeen teenage girls to our house for dinner (well, I didn't, but that's a moot point). My wife and daughter (the inviter) informed me that I would be grilling burgers, a role I was more than willing to accept since it would get me out of the house!

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

It did cross my mind that out of seventeen teenage girls there may be a vegetarian in the group (about 5% of the U.S. population consider themselves vegetarian), but we didn't plan anything special. As it turned out, one of my daughter's teammates brought their own veggie "burger" (if it ain't beef, it's not a burger!) for me to grill. For the record, I don't have a problem with that. I'd rather throw a veggie patty on my grill than foul it with fowl!

All American Flame Grilled veggie burgers (complete with fake grills marks). Just what I want for my Memorial Day barbecue. Not!

As I carried a big plate of beef burgers to the grill my wife handed me the box of Boca "All American Flame Grilled veggie burgers." OK, I'll admit I had to laugh at that. But what really caught my eye were three big numbers: 15g protein, 55% less fat, 120 calories. So 15 grams of protein and 120 calories per serving? Not bad (a 3 oz. serving of lean beef provides 25 grams of protein for about 150 calories). But 55% less fat than what? A ground beef hamburger? Wait a doggone minute.

A 3 oz. ground beef burger provides 25g protein for only about 150 calories.

I don't have any issue with someone choosing to follow a vegetarian diet. But I do have a problem with marketing efforts that spread the misconception that beef is fat. As I first pointed out two years ago on this blog, ground beef (and other ground meat products) comes in many different lean/fat combinations. My grovery store carries 80/20, 85/15, 90/10 or even 93/7. So 55% less fat than what type of ground beef? The label didn't say.

My preference for hamburgers is 85/15 gound beef. I think it gives you the perfect combo of consistency, juiciness and flavor. In fact, the ground beef my wife bought for the party was 85/15. Upon further inspection the veggie patties were 93% lean, 7% fat (93/7). At 7% fat the veggie patties would have 55% less fat than 85/15 ground beef (55% of 15% is ~8%).

So the veggie patty really did have about 55% less fat than the beef burgers I was serving before cooking. This is key, Because when you grill burgers a lot of the fat drips into the fire. I didn't see any fat dripping from the veggie patty. My beef burgers shrank up during the cooking process as the fat cooked out. The veggie patty never changed size. So my guess is the fat content of the cooked products were about the same.

I saw a similarly confusing label on a package of ground chicken burgers at my grocery store. The front of the package says they are 90% lean, 10% fat. OK, fine.

But then there's this flag on the package that says "50% Less Fat" in big letters then "Than USDA data for 80% Lean/20% Fat Ground Beef." Congratulations. You can do simple math. Yes, 10% fat is 50% less than 20% fat! But again, if you are concerned about fat content you can buy 93/7 ground beef, which meets the USDA definition of lean (less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat per serving).

I do think choosing lean cuts of meat is important. I typically grill lean beef cuts like tenderloin, strip steak or T-bone (a terndeloin on one side of the bone and strip on the other). There are more than 29 lean cuts of beef that have less fat than a chicken thigh. Here's a a simple guide to Choosing and Cooking Lean Meats including beef, pork and poultry.

I suppose beef should be proud that chicken and veggies feel the need to market their "burgers" by comparing them to the original, one and only, hamburger. But please stop calling beef fat. As the old ad says, It's not only mean, it's untrue!

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Training Update: Hitting the Open Road

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:37:00 +0000

Saturday was one of those days in Colorado when the warm sun and blue skies call you outside and there are few ways to experience it than to hit the open road on two wheels powered by your own two legs!

Easter weekend ushered in beautiful riding weather in Colorado. I was able to get my bike out on the road Saturday for the first time since early February and was anxious to see if all the miles on the indoor trainer were paying off. I rode a 52-mile loop from Castle Rock to Palmer Lake and back through Larkspur, Colorado. For the most part I felt really good during the ride but was quickly reminded that there's nothing like riding on the road to train for a road ride!

My Cyclops Fluid2 indoor trainer is a great way to maintain base miles during the winter and focus on spinning technique. It's also just great aerobic exercise. But there is really no way to simulate wind, hills and beautiful scenery of the open road on an indoor trainer!

So far I have logged 615 miles toward my goal to ride 2,000 prior to June 8, the start of Ride the Rockies. I'm a little behind schedule but I've only taken two long road rides this year totaling 104 miles. But by comparison last year at this time I had ridden 425 miles, 230 on the road. So I've ridden 315 more miles on my trainer so far this year. I'm really hoping those miles will pay off as I start adding on road miles.

