Within 10%!?!

I am sure that my scaphiod is within 10% of being fully healed. Today I have noticed that the intensity of my last couple of training sessions, including today, have increased. I think this is important so that the blood is getting pushed through the area fresh and faster!

Of course this is my interpretation and what I am visualising to make the bone heal together strongly, tight and hard together.

I love training!

Engines have filters.......

Describing what Time Line Therapy does for people, and how it works, is something I have been considering lately and here is a way that I can put it, to help people, consider the possibilities of what this process can do.

Motor sport people are aware of engines having filters, and that these filters, hold dirt and engine particles whilst filtering everything else that passes through it. If there is dirt on the filter, even more is attracted to it and the filter becomes even more clogged up and then eventually the engine begins to break down.

The same is for our mind, of which we have two (our conscious mind and our unconscious mind and I am referring to our unconscious mind at the moment). Our unconscious mind filters all information that comes in to us, through our senses (Eyes, Ears, Touch, Smell & Taste) and stores ALL our experiences.

Bad and inhibiting experiences can clog our internal filters and reduce our ability to create even better results than the one time you went out and produced something amazing, that time when everything went awesome and was so easy.

Well, this is what NLP, Hypnosis and Time Line Therapy is all about. It's just as easy to change/clean out your unconscious minds filter as it is to do with an engine, allowing you the possibility to enjoy your racing, hobby, job, family...! Just like the times when you were a kid and had so much fun, which came free and easy. You could have it back :-)

Healing

Training is going well. I'm really enjoying getting on my bicycle every day.

The reason why I'm cycling is so that I can oxygenate my blood and increase my heart rate so that, at least once a day, fresh blood is being pumped around (and through) the scaphiod.

The scaphiod has blood supplied to it at one end, as apposed to both ends like other bones, this is what makes the bone tricky to heal.

I have been using Hypnosis and my pendulum to find out how the bone is healing and the progress seems to be very good. I loose count of how many times I visualise the bone healing and concentrating on what I want to be doing when the cast comes off.

I'm stepping up the duration and intensity of my sessions from January 1st.

Certification

Since I went to see Ashley Scott at Mindracing for a break through session, I 've been learning about NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and have been using some of it for coaching, with great results. I was totally blown away with Time Line Therapy (the process used in the Break Through session) and have been learning about it and going through the self development as I have gathered more information on the subject.

I have now completed my courses and have become a Master Practitioner of NLP, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis.

Why would I want to use this for Motocross coaching?

The great thing about NLP is that it's about communication, problem solving and empowerment. So it's easy for someone to learn a new technique or strategy for racing, it's possible for a rider to over come mental blocks through conversation, as well as using Anchors to get rid of, for example, nerves before starts or jumps.

For problems that people may experience all of the time, rather than some of the time (such as before a start) then Time Line Therapy is the tool for removing negative emotions, such as, Anger, Sadness, Fear, Hurt & Guilt, as well as Limiting Decisions and Limiting Beliefs.

Hypnosis is great for coaching, of which, I want to practice some ideas that I have for it's use with riding. Also, it's great for relaxation and unconscious suggestions.

So, at the moment I am putting different coaching packages together and am really excited about creating, empowering transformations for anyone in sport whether that be riders, mechanics, teams or businesses.

In a previous blog I wrote about setting SMARTER goals. If you want to achieve something for racing next year or something in life, use this method and you will put yourself in good stead for achieving it.

Simple plan

I have now had a 2-3 hour operation on my wrist. The doctor thinks it will be 6 months until we will know if it has healed correctly! and that there is a 60% of recovery.

Now, this may seem like the odds are slightly stacked against me, however, I know I am a quick healer and that my plan will have me back to normal in weeks rather than months.

The plan is simple: rest, exercise, eat well, visualise the bone healing and rest.

One thing that I am over the moon with is the fact that I have had no pain what so ever. I am unsure of how I have done this, even when the nurse said that taking the drain out of my hip (from the removal of bone for the graft) was going to be painful. I watched her pull it out with no pain at all. I like this!!

Recovery has already started!

Keep having Fun

Time

The last time I wrote was September 6th, wow, that seems such a long time ago. I have my operation for my wrist tomorrow, of which, I am looking forward to.

I have full movement in my wrist now. The doctors said that I would loose movement and the strength of my grip feels really good also. This begs the question 'have I healed the bone already?'

I have finished my training courses now which means that I can now offer the best Motocross coaching that anyone can provide in the U.K.

Did you know that there is no need to feel nervous on a start line? Is it possible to feel excited, determined, and totally confident, Every time you go to the start line? You bet it's possible.

I have learnt new techniques that are quick, easy and very effective. I'll explain more after my visit to hospital.

Keep having fun

It's all about the CandEy

Its been sometime scince my last blog, mainly due to studying, of which, I will write about another time.
I have also been training alot. I am having an operation on my scaphoid in the beginning of December and I want the bone to heal really well and very quickly, for me, the best thing I can do to make this happen is to be in great shape for the operation and start training as soon as I can afterwards...........here's to hoping :-)

Star riders at DMP

Wednesdays riders practcing at our track got a great treat when Tommy Searl, Billy Mckenzie and Jamie Dobb turned up to ride.

It was great to see these guys make riding look so easy.

Think about this....

I've started training on bicycle, today being my first outing and I noticed something that is made up from 3 or 4 parts, as follows.

Whilst cycling this morning I noticed how easy it was for me to notice my thoughts and that I would occasionally check on my technique, heart rate, posture and cadence. I consciously checked in on my unconscious mind to check that everything was going okay. I was giving no thought to riding only what was going on around me.

I then thought to myself 'how is this different to my swimming?'
I started swimming only being able to think about getting from one end of the pool to the other and over time I started using a technique that I thought was ok. I was able to think about other things whilst swimming. Mainly, who am I catching and how long can I keep ahead of the other guys who are a lot faster than me. (I may have stopped racing at the moment, however, it doesn't mean I have stopped being a racer!)

On one of my coaching days, the father of the rider told me that he is a swimming instructor and as we talked, he gave some advice on how to improve my technique.
Back in the pool and I am using all concentration on technique and have very little thought to what else is going on around me in the pool and my speed has improved greatly.

This is what I enjoy about coaching.....being able to get riders to use new techniques, at an unconscious level, so that they can concentrate on racing and watching the track rather than fighting the bike and doing their best to stay in control!

Coaching beggins

I've been evaluating my position of 'where I am at' recently and I am excited about what is coming up for me between now and the end of the year.

Firstly, I will have my wrist operated on in December. This will allow me to get back in to coaching and help other riders improve their game.

I've got a trip to America in the middle of September, which, I will talk about closer to the time.

There is always work to do at the track! I am very please with the improvements so far and I look forward to add the rest as soon as I can.

And currently, I have been busy gathering information for our new website, which, has taken longer than I imagined. I have some great ideas for the new site and look forward to having it up and running in the coming weeks.

DMP

Wow! It has been some time since I last wrote.

I have been busy, naturally. The rain has been challenging for us, however, we have coped very well and I am really pleased with how quickly we can move so much water in one day.

