Bird Legs and Beer Belly

Well, it is that time of the year again, where I try to come back from my winter slumber and get back into some sort of race fitness. To be quite honest, I have NEVER had race fitness. I come out gung ho every year and just don't have the dicipline to do anything about. Chris Locke coins it the best "Dave, you are the king of the comebacks". I am going to give it a real go this year. I have been out on a few rides with my teammates: Chris and Carolynn Locke, Randy Cartwright, Dan Gierer and Sarah Kucera. They have been fairly easy rides for those with fitness, but for me they are a good starting point. I need to get in some good base miles to build on.
First thing for me is to drop some weight. I am about 35 pounds over my "race weight" right now, so that isn't helping matters any. I am a power eater, when it comes to food; I eat fast and I eat a lot. Unfortunately, I carry all my weight in my gut, it's genetics and that is just the way it is. I think if I can get my eating under control, that will help tremedously. My core needs a lot of work and that combined with diet, ought to make a huge difference. Every cyclist knows that a 16 pound bike doesn't do you any good, if you are overweight. The cheapest way to take weight off the bike, is to take it off the motor!
Secondly, I need to build some muscle, as I also inherited bird legs. Not complaining, just stating the facts. Even way back when I was in half way decent shape, I never did develop big calf or quad muscles. So, I will never be a sprinter, heck I don't have the nerves for that anyway. I think I am going to focus on climbing and being a good all arounder for my team, Cow Town Cycling.
So, part of my training plan was to start this blog to keep anybody, including myself, up to date on things. Step 1, is complete. Stay tuned if you are interested and I will post as often as I can.