With just over two months until Ride the Rockies and mote than 1,400 miles to reach my goal I'll have to log nearly 700 miles per month in April and May. That seems a little daunting but with a light travel schedule in the weeks ahead I think I can find the time, especially if the weather warms up and I can start commuting to work on my bike soon.

One thing is for sure, I'm looking forward to getting out onthe road more often in the cocming weeks. There's just nothing like hitting the open road on two wheels powered by your own two legs.

Ride on!

Daren

If it ain't BEEF, It's not a Burger!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:08:00 +0000

Burger King entered the Turkey "Burger" Wars this week adding a turkey sandwich to their "spring menu." According to news reports, BK is the first of the "big three fast-food chains" to start selling turkey burgers following "fast food health trends and customers’ demand for healthier options." Available for a limited time, the BK version of the turkey burger has only "530 calories and 26 grams of fat." Healthier? Seriously?

With all due respect to the Burger King, if it ain't BEEF, it's not a burger!

This is just wrong on so many levels. First, if it ain't BEEF, it's not a burger. The origin of the term burger dates back to the 1880s in Hamburg, Germany, where the locals ground up beef steak and formed it into patties they called a "Hamburg Steak." German immigrants then brought Hamburg Steak to the U.S. where enterprising Americans placed it between two pieces of bread to form the first hamburger. The exact origin of the hamburger is a subject of much debate, but there is no question that the first "burgers" were beef.

Second, the perception that ground turkey is "healthier" than beef is a common "missed steak." We think of a turkey breast as lean (and it is). But ground turkey isn't ground turkey breast (think chicken nuggets) and it isn't necessarily leaner than ground beef. I wrote about this two years ago when Carl's Jr./Hardee's first introduced their turkey burger.

The fact is that the ground turkey (and bison) at my grocery store contained at least 15% fat while there were many ground beef choices that were less than 10% fat (90/10, 96/4, etc.). Since all ground meat is a mixture of fat and lean, the only way to determine the leanness is to READ THE LABEL!

The label on this package of ground turkey at my grocery store clearly 85/15, meaning 85% lean, 15% fat

But nutritional value is a lot more complicated than fat content. One 3 oz. serving of 90/10 cooked ground beef (85 grams) is a good (more than 10% DV) or excellent (more than 20% DV) source of 10 essential nutrients and vitamins for about 180 calories. Meanwhile, one 4 oz. serving of raw ground turkey (82 grams) is a good or excellent source of only 6 essential nutrients and vitamins for more than 190 calories. And a turkey burger is higher in cholesterol and sodium than a hamburger. So ground beef is higher in nutrients and lower in calories and cholesterol than ground turkey. So which is healthier? You decide!

This is why I choose beef for my pre- and post-race meals. My body needs the nutrients beef provides to prepare for and repair from intense physical activity . I don't really have anything against turkey. I just want more bang for my calorie buck. Beef provides fuel for the finish.

Ride on!

Daren

Running with Altitude

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 20:48:00 +0000

I went for a run in Breckenridge, Colorado, this morning. Elevation 9,600 feet above sea level. I was quickly reminded how much difference a few thousand feet can make. Less than a block into the run I felt like I was gasping for air and had to slow down from my normal pace to catch my breath. I live at 6,400 ft. so am no stranger to altitude. But coming up to Breckenridge is still a 50% gain in elevation.

Thursday I went for a run in Dallas at a whooping 430 feet above sea level. I ran 3.1 miles at 8:28/mile. Today I ran 4.0 miles at 9:50/mile. I'd say my exertion level was about the same for both runs. There is little doubt that elevation affects performance.

When I rode my first Ride the Rockies in 2005 I lived in Kansas City at about 1,100 ft. My biggest concern was how the elevation would affect me. I found out on Day 5 of the ride when I ended up in the ER with a sore throat and terrible headache. The people in the medical tent at the overnight stop in Leadville (elev. 10,200 ft.) sent me to the ER for a strep test.

When I arrived the doctor measured my blood oxygen level (pulse-ox) at 89 and quickly hookedd me up to oxygen. After a quick nap while waiting for my strep test to come back (it was negative), I felt much better! The doctor diagnosed me with altitude sickness, a serious, sometimes fatal, condition caused by the lack of oxygen in the air at high elevation. In my case the nap and oxygen did the trick. With my pulse-ox back up to 97 the doctor sent me on my way and I was able to finish the final day of the ride over Fremont Pass to Breckenridge the next day.

