by hattenburrow | May 28, 2016 | Nutrition, Training
This week a new session was added to my training plan Mark my coach at Velo Coaching added a ‘no hanging around’ ride a 3 hour fast ride, his comments said ‘no hanging around ride’ which I found this amusing I wasn’t aware that I did much hanging around on training rides!
Thursday was the day for my ‘no hanging around’ training, it was also the day I decided commuting to work on my bike would be fun!
It was a damp but warm morning as I peddled from my house towards work. I had not fully appreciated the amount of climbing in this 31km ride so trying to take it easy wasn’t always possible, by the time I got to work I was slightly pinker than I would have liked! I felt great for arriving under my own steam.
I ate all the normal things that day and felt fine. At 5:15 I got back on my bike for my ‘no hanging around’ training ride. The first hour I did as instructed I pushed hard letting my body recover on the flat, averaging around 25kph which is good for a mountain bike on the road.
I had a torq energy gel at 45 mins in which gave me a super charge of energy, I felt like someone had added an extra fuel cell to my battery. Sadly this feeling was short lived and by 1 hour 30mins in I had a bout of ‘shaky leg syndrome’ so I stuffed in some salted peanuts for good measure knowing this would be slower to take effect I waited 10 more minutes and had another gel I had another zing of energy (slightly shorter this time) and then another lull by wonder peanuts didn’t seem to be kicking in at all and I was starting to realise it was too little too late.
I finished my training early deciding to listen to my body instead of be frustrated by my lack of pace for the rest of the session. I still managed 60km in 2 hours 37 minutes which is good going and my fastest 60km to date showing that with the correct furling I could achieve more.
The moral to this story is that of you are only as good as the fuel you put in and the timing of that fuel is crucial. You are not eating for ‘now’ but 30 mins later so start eating earlier on to stop getting to the point of no return. Also to look at your daily energy expenditure if you add in a commute or some other activity you need to eat to recover from that and replenish ready for training.
Nutrition seems to be one of my weaknesses so I have taken on a dietician. A girl that I used to work with who comes highly recommended called Rachel Hobbs she is now setting up my diet plan to get me on track for the Trans Alp.
More on my new diet soon!
Thanks for reading x
by hattenburrow | Feb 4, 2016 | Nutrition
I came across this recipe whilst looking for a healthier blueberry muffin mix. I love blueberry muffins but usually they’re full of sugar and white flour so I wanted to try something a little different. I changed the recipe adding dried apricots instead of 1 cup of brown sugar I used half and added dried apricots to increase the natural sweetness. I also changed the white flour for brown flour and a cup of oats.
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup of dried apricots
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C
- Line a tray with 12 muffin cases
- In a large bowl mix your dry ingredients
- In another bowl mix your wet ingredients
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry
- Add the blueberries
- Divide the mixture into the cases
- Bake for 18 minutes, remove from the oven and check your muffins by putting a knife through the middle if it comes out clean its done
These muffins are really tasty and will last about three days in a sealed container. As they have yoghurt in them best kept in the fridge. They will freeze too!
by hattenburrow | May 9, 2015 | Nutrition
Pre race day is a day off rest and the odd spot of baking, but baking often involves high sugar contents and as scrummy as the end product may be nutritionally its not doing me any favours!
So ive gone for a healthier rockie road treat which is indulgent, tasty and slightly more healthier than the normal sugar fuelled version and comes with the added bonus of being ready a lot quicker than anything you have to stick in the oven!
All you will need is:
250g dark chocolate (buy the good stuff 80/90% cocoa it will taste a lot better)
50g flaked almonds
50g dried fruit (I used cranberries, sultanas and raisins)
Method:
1) Melt the chocolate in a glass dish on the stove
2) Add your almonds and fruit to a large mixing bowl (you could also add other nuts and chopped apricots)
3) Pour the melted chocolate over the nut/berry mix and stir together
4) Stir well!
5) Now to get a little messy use your clean hands to roll up little balls of mixture and place on a tray/plate. (optional licking of the bowl)
6) Stick it in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours, best kept in the fridge too!
Enjoy these as a snack after a training ride.
by hattenburrow | Jun 26, 2014 | Kit Reviews, Nutrition
This week my mission is to cover 100 miles so far in the last two days I have covered 55miles so well on my way to achieving my goal as its only Wednesday!
Yesterday I decided to go on a hilly 25 mile ride. The weather was hot so I used an electrolyte drink and a Protein, Nuts & Seeds bar from USN. Butser Hill is the highest point in the South Downs National Park and one of my favourite climbs, mainly for the view from the top!
I have only recently got back on my road bike and this was the first time, in a long time that I had climbed Butser Hill. When I reached the top I ate half of my USN energy bar whilst taking in the view. The first thing I noticed about this bar is even with 14g of protein it has no ‘protein bar’ taste to it. The nuts and seeds are covered in delicious honey making this a sweet nutritious treat. I really like the inclusion of pumpkin seeds which balance the sweetness.
After eating half I carried on my journey downhill and started to make my way back home. When I got home I ate the other half which was the perfect snack to keep my reaching for anything unhealthy while I cooked dinner.
The benefits of this as a snack on a longer ride is it felt substantial where a gel is a quick energy fix it does not leave you feeling nourished like the USN bar did.
At 65grams it’s a large bar which can be eaten in stages making it a handy thing to carry.
For long training rides and sportives I would highly recommend this bar and will be looking to use them as part of my nutrition plan during Ride London in August.
Check out my other USN reviews here.
by hattenburrow | May 2, 2014 | Kit Reviews, Nutrition
As a cyclist I do a lot of my training on my bike out on the roads and trails taking my bike on the back of my car to the forest.
After a hard session out on the trails or road, I know that it’s key to refuel quickly with good quality protein and carbohydrate. Often I have around a 30 minute journey home and like to eat something on the way as the first 20 minutes after exercise are the most key to recovery.
This is where a pre mixed shake like the USN protein fuel is really handy! The no fuss ease of pre mixed shakes is great.
I have used protein powder and mixed it before a ride, but when you are leaving it mixed in a car for an hour or two it just isn’t the same when you arrive back! Especially in hot weather this is not an ideal combination.
I have before mentioned using protein bars these are good but tend to be hard to digest and very chewy!
The USN pre mixed protein fuel has 27 grams of protein and no fat making it a great choice for me after a training session when I can’t mix powdered protein in a shaker.
I have tried a couple of makes of protein shakes and find some rather bloating a bit like the bars they hit your stomach and fill you up quickly. This then means you don’t fancy eating a healthy meal which is key to sustaining high levels of training and competition.
The USN shake has a velvety smooth texture and glides down like milkshake. The strawberry taste is actually quite refreshing and doesn’t have that whey protein taste or smell which can be off putting!
Check out my other reviews here.
