Reflecting on how far we have come and where we are going

i seemed to have skimmed over the lactate test without really explaining what it was is the last blog and what it really means in terms of tracking performance and improving my racing / training.
basically it gave us information of how hard i was working to sustain a certain effort ,and how my body reacted to the effort , this then gave us a chart of where my best training areas would be dependant on what races i was doing ,and gave me a personnal hr zone chart based on what my body is capable of . this is very important as i said in my last blog about just training with hr as it gives you a much more tailored hr zone.
it also gave us a huge range of information from what my aerobic threshold power and hr is , my lactate threshold , and my lactate concentration to power output , this is great as we can then track where it is on the next test and have a exact pitcure of improvements made.
its all very technical but explained well by alex and ive got a report to keep and use for future evidence,its just a exact way of tracking progress which was just what i was after and it gives you a target to raise the bar next time.

I spent the morning going back over last years training records,my power files ,what training i was doing, weight etc and to be completely honest it was like looking at two completely different people.
ive been very lucky to get on board with Matt Bottrill Performance Coaching and its really openned my eyes to the difference between just training and training the whole package.
people often say train smart and others say its all about base in winter, no intervals till close to race time , dont take any time off over winter ,take 2 months off etc etc. i was a proper sponge for advice i would take it from anywhere and everywhere but it pretty much ment i was taking 20 different approaches to my training, when i say training i dont just mean the hours on the bike, i mean the diet ,the core work ,the motivation , the prep ,basically everything. At the current time im in a great place and feeling extreamly happy with the people ive managed to surround myself with and who continue to support me. sounds a bit soppy but ive come along way and i think that has only been made possible by my total determination to get the very best out of myself and those people.
Matt has given me the tools and the motivation to push way beyond what i thought and there is no end in sight yet of how far we can go, Andy at bike science has given me the set up to ensure i have the best chance to succed with the bike fit and the outstanding Boardman TTE.
The work that has been put in over the last few months is crazy, so if the results dont come its all on me

Kit this year has been a major area for change , new bike , wheels ,set up etc , the only parts carrying over from last year are the sram R2C shifters and the sram red rear mech, i keep saying i will do a blog about last years set up vs this year and i will once we have the TTE set up .
talking of the rear mech its currently with david at http://m.facebook.com/prologueperformance for a custom carbon aero mech cover which looks bloody awesome , ive also got the cranks going over now that i have decided im running the Rotor Q rings for abit of carbon bling as well, i really like prologue performance as a very small company with some huge ideas and a wizz with carbon, also does a very cool Di2 set up for running a single ring which is worth checking out.
In the end after alot of swapping and changing ive finally settled on a set of wheels , the Hed Jet disc and the Flo 90 front . I wanted to run clinchers this year mainly because im crap at glueing tubs and i can swap the clinchers around easy and put some training rubber on when not racing , plus tubs are bloody expensive , i really like the way a clincher sits on the rim and personnaly i just think its a neater finish, plus a veloflex record with a latex inner tube runs as smooth as anything .
the hed disc was easy , ive had hed wheels before and loved them so when a nice one came up it was a no brainer, the flo was a bit more of umming and arring , my head said stick with the tried and tested and get a zipp 808 or a hed jet , but the other side of me said the flo looks very well thought out and a great price and i could if needed upgrade the hub and run ceramic bearings for the price of a zipp firecrest. the flo is currently making its was over the water and should be here very soon so be great to get it fitted and do a few runs on it ( if the wind drops a bit mind ).
its not just the bike that has had a overall its my kit as well , hopefully getting my creasy mitts on some bont kronos soon , and im going to test the lazer wasp against the javelin as well , nopinz have just started to do pre orders for the Velotoze overshoes so ive got a order in for them. skinsuit is a area ive seen alot of info on suggesting its a area to take very seriously. Andy got me a smart skinsuit ( again showing its about getting me in the fastest kit ) and Nopinz fitted the speed pocket so that is one sweet looking super fast suit, then the chance came up to have something super special a custom skin suit from www.nopinz.co.uk and i jumped at it. ive got a odd body shape with skinny but toned arms , fairly big upper body really long legs with a shorter torso and most skinsuits bag up on the arms or legs as my top half is bigger than the rest , i will put up some pics when it comes as its custom designed as well with a few personal touches and of course the speed pocket fitted,Nopinz have really shown they are a serious contender in the aero kit arena but they are making it affordable to the masses.

Nutrition has been the big thing for me this year , ive banged on about it loads and how i want to get my weight down , train harder , recover better , go organic and gluten free and basically eat clean and eat to perform , the fridge is rammed with the www.jerseypocketenergy.co.uk training  and recovery bars and a monthly restock order is now a rolling thing so that has really cleaned up my act from a mars bar and a bowl of granola , plus fully organic and gluten free ,also had a test of the www.sciencefitness.co.uk Glyco Source and early signs are pretty impressive .  but i was still guessing at everything else and really concerned about hitting the point between trying to lose weight and my performance suffering.
i was pointed in the direction of James at www.jwnutrition.com as someone who not only knew his stuff but had a real passion for what he did. Im very much a person is as important as the info they know, and i love people who do what they do becuase they love it , so after a few emails and a coffee ( served with a shot class of smarties , very odd ,PS i didnt eat the smarties ) im very happy to say im working with james this year. its a very big relief to have this area well covered now and i can hit me weight loss goals without effecting and even boosting performance. i highly recommend everyone does a food diary just for a few days and reads the labels of every single thing they eat in that time , it bloody scared me to death and a cupboard mine sweep and restock was on the cards the weekend :)

Some will read todays blog as a bit of a plugging session for people i work with and im sorry if thats how you take it, for me its a appreciation blog and to show we are working bloody hard to make this year a great one , its not a fluke and all the improvements have been made from changing everything, and not sitting back and thinking ive improved abit so lets be happy with that, maybe im just a little obsessive but it all comes down to ho much you want it.