So the questions remains, how can you train to ride at elevations above 10,000 ft. if you live below 1,000 (or even below 7,000)? Probably the most important advice I have is to just be in the best shape you can. Ride lots of miles. Find the steepest, longest hills near your house and ride them often. But then, when you arrive in Colorado, make sure you stay hydrated. Being properly hydrated helps your body deliver oxygen to your vital organs and muscles when every breath counts!

This picture of my was snapped
at the Victoria Tavern on my first
RTR in 2005 (yes, that is a wig).
I look forward to a return trip on
this year's RTR!

When I look back on my first ride and what I learned from the experience, I recall the night before the ride to Leadville was the party the night before in Salida. Salida is an eclectic mountain town and the setting of the ride party that night was Riverside Park, a gorgeous setting along the Arkansas River. After dark the party migrated across the street to the historic Victoria Hotel and Tavern (aka The Vic).

Needless to say, I stayed until they kicked us out (I have a bad habit of not wanting to leave the party early). After walking back to the campground (the football field at Salida High School) I found my way to my tent and settled in to my sleeping bag. At that point I realized I had not filled my water bottles and both were dry. Making a call I would regret the next day I decided not to set out to find water in the middle of the night.

I woke the next morning severely dehydrated and no amount of water or Gatorade seemed to quench my thirst on the 60 mile, all uphill, ride to Leadville. They say once you feel thirsty it is too late to start hydrating. At least in my case, they were right. But I learned my lesson that first year and have made a conscious attempt to stay hydrated on my six RTRs since. My rule of thumb is to drink one water for every beer. I don't always stick to that, but I try. And I have avoided a return trip to the ER with altitude sickness.

I was reminded of this lesson this morning on my run, and have been pounding water ever since. Even though I don't have anywhere to ride tomorrow I don't want to end up with a headache on the drive home tomorrow (after a night out in Breckenridge tonight!).

Ride on!

Daren

The Beefman's Top Five Beef Buying Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 01:37:00 +0000

I think most of my readers know I eat a lot of lean beef to fuel my physical activity. At age 48 I also need plenty of protein to help avoid age-related muscle loss. Beef is a good/excellent source of 10 essential nutrients and vitamins like zinc to boost immunity, iron to build healthy red blood cells and B vitamins for energy. But let's face it; eating steak every day can get expensive! So, here are my top five tips for enjoying quality steaks for a reasonable price:

5) Share a Steak. My wife and I often share a steak and a salad for dinner. You don't need to eat a 10 oz. steak to get the nutrients you need. One 3 oz. serving of lean beef provides half the protein you need every day for only about 150 calories. If eating out, ask your server to split the salad for you and you'll usually get darn near two full portions. But ask them NOT to split the steak. I've actually seen restaurants butterfly a filet to split it. This is a big missed steak (just like becoming a vegetarian)! A filet should always be served medium rare. Butterflying will lead to overcooking which results in loss of flavor and tenderness.

4) Grill Once, Dine Twice. At least once a week I pick up a flat iron steak, grill it for dinner and have leftovers for breakfast steak and eggs, a steak salad for lunch, or fajitas for dinner the following day. Flat iron is an affordable but also very tender steak (second only to the tenderloin)!

Two flat iron steaks and grilled corn on the cob will feed a family of four with plenty of leftovers!

3) Slice and Save. My colleague Chef Dave (yes, we have a chef on staff where I work!) taught me how to slice a full tenderloin into four meals: a tenderloin roast, petit filet steaks, kabobs and stir fry. I also like to turn a ribeye roast into several meals: a prime rib roast, beef ribs and leftover roast beef au jus sandwiches (yum!). Chef Dave also has tips for cutting a ribeye into steaks and roasts.

2) Follow the Feature. Grocery stores always feature at least one beef cut on sale at all times, especially during "grilling season" (Memorial Day to Labor Day). Featuring beef brings customers in the door so sale prices are usually at or below cost! Watch the newspaper or just look for the signs in the meat case to find the best buys on steaks (or ground beef).

And, my number one beef shopping tip...

1) Mine the "Manager's Special" Section. My first stop in the meat case is the manager's special bin where they put steaks that are nearing their "sell by" date and mark them down for quick sale. These "aged" steaks are perfectly good but often have brown spots that turn off most customers. My friend Jenny describes this in great detail on her Chico Locker & Sausage blog. But the bottom line is that brown color does not mean the steak is spoiled. Spoilage is best determined by an off odor or if meat is sticky, tacky or slimy to the touch. If it doesn't pass the sniff test I'll move on to the featured steaks (see number 2).

Hope these hints are helpful. For great beef recipes, visit Beef. It's What's for Dinner.

Ride on!

