Since my last blog post I have been exceptionally busy both on and off the bike. With it now being 2012 and coming toward the end of February it is that time of the year again when the racing season takes off.
Keep an eye on my blog over the coming months as once I enter into the racing scene I will be updating it constantly with my progress, success and hardships!!
January was a successful month for my training, I managed to put away a large number of miles as I slowly introduced some intensity into the workouts, most of my chosen routes took me out over Attymass and over by Lough Easkey generally giving me an average time on the bike of 5hrs depending on weather conditions. A large quantity of my training has been done solo except for a few weekend spins were i was joined by fellow club mates. This has made it hard for me to judge my form but since I have been using a Powertap in my training I have been able to steadily view my progress as my wattage on my long rides and during intervals have increased.
On the 2nd of February I travelled to Calpe, Spain to train with my team Terra Footwear - Bicycle Line. I stayed for 10 days and we put away some serious mileage as well as putting the hurt down on some of the monumental climbs in the region. With it being the first time that I have had the chance to test myself against other full time athletes, I was climbing good and performed well in any pace work that we did. The weather for the stay was good, chilly at times but always sunny, I enjoyed many a Cafe Con Leche and lived of a diet of rice, lentils and chicken breast which provided me enough energy for my training as well as aiding me in trimming some lard off.
Since coming back from Spain the Irish weather has been very poor, rain, cold and hailstones which has made my recovery week quite relaxing as I sit in my living room watching the rain smash off the window, Knowing that this day next week I will be in Belgium applying the final preparations to my form in advance of my races. I depart on the 24th of February were I will be driving to Rosslare were my ferry will take me to Cherbourg, from there I will be driving the 6hr trip to Oudenaarde.
Keep an eye on my blog over the coming months as once I enter into the racing scene I will be updating it constantly with my progress, success and hardships!!