All of our ditches were full to the top and because of how the track is built up, we can drain all the ditches empty and away from the track. I am really pleased with this.

This week we have made some small changes to the track, so that, I can now build an Auto track and some Trails sections. I will have these finished in two weeks.

My wrist definitely requires a bone graft and I now face a decision of when to have the operation. If I have it in the coming weeks, I won't be able to do as much work at the track as I would like and be able to start riding in November, or, wait until the end of October and start riding in February.

It makes sense to me to wait until October, however, the discomfort sucks and I am really looking forward to getting rid of the pain.

Balance the wheel with an abundance.

In the past I have blogged about the importance of balancing the wheel. Recently I have been working on my personnel development (one of the seven parts of balancing the wheel) and only recently, I have mentioned, living life with an abundance.

I am beginning to realise that in order to produce special results in one of the seven areas (of the wheel) it is necessary to be producing special results in the other six areas, as well.

I am currently reading 'Tour de force', a book written by a man who followed Lance Armstrong and his cycling friends/competitors. The author is quite amazed at Lance Armstrong's character and that, he is, a very special person. It would seem that he exels in balancing the wheel!

It seems, now, a long time ago since Ashley Scott from Mindracing told me that this was important and it is only now that I am beginning to understand HOW it is important.

I have spent today, Saturday, practicing at my track and have had a great time. The track had been prepared well, as usual and watered really well making great berms. The weather has been awesome, really hot.

I love riding when it is hot because I get to feel a cool breeze blowing through my Thor jersey. Fantastic.

Plenty of riders turned out to practice and I had a lot of fun in each of my three motos. The first ride was supposed to be a warm up and after a handful of laps I was beginning to push my speed a little and felt good. The second moto I had fun chasing down some of the faster riders in our group, however, I had the most fun in the last moto. Whilst I started off wanting to keep my heart rate around 165/168, I noticed a rider close behind me. I upped my pace and was still being closely followed and this lasted for the full 20 minutes, it was great having someone on my back wheel for the whole moto.

Looking at the information on my heart rate (HR) monitor, I can see that for the last couple of laps when I made an extra effort, my HR went up to 188 and stayed there, for roughly five minutes. This is two beats higher than my maximum HR.

I am pleased with this because in the last ten weeks I have only ridden 5 times and shows that my training in the swimming pool has been working well.

When I got home from riding the weather was still really good so I went out for a cycle ride for an hour and ten minutes with an average HR of 128. This will act as a good recovery ride and remove any lactic acid which might have made me feel stiff and achy tomorrow morning.

Important races at DMP

After qualifying at the British championship last weekend, I decided that I was unsafe for racing.

My wrist feels just too weak, to hold on properly.

I am going to see a specialist at the end of the month.

In the mean time, the track has been busy and we have been making preparations for two big races we have coming up, on the 16th/17th and the 23rd/24th, we will be closing the track on the Wednesday in between these two races which will be noticeable as it has been along time since we have closed the track whilst the weather is great ( the last time being for the British championship in1997).

It will be a great opportunity to do does extra track work and tidying up. After this race I am looking forward to making some small modifications to the track to allow for some additions to the facility.

Eat well, keep fit......

I have enjoyed a weekend, in Manchester, with my family, celebrating my brothers 40th birthday.

I really let my hair down by having one or two drinks (with alcohol in!) and mostly by eating lots of rubbish food (processed and full of sugar!). As I watched people around me really abuse themselves (in my opinion) with, booze and food, I noticed with ease that there was a lot of fun going on with happy people at the party. I also noticed that I was having a great time even though I felt slightly guilty that I was abusing my body with a couple of drinks and some cakes!

I am just so rock'n'roll!!! Haha

This has reminded me of a saying I once read:-

Eat well, keep fit and die anyway.

From this saying it is easy to think 'yes, why should I be healthy?' , however for me, it is a saying that means what it says ' eat well and keep fit'. Even when I finish racing and my fitness level loses it's importance, I know I will carry on training as I do now because it's just away of life for me.

This is great!

Fun

My training is going great at the moment. I have mentioned, previously, that my training is based around fun.

I understand that the word 'fun' can have different meanings to different people, so, when I go cycling, I love listening to the chain running through the gears (when I have the volume turned low enough, on my mp3 player), I love feeling the cool wind against my cycle jacket and the pressure that goes through my feet in to the peddles, I love checking my current heart rate and to be able to look at the world go by, as I train, is all fun.
When I swim, I love concentrating my technique and thinking about how many breathes I take each length, I love being able to hear my heart beat, lungs fill and expel air, whilst under water and I love to see my hands grab a whole lot of water, making bubbles as I push really hard through the water.
As for motocross, I love seeing things go passed me really fast (and that is, as I go past things!)
I love feeling the throttle on the stop and the brake lever being pulled in as far as possible, I love the smell of 2 stroke engines and the sound of either, 2 or 4 stroke motors.

All these things I have mentioned I regard as fun, however, the one thing I find more fun than anything else, is the effort, I really enjoy giving it my all and getting out of breath.

Keep healthy!!

Never Give Up

Listening to the Bob Procter CDs, he recalls a speech made by Winston Churchill. In a nutshell, he stood up to the podium, waited a few moments and with everyone's full attention on him, he said 'Never give up.........Never Give Up..........NEVER GIVE UP' and then got down from the podium and walked out the room. I think this is a fantastic demonstration of many things, such as, confidence, self belief and courage, among many other character traits you can think of.

As I think of this and other pieces of knowledge I have gained, I realise that, I will achieve my goal and this will only happen when I am ready. When I have become the type of person that is capable of being a champion at the highest level. Currently, I have only been capable of being the winner of the Icelandic motocross championship, this is something that I really enjoyed doing and I am proud of.

I am making space for myself in our universe for this to happen and as the picture becomes more clear, I realise that I have curtain items that I need to fulfill before this space appears for me to become the head of my game.

Unconscious Collective

I want to write about an experience I had a couple of days ago, which relates to an earlier blog regarding MY car park space.

I needed to speak to my insurance broker regarding an item we had discussed for myself, some time ago. When I called, he was unavailable, so, I left a message with the receptionist and asked her to pass it on, telling her, he knew what it was about.

He called me back within fifteen minutes saying 'that was really spooky'. He had been reading my file and was chasing the item up, when the receptionist told him that I had called and that I said he knew what I wanted to talk to him about!

Now, think about it, have you ever had a time when you were thinking of a friend, and they ring you up?

This is what, I think, the unconscious collective is and the more I experience it, the more I believe that it is possible to get what you want, if you are willing to notice your thoughts and listen to your inner self.

Have a listen!!

Unconscious habits

A few different things have been happening recently. Whilst I have had my cast on, I have created some great ideas for the track. Massive ideas that will take, may be, a couple of years to get exactly what I want, and, like my racing, has taken a hold of me. This has meant that I have needed to rethink my training plan and approach to the business. My training is based around having fun.