Daren

Status: Accepted. Ride the Rockies is on!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 02:11:00 +0000

I entered my name in the "Lottery Status" search engine, hit search and the one word answer was: Accepted. For the seventh time in seven tries my name was drawn from approximately 3,000 applicants for 2,000 slots on the epic adventure known as Ride the Rockies! And it is going to be epic. Seven days, 513 miles from Telluride to Colorado Springs, over three mountain passes and the Royal Gorge Bridge. Oh yeah, and a night in Salida partying at The Vic.

We closed down The Vic on my first Ride the Rockies in 2005, making the
60-mile uphill ride to Leadville the next day extra challenging!

My friends from Team Bar2Bar -- Woody, Paul the Pilot, and The Hankster -- also got in so I know I'll have people to ride and camp with. Woody I rode nearly every mile together in 2012. Woody is a great riding/camping companion on his touring bike with saddle bags capable of hauling a 12-pack and bag of ice from the store to the campground!

Woody riding in his trademark Hawaiian shirt. I'm planning to join his for one day this year, but otherwise will stick to my Team BEEF jersey :)

Paul the (United) Pilot typically rides tandem with his son or daughter. I actually never ridden or camped with The Hankster. He's an indoor camper who gets up early every morning. I'm an outdoor camper who raraly hits the road before 9:00 a.m. But he usually meets up with the rest of the us at the designated Team Bar2Bar watering hole.

Hangin' with The Hankster

Time to kick up the training a notch. I rode 186.5 miles in February, all but 51.5 of those on my Cyclops Fluid2 indoor trainer. Not bad, considering I spent a week in Tampa and was sick for a week in which I did not ride. And it was a short month. But I had planned to ride 500 miles by this point in my goal to ride 2,000 miles before the start of the ride on June 8 and I'm at 376.85, so I'm running a little behind schedule.

The Team Bar2Bar campground last year in Estes Park.

The good news is I'm feeling healthy and don't have too much travel in March. My plan is to ride 400 miles in March, mixing in some road rides (weather permitting).

I'd love to hear from other riders who got in. Where are you coming from? How's your training coming?

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Registration Closes Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:10:00 +0000

The deadline to register for Ride the Rockies 2013 is this Friday, February 22, at 5:00 p.m. MST (mountain time!). The 2,000 participants will be selected at random on March 1.

I just registered today. Have you? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Where are you from? Have you ridden RTR before/what years? Have we met? (I'm the guy who wears the BEEF jersey :)

Hopefully we'll all get selected and meet up on the ride. One of my favorite parts of RTR is meeting people from around the country and making new friends.

Ride on!

Daren

Should You Take a Break from Workouts When You're Sick?

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:21:00 +0000

All my travel on airplanes, and subsequent exposure to every nasty bug carried by the thousands of travelers I have encountered in the cramped confines of coach class, finally caught up to me this week. And I got bit hard. It started with a scratchy throat that turned into head congestion which has now migrated south to my chest. All I know is my body has manufactured, and expelled, more mucous in the past five days than I thought humanly possibe (where does it all come from?)!

Being sick sucks. But what's really bugging me is that I haven't been able to ride, run or engage in any semblance of exercise whatsoever for five straight days. The question is should I try to force myself to workout in spite of feeling lousy or just let my body focus on fighting this bug?

According to this article on WebMD, it's OK to workout when sick as long as you don't have a fever (you don't want to raise an already elevated body temperature). But I haven't been running a fever. The problem is that I just haven't felt like working out. So am I a wimp?

OK, so this is not me (nor do I have any desire to look like this!),
but I thought it was a good illustration of the "neck check" method.

Several articles I read (including this one from Men's Health) recommend gauging whether or not to work out based on whether the symptoms are in your head (literally, not psychosomatic!) or in your chest. It makes sense, since you need your lungs to be functioning properly to get the oxygen your body needs during an intense workout.

"Do what you can do, and if you can't do it, then don't."

Lewis G. Maharam, MD, a New York City-based sports medicine expert

But even before the congestion drained from my head to my chest I simply couldn't motivate myself to move. And now I guess I just have to wait for my lungs to clear. And I'm OK with that. Dr. Maharam pretty much summed up my feelings on the subject in the quote above. I try to listen to my body, whether its an injury or an illness, and follow it's lead.

The good news is I haven't gained any weight despite burning far fewer calories in the past several days. Perhaps that's because I haven't really had much of an appetite. But I am sure ready to get back to consuming and burning at a higher rate in the near future!

Do you have a personal prescription for staying in shape while fighting an illness? If so, please comment and share!

Ride on!

