Hi Guys,
Well Christmas is officially over and it’s back to intense training for me.
This week was the start of my five day training programme and boy was it tough.
Tough but extremely rewarding. As I write this I am currently lying on my bed in servere pain!
For once though it is a nice pain. I know I have done well this week and it makes the pain so worth it.
Every one of my muscles is aching and it’s great! The only thing that isn’t sore is my hip. That’s a first!
My workouts are split between my two trainers, Michael Black and Aoife McGill. Michael takes me Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Aoife takes me Tuesday and Thursday.
We have a programme set up to target everything within these five days. Cardio, interval training, strength and conditioning, weight lifting and TRX work.
Yesterday I worked on interval training with Aoife and my God it was some workout. I really enjoyed it though.
In the past I struggled with the bike as my damaged nerves would become aggravated.
As time has worn on however, I have noticed a considerable difference in the pain I feel while cycling. 
It felt great yesterday cycling like a mad woman and not having the pain interfere with my speed.
The unfortunate thing with nerve damage is that it can flare up quite quickly which means I could find myself back at square one.
For now though things are looking good so I will run with it. Not literally obviously;)
The pictures I have included in this weeks column are inspirational quotes that can be found on the walls of Optimal Fitness.
These two in particular strike a certain cord with me, especially the one about strength. Every single thing I am doing in my awareness campaign is stuff I never thought I would do again.
My upcoming challenge is definitely something I never thought I would do. It’s something even Michael is jealous about!
I will reveal all in the coming weeks but suffice to say it is a doozie!
The second quote I take literally. I really am already in pain so why not turn that pain into something positive instead of feeling sorry for myself for being in a situation I cannot change.
Over the Christmas period I received numerous emails from people who wanted to share their own struggle with me.
I feel genuinely honoured that people feel so comfortable talking to me about such private matters.
I received a message from someone during the week that blew me away.
This persons courage just floored me. That message will stay with me for a long time.
If ever I have doubts about whether I am doing the right thing by putting all my energy into this campaign, those message will serve as a brilliant reminder that I am definitely where I should be in life right now.
Thank you all and as I said before if you have a story you wish to share with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me at nikkibradley59@gmail.com
Have a great weekend folks:) x