Training & Nutrition - morning rides before work...

i usually ride at night, but today since the weather was nice, i got up and took a ride before work. about 20 miles medium pace. i felt fantastic right afterward and vowed to do this all the time. but now that i've been to work for a few hours - i feel completely worn down. my legs are weak, i'm tired, etc...

i had quality food after the ride, and for lunch, but i'm sooooo sleepy still. does my body just need to get used to the morning workout, or am i a hopeless case? i guess because i normally ride at night, i took for granted how much i "recharged" while sleeping.

to me it seems logical that the body would be better off sleeping after riding, as opposed to running around work for the next 8 hours. what are your preferences\thoughts on morning vs. night?

I used to be a die hard afternoon runner before I started cycling. I just couldn't get going in the morning and it took at least half of my work out to even warm up. Same thing when I changed to cycling. I had to start riding in the mornings due to the Arizona summer heat. I must say that now I have grown accustomed to it I hate cycling anytime after 9am. You do feel a little bit tired but if you compensate for getting up early by going to bed a little bit earlier there should be no major problem. Plus, a little mental bonus, because when you get to work you know you have done 20 miles of exercise and that everyone else was probably sleeping just 45 minutes ago.

You may want to hydrate a little bit more often during the ride and throughout the day, and also eat a few more snacks to keep your insulin levels high so you don't feel so fatigued. Kudos for eating after your ride, but try eating a nice juicy apple or a banana or something every couple of hours to keep your energy levels up.

Koffee

i usually ride at night, but today since the weather was nice, i got up and took a ride before work. about 20 miles medium pace. i felt fantastic right afterward and vowed to do this all the time. but now that i've been to work for a few hours - i feel completely worn down. my legs are weak, i'm tired, etc...


Just out of curiousity, what time did you get to bed the night before the morning ride? IMO, lack of sleep is the number one cause of lethargy (believe me, after the best part of a decade in Queensland summers, I know). If you're getting up earlier to ride, you need to go to bed earlier.

Just out of curiousity, what time did you get to bed the night before the morning ride? IMO, lack of sleep is the number one cause of lethargy (believe me, after the best part of a decade in Queensland summers, I know). If you're getting up earlier to ride, you need to go to bed earlier.

i ended up with about 7 hours of sleep the night before. which is about normal for me, i'll try it a few more times and see if it gets any better. i have a new trick to get myself to ride in the morning... i put my bike in front of the door (with water bottle filled, tires checked, etc..) so when i wake up i can't go anywhere without handling the bike. i'm lazy in the mornings, so i need these little incentives!

Hang in there... before long, morning rides will become automatic, then become something you crave. :D

Koffee

Agree with Koffee there. It'll get a lot better once you're into a routine. My buddy and I have a regular workout at 6:30am. Once you get into a rhythm, you'll go to bed at a regular time, get up at a regular time, and be out the door at a regular time.

After awhile, you'll be refreshed by the afternoon and you'll need to guard against the temptation to hammer an evening workout. Now, that will make you lethargic in the morning.

I've always found morning workouts get the blood pumping and the brain functioning so I don't need the false morning motivators like coffee to get me going. Most folks that I work with (customers and coworkers) notice when I get a good work out before hitting the office. One or two dread it because it means I'm off and running faster then normal! Really like it the morning bike ride. I feel like I'm waking up right along with the world I'm riding through. Hubby thinks the birds are too perky at that hour. ;)

howbout riding to work?

i find it more difficult to stay mentally sharp than physically sharp.
it does take a few weeks to fall into the routine.

I love riding before work. I live in Arizona so it gets very hot in the afternoons this time of year. Heck at 5am it can be 80-90 sometimes.

Give it some time to get used to it. The first few weeks I sometimes went through the same thing as you describe, but it does get better.

howbout riding to work?
Thats what I do. It's a 5 mile commute which is the perfect distance for me to feel streched out and awake.