Daren

Do MAMILs (Middle-Aged Men in Lycra) Need More Protein?

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:47:00 +0000

There's even a MAMIL Cycling Club
in England, where the
MAMIL movement began.

Are you a middle-aged man who is fighting off old age by competing in cycling, running and triathlon competitions? A few years ago a friend e-mailed me a link to this article from the New York Times with the subject line: "You are an American Mamil! At first I thought she had misspelled "mammal." But then I learned that the acronym stood for "Middle-Aged Men in Lycra." And the answer is yes. I am. And I am proud of it!

The MAMIL isn’t just about cycling but is about embracing fitness as part of a midlife "crisis" instead of the Corvette, the Harley, or (gasp!) trading the 40-year-old wife in for a pair of 20-year-olds. -- "The New Manhood: Meet the MAMIL," by James Fell, AskMen.com

Around age 30 I began donning spandex shorts and shirts (and even tights in winter time) and took up cycling. At the time it was all about losing the weight I had gained in my 20s (about 70 lbs.). But when I hit 40 I started getting serious about cycling and competed in my first triathlon. Call it a middle-age crisis if you want. There is no doubt it was about fighting off old age. The added energy I gained from training and competing in these events made me feel and look younger. I still have people tell me I look younger today, at age 48, that I did at age 30 when I weighed 270lbs.

I felt much younger after my first century ride (right)
at age 40 than I did 10 years earlier (left) partying with Santa :)

As I have tackled inreasingly difficult events (I have completed three Ironman 70.3 triathlons and six Ride the Rockies cycling tours) I have started paying more attention to my diet. To train for and compete in these events you have to provide your body with the fuel it needs to reach the finish line. And, of course, one my my favorite sources of essential vitamins and nutrients that fuel physical activity is BEEF!

That's why I was excited to read about this study from the Exercise Metabolism Research Group at McMaster University which suggests that "current guidelines for meat consumption are based on the protein needed to prevent deficiency without consideration for preservation of muscle mass, particularly for older individuals who are looking to maintain their muscle as they age." (Age-related muscle loss is a condition called sarcopenia, which is similar to osteoporosis only for muscle mass instead of bone mass.) The study of 35 middle-aged men found that "eating a 6-ounce serving of 85% lean ground beef resulted in significant improvements in the rate of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) following exercise" and that "the quantity of beef needed for optimal MPS for this age group is double the current recommended serving size of meat."

Couple that with the Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) study by researchers at Penn State University which found eating up to 5.4 oz. of lean beef every day, with other heart-healthy foods, can reduce LDL cholesterol up to 10% and that's great news for beef lovers (like me)! So grill up a steak for dinner, add some lean ground beef to your favorite pre-race pasta or put some beef jerky in your bag for after the race. Just be sure to add BEEF to your exercise and nutrition regimen to increase the effectiveness of your workouts and recovery from big events.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Route Announced!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:41:00 +0000

Seven days. 513 Miles. Telluride to Colorado Springs. Just over 73 miles per day.

Here is the official route announced this evening at the Ride the Rockies 2013 route announcement party:

**Drumroll**

Sunday, June 9 -- Telluride to Cortz (75 mi, +2,218 ft)

Monday, June 10 -- Cortez to Durango (64 mi, +3,442 ft)

Tuesday, June 11 -- Durango to Pagosa Springs (86 mi, +3,635 ft)

Wednesday, June 12 -- Pagosa Springs to Alamosa (91 mi, +4,678 ft)

Thursday, June 13 -- Alamosa to Salida (84 mi, +1,631 ft)

Friday, June 14 -- Salida to Canon City (67 mi, +2,789 ft)

Saturday, June 15 -- Canon City to Colorado Springs (46 mi, +2,008 ft)

Click to enlarge

Here are my initial thoughts:

This is a long ride -- this would be the furthest I have ridden in seven days. Seventy-three miles per day for seven straight days is a long ride.

I love the start in Telluride. Only been there once (on RTR 2010) and loved it. One of the most beautiful places I have visited.

I've Alamosa to Salida (Day 5) and Salida to Canon City (Day 6). Alamosa to Salida is not a tough ride and I love the overnight in Salida (party at The Vic!).

Salida to Canon City IS a tough ride. The long ride down the canon at an average -2% grade is a lot harder than it looks due to headwinds coming up the canon. But the killer is the climb up the south rim of the Royal Gorge. This is the toughest 2-mile stretch of road I have ever ridden! Riding your bike across the wooden bridge (1,270 planks!) is a big payoff, however, and just a little freaky!