I love cycling - Monday - Up to 1 hour
I love swimming - Tuesday to Friday - Up to 45 mins
I love motocross - Wednesday & Saturday(or race day) - as long as possible

Kate, the kids and myself, went out for something to eat the other night and whilst we were talking about someone we know, I recalled something I had learned from the book 'The 7 habits of highly effective people'. In this great book there is a chapter about how we spend our time, and like our friend, I used to have the same habit. It would be the 'all or nothing' life style, I would have lots of deadline jobs, that I had to have done yesterday and then, when I had decided I had done enough work for the day, I would go home to do nothing other than sit and watch TV and think about how many jobs I HAVE to do, whilst sitting there, doing nothing!

The effective habit that is promoted, in the book, is basically to spend as much time as possible preparing for jobs, doing jobs that are important and not urgent. I now seem to spend more time doing little jobs, for a longer period of time (i.e. from when I get up in the morning, to when I go to bed at night). I now, feel like I do hardly any work and I get far more jobs done than ever before, with a better quality of workmanship.

This is great.

I am grateful, for this conversation with Kate, as I now realise, that this has become an unconscious habit.

Live life with an abundence.

Over the weekend, my family have spent time with my parents, at the seaside. We took our caravan, stayed at a campsite and spent our time, during the day, at a beach hut, where my mum and dad had planned a treasure hunt, for the 'Pirates and mermaids' party.

Now, my kids and my sisters kids (7 of them under the age of 7) loved getting dressed up, however, what I witnessed was that my parents and their friends, who are retired, enjoyed dressing up far more than the kids! It was great to see and since retiring, my parents seem to have decided that now is the time to live life with an abundance.

Through reading books of personnel development, I decided that, what ever your age, NOW, is time to live life with an abundance.

Have fun.

Avioding resource depletion

Over the winter period, I am really pleased to have attracted lots of support, for my racing this season. As I get more support, I realise how much more I need to achieve my goal, for example, having someone to maintain the bikes and practice with me and using the best bike parts, such as, factory suspension. This is all a part of avoiding resource depletion, which I have discussed in earlier bloggs.

I have got many ideas for my track that I will be putting in place over the next coming months. Doncaster Moto Parc will be providing many services for a wider sector of off-road motorcycling, which will consume a lot of my time. This is where having someone to maintain the bikes comes in. Somewhere across the board I have to reduce my time in one area to improve the services I want to provided in the business area of my life.

All I am doing is adjusting how I balance the wheel (as I've mentioned earlier). I am choosing to to spend more time in my career sector for a period of time, which, will require that I keep checking that I am still giving, in the other six areas of my life.

Hospital visit

My visit to hospital went as I had planned. There is no need for a cast any more and the scaphoid bone remains broken. I have ridden a little and my wrist feels fine, however, I need to seriously consider surgery to heal the bone to prevent the arthritis getting any worse than it already is, I am very unhappy about having to make this decision.

I think I should see this season out and then have an operation during the off season. This is my initial thought and could well change!

The doctor also pointed out, whilst looking at the x-rays, that I have had many other injuries in my hand, of which to me, I have been unaware of. Many times when I was racing in the Grand Prix I would injure myself and ride through the pain so I could keep on racing. I wonder how many more breaks I have had without knowing?

For me, I think adrenaline is a wonderful thing when racing, it makes hard to realise you have hurt yourself, whilst you are in the thick of racing. Wonderful!

Technology

I´ve been out riding at my friends today (on bicycles that is). I have borrowed his bike, as I was without mine. Petur was riding his full suspension bike and I was riding a full rigid bike which is a few years old. Whilst, I was quick to appreciate, the benefits of having no suspension (my power went straight through my pedals to the wheels, compared to Peturs bike), I also missed the benefits of even having a little travel in the front forks. The vibrations over the off road sections made my wrist feel a little uncomfortable.

Yesterday I had a wisdom tooth removed and I agreed with myself that after having the tooth out, that I would have a sleep for a couple of hours, so that I could heal the wound in this time. Although I had stopped the bleeding, I was still in quite a lot of pain and by being busy I was able to forget about it. However, after waking today and feeling much better, I made time to remove the pain with a technique Ashley Scott has told me, completely. I moved the pain from my jaw, up in to my ear and out the hole. I had moved the pain out of my body and it has now gone.

I will use this technique again!

My parking space

The Bob Proctor CDs I've recently been listening to, describe how there is only one unconscious mind and we can all tape into it at any time and he gives an example, of which I have used before and did again today, only this time it really made me smile.

I had a meeting at the bank this morning and I like to park on the road side, just outside the bank. There are only five or six spaces and on the same road a little further down there are some more. These spaces are usually filled as it's in the middle of town.
Before I set off I said to myself that there will be a space on the road where I want to park and I had the picture of the spaces in my mind. When I got there, there were no spaces and I wondered if I had made a mistake by not being specific enough.
As I turned the van around I looked at all the spaces and thought to myself 'which car looks like it may be leaving at any time?' none of them did. After a quick look I decided that I would drive past the cars in the place I wanted to be. I didn't understand how this had happened. There was supposed to be a space and as I arrived at the place I wanted to be, the car which was parked in the space, drove off.
Fantastic, I got my space and it was the best one!

On my way home from the bank, I was thinking about a friend who I haven't spoken to for some time and wondered how he was doing. He called me this afternoon to say Hi and tell me what he's been up to.

So, is there only one unconscious that we can all tap in to or is it just coincidence?

The learning process

With recent setbacks, I have been a little disappointed with myself, as a person. I have gained so much knowledge in the last twelve months, regarding personnel development, that I thought I was doing really well in my preparation for this season. As it turns out I feel like I am pretending to be a person that I have not yet become.

After speaking with Ashley Scott, he explained to me that there are different levels of learning, of which, I can understand when comparing it teaching new motocross techniques when coaching. Our brain can process approximately seven chunks of information per second and when riding a bike we will use quite a few of these chunks just controlling the bike, i.e. using the throttle - 1 chunk, changing gear - 2 chunks, standing up - 3 chunks and also consider both brakes as well.

Now, imagine just being told about a new technique and it requires braking at a different time, standing and holding your body in a different position, before you know it you've used all your chunks of information up and it becomes difficult to adapt the new technique, however, with practice the new technique becomes an unconscious habit and becomes apart of how you ride a bike.

I guess, for me, it is quite hard to actually see if new mental techniques have become an unconscious habit, because unlike a new motocross technique, mental skills aren't visible to the normal persons eye (if they are unaware of the techniques being used!), this is one of the great advantages of recording data, as for physical training, it provides feed back. I can re-read my blog and see how I am doing!

Lucky lad!

Today I have enjoyed driving my digger and repairing the track. It is very satisfying, for me, to start getting the track back to normal after the winter period. Whilst I have my cast on I am making time to get this type of work done.

A thought that I enjoyed sharing with Kevin (one of our staff) today, is that after having the track for over sixteen years, I still love grading and preparing the track.

I guess I am a lucky lad as I have just about loved all things that I have done in my life, up to now and I know for sure, that I will carry on doing things I love until my time is up!