I have done longer rides in the morn and also felt tired at work so I don't do it. I can just about crawl out of bed make lunch and hop on my fixie. But by the time I am at work I am nice and awake. Then the 5 mile ride home is also the perfect distance for a warm up to my early evening training rides. I hardly get to bed before 12 or 1 AM so early morning rides are out for me. I think that it all depends on your routine. But I bet in time you can get used to any regular pattern of work out...

i would love to be able to ride to work...that would be my first choice. but, i work in an area that isn't safe to bike to. it's nothing but high speed truck traffic, mutiple lane highways, and very dangerious river crossings. anyone ever seen the industrial northeast new jersey area? i've poured over maps trying to figure out how to make it work, but i just can't find a way. :(

Have you tried posting here asking for help finding a route?

Koffee

timmhaan:

I hear there's some guy named Tony S. who might be able to pull a few strings with the truckers in that area. You could ask him for a favor....

Have you tried posting here asking for help finding a route?

Koffee

yep - i did and got some good advice. the verdict is that it's too dangerous unless i could ride very far north, cross the river, then proceed south. i could possibly take a train with my bike, but there are restrictions to that during rush hour. i might try to bike it one weekend just to see.

timmhaan:

I hear there's some guy named Tony S. who might be able to pull a few strings with the truckers in that area. You could ask him for a favor....

ha!! that would be nice, huh? i just don't want to know what "returning the favor" would involve. :p

howbout riding to work?


For me that would be a 52 mile round trip, and some really steep hills. I am not ready for that.

I started riding in the morning out of necessity this year as the kids are getting older and I wanted some quality time with them when I get home from work.

Most mornings, 6AM, you'll find my a$$ out on the roads. It took at least 2-3 weeks to get used to the schedule so be patient. I find that I feel better on days that I ride. I usually put in 15-18 miles, get back to the house, spend 10-15 minutes stretching and doing sit-ups and push-ups while sipping on water. I'm always in the shower by 7:20 and out the door to work by 8AM.

As a bonus, 3 to 4 hour weekend solo rides that start at 6AM will get you back home by 9-10AM and you will have the rest of the day for other things.

Now here's my secret to keeping energy levels high ... every morning, in the car on the ride to work, I consume a low-fat peanut butter sandwich on hearty toasted oat bread. Really gets me going. Then when I get to work, I fill my 32 Oz. water jug and down water all morning. The best "other" alternative to peanut butter sandwiches is Cream of Wheat made with Vanilla Soy Milk (gotta be 8th Continent milk) ... give it a whirl.

-mark

Today, for the first time in a couple of months, I got up before six and went out for a 75 minute ride, and boy it made me tired, let me tell you. I was tired in the morning when I got to work, and then I felt pretty tired in the afternoon, too.

I guess it's just a matter of getting used to it.

i ended up with about 7 hours of sleep the night before. which is about normal for me, i'll try it a few more times and see if it gets any better. i have a new trick to get myself to ride in the morning... i put my bike in front of the door (with water bottle filled, tires checked, etc..) so when i wake up i can't go anywhere without handling the bike. i'm lazy in the mornings, so i need these little incentives!
I do the same sort of thing. The night before a ride(I only do mornings about 3x a week), I put the bike in the bedroom, with the helmet hanging off the drops and my gloves laying across the top of the handle-bars. I lay out my riding clothes(no lycra, thanks) next to the bike. Since I sleep in my undies, and the other clothes are blocked by the bike, my only easy choice after I'm awake is just to get on the damn bike and go.
I figured out after my time in the military that it's not being up early that's hard. It's
getting up early that hurts. Once I've made it past that first few minutes, the morning ride is great.
As for fatigue-I recommend finding someplace you can take a quick power-nap at lunch. Ten minutes will make a huge difference.
Also, coffee.

[QUOTE]As for fatigue-I recommend finding someplace you can take a quick power-nap at lunch. Ten minutes will make a huge difference

I use the term micro sleep but power nap is better. I take just a litlle snooze in the noon time and I'm ready to work hard. I'm ready for a little nap after 4 four hours of work and a nice morning ride. After the nap all is well.