I like the finish in the Springs. That's only a 30-40 minute drive home and downtown Colorado Springs is a cool place to end the ride (it was also the finish line for this past year's USA Pro Challenge).

That's it for now. I'll break down each day in more detail later.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2013 Training: Building Aerobic and Endurance Base

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:32:00 +0000

Click to Enlarge

I'm off to a pretty good start toward my goal to ride 2,000 before the start of Ride the Rockies 2013 on June 8. Since January 1, I have logged 190 miles on my Cyclops Fluid2 indoor bicycle trainer (and right now seriously debating whether to go log 10 more to make it an even 200!). At this time last year I had only ridden 75 miles on the trainer.

If you are planning to enter the lottery for Ride the Rockies be sure to follow me on Twitter (@REAL_BEEFMAN) this Saturday night, Feb. 2. I will be attending the route announcement party in Denver and tweeting the route as it is announced (approx. 7:30 p.m. mtn time).

Even though I find spinning my wheels and going nowhere exceedingly boring there are many benefits of riding indoors. For one thing, winters in Colorado make it difficult to get in consistent workouts on the road. But this is also a good time for building a solid aerobic and endurance base. And riding on an indoor trainer allows you to get a quick but effective workout, on your own bike, any time of day or night (here are some great tips on How to Ride Inside from Bicycling.com).

I try to keep indoor training interesting by varying the intensity and length of workouts and setting goals to push myself. I also pay close attention to RPMs. I usually try to keep my cadence above 90 in order to train my legs to spin faster instead of push harder. Studies have shown pedaling at higher speeds with less force preserve glycogen in the fast-twitch muscle fibers and burns fat more efficiently.

As I move into the second month of training I plan to add in some single-leg drills to improve my "perfect circles" technique. I know that's something I need to work on to become a more efficient cyclist. This year I'm all about cycling smarter, not harder!

Ride on!

Daren

Beefman's Big Game Bite-Size BEEF Nachos

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 22:39:00 +0000

From left to right: fill scoops with ground
beef (column 1), cheese (column 2),
salsa (column 3) and top with
sour cream (column 4)

The stars aligned today as I was left in an empty house with the big screen all to myself, plenty of beer, and the NFC Championship game on TV. There was only one thing missing from this perfect picture: Nachos!

Checking the pantry I found a bag of Tostitos Multi-Grain Scoops. In the fridge I found some leftover ground beef, a half-empty jar of Jardine's Chipotle Salsa, some pizza cheese and sour cream. Viola! Beefman's Big Game Bite-Size BEEF Nachos.

Directions: Line up 16-20 multi-grain scoops on plate (see below), fill with cooked ground beef and top with cheese, salsa and a dolop of sour cream (at left).

And there you have a quick and easy game time snack for 2-4 people (or just one if you have the house to yourself, plenty of beer, and just finished running 5.5 miles!).

Enjoy!

Daren

Select only the best (unbroken) scoops and eat the rest :)

Ride the Rockies 2013 Route Announcement!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 15:04:00 +0000

The official announcement is out! Actually, the official announcement of the official announcement is out. The second annual Ride the Rockies Announcement Party will be held in Denver on Saturday, February 2, 2013. The party starts at 6:00 p.m. but the official route announcement will be at 7:30 p.m. (mountain time). Tickets are $30 in advance/$40 at the door.

I will be attending and will tweet the route as it announced. Follow me on Twitter (@REAL_BEEFMAN) if you want to be one of the first to know the 2013 route!

Ride on!

Daren

Do Fat Guys Burn Calories Faster?

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:46:00 +0000

I'd much prefer riding outside than on my indoor trainer, but the
winter months in Colorado make it a necessary evil.

A week or so ago I posted something on Facebook about riding my 25 miles on my Cyclops Fluid2 bike trainer and burning 1,929 calories. A friend of mine from Texas, who is a lean, Ironman triathlete, asked how I was burning so many calories, saying he'd only burn about 800-850 calories during a similar workout over and above his basal metabolic rate (essentially the number of calories you'd burn lying in bed*).

"Are you burning more because of the cold or altitude?" he asked. "I could drink a lot more Shiner if knew your secret."

I had to admit that I didn't have any secret. My calorie numbers were based simply on what my Garmin Edge 705 tells me. But I have often wondered why I seem to burn more calories than other people I ride and run with so I did some investigating and found some plausible answers.

My first theory was that maybe I burn more calories than he does simply because I am taller and weigh at least 40 lbs. more than he does. Turns out there is some credence to this theory. According to this article on Livestrong.com, "A 20-lb. weight difference can translate to a more than 10-percent increase in calories burned for some activities. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs., you'll burn about 10.3 calories per minute swimming the crawl at a moderate pace. However, if you weigh 180 lbs., you'll burn about 11.6 calories per minute."

