Don't Drink, Don't Smoke. What do you Do?

You may remember the lyrics from this 80s Adam Ant hit. Well I was thinking about this on a hike in the Peak District near Leek.
I like to think that both these habits are becoming a thing of the past. Now the trend is to cycle, eat whole foods and be active.
last week I was able to get to Cannock Chase area of natural beauty and ride alongside heather plants, spotting deer and even a kingfisher down by the river Trent.

Today the rain came: the answer get wet, but not outside, in the pool on a quiet bank holiday and home to cook up a tasty vegetable soup.
So in short your answer to the title question should be a list of activities that fulfill your life with energy and the desire for more. Run, Ride, Hike, Swim, Skate, cook fresh food, even grow your own.
thanks for reading. leave a comment and tell me what healthy activities you enjoy. :))

LUD'S CHURCH, NEAR LEEK

Food for the Tour

Over the last two weeks I have ridden the mountain bike about 300km and accumulated over 4000m of assent. And driven about 1500km. Camped for thee nights and stayed with friends. The car is simple it uses petrol, but the legs on the bike need a more complex diet.

I have been following a whole food diet - that means I want to get my carbs, fats and proteins from foods that can give me all of these things in one hit - plus I want to to stay healthy and not get sick. So I want foods that give lots of vitamins and minerals. What is the answer.? Fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, root veg, flower and leaf veg.

Along the way I have done training session too with army fitness friends and lake swam. We have all been trying out how this re-focus away from animal proteins has helped us feel full but at the same time light. So digestion has been quicker.

I am happy to say that from the breakfasts, lunches to dinners all of which have been different. With the  huge range of vegetables in both France and Spain as well as the organic AB label that French shops have it is easy to change the foods you normally eat and add something new.

The diet is starting to become a lifestyle that is making meals ever-more tasty and interesting. Here is a few photos: Bon apatite

gluten free bread with olive oil and pepper

My favourite, with fresh mint.

Give it a tri

August MTB stages tour

The start of August has meant some extra time to travel and ride new areas. incorporating visits to friends which is a great help for local information and having down time to look for the right route distance and accumulated height. nothing worst than expecting a nice ride that becomes a grind.
So with that the first ride started in an small sierra in Murcia but with a twist. a trail that once was considered too extreme was re evaluated after over a year of skills improvement and is now top of my list to do again. the local name for this trail is Bisbal.
With the very hot conditions we rode through an area where there had been a forest fire some six weeks before.

Next stop is the north of Spain with a ride in the mountain Izki (ith-ky) close to Vitoria. I was given a trail map the year before by a friend so I downloaded the gpx files and slotted together a combination of three numbered routes that put me to the test.
being the north there was now mud, trees and lots of mosquitoes. But also rustic mountain villages to see and my favourite bird - vultures!

Next up is a local ride with Gonzalo in the La Rioja campo. A very popular area for hikers on there way to Santiago. international mounting bike association have established routes here running through some of the vineyards and the hills are a challenge too.

Next stop will be Arragon to try out some of Zona Zero trails. these guys are hosting the downhill champs in September and have marked over 30 trails from lighter, intermediate to extreme. gpx files and descriptions are on the web. I will be hitting trails 1, 4, 15 starting from Ainsa. this is an special town that has castle walls it feels like you are in a Connan film.

I have added some more photos from phone from French VTT trails near Carcassonne, Montbel. Check out the trails now uploaded to Wikiloc. 

Burnt Mucian Hills

France Lac Montbel, what makes more dammage, horse or bike!?

Ainsa, Zona Zero

Lac Montbel

Zona Zero Ruta 1

How to Run at Night

Last night was the first time I have done a race event at night and I can say it was different. Obviously there are things to consider, the start time was 10pm and although the temperature was still 28ºc there was a strong coastal breeze. Plus at that time of day our bodies are starting to wind down for the evening so there was quite a bit of warm up needed to feel awake.

The Full Moon San Pedro de Pinatar race is about 9km passing through urban streets, dark country lanes and to top it all 2km across the sand. This for me was the most interesting part. The full moon was covered by cloud so the need for some light was important. Although there were a few runners with head torches not all had remembered to bring them.

before the start

you can see more than this but the camera can't

For the most part it was nice to let your eyes adjust to the low light and occasional light of another runner but on the beach it was very hard to see though I did still manage a 6min /km pace

Take away tips, take a small hand held light, the head lamps that some runners had looked uncomfortable and were a very bright and glaring that didn't help with the contrast of the darkness.

the mas crowd of sweaty runners at the finish 

cool t-shirt