Preparing the trike

The odd thing about the hills I've been climbing is that I'm not breathing hard during nor after the ride to the top. It's my muscles that literally can't handle the slope. I'm in agony just trying to get 3mph. My cadence is nowhere near what it needs to be. As much as I know fitness training will improve my chances at completing the ALC, I can't help but to think my trike could use some buffing up. Unfortunately I can't do much about the weight of the trike. I'll have to turn to other alternatives to increase effectiveness on the hills:

1. TOE CLIPS:
To improve my technique, I've read tons about using toe clips. This helps with the circular motion needed for efficient pedaling. So far I've only been pushing on the pedals. No wonder I haven't been effective. It looks like I'll need new pedals.

2. GEARS:
This is where I have the biggest opportunity. My KMX Tornado is the entry level adult trike. Looking at KMX's line up of performance counterparts, I see that the differences are primarily the quality of drivetrain parts.

3. TIRES:
Being that trike itself is designed to be a BMX bike on three wheels, it's no wonder the tires can use a replacement. Since they're not designed for endurance/long-distance rides, I'll need something more capable of the trek I'm going to embark on. My stock tires can at least be improved by replacing these no-name brand from China, Lien Fortune with a reputable brand such as Schwable. KMX isn't the only one who's been replacing their stock tires with Schwable Big Apple tires. From my discussion with Schwalbe's sales rep this afternoon, The Big Apples are too beefy and heavy for my purposes. I did see records of a recumbent trike rider who took on the ALC using these exact tires, but I'm on a mission to find something better. The Schwalbe Marathon HS?

4. WEIGHT:
There isn't much I can do to shed any of the 43 lbs off the trike. If I'm going to shed any weight it'll be my body fat. Those of you who know me are laughing. I'm the lanky 5'-7" 150lb lad who has a new issue of Muscle Fitness magazine on the coffee table that has yet to have its pages opened. I eat 4-6 times a day and have the metabolism of a marathon runner. The odd thing is that I haven't run more than 7 miles in a row since high school. I can cut a 100 grams by removing lights and other day time riding non-essentials, but that's about it. Perhaps some trike components can be replaced with lighter ones. Even then, we're looking at grams - not pounds of saved weight. Being that human bodies can gain or lose up to 2lbs in a day based on water intake alone, a few grams here and there won't make much of a difference. I would have to shed more than 400 grams to lose 1 lb. Think of a gram as the weight of a single M&M chocolate candy. There isn't much substance there. Options 1-3 above are my best bet.