I would have burned 30 percent more calories as Fat Daren at 270 lbs (at left in Dec. 1995) than as the skinnier version at 210 lbs (at right in Sept. 2000)

But that still doesn't explain how I could burn more than twice the calories my friend burns in the same workout. If I weigh 40 lbs. more than him I would only burn 20 percent more calories. So if he burned 850 calories riding 25 miles in 75 minutes (average 20 mph) I should burn 1,020 in a similar workout. That still leaves about 900 calories unexplained.

I've always thought the Edge might be overestimating calories and a quick Google search of "Garmin Edge calories" confirmed my suspicions. One glowing review of the Edge 705 found little to fault with what they called the "most useful bit of cycling-orientated electronics we’ve ever used." However, the review said, "We did find that the Edge 705 substantially over-estimates the number of calories you’ve burned. According to Garmin, the best algorithms for calorie consumption are protected by patents, so it’s best to treat this feature as a way of comparing rides for effort. If you eat to replace the food you have just burned, you’ll turn into a blimp." Bummer. Not the answer I was looking for!

So how much is "substantially"? And just how many calories have I consumed thinking I could "afford" them based on what my Garmin was telling me? Is this why I gained 10 lbs over the holidays?!

OK, time for another confession. I don't count calories. I just eat. And I workout. I track my weight and if it goes up I try to decrease calories consumed and increase calories burned. I go with my gut, literally and figuratively. So I can't blame Garmin for my Holiday 10. But I can't keep eating like I did during the holidays and expect to lose it, either. As they say, great abs as made in the kitchen, not the gym.

Ride on!

Daren

*I found an online BMR calculator that says a 6'4" tall, 215 lb., 48-year-old male would burn 2,044.25 calories per day (2,000 is considered "average"), or about 85 calories an hour.

Ride the Rockies 2013 Training Begins Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:55:00 +0000

The finish of my first Ride the Rockies in
2005 remains one of the highlights of my
personal journey with weight loss.

The first day of the New Year ushers in the beginning of a new training "season." At least that's how I've always looked at it. Living in cold winter areas like Kansas and Colorado I usually just try to "maintain" during the winter months and avoid putting on weight during the holidays. But once the calendar turns over to the new year I start focusing on my goals for the year -- the big events I want to compete in or new challenges I want to tackle.

I'm not big on making resolutions but I am big on setting goals. My friend Dane captured my thoughts exactly in a recent post on the subject:

"I see the New Year’s Resolutions which people set as being very bold and wonderful. Unfortunately, they are often so broad and far-reaching that they themselves up to fail. I suggest, instead, to set smaller goals and to set them daily. Each day brings its own triumphs and tribulations."
-- Dane Rauschenberg, SeeDaneRun.com

Rather than "resolving to lose weight," I have found that setting a goal such as "completing Ride the Rockies 2013" works better for me. In order to complete Ride the Rockies I have to train. Last year I rode 1,570 miles between January 1 and June 9, the first day of the 2012 ride.

This year my goal is to up that to 2,000 miles between now and June 8 (the anticipated start of the ride--the official dates/route will be announced at the 2013 Route Announcement Party on Saturday, February 2nd). June 8 is 158 days from today so I need to average 12.66 miles per day, or just under 90 miles per week between now and then.

Today's goal was to ride one one-hundredth, or .01 percent of that goal, 20 miles. So I got on my indoor trainer and rode 20 miles at a pace of 19.7 mph. Goal accomplished. Today's triumph and tribulation. And I'm already 7.34 miles ahead of average :)

Ride on!

Daren

Why Do Old Guys Get Fat in Winter?

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:03:00 +0000

The elusive "Old Guys Who Get Fat in Winter"
Racing Team jersey

Several years ago on Ride the Rockies I saw a guy wearing an "Old Guys Who Get Fat in Winter" racing team jersey (but I've never been able to find one for sale!). Having battled the bulge in my 20s and lost it in my 30s, I could relate to the annual weight gain cycle that plagues many men (and women, I gather from this Fabulous 40 & Beyond post) as we age. Now approaching the big 5-0 it seems to get harder and harder to lose the lose the weight come springtime so I am trying harder to avoid the gain. But I am finding that gets tougher, too.

So why do old guys get fat in winter? Some theories suggest that humans, like most mammals, instinctively store fat in winter to stay warm. I am somewhat skeptical of this hibernation theory -- essentially that our metabolism slows down to conserve energy during a period of cold weather when food supplies are scarce. We live in a climate-controlled world with abundant supplies of food a short ride away (hopefully with heated car seats)!