Little voices

When I was riding at the French G.P, I was frustrated with myself, that I didn't ride like I do when I am practicing at home.
There was only one corner that I really felt like I was riding with good speed. The entry into the turn was different to most other riders and the line was a deep rut, compared to the other six or so other lines. I found myself saying 'just trust yourself and ride how you feel comfortable riding'.
I am really pleased that I heard this little voice and I am now noticing that I hear it more often. So with practice and a good ear, I am going to relax and just trust myself!

Old times

Whilst I am unable to race or ride, I am finding it challenging to keep my thoughts away from being on a bike. Yesterday, I decided to clear out an old set of draws in my garage so I could create some more space and for a chest of four draws it took a long time.

The draws were full of old photos and Grand Prix timed result sheets. It was great fun looking through them and I noticed that when I used to win my races in the schoolboys (up to the age of sixteen) winning and racing was so easy. I also realised that I have many, many happy memories.
As I look back at some of the lap times from the races, I feel like kicking myself, as in one particular race, my best lap time was three seconds off the fastest time in the race. I know now that this is nothing considering that my start position for this race was really at a disadvantage (right on the outside), and I came from the back off the pack to 17th position, two places outside the points. I feel like kicking myself because back then I didn't know I was fast enough to be well inside the top ten, or, that I was stopping myself from doing it. Even though I had the race results (lap times) showing me that I could.

I think that , for me, setting my high goals and finding that I need to change to be able to get better results, the journey is making me a much better person, and, for this, I am grateful.

Review

Whilst talking to Ashley Scott recently, he was able to point out to me that I had made a major mistake in setting my goals. As Ashley told me what had happened, I took the information in and was aware of what he was saying, however, it was only until I went for a run this morning that I really understood the meaning of my mistake. I am now going to re-asses my short term goals.
I have enjoyed running the past two days, it has given me the opportunity to think in solitude, which I really enjoy.

Training

Although having a cast on my arm gives my a great opportunity to concentrate on DMP, I am driving myself mad with the restrictions that the cast gives me. My arm in side the cast feels fine now, after a weeks rest. I have recommenced my conditioning training so that I can maintain my fitness.

MX3 Round 1

On returning from my first MX3 race, I feel very disappointed with myself.
Before I left I needed to sort out a different van to travel to the race in. My friend, Matt Coles, kindly let me borrow his van, however, the van had no tow bar so we were unable to take the caravan.
Going to an MX3 grand prix in a Mercedes Vito van was not how I had planned my first race. Although this meant that we could save a lot of time by travelling faster on the roads (without the caravan), it also meant we had to find a hotel once we were there, as well as setting up each morning and packing each night, I felt that this was poor preparation, on my behalf.
During practice on Saturday we had a few rain showers, which was great as I love riding in the wet, however, my friend with me didn't share the same view and I found myself using energy, explaining to him that rain is good, so he could be positive and my environment would be a better place to be.
I had agreed to let another British rider use my power washer and to be told it wasn't working when I went to use for the first time meant that I had to strip the pump down, clean and rebuild it before we could start preparing the bike for the next session. I was pleased to be able to help someone else, with the loan of my washer and this was fine.
I really enjoyed riding on the track, it's a really fun track to ride.
By the time we were packed up and off to the hotel, the time was quite late, which meant we ate late, went to bed late and got up late.
I took my time to get ready and went straight down for practice, to arrive there just in time. Sunday warm up for me is 4 or 5 laps warming up followed by 4 or 5 laps at full speed. On my 3rd warm up lap, I fell off. I don't know what I did differently and the fall defiantly took me by surprise.
I realised that I had hurt my left wrist immediately and was really pleased when the initial pain had passed and I thought I had only a bruise. Before the first race however, there was swelling and more discomfort. I got ready to race and as I rode down the start straight I thought I was going to be ok, however, after exiting the first turn and hitting the first bump, I found that I was unable to hold on to the handle bar and was in great pain.
There was to be no racing for me and we set off for home straight away.
After visiting the doctors, it was very clear that my scaphoid bone was broken and that I needed to return to the fracture clinic the following day. After another doctor had looked at the x-rays, I was told that the scaphoid had been broke for over 5 years and that I had a fractured my arm!
I am now in cast for 4 weeks and will start training on Monday.

....and the penny drops

I have mentioned in previous blogs, that I have set a massive goal, one that is going to take a lot of conviction to achieve.
Listening to a Bob Proctor CD, it is said that the bigger the goal, the bigger the resistance. As I listen to this after my first race, it has now become incredibly obvious what that means in my situation.

The high the goal, i.e MX3 World champion, the higher the resistance, i.e the better the competition.

All I need to do now is see ALL riders in front of me as resistance and once I have found the way to get each one behind me, I will be able to achieve my goal.

First Race

Well, how did my first race go? The track was great, hard pack and slightly hilly, with some great jumps. Before practice I was nervous, at one point feeling sick. I just needed to get on the track so I could ride.
As I was building my speed up for time training, I lost my front end on a slippy part of the track and broke my clutch lever clean off! Luckily, I fell right next to the working area, so I pushed my bike in and ran back to the van, remove the lever off my spare bike, run back and fit the lever back onto my race bike. I think this actually helped me keep calm a little, I was a little disappointed that I was as low as 24th in qualifying.
With this feedback I was able to consider what I was doing to be slower than I was aiming for, which, I had worked out.
Before the second race, I was feeling really negative, and was scared about going into race with other riders. Fortunately, my dad (who was with me) said just go out and enjoy yourself. I felt quite alot of relief when I heard those words.
In the races I felt that my corner speed was good, most of the time (I write most of the time because finishing in 23rd and 24th, clearly the speed was not high enough)and I know I let myself down on the whoop section and the bike didn't feel particularly fast on the straights.

I need to finish building the best bike I can get, so that there is no hesitation about the bikes performance. I am fully aware that the first 5 or so bikes are factory backed (if not, well prepared, performance wise) and that most of the riders have got some kind of mechanical support.

As I get more races under my belt, I will start to get better results with what I have got, which is great.

I am racing in France this weekend, on a track that I have ridden before that is a really fun track to ride. I will write about my experiences when I get back.

Preparation

My preparation for my first race this weekend is going really well. I rode Tuesday and Wednesday (Doncaster Moto Parc was in fantastic condition) and today I will be cycling for one hour and then, physically, I have prepared myself the best I can. The rest of today and tomorrow will be spent preparing my trusty steed.

As Sunday gets closer, the feeling of excitement, is building up quite considerably. I need to concentrate on checking my thoughts over the next few days! Whilst I am really excited about racing, I am also a little nervous, as I haven't been filled in with roost or spent 35 minutes banging bars with other riders since last summer.

My goal is to finish 10th or better in both races. I will be really pleased with two 10th place finishes, I believe I can finish a lot higher and I will have to carefully look at any feedback I get for finishing outside the top 10.

Lots of Enthusiasm!

I have recently been training in Belgium for two reasons. Firstly, to train with Harry Everts and secondly, to have a look at the facilities of the Hondapark circuit, which has confirmed my ideas that will come about at Doncaster Moto Parc.

