2012 is upon us!!

And so it is, 2011 nears its end, a successful year in all but hopefully the spoils of 2012 will far exceed it. If I was to recap on my year, I would remember it as one of both hardship and success, progress was stunted by many injuries and ailments, but at the same time when i managed to gather form I acheived some nice results.

As of the last month training has been going to plan. The inflammed sciatic nerve in my right leg seems to have slowly come good, thanks to some top class therapy from Dave Corcoran of www.nsrt.ie and Simon Walsh of the Massage Clinic above molloys pharmacies in bunree. This injury had caused havoc in November and early December but with it clearing up I can happily say that progress is been made.

Like usuall when Im home for the festive season over indulgement became my enemy, the illitany of food and drink forced a few pounds onto me, but im confident that this will not hinder my progress once my training rides really strike the long mileage. As of recent I have been training with my brother Ciaran quite a lot, we have been tackling the "Eagle Loop" this comprises of crossing the windy gap, hacking out by lough easkey and smashing it back into the relentless coastal winds via easkey and enniscrone. Last week we were met but gale force winds and insane hail, It was striking us so hard that my skin was in pain as it lashed against it.

The mountain bike is also going good, even though i am still working off my keo cleats and am waiting on the arrival of my Mavic Razor MTB shoes which are expected this week. There arrival will be great as it will give me the opportunity to take to rougher trails were if forced into walking wont destroy my road shoes!!

But that is it for 2011 people it has been a good year, but even greater lay ahead

Winter!!

This time last year I was packing my bags and getting ready for what was to be a 3 months of sun and heat in Spain, but this year though things will be very different. For the winter of 2011/2012 I have decided to stay in Ireland and do my training here, this can either be a very positive move or a negative one. Here in Ireland I have a very good support network with my physio Simon Walsh from the "Massage Clinic" above Molloys Pharmacy in Bunree, Ballina, my coach Scott Mc Donald from Winning Solutions, training partners and the many other individuals that help me succeed in my cycling. But on the negative side as we all no the weather in the west of Ireland is not nice during the winter months, last week alone it hammered rain for 5days straight, which isn't the best if your hoping to put in 4hrs on the bike. But there is one way to conquer all bad weather and poor road conditions, that is to get a quality Mountain Bike and as of last Monday that is exactly what I did, I purchased a Merida MTB which is equipped with disk brakes and a mid range shimano groupset. So if ice or snow land then at least I wont have to accept defeat and retreat to the turbo I will be able to take to the trails and keep things moving forward!!

I began training last month which was November, but I was met with a bit of hardship in the form of injury, my hamstring developed a slight pull when I was doing some light jogging. Unfortunately the muscle did not want to heal at any rapid pace but after much DIY Therapies and physio work it seems to be coming round. Hopefully it will be the last of injury for this season giving me a clear run at what lies ahead.

Recently I had a very good meeting with the Science In Sport (SIS) Nutritional company in relation to some of their newly developed sports supplements. It was organised by my local nutritional sponsor James Geraghty from Molloys Lifestyle Pharmacies who intends on stocking a full range of SIS products in store over the coming Weeks/Months. The products range from Top end Energy drinks to Night time protein supplements specifically designed for weight conscious athletes. But over the next while I will try and post a blog that will give a bit of info on how to maintain a healthy eating regime over the winter and how sport supplements can aid an athlete in this quest.

But until then Keep the training going!!