I put more stock in the "Holiday 10" hypothesis. Beginning with Halloween candy and extending through Thanksgiving over-eating, Christmas cookies, and New Year's over-indulgence my holidays are punctuated with family events focused on eating, drinking and being merry. I cannot even begin to calculate the number of calories I consumed this past week but it had to be at least 1,000 per day in beer alone!

But I am not going to deprive myself of holiday cheer in order to maintain my goal weight. As I have for the past 18 years I will simply increase calories burned to account for increased calories consumed. It's not really a very complicated concept. As I have often said, I swim, bike and run so I can drink beer (and enjoy other high calorie indulgences). And I eat beef to fuel my body with protein and nine other essential nutrients in a low calorie package (not to mention it tastes great and leaves me feeling full longer than other foods).

One 3 oz. serving of beef provides more than 10 percent of 10 essential nutrients and vitamins for less than 10 percent of your daily calories

So here's my New Year's Resolution: Ride faster, run harder, swim more, eat more BEEF (and fruits and veggies) and save the calories for the good stuff (like my mom's pie!).

Diet and health can seem complicated. Keep it simple with beef.

Ride on,

Daren

P.S. Fire up a beef tenderloin for your New Year's celebration. One of the leanest and most tendcer cuts, tenderloin (aka filet) is an elegant and healthy way to ring in the new year and start 2013 off on the right foot! Try this recipe from Beef. It's What's for Dinner for a party pleaser!

I grilled up three 7-8 lb. whole tenderloins for Christmas dinner. The total price tag of $250 seems steep until you factor in that we fed 26 people for less than $10 per serving (and had at least half a roast leftover). Considering the crowd-pleasing flavor and low-calorie consequences (about 150 calories per serving), you can't go wrong with a tenderloin for your New Year's Eve party!

Why I Hate 5Ks

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:41:00 +0000

Sitting on the couch watching the traditional Detroit Lions game, I am questioning my decision to run the 8th annual Turkey Rock Trot 5K. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, my back hurts and even my brain hurts. During the race I kept trying to tell myself the pain was only temporary but the fact is I am still hurting and probably will be for the rest of the day.

Me (at left), my brother Jon (right)
and nephew Alex (center)
looking pretty confident before the race.

The thing that hurts the most though is I didn't even run a particularly fast race (my unofficial time was 24:50 according to my Garmin Forerunner 410). My 8:00/mile pace was almost half-a-minute per mile slower my last race that covered twice the distance (10K) and only slightly faster than my last half marathon (13.1 miles).

I could blame the altitude (Castle Rock sits at about 6,400 ft.) but that last half marathon was in Denver (the Mile High City at 5,280 ft.). I could blame the weather but it was a fairly pleasant morning in the 40s with very little wind, similar to that 10K in North Dakota. I could blame it on a tough course but it's actually pretty flat and not particularly challenging. It just doesn't add up.

Maybe I'm just sore that I didn't reach my goal to break 24:00 and set a new 5K PR. I was battling a lot of mental "can't" during the race. My splits tell the story. I ran the first mile in 7:34, right on the pace I wanted to run today, and it's the toughest mile on the course. But for some reason I couldn't hold that pace and slowed to 8:06 in mile two.

I was just telling my brother and nephew that I got discouraged when I saw the 2K sign. "Only 1.2 miles?" I thought, "Not even halfway. I can't run this fast for another 2 miles." Then I got irritated. "Why do they have K markers instead of mile markers? We aren't in Europe!"

My brother just told me he got discouraged when a guy in an elf costume passed him. Funny how we let silly things discourage us. Thinking back I should have just set my sights on reaching the 3K marker and celebrating being over halfway. Instead I slowed down.

Here we are post-race, trying to mask the pain with a smile :)

By the time we made the turn towards home with about one mile to go I knew I would have to run a 7:30 mile to break 24:00. Instead, I slowed to 8:24 in the third mile before sprinting the final one-tenth of a mile to the finish line. To be honest, for much of that last mile I was thinking about walking, but I never did.

I hate finishing a race feeling like I didn't give it my all. Seems like that happens to me every time I run a 5K. That's why I hate 5Ks. Short races require you to run all out for the entire race. To do that you have to push through the pain and negative thoughts that come with it. The devil on my shoulder got the best of me today.

While I didn't reach my goal I didn't quit either. I crossed the finish line ahead of everyone who didn't run the race :)

Ride on!

Daren