Training this winter

My main quandary is reconciling all the things that I enjoy doing because they are very much at odds with one another. I love cycling and racing. I just love being on my bike full stop really. However, I also love drinking to excess and all the demons this brings out. I know that when I wake up hungover I feel terrible. Especially when it stops me from going to the track that day. Its all about balance I suppose. Its like what Tom says, its easy to become obsessive about it and think fuck I have to train doubly hard next week to make up for the binge the other night. At the same time though, when I am sitting in the pub watching the footie, on my 6th pint. Think balls to cycling, I'm gonna give it all up and just carry on drinking and partying.

I know I could be a lot lot faster if I did give up all this nonsense. But hey, I am not a professional athlete and I am not a machine. Its this constant state of turmoil which makes me who I am really.

As for training well, I am going to try and organisze myself better this winter. Last spring I was absolutely rocketing along, then I burnt out for the middle only to hit form again at the end of the season. The last omnium I was feeling really great, for example.

I plan to go to the gym for the first time in what will be 17 years, so thats gonna be scary in itself! Carry on doing the hill climbs and laps of Regents Park. But I won't go crazy and damage my knees over the winter. I will listen to advice, for a change, from those who probably know better than me about it.

This pretty much sums up most amature cyclists, there are many things we can do to improve our performance, eg drink less eat better, stop smoking etc at the end of the day though life is about enjoyment and getting the most you can from it in my view. I don't have the perfect diet, I go out occasionaly, sometimes I stay up too late watching films but I do these things because they add to my enjoyment and I dont care what the cost is to my performance because I want to enjoy every aspect of my life not just one.

If you are a pro then things become different then you must focus on your career and always think about what is best for your bike riding and put that first, which is why being a pro athlete is much harder than most people realise. Your social life becomes almost none existant.

So I guess my point is enjoy life, embrace it and maybe just stop at the 5th pint instead of having 10.....