With great enthusiasm, myself and Andy Kyffin, set off from my house at 11.00p.m arrived at the ferry for 4.00a.m, landed at 6.15 am and slept in the van. We started riding at 2.00p.m and finished at 5.30p.m.
After finding a hotel, we were in bed for 10.00p.m and up at 9.00a.m. We started riding at 1.00p.m and left the circuit at 5.30p.m. We arrived home at 3.00a.m in the morning and I was working at the track at 9.ooa.m.

So, as you can see, we where busy to make two days training happen! It was a lot of fun and this made it really easy to do. What has surprised me though, is that, although I feel very clear minded and healthy, I have got a cold sore on my lip. This is something that is associated with stress or being run down, neither of which I feel.
What I am really pleased with is that the cold sore is almost gone, after 48 hours of it arriving.

Although it was good to push the boundaries, there is a price to pay for it. I feel lucky that my body told me that I need to recover. One more good nights sleep, tonight and everything will be back to normal. Awesome

Think about it!

I have had a great day training today, the track (Doncaster Moto Parc) was in really good condition. Damp, soft and very flat. The later being a draw back because a flat track is less demanding, physically, than when it's rough.
However, I gained some valuable feedback and I got the chance to ride the bike at high speeds, which is always fun.

In fact today is the second day in a row where I have had the opportunity to ride at high speed, as I rode at Thoresway Moto Parc on Sunday, where I was a little rusty to start off with and in my last session, I was beginning to feel at home on the circuit (it's been some time that I have ridden on a dry hard pack track).

Regarding the feedback I received today, I noticed something whilst I was riding. I want to overcome, fading, physically, after twenty minutes in to, a forty minute moto.
As I mentioned above, the track was flat with no bumps and my average heart rate after my warm up was 160 bpm. The track is so flat and my fitness is at a level where I should be able to ride full speed for forty minutes, so I really had to think to myself 'what is it, that is making me feel tired at twenty minutes?', my fitness is good, I am comfortable riding at high speed.
To start off with I thought that to overcome feeling tired, I just need to ride more, so my body can adapt to riding for this length of time, which, I am sure is true. However, this is not the real answer.

I was focusing on the problem, fading at twenty minutes.... This is something I don't want. This made me ask the question.... what is it that I really want?.... of course I want to win races.... What is the most important part of any race?.... the last couple of laps..... I want to be so fast at the end of a race, so I can beat the opposition and win races.... what do I want to focus on when I am training?.... putting faster lap times in at the end of a moto.

I was thinking this during my moto and needless to say I was making a few mistakes! however, I am really happy to have noticed this, rather than, riding (for me) incorrectly.

Another part of my riding today, that I am really benefiting from, is advice given to me from Harry Everts, which seems a little obvious, however, it takes conscious thought, for me to continually use the technique, it has definitely improved my speed with no extra effort, would you like to know whats involved with using this technique? do you want know how to do it? are you ready?.... when you let go of the brakes (when braking for a corner) put the throttle on straight away! How simple is that? I am riding faster for this simple instruction!

It's all about the Candy!

Whilst on the A.C.U. coaching course, Ashley Scott, who covers most of the work, spends a lot time talking about C & E (cause and effect) and how it is important to stay on the Cause side.

I was able to relate to this, as I can recall a time, when coaching, when I was on the Effect side of my own actions. Ashley described C & E in away that, when I made a decision to become truly independent (I wrote about this in my very first blog), it was easy because I knew that as long as I accept responsibility for my actions, I would find it easy to stay on the Cause side of the equation.

I find myself saying (to myself) 'it's all about the Candy' (C and E) when I need reminding!

Bluebell Wood Childrens Hospice

A number of years ago, I think five, I was really moved by some information or an article I had read. It was about the Bluebell Wood children's hospice.
I got to really understand what a hospice is and what it does for severely disabled and terminally ill children. Thinking now, it was at a time when my eldest daughter was a small baby, a time when I was even more grateful than I am now, for a healthy child to be in our family.
Within a few weeks of me knowing this, I was approached by a group of local riders who wanted hold a 24 hour motocross event, of which, I agreed to, so long as, I could choose the charity, of which, they agreed.
I was really pleased about this and happy that we could raise money for the Bluebell Wood appeal.

The same group of guys are holding the event again this year and the money raised is still going to the same charity, I take my hat off to these people for making this happen. As you can imagine, there is a lot of effort required to organise an event like this, for example, getting permission from the council, arranging lighting, organising sponsorship forms and getting it! and all this happens before they even get on their bikes and ride for 24 hours! Fair play to you guys.

Therefore, I have put a link on my website home page, www.edbradley.co.uk , so that anyone wanting to make a donation, can do so, quickly and easily.

So, when, you want to make a donation, please do so to help parents and children who need to use the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.

Thank you.

Welcome

I have been writing my blogs for some time now and have covered many experiences and different topics, that I have come across, on my journey to achieving my goals.

As I benefit from writing my thoughts down (a great exercise, in itself), I hope that anyone reading what I have written down, can benefit from my experiences, if so, brilliant.

So far, I have only e-mailed my blogger to friends and family and I guess, this has gone further a field, since I have been writing blogs for quite a while now. So, I have decided now, to put a link on my website home page www.edbradley.co.uk , so that, if possible, customers of Doncaster Moto Parc and people interested in motocross, can get an insight of what I am up to.

I hope, I can keep producing interesting blogs and I will start to include what activities I am involved in, at the track.

Awesome feelings.

I have recently returned from a trip to Holland, where I have spent a few days, with Jacky Boerman, preparing my Honda 490, for the MX3 races. Surprisingly, most tracks where water logged (the majority of tracks in Holland are deep sand and drain water really quickly). We were Lucky to find a track that was open.

When we arrived, I was really excited as the track was in perfect condition. We tested two different types of exhaust pipes that Craig Elwell, at DEP exhaust, had given me to test. One header pipe that produced lots of bottom end power, with less top end power and the second header, which provided smooth and strong bottom and mid range power and a really hard hit just after the mid range and all the way through the top end power. We have chosen to run with the second pipe, as this one felt awesome and made my lap times even faster. This is great news.

I also experienced one of my favourite feelings. A feeling that makes riding motocross so addictive.
At the end of a fast straight there was a long left hand corner which lasted, roughly 40 meters. The line I was using was around the outside of the corner, against a really nice shaped bank. The bike was in 4th gear and I was using roughly half to three quarters of the throttle ( the speed was quite high!) and I was taking the turn stood up, both feet on the foot rests.
This on it's own is an awesome feeling, however, what was really turning me on was that a number of times, I had, the inside foot rest dragging in the sand. This means that the bike was lent over a long way. This was an awesome feeling.

Be Greatful

I am currently writing the second part of my blog (the first being below). During my run, I also thought about an exercise I have heard about. Consider each day 'what you are grateful for'.

