Training & Nutrition - Do you ever feel "woozy" after a ride?

So I got done with my ride today, 26 miles, with some significant hill climbs (and doing it for the first time on a double chainring). It was also about 86F and humid..

I drank through 2 of the large water bottles on the ride, at a pretty even pace, and felt great during the entire ride. Came home, stretched, had some more water, and felt, for lack of a better term, woozy.. I was very sleepy, kind of light headed, and just not feeling all that well. I had some fruit to get my sugars up, and had some lunch, and took a 30 minute nap. I still felt about the same after the nap, and now, 2 hours later, I am finally starting to feel back to normal. I had my HRM on the entire ride, and was never really off the charts.. peaked out at 175bpm, and averaged 153 (which is right where I normally am on a ride like this). I just cant figure out why I felt so strange afterwords. I had a typical pre-ride meal of oatmeal, and some whole wheat toast.. any ideas?

Maybe the extra humidity? It sounds like a bonk. You may want to consider taking some Gu or Gatorade with you to keep your electrolytes and carb levels up while riding. Rides of that nature don't just deplete your water reserves- they also can deplete your electrolyte and carb reserves too.

Koffee

Could be that your potassium is low. Try eating a banana or two with the oatmeal next time.

Thanks.. I realized that was one difference.. I make my own "gatoraide" from a recipe on this site I found.. I was out this morning, so I just took water.. might have something to do with it.. I'll also try adding in the banana. The strange part was how it hit me about 15 minutes AFTER riding.. on the ride I felt great.. when I got home I felt great.. it was after stretching that it really set in.

I could see that. When you work out, the body spends a lot of time distributing the blood mainly to the working parts of the body. Not to say that all the parts of the body don't get blood- they just don't get as much as the legs get when you work out. Once your workout ends, the blood gradually begins to redistribute itself back to normal circulation to all parts of the body. It is always critical that you get a proper cooldown because of this phenomenon. The cooldown helps prevent the blood from pooling in the legs- the pooling results from insufficent cooldown or a sudden stop in riding. With the sudden stop or insufficent cooldown, the blood has not had enough time to reach the brain (while riding, less blood goes to the brain since the blood IS going to the working parts of the body), so when you dismount, you suddenly feel lightheaded. If you lay down and elevate your legs above your head, you can recover a bit better from feeling lightheaded or woozy. I've actually seen people pass out or temporarily black out, or even just blank out for a few seconds when they bypass or shorten the cooldown. In my worst case, the guy began convulsing on the ground for a few seconds, so we gave him some air and elevated his legs. When he got up, he couldn't even remember that he'd fallen. He was like "What am I doing laying on the ground?".

Koffee

That reminds me of what happened to me last year. I was out on a ride with a friend and then we met up with a couple of other people who invited us to ride with them. It ended up being about 90k. I had food and water, but no gatorade. About 2/3 of the way home I really started to feel thirsty and kept guzzling water, and I really started to lose altitude. My legs just seized up the last few K i was like those guys who crack in the alps and wobble home. I was so parched later on! The next day I felt like a squished lemon. It wasn't a very hot day, about 80 degrees and not very humid- it was a beautiful day! I realized I should have had gatorade. Ever since then I learned my lesson. If I think I'm going out on a long ride, especially now that the weather is warmer, I take gatorade! It was during the Tour,I remember, when it was so hot and Lance got dehydrated and the next day looked like hell. He wasn't kidding!

I did not like feeling woozy during a ride. Sometimes after, but a quick nap will get you over that..A quick nap is often in store anyway..
When Using a HRM, I find I get my heart over 190 beats, I feel a little woozy, or downright dizzy. When on a vigorous ride and using a HRM, I set it for a low end Heart rate AND high end.. Push it too much up a moutain, I find I might not get there before I call it quits.

I'm just adding to the numbers: I often get a bit dizzy when I don't drink or eat enough.

Sometimes I think I'm only gunna do an easy 30 miles, so I'll take a little water and no food, then get excited, end up doing a hard 50 miles, then I obviously run out of gas and get dizzy.

So I got done with my ride today, 26 miles, with some significant hill climbs (and doing it for the first time on a double chainring). It was also about 86F and humid..

I just cant figure out why I felt so strange afterwards. any ideas?

Yeah, your CNS (Central Nervous System) took a whacking... Keep riding, it will come round...

[QUOTE=BlueDevil]So I got done with my ride today, 26 miles, with some significant hill climbs (and doing it for the first time on a double chainring). It was also about 86F and humid..


Here is what you did - overhydrated. No kidding. What happened is that you drank water instead of a sport drink with electrolites - ie. sodium. Then you came home and drank MORE water - further diluting your blood of much needed electrolites. Now your synapsis responds (or its lack of ability, to correctly state the situation) is letting you know - you become dizzy. If it was severe enough, you have black out spells, vomiting, unconsciousness - possible coma. I did the same thing after a race. But mine actually took a full day to develop. I thought - dehydrated - drink more water. 24 hours later, I am in the hospital getting 2 1/2 units of sodium chloride I.V.'d into me.
Never do long rides without the electrolite drink, and upon return drink at least a one to one ratio - sport drink to water.
What I have found best to ward off this situation is drinking a can of V8 vegitable juice a day in the warmer months. The sodium content is 39% of daily recommended. If I feel I sweat a lot on a particular ride - or I feel the slightest bit dizzy afterwards, I drink one of these and in 20 mnutes I am stable. Not to mention, it is good for you!