General Cycling Discussion - Learned a lesson for life a few hours ago...

What do you get when you cross an overly obssessive, naive, and arrogant 18 year old with big future dreams? Well, of course you get me...

I came back from a long run (too cold to bike) a few hours ago (20K or more? I have lost track)... I got home and hit the hot shower. I came out, and 10 minutes after I felt like I was hit by a boulder.

Let me tell I have rarely been so scared in my life. My whole body was shaking and feeling cold, I had a bad case of diherra, I had lost all appetite, and I was in a state of nervousness beyond anything I had ever experienced before. It felt almost as if a great hollow just opened in my stomach... my mind unable to focus at all. My mom was taking and I had a hard time understanding.

At least I'm smart enough to realize when my body is telling "lighten up, you aren't gonna become a pro in an year...".

I'm just thankful that I'm feeling ok now (after a foot long sub, some grill beef and liver, and couple of scoops of ice cream). But that was scary, for a few minutes I actually thought I should tell my mom to take me to the hospital (sunday night, medicals closed).

I need a SERIOUS re-evaluation of my training. It's affecting my lifestye and education way too much. God, how could I have been so stupid?

Amir,
Be patient, my friend. Since I am not familiar with your training background, I don't know if 20k is a lot for you or not. If you are not a regular runner, you need to work up your distance gradually. Even if you are an avid cyclist, running uses different muscles that must be brought along patiently. You may have just overdone it or you may have dehydrated. You need to hydrate during a run that long. Cold weather fools you. You don't feel as thirsty as in hot weather, but your are losing moisture just as fast. Be sure to drink.
Regards,
Raymond

I don't want to sound flippant. What you experienced sounds truly awful... But welcome to the bonk.

One thing that many novice athletes forget is that they carry a limited amount of "fuel" in their bodies at any one time. If your exertion outstrips that supply, your body (a) must use reserve supplies and (b) experiences an overall drop in energy at hand. For us humans, the fuel is glucose [sugar], and when the concentration of glucose in your bloodstream drops to below 4 mmol/l, you go hypoglycemic. BTW, if it drops below 2 mmol/l, you can go dead, so this can be a very serious issue.

Fortunately, it's easy to avoid. ALways, ALWYS, ALWAYS bring food with you when you ride/run for more than 45 minutes, or so. If you feel yourself beginning to bonk -- shakiness, irritability, elevated heart rate, a sense of "fuzziness" are common symptoms -- eat something RIGHT AWAY, preferably something like fruit or, better still, fruit juice, that has a high sugar level [but won't rot your teeth. If you're on your bike, stop and eat an energy bar or a cookie.

It's not a great idea to over-indulge with crap food. You can often reverse a bonk with as little as 4 g of sugar.

By the way... All the pros eat all the time during races. When they don't, they often bonk.

This happens to me in day to day life, without having to be on a bike. :( (Well, not as bad as Amir, although similar after a ride once...)

Fortunately I'm learning what the warning signs are. And so are all those around me, so that when I start getting a bit grouchy they can hold me down and force feed me! :D

Good luck with the training,
Ellie

Listening to your body is as important as working it out.

One of the best results of training should be to get to know how you work.

Slow, well, moderate and steady can win the race.

Originally posted by Ellie
This happens to me in day to day life, without having to be on a bike. :( (Well, not as bad as Amir, although similar after a ride once...)
Yep... it happens to me on walks from time-to-time. I always carry food.

After a good night's sleep I am able to think clearer about what actually happened last night. It was probably a combination of things my body was reacting to.

ljbike sent me a pm mentioning that he experienced similar effects after jumping in the shower right away after coming in from cold weather.

Last evening was the coldest I have ever ran in. I got home, and as usual I jumped in the hot shower. I'm certain such a drastic change in temp must have been the reason for my body getting chilled.