I am grateful for the work I have done with Ashley Scott, so that I am able to do what I am doing now.
I am grateful that my alarm clock is set for 7am every morning. Grateful because I can wake up, hug and give my wife a kiss, get myself and my three beautiful daughters out of bed. Get them breakfast in our fantastic house. I am grateful for taking them to school in our car and the teachers doing a great job for educating them. I am grateful that I run my own business and for all the experiences I have had whilst travelling, for all the people who have been on my journey and given me the opportunity to be in this situation that I am in now, this includes my parents and family. I am grateful for all the times I have faced resistance, grateful for character building. I am grateful for the support I am getting now from current sponsors and friends who give me encouragement to go for it (in life, that is). I am grateful that lots and lots of customers enjoy riding at Doncaster Moto Parc. This is just a short list of what I am grateful for.

I am grateful for Ashley, telling me what I know now, before I listened to the Bob Proctor audio CDs. I have been able to listen with an understanding and more importantly......... understand that there is only one emotion and that is LOVE.

Persistence?

I am in Holland at the moment and have just returned from a 50 minute run.

Whilst running, I questioned my persistence in a achieving my goals because in the short term, I feel that recently, I can do better. However, from being a kid I have longed to be MX3 World Champion. I ask myself, have I had any setting backs that have required me to persistant?

In 1989, I broke my neck and was told I would be unable to ride again. A number of years, I had financial set backs. After my best season racing, I broke both my ankles which took 18 months to correct and after having to take care of a fatally injured person, not only did I finish racing, I almost lost my business at the track.

Does this demonstrate persistence or just bad decisions? Either way, these are past experiences and now is the time, to only consider the future.

Love and Fear

I have recently, often recalled to myself, a time when I was watching a race, in between my races, at Marshalls quarry, Hatfield, Doncaster. It was an overcast, cool, still day at the beginning of the year. I remember where I was stood watching and having a conversation with a riders dad. I could only just hear him as it was quite noise where we were stood.

He said something that sounded interesting and I didn't quite catch what he said. Luckily, rather than nod my head and say yes, I asked him to repeat what he had said and he repeated 'There are two things you need when you race Motocross.......Love and Fear, you have got to love racing and be scared(fear) of loosing'.

This was said to me 17 years ago and now after listening to Bob Proctor talk about setting goals, he suggests that we set extraordinary goals that empower us and scare us at the same time.

I have blogged about having these feelings previously, and as you know, I have set a big goal!

Spitting through the wall!

I have recently been listening to a self help, audio disc set by Bob Proctor. It is really interesting and I have had fun listening to it.

On the disc covering 'Persistence', I was relieved to hear that the higher your goal, the greater resistance you will face in achieving your desired outcome.

This comes at a good time, as I am, at the moment, facing obstacles that are in my way. Piece by piece, I am getting through these obstacles and using my friend Geoffs terminology, I am having to 'spit through the wall'! It appears to be a thick wall at the moment, however, I am determined to break it down. Not to just push the wall over, I am going to jump on it, squash it and give it no chance to rear it is ugly head ever again.

So now I am quite pissed off because I have allowed these walls to grow, I let it happen. Now, I need to learn what I can do to make sure I avoid this from happening again. I need to change again, as I step up another level in my human growth.

I think, if anyone was to ask me 'if you where to be some kind of animal what would it be?' I would have to reply 'A snake!'. A snake can shed it's old skin and this is what I feel that I have done each time I go through new experiences. I am really happy with my old skins, even happier with the new.

I want to be MX3 World Champion and the want for it is increasing!

Good Feeling

I have practiced twice now with different competitors, one, who I was roughly the same speed, although, I could see a few areas where I was more technically advanced and the other who I was quicker than.

What I really enjoyed was listening to their stories of how they have been quicker than other riders we will be competing against, and, on my drive home from practicing I had a smile on my face and thought to myself 'wouldn't it be funny if, I can win my first race'.

I am riding well at the moment, however, I am unsure if I am match fit and have no expectations, other than my goals I have set for this race. I just have a feeling that, I may well exceed them!

Fitter

I chose to substitute a practice session on the motorbike for a cycle session and really enjoyed the ride.

With my head phones on, I set off on my lap, which usually takes me one hour. I was enjoying being on my own and having the opportunity to think in solitude.
I also noticed that, it's great where I live. On my ride I go through a small town where I used to go to school and the rest of the circuit is on quite roads, through small villages and lots of open fields. The fields, separated by hedges are mostly green, with some ploughed and this gave me a great feeling, that spring is on it's way.

I myself felt really good on the bike and on my return had ridden with really good speed, a couple of minutes quicker than usual, however, what I was really stoked with, is that my average heart rate was around 22 beats low than last time I had done this circuit.
By measuring my time and heart rate I am able to get this important feedback. I am a lot fitter than when I did this session in January.

Contrast in Music

Recently, I have got a new phone. It's a SonyEricsson 810i. The main feature I wanted on the phone was the mp3 player.

Last year I was listening to G-unit a lot, I really like the bass and the rhythm of the beats and the songs are usually quite aggressive, which help me get fired up.

Now, I have fallen for an album by the Foo Fighters. I like the Foo Fighters because of the fast tempo and fairly aggressive voice that he sings with, however, the album I am listening to 'In your honor', disc 2, is so mellow and his voice is so smooth and relaxing, I am hooked and I listen to the album when ever I get chance. I am listening to it, as I write this now!

Looking after 'THE' goose

As the wet weather continues, I found myself in a dilemma on Wednesday. First of all, I was finding it hard to motivate myself to ride, as the track was in a poor condition and only a few customers stayed to have a go.
I had conflict going on inside my mind and I new that if I was to ride, I needed to have a clear mind (especially in these conditions) and after a short conversation with my wife, I had dealt with the conflict.
So, at the track I did my warm up and my first 40 minute moto, which I really enjoyed, however, it was very demanding on the bike. Wanting to look after the goose (my bike) I wondered if I should do my second moto. I decided that I should ring my friend Andy Kyffin and talk through what would the best approach.

The response I got was fantastic and immediate: 'do another 40 minute moto, you've got to look after the goose'.

I train well, eat well, drink well and practice well, however, this comment woke me up to consider that I am the goose also!
My second 40 minute moto was awesome and I felt great.

This goes to show that, I do have a good team around me and that achieving my goals is a team effort, there is no way I am doing this on my own because of the support and help I get.

Patience

Fantastic news. How about this, as soon as I have said that I am still waiting for conformation on product support, Motul Oils have agreed to help me for this season.

I am especially pleased because Motul is a growing name in the motocross industry (it is already huge in road racing) and the quality of their products, is second to none. Again, this is great news.

Test of mental strength.

I am having a slightly tough time at the moment. An area which I have blogged about previously, was to avoid resource depletion. With the winter seeming to last for ever, the track has been closed too many times and I am still wait for word on product support for bike spares.
With my training taking a lot out of me, I am really having to make an effort, to be, mentally tough and strong.

It would seem that, as my physical training and bike practice come to an end of a cycle and becomes easier, I am now faced with the new challenges of maintaining adequate resources, (which should only last for a short number of weeks) and learning how to deal with racing and make sure that I keep on improving, so that, I can finish 3rd overall, in Roggenburg, Switzerland on the 3rd September. When I do this, I know 2008 will be all mine!

