You have a baby now, why do you still do all the training?

Its an interesting question that I have been asked on more than one occasion, it seems that having a baby should change everything about who you are and what you do, for me though I accept things are very different and training has changed but the thought to stop never crossed my mind, time management just becomes even more important.

There are 3 key reasons that I am absolutely keen to carry on training and cycling,

1. I enjoy it - It gives me time out on my own doing something I love, I can clear my mind and reset allowing me to be a better dad and husband.  My wife also gets the opportunity to ride and train as well and its the same for her, time out of the house away from the little one, time to herself.  Its an important part of life for everyone, including the little one.

2. It gives me something to look back on - In years to come, as my daughter gets older, I can talk to her about the experiences share the ups and downs and say look what I achieved, look what is possible, I think that is important, its not just about what you earn but about what a balanced life looks like, I work hard but I am very keen to have balance between home work and play.

3. It keeps me in shape - I was 18stone a few short years ago, running was something that other people did, I struggled to get up the stairs, the thought of not being able to play with my daughter as she grows scares me, it would be all to easy for me to go back to that weight and that would be terrible for my mental and physical health and I would miss out on so much.

So its simple, it keeps me fit and sane allowing the time I spend with my daughter to be of higher quality and will help make sure that I can support her through earning a decent wage and being able play with her and keep up!

To apply some perspective I train or maybe 10-11 hrs a week, out of 168hrs in a week its not a huge amount, the bulk of the weekend is made up of time with the family, which is time best spent as I get out early doors, often before sunrise during winter.

In other new the guys at York Cycleworks have sorted me out a Trek Remedy frame, just need to build it up, then I can get out and do some trail riding which will take me back to where my cycling began.

Currently also have a cold so off the bike this week, no point doing anything and making it worse or longer lasting than it needs to, hoping to be back out for a steady ride at the weekend.

2 weeks to the first race, should be well over the cold, looking forward to getting back into it, both my wife and daughter will be there to cheer me on.