Protein is a poor source of energy and requires a lot of work to break down. Protein only supplies about 5% of energy during exercise, and up to 10% when glycogen stores are depleted. Protein however is crucial to repair muscle damage of heavy training. There is evidence that endurance athletes need even more protein than body builders. Don't fall into protein=muscle trap. Muscle gain comes from adaptation to stress (ex. weights), and proper nutrition. Consuming too much protein can be hard on your kidneys and is unnecessary. Your body can only process so much protein at a time; rest is flushed from your body.

If weight loss is you goal focus on energy in and energy out- calories. Do not fall victim to fad diets. Weight loss is really just a numbers game; you have to burn more than you consume to create a deficit. Remember; Lance weighs his pasta. A round number for weight loss is 10 x weight + 2 x weight for men, and 10x weight + weight for women. This is roughly your resting metabolism, number of calories your body needs daily to sustain bodily functions. This is less than number of calories your body burns every day. Couple this deficit with deficit created by exercise, and you will loose weight. It is preferable, however, to loose weight by deficit created from training only. This way you do not have to worry about being depleted for training. Eating smaller meals throughout day can boost your metabolism and keep you from over eating. Try not to go hungry; you tend to eat too much at one sitting when you are hungry.

The "big picture" is to try to make sure each meal has carbohydrates, fats, and protein in approximate ratios. Make sure your diet is balanced and consistent. You can do this by quantifying and calculating your food choices, or by simply eyeballing your plate. Eat a variety of complex carbohydrates, low fat proteins, and healthy oils. Stay away from high fat foods, especially saturated fats. It is important to read labels so that you know what you are putting in your body. Consider yourself as an athlete. Athletes' put grade A high octane fuel in their bodies because it gives them a competitive advantage.

Once you established your pacing parameters it is crucial to stay within them. A key element of this process is regularly collecting data as you race and adjusting your pace accordingly. There is a variety of data and methods of collection available to you. Some are more effective than others. A simple example is checking splits at each mile marker during a running race, and adjusting your pace based on your known potential. The best forms of data occur in real time such as heart rate, watts (cycling), or using a new GPS based pacing device. It should be habit to scan this data, and make adjustments if necessary, every few minutes or less.

In same manner of thinking avoid race day placement predictions. If you achieved a seventh place finish in a race last year and your goal this season is to come in above fifth, you could be setting yourself up for failure even though you are considerably faster. You never know who is going to show up for a race; it could be national champion. If you find yourself in 10th place and your goal was fifth it could take you out of race mentally, even though you were setting a personal record. You never want to set objectives that are out of your control. Placement predictions fall into this category.

Racing should be well rehearsed and automatic. Try to leave nothing to chance and have specific performance objectives and parameters. This will also lower your level of anxiety and make you more focused on process of racing instead of outcome. The most successful athletes are ones that know exactly what they have to do; and do it.