Speaking with Harry Everts (a four time world champion) in Spain, he told me (his opinion) that the first World Championship you win is a gift, every world championship after that is yours to keep.
He was saying this to someone who has won no World championships and I would love the gift of the first one, however, it still fits in with my plans that I can win two World championships, I believe I may be setting another goal as this year progresses!

Low resting Heart Rate

On our last day of riding, my body had no aches although I felt sleepy tired. I was very pleased when I looked at my heart rate monitor when I sat on the bike, ready to go out for my first moto.

The reading was 50 beats per minute (bpm). I had to double check and waited a few more seconds for it to jump up to, may be, around 65 bpm. Whilst I waited, it went up to 53 bpm.

I am very pleased with this, as it is an indication that my fitness is good and that I am relaxed about being on my bike.

Team building

Whilst on our journey home, I was able to reflect on what has been happening (on my journey)and I noticed that the team I am building around me is truly international.

Again, on my first visit to see Ashley Scott, he made a comment, of which I was aware (although not the importance), that I needed to do. To build a good team around me. At this time I thought I could take the world on myself and on my own and how very wrong I was.

I have been unaware that I have been building a team. It is more like a group of individual friends who are all interested in Motocross.

I first met Ashley in January 2005, when he made this comment and my unconscious mind immediately started to work on it. Now just over two years later and on a trip home from Spain, I am able to reflect on this comment.

My friends who are helping me on my journey, although they may be unaware that they are helping (as they are friends), are from far a field, such as, Iceland, Belgium, Holland and in the U.K from the north, west, east and middle.

I would like to say a big Thank you to everyone involved and if you think to yourself 'I wonder if I am involved'. It means you are.

All you need is Love!

Ashley Scott has helped me become the person I am today and has a canny knack of telling me things, just at the right time.

Some time ago, now, Ashley told me that there are only two emotions. Love and Fear and that you could actually say there is only one emotion and that is Love. So, as I begin to appreciate this and notice, these two emotions, where it is in mine and other peoples lives, I could give no other thought to the fact that, there could be only one emotion, Love.

After blogging about, looking after the goose, I had started to notice how much, I love everything I do, whether it be riding my bike or changing my daughters dirty bum or the washing up.
After sending an e-mail to Ashley on an observation I have made, he asked me to consider, again, that there is only one emotion, Love and the absence of Love.

This question was asked at just the right time and 'Ashley, if this was a conscious decision, fair play'.
Myself and others in my life will benefit from this.

Think it, do it!!!

Last week, I blogged about how Harry's school looked like from the outside. Yesterday, on my day off, I watched and listened to what Harry had to say. I really enjoyed listening, there was only small instruction on technique. Most of his time is spent, telling riders how to make the bike go faster around the corners, regardless (to some extent) of technique. Andy, Petur and myself have found this very refreshing.

For me, riding in the second group, we've been doing motos. Harry has picked me up on two things I need to concentrate on. Once he had told me, I went out and did it straight away and continued to do so, each time after. I love being told what to do on a bike. I know I have a natural ability to do things on a bike that other riders don't. I have seen areas on the track, both last week and this week, where I was the first rider to start new lines and ride sections in a different way to get better results.

Whilst talking with Andy last night, I am sure that I am returning home on a higher level of riding from when I arrived here.

This was my plan. Awesome!

Rest day......at hospital

Today has been a rest day, which ended up with a trip to hospital!
I had ridden very hard the two days before and needed a rest. I have had interest from Harry, and he has welcomed me to train with him in Belgium.
This, I am really pleased with, Harry Everts is a four times motocross world champion and he has offered to help me train and help with my races in the MX3 world championship. A good result.
The trip to hospital came after loading the bikes into the van and leaving the tip of my finger in the chain and sprocket as the wheeled turned, when lifting the bike in to the van.
The piece of flesh hanging on the end of my finger had a piece of nail attached to the skin still. It looked messy and I was really pleased with how I managed the pain. One thing that did make me laugh was that when I went to ask Harry for some antiseptic, he ran away and couldn't look at the blood, this was really funny!
My last day of riding is tomorrow and then we begin our trip home and then it is straight off to a wedding with my wife and the girls. This I am really looking forward to.

New track, more riding.

Yesterday, we had no training in the gym, as it was hot the day before and it's important to avoid over training. That was the comment made by the Everts team. I was so happy to be riding in the sun! Although it is harder, riding in the heat, I was looking forward to doing more gym work in that morning.

We rode at a different track, hard pack and hilly, a really fun track. Also, it was a free riding day, we could do what we liked, in respect of riding time. This was great, I did two, forty minute motos, after a warm up, learning the track.

My speed was good and I started to fade after approximately twenty minutes. I need to be able to keep going with great speed for a further twenty minutes. With practice, I will ride full forty minute motos at full speed.

Today, Petur and myself our going out for a cycle, carrying out maintainace work on the bikes and washing clothes, this will take all day. Tomorrow, we will be picking up Andy from the airport.

Look after your Goose!

Throughout today I have noticed that many of the riders, and mechanics come to that, give little consideration into looking after their possessions. For example, dirty kit and bikes. This morning in the hotel reception, a group of guys where driving a remote control car around the floor and drove it to destruction, breaking wheels off the car and where no longer able to drive it.

This prompted me to think about a story in the book '7 habits of highly effective people', it's the story of a poor man who buys a goose with his last pennies, as it turns out, the goose lays golden eggs and the poor man becomes rich. In an attempt to become even more rich, the man cuts the gooses head off so that he can pull even more golden eggs out of the gooses body. Of course he kills the goose and is left with nothing.

This story means so much to me now, as I used to kill the goose so many times. I have most fun with my friend Jacky, in Holland, as my bikes used to get very little attention and when we would talk about the bike, Jacky would laugh and say 'have you been killing the goose, again, Ed'

After today, I have realised that I have changed (and continuing to change) because after each day of riding my bike, it is cleaned and I maintain it regularly. This has created something that I wasn't really ready for .... I love my bike, I stroke it affectionately with a real feeling of love for it!

I also think that this is hard for people to consider that, I have changed, as a person, from goose murderer to goose lover!

The story also promoted me to look at the 7 areas in my live (of which I have blogged about before,'balancing the wheel') and thinking about how I can look after the goose in my relationships, at work, with my health and my relationship with my wife.

Looking after the goose has made me feel much happier inside, it has helped me remove conflicts that I have had with myself in the past.

Look after your Goose!

Improvement

Yesterday, was a similar day again, gym first, track second. At the track, we rode 2 long motos. For the first, I was so sleepy tired and feeling drained, my lap times where similar as to previous times, however, quite inconsistent. For the second moto, I really didn’t want to go out and ride, I was that tried.
Something happened when I went out, I found a rhythm and had a really good focus on what I wanted to concentrate on. The result was that, my lap times had improved by 5 seconds a lap and where within 3 seconds each lap, until I started to fade at the end.
After practicing, I felt better than in the morning and when we got back to the hotel, we did nothing, waited for dinner and I was fast a sleep 10pm and woke at 7.30am. Nine and a half hours sleep for me is incredible, I needed it though.
We got a surprise when we went to breakfast this morning as there is no gym and we are going to be free riding today. Time to have some fun!