About bonking, I'm not sure if that was the problem... I mean I had a good breakfast, a good lunch too. And before going out I loaded on bars, fruits, and figs (which I loaded honey on). I felt great during the run. It wasn't the first time I was running the route (the same distance), but I think I beat my previous times by at least 5-10 minutes.... maybe I got too overexcited? Not sure, but it didn't feel like I was pushing my body too much nor did I feel "fuzzy".

The rainproof jacket I was wearing had zero air ciculation. When I took it off, my t-shirt under neath was competely soaked. My hair was completely soaked too... I think lack of proper cooling during the race might have caused some problems.

Hydration... it's possible that I did not have enough to drink. I consume a lot of grain products and caffein... so I was a bit carelss about getting enough water last evening.

tummy problems... I don't think they were related to the run. My stomach was feeling a bit upset before I head out, and I just chose to ignore it. During the run it came on and off, and again I ignored them... heh, guess after the run it showed it's true face.

A good learning experience though; not something I'd like to go through ever again though :)

Power bars, water bottle, and cotton clothing. Won't forget these next time.

Allow me to let you all in on a funny episode that I had 4 years or so ago. I regularly cycled to work (25kms or roughly 1 hour) in most conditions. One night however, it was cold, damp and I wasn't enjoying the ride very much. Anyway, I arrived at work (for a night shift) and proceeded to the shower only to find that there was no hot water, so not wanting to be smelly I braved the icicles and jumped in. :) So far so good. The problem became apparent a few hours later when I was trying to sleep (sleeping duty) I noticed an unusual bump on my arse. :eek: "Hmmm, not sure about this" I thought, but eventually got to sleep. :) The next morning, my bump had developed into a 'grape' or pile which had obviously been caused by the combination of cold-damp-saddle-cold shower. A visit to the doctors confirmed this and the very next day I was in hospital with my legs in styrups on an operating table. I was still in hospital 5 days later and it was a full month before I climbed very gingerly back on my bike ;). The moral of the story? - Keeping fit can be a pain in the arse! :D

Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel
...I felt like I was hit by a boulder.

Let me tell I have rarely been so scared in my life. My whole body was shaking and feeling cold, I had a bad case of diherra, I had lost all appetite, and I was in a state of nervousness beyond anything I had ever experienced before. It felt almost as if a great hollow just opened in my stomach... my mind unable to focus at all. My mom was taking and I had a hard time understanding.
Amir,

Don't be afraid to seek professional advice. If you had a hard time understanding your mother, your brain is possibly being affected. This is not something you want to repeat. Don't let it stop you from exercising--but don't let it happen again if you can help it.

Severly low blood sugar can affect brain function, as can other things. But anything that affects your brain is not to be taken lightly.

Some people are more susceptible to severe low blood sugar than average. Most people can experience low blood sugar episodes which are uncomfortable, yet recover without serious problems. The nervousness could be your adrenal hormones attempting to raise your sugar levels back to normal. (It can feel like h*ll.) But then again, some people have hereditary blood sugar sensitivities which can lead to extreme drops in blood sugar, enough to affect brain activity.

Your brain needs sugar as much as it needs oxygen. It will sacrifice anything to get glucose to your brain.

All this can be answered with a simple glucose tolerance test, done by your doctor.

Drink plenty of water before you feel thirsty. Did you know that many of the effects of a hangover are related to dehydration? So not drinking enough water when you're pushing yourself can be a little bit like self-inducing a hangover without ever having any alcohol.

Second, if your budget allows it, 'breathable' jackets can be very useful, since they allow a good percentage of your sweat to escape.

welcome to the club bonk
you reach your level and your body told you. lucky you where home...
bonking is no joke hope you learn from it.. well now you know
what your limit is and what it feels like to go over it..
this will make you better
K

Always listen to your body. Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty etc.

Always listen to your body. Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty etc.

I have no problem with that myself, I always eat before I get hungry and drink before I'm thirsty.

Seriously, if it happens again you should see a doctor, but next time don't be afraid to carry food or split a workout with a rest and recovery period. Two a days can be very good for the conditioning. :thumbup: