Joys of racing, training and eating!

Gluten- try to avoid

2012-06-14T00:57:00.001-07:00

Although I love my bread and pasta, I try to keep my Gluten in-take to a minimum often opting for gluten free alternatives. It often makes me feel sluggish, tired and retain water, but here is another good reason why to keep your gluten in-take low!http://paleozonenutrition.com/2012/06/08/unexplained-infertility-it-might-be-caused-by-gluten/

Carb Loading?

2012-06-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

I hear on many a cycle or during my time in the gym of how people have filled up on the carbs before their session- great example is a huge bowl of porridge/ cereal or a bagel and jam.

When fuelling before training you have got to remember what you are fuelling for- and unless you are about to compete in a major long-distance event you are much wiser if you focus on your protein intake during breakfast.
As many a diabetic person will know- insulin works best post-exercise and the 1-2hour window after you workout is the time that you want to be consuming the majority of your carbs for the day- not before!!
Protein at breakfast is particularly important as your body has been fasted for a period of up to 12hours overnight. Protein is not stored efficiently in your body and therefor requires topping up regularly and is crucial first thing.
I have completed many a 5-6hour cycle or 90minute run on a breakfast consisting of eggs and bacon not cereal and toast, which will cause your blood sugar levels to spike and then give you an energy slump most probably as you just about to start your workout- not to mention that 11 o'clock hunger pangs!
Some great practical breakfast ideas that I love are:

Omelettes and Frittatas
Smaller amount of Porridge with protein powder and nuts
Fruit smoothies with whole milk
Gluten free pancakes with cottage cheese

Give it a go!!

Carrot or pecan??

2012-06-13T08:11:00.001-07:00

IMG_0347, a photo by bianchiboy22 on Flickr.

Got to be one of the greatest perks of cycling. Great bikes, great companions, being in the great outdoors, but above all of these the excuse to consume a lot of coffee and cake!

Bianchi bicycles

2012-06-13T08:07:00.001-07:00

Bianchi bicycles, a group on Flickr.

I have a huge passion for many things Italian and this expands into the world of cycling. Check out these gorgeous Bianchis- I am a proud owner!

Strava!!

2012-06-13T07:01:00.002-07:00

Ok so there are a lot of very keen and competitive runners and cyclists out there- wouldn't it be great if you could see how you stack up against your friends and even pros on the local 10mile commute route or your 50mile Sunday ride course?

Well Strava has been around for a little while now and I am hooked! You need a GPS device or the Strava app on your smartphone and then you can upload workouts to the site and see how you compare- it will rank you over popular segments over the course you rode or run such as a challenging hill or long straight drag. You can then head out on your next ride and try and PB. There are a lot of cool challenges on there to get involved with, and you can also track how much training some of the pros do also- mind blowing
Warning though it is addictive! www.strava.com

Blast on the indoor rower

2012-06-13T06:54:00.002-07:00

Fancy something a bit different when you go into the gym? Lots of people only seem concerned with pounding away on the treadmills of lifting heavy weights.
The indoor rower is one of the best workout choices you can make. It's non weight bearing, low impact and is a great combination of strength and cardio.
This morning I knocked out 3x10 minute stints at my Threshold Heart Rate or race pace which for me is around 1:54/500m. I had a few good minutes of recovery in between with some easy jogging on a treadmill. That session was not for the faint hearted believe me!
I don't suggest you go for anything like that right away- build up gradually. When you are building up your levels of fitness and strength check out http://concept2.co.uk/ for some great ideas and some cool charts to see how you compare- sure way to fire up your motivation!
Ditch the hamster wheel and train smart!

Bored of the gym?

2012-06-13T06:30:00.001-07:00

Why do you train? Ebbs and flows

2012-06-13T01:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I am not sure why I hit the gym, go for a cycle or whatever may take my fancy that day. Is it always structured and towards a defined goal? Nope! Is it always relevant to my needs? Nope! Is it always fun? Nope!
People train for all kinds of reasons such as vanity, insecurity, for a competition, boredom, self-improvement, and of course enjoyment. For me there isn't many things better than a great cycle with a group of like-minded people, but other days there is nothing worse!
I think over the course of the year, what motivates me to get out and train is constantly varying as is my enjoyment, but one thing that remains stable and that is the pleasure you get when you have completed your workout and you can sit back with a big bowl of pasta and feel very smug indeed!

Gym chimps

2012-06-13T01:20:00.001-07:00

Ok so I am not a massive guy with bulging biceps, thunder thighs and smashing down the protein shake after one rep on the bench press- and I am glad!!
All gyms have their 'chimps' or maybe 'queens' - I bet you can think of them in your gym? Talking loudly about the fight they got involved in recently, sprawling over the gym equipment, checking themselves out a LOT and preening themselves constantly.
Is this attractive to the opposite sex? They seem convinced, I am less so... Surely there can't be a bigger display of vanity and insecurity! That said I may be willing to try if it gets results!

Suffering!

2012-06-13T01:09:00.002-07:00

The past few weeks I have 'raced' in a few time trials with my local cycling club. I think myself as much fitter than the average person and regularly cycle 75+miles on a weekend ride, so the thought of a series of trials on a weekday evening consisting of 10,25 and 6 miles respectively don't seem to difficult right?
Not so! To cut a long story short I have discovered to the detriment of my legs and pain threshold that no matter how short the races or how fit and prepared you are heading to these kind of things they hurt!
In fact if they don't hurt and you feel comfortable, then you are not trying hard enough- no matter what the race, long or short, fast or slow, if done right you will be suffering at the end!
So now I have established some decent PB's including 1h05m for the 25 on a standard beautiful Bianchi (with aero bars and a silly helmet) I am ready to start the next round of trials and suffer even more! All in the name of fun right....