The hardest part is going back to the well when there are no big matches on the horizon.
Alan Quinlan is five years out of the game but still lives and breathes it.
The Tipperary native would be the first to admit he was slow to embrace full-on professionalism but he reassessed his goals, threw himself into fitness work and helped his province to unprecedented success on the pitch.
Now aged 41, Quinlan looks as if he has just stepped off the training pitch. Retired has not slowed his step one bit. He tells us:
“I wouldn’t eat as much now as I obviously wouldn’t have to burn through the same calories. So the diet is low-carb, low-fat. I try to eat as much protein as I can and try not to over-indulge. But, saying that, you’ve got to have a treat every now and then.
“I have a bit of a sweet tooth and like a nice biscuit with a cup of tea, but I try to eat as healthy as possible. I believe the food and nutrition you put into your system gives you energy. It’s like putting fuel into your car.
“I train a couple of times a week. There is no physical pain, as such. I go for a couple of runs, swimming, I love cycling, and I do some light weights. It’s hard to let go once you’re used to training all the time but it’s good for my physical and mental health; to get that release.”
As for that fuel to put into his body, Quinlan advocates healthy pastas and raves about fruit – grapes, bananas and apples.
*Alan Quinlan was wearing some of the Crivit Pro cycling gear that is now available in Lidl stores nationwide
