Venga!! Venga!! Venga!!

So far so good as they put it!! hopefully i wont jinx myself haha.

This month has been going good, training has been working a charm and I feel my fitness is steadily coming. The challenging roads and tough hills in the Murcia region have provided me with the perfect training. Recently I have been venturing further and further into the unknown riding as much as 200km in each ride. Some of the scenery is second to none but on a blustery day when you must put your head down and battle what seems like eternal head winds you are left with very little opportunity to look around.

The accommodation that I am staying at is going good, early bed 9am every night which means I must go soon.

I have taken a serious liking to Paella dishes which I have been cooking up for myself with many extra ingredients, Im taking my molloys "Energy +" Multivitamin, Mineral & Herb Capsules daily and as of yet I have had no Illness or signs of burn out, Im still religiously keeping with my tablespoon of UDO's Choice Oil daily in porridge which I really feel is a large part of what is keeping my body going so strong during the hard blocks of training. The largest difference that I have noticed from last year to this year is how much more training my body can sustain before my HR becomes slow to react, This is obviously a perfect combination between My training which my Coach Scott Mc Donald From Winning Solutions has been prescribing me along with the great sports Nutritional Products from Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies and the Good recovery routine that I have managed to get myself into out here.

Life is pretty relaxing when I'm not on the bike, most mornings I rise early at 7am where i get a quick cup of coffee and my supplements in, from here I go for a short walk to the beach were I do some stretching. Ive taken heavily to Muesli, and Eggs which provides me with a good combination of Carbs and Proteins. Before hitting the bike I always get in a small meal which then helps me power through the initial part of my training session without being hindered by hunger.

On the bike I have been experimenting with a combination of home cooked goodies and sports supplements to get the most out of my body during each session. The viper bars and gels still remain in there on very hard and short days were energy is need rapidly and in concentrated levels, I am tearing through the Zyms and Deorilites as I tend to sweat heavily in the high temperatures which makes hydration important. I have been bringing a lot of home cooked foods on the bike such as Baked Potato's which may sound daft but since they are Number 1 on the glycemic index even above chocolate and energy bars they provide energy to the working muscles in a matter of minutes, I have also been making nice rice cakes composed of rice, egg and a small bit of bacon for the salt, I simply cook them in the oven and they are a savoury calorific snack that keeps me going on long endurance rides. I will give a bit of info on my recovery foods and techniques in my next blog post but if anyone has any questions or queries don't be afraid to contact me on Paddy4053@gmail.com.

The weather is quite warm at the moment but some days we get very cold bouts of heavy rain and strong winds which makes getting out on the bike impossible, like today when it was 5degrees and roads flooded!! but then wont stop me training I will simply have to lend a boat and row the 180km that I'm down for!!

keep cycling people the days are counting down till lift off!!

5 weeks in the Sun!!

So far I have been 5 weeks in the Spanish sunshine putting some quality miles under my belt. Living in Torreveija with Justin Callaway and Daniel Vejmelka... The apartment is pretty nice and comfy making it perfect for when we come in off the bike looking for some nice relaxation. Over the last few weeks my laptop has been playing up on me as it contracted a nasty virus which prevented it accessing the net. This would not have been a problem if My samsung Galaxy S mobile phone was working but since cracking the screen on it I have been left isolated from the Internet world. I am currently nearing the end of a 3 week training block which will give me a nice recovery week until beginning February's training.
With the season approaching fast I feel its time to really start working on getting the body fat to an acceptable level, up until now I have been trying to keep my consumption of food working along the lines of little and often. Controlled portions as many as 8 a day depending on my training intensity has been providing me enough energy to complete all my workouts whilst attaining a small deficit to promote fat loss without jeopardising muscle!!
In the coming weeks both myself and my sponsor Molloy's Lifestyle Pharmacies & Healthfood stores will be aiming to set up an online system where any athletes or everyday Individuals who wish to make any enquiries in regards to Fitness training or diet can do so via a confidential Q&A system on there website so keep your eyes peeled on http://www.molloyspharmacy.com/

But until the next time keep pedaling hard!!