There are three other British riders here who are a little upset because the school is not meeting their expectations. In Stefan’s group, a plan is made and we follow it. There is no instruction or coaching. This has been great for me as I have made sometime to speak to Stefan and ask him questions that I want answering. He has been very forthcoming with information and therefore makes the training even more worth while.

On our day off, Petur and I went to watch Harry Everts group, training, to see what we will be doing next week and it looked a little unorganized. Riders were pulling on and off the track when they liked and Harry would periodically pull the group over, instruct riders on a certain corner and then watch as the 15 or so riders practiced the section.
This was our view from the outside, next week I can talk about what actually happens on the inside. Regardless of what happens in this group, I am very happy with my coaching skills.

High Five

Waking up for our second day of training was quite slow! My body was full of lactate acid (A waste product that builds up in your muscles after training anaerobic, which means without oxygen in the muscles). My major muscle groups ached intensely.

The beginning of the day was a repeat of the morning before, run first, gym second. This helped remove a little lactic, however, it still left me feeling sleepy, tired. At the track we had a warm up session followed by one moto. Bliss, just one moto!

After ‘getting through’ the moto, I spoke with my friend, Petur about the setup of the bike. We decided that we should make some alterations and after a few laps of testing, the bike was a lot better and some much easier to ride, faster and with less effort. It will be great to improve my lap times now.

Now, if I was stiff this morning, it’s hard to comprehend how I feel after today’s training, and, how about this, my friend Andy (who is joining us on Sunday) has spoken with the guys at High Five (a high quality sports drink supplement company) and they would like me to test there products and that their protein drink (which Andy had packed in our van) would help get rid of the stiffness. After following Andy’s instruction on preparing the drinks, I have woken up this morning feeling so much better, it is incredible. This makes me very happy to continue to test their products.

To really make sure we remove the stiffness, we have cycled for 1 hour this morning in the very wet, rain! The rest of the day will be preparing for riding in mud tomorrow!

Test of resolve.

Today, I have completed my first days training on the Stefan Everts School. We had a great days riding, although, I found it very hard. New boots, grips, newly serviced suspension and two days of solid driving in the van has left me feeling very tired.

My lap times were 15 seconds a lap slower than Tyla Rattray (A factory KTM rider in the MX2 class). Whilst I know this is great feedback, I also feel a little cheesed off because I would have hoped the gap would be a smaller at this point.

I am, however, very pleased with how I have been able to respond to this feedback. In the past I would have felt very despondent and have the feeling of wanting to ‘give in’. With this experience, I did have this feeling for a very short time and then I was able to consider reasons for a lack of performance from myself and also, that, I just simply have a lot of work to do. I know how to do work, so really, I will be able to get what I want.

Motivation

Below, I have blogged about setting goals and creating a poster to represent them.

This is my poster.

A few things for me to remember: Short term - 10th overall in first British Championship round & 10th overall in 3rd round of MX3 championship.

Medium term - Build a great team and support for next seasons racing. Finish 3rd overall at the last MX3 grand prix at Roggenburg. Doncaster Moto Parc to be a multipurpose facility.

Long term - MX3 World Champion and The best family holiday in Florida.

Motivation: To have number 1 on my bike. To fly the Union Jack. Big trophies. Self satisfaction. Proof that it is possible to change your mental map and create your own life to how you want it, however that may be!!

Feedback

Last Saturday, I had a great day practicing at Thorseway Moto Parc. My fitness and bike speed is picking up great and I am really pleased with how quick these areas are developing.

One thing, Ashley Scott told me early on, was that 'feedback is everything'. So far, I have had very little feedback, regarding my speed. I am able to measure my fitness, however, because all my training so far this year has been on my own or with slower riders, I am unsure of how much quicker I need to be, so that, I am competitive in my races.

I will find this out next week as I go to Spain to train along side grand prix riders.
This is going to be so much fun and a time when I can really concentrate on my speed.

I am expecting to return from Spain on a new level (up from where I am now) and with even more knowledge to make sure that I am training properly and getting racing results that I have been dreaming of.

On my return I will have four weeks before my first British Championship race!

Another new sponsor!

Once again, I am very pleased to be able to say 'I have another sponsor'. This time, for the bike.
DEP exhaust pipes have been producing high quality, high performance exhaust pipes for a long time and I have received help from Craig, with pipes, when I was riding for Team Green Kawasaki back in 1994, the year when I started racing in Grand Prix.
This is a big help, especially using the 490cc engine.

Looking Forward

I am really enjoying carrying out my training programme. On the bike, both, my fitness and speed is improving. It is important to me that I am in good shape for the end of the month as I am going to attend a Stefan Everts training school with two friends, Andy Kyffin, who runs NWMTB and Petur Smárason from Iceland.
My plan is to have good bike fitness for when I arrive in Spain, when I return, I plan to spend time working on, out right speed, so that, I will be ready for my first races.
I am looking forward to racing.

New Sponsor

I am very proud to announce that I will be receiving sponsorship from Harbon Electrical Engineers.
A Doncaster based firm that started over 50 years ago, that are committed to producing, consistently high standards for their customers.
If you require any work in this field, click the link and use the contact details to get in touch with them.

Training plan

Before Christmas, I talked about creating a training program, of which, I have now put in place and I will review it in 3 weeks time.
A week is as follows:

Monday: Motocross practice.
Gym work.
Tuesday: Swim.
Wednesday: Motocross practice.
Gym work.
Thursday: Motocross practice.
Friday: Swim/Cycle.
Gym work.
Saturday:Motocross practice.
Sunday: Rest.

My Monday, motocross training session went really well. Whilst concentrating on technique and keeping a low heart rate, I noticed that my speed is improving, compared to the last session I did with the same heart rate average the week before.
It is great to be able to measure performance.

Goal

I have been busy recently with riding, training, working and I also had the opportunity to join the A.C.U Acdamies coaching seminar with Mindracings, Ashley Scott.
This was a great seminar which covered goal setting.

Setting congruent goals is really important and for me, along with my medium and long term goals, I have realised that I need to keep setting lots of short term goals, this I will keep practicing.

An exercise we did was to make a large poster. We started of with a large piece of white card and cut out pictures from a handfull of old motocross magazines to represent our goals and then produce a poster with pictures and words so that we can create a clear, life like picture in our mind, of the future outcome of our goals, that we want.

This was great fun and also quite easy as I already know how I want my goals to be achieved.

Too much fun Vs heart rate!

I have enjoyed, another training session on the bike today. Practicing specific techniques and keeping my heart rate in the correct area is quite a challenge. Practicing technique is easy, keeping my heart rate down, low enough, is tough with other riders on the track. I found myself getting into a rhythm on the bike, and then, having so much fun riding, forgetting to keep my H.R. around 165.

My motocross fitness will come with perseverance and discipline and I will be required to do, a little riding, often.

With the Suunto T6 monitor, I am finding that it is really easy to overreach when practicing.
I am currently experimenting different styles of training sessions, at different times in the day to see if I can be really effective with my training. I will blog about my findings in due course.