Hey all. I was wondering if someone could help me.

The problem I have is while riding home after work.

To fill in the blanks: I work overnight (2300-0700hrs), I'll tell you a secret if you don't tell anyone else; I usually get about four to five hours of sleep during my eight hour shift. The "work" I do is not strenuous at all. I commute 8 to 9 miles to and from work.

I have no problem getting to work at night. None at all, but when I go home in the morning wow I find that I just can't push it. It is mostly that my legs feel like jello. I have no problem with breathing. I find this strange because it is my legs which are most fit on me; I ride quite a bit and I play alot of basketball and I walk alot as well.

My question is: Is there something that I might drink or eat or do or not do before or during my commute home that would help me get over the hump?

Do you eat anything a few hours before leaving work - like fruit, a peanut butter sandwich, or an energy bar?
You're body needs fuel (carbs) and if you don't eat something it will burn fat and protein.

Have you heard the term "bonk"? Maybe thats what you're experiencing. That's what happens when you haven't eaten enough carbs so don't have the energy stores your body requires for strenuous exercise (like cycling). You are basicly running on empty.

About 1 to 1-1/2 hours before I leave work I eat some dates :love: and a piece of fruit (pear, banana, peach, etc.). If I forget to bring some fruit to work I'll eat a Balance bar.

And are you drinking enough water?
Drink lots of water at work and drink on the way home.

You didn't mention the weekly quantity of your workouts, or their intensity, but here goes a couple of things to try. . .

1) Are you overdoing it? You may need to take a day off, or two, each week to give your body a chance to recover. This is especially true if your workouts and/or commutes are intense. I know when I play a couple of hours of b-ball I'm usually out of it the next day - maybe just a short, quiet recovery ride.

2) What are you eating and drinking at work? You may need to increase complex carbohydrate consumption during your "lunch break" at work. I'd suggest a bagel and a banana for lunch and 3 or 4 fat-free Fig Newtons an hour before your ride home. Make sure you're well hydrated, too, before you get on the bike. 12 to 20 oz of H2O with your Fig Newtons should help.

Could be a couple of things.

I assume that you are napping at work, and waking up and commuting home. This could produce 2 effects. First off, your metabolic rate is way down. In the evening say, you hop on your bike and your metabolic rate is up because you have been running around doing stuff. So you motor right off. After work, you are at low ebb and your body just sort of putts along. I suspect that your commute isn't really long enough for you to really get warmed up. The other thing that may be going on is that you run around all day and eat just enough to get going. You go to work, nap, and your body is now calorie starved. Then you wake up, hop on the bike with both low blood sugar and low metabolism and that means the ride home is a bit tough. But I don't think you really need to do much about it unless you are wanting to trade intensively or ride a long ways.

Working nights can be tough... i just found a new job after spending a year working the night shift... the same hours as you. The only advantage of working that shift is that you can get up early in the afternoon and ride! Riding to work was great, but riding home sucked. I was always very tired. My advice... adapt to the hours, don't sleep at work. And, as suggested earlier, work on your diet ... recovery drinks, etc. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I know working nights sucks, I've done it for awhile now but the advantage of sleeping at work and not having to deal with the general public in masses really benefits me. I will try and work on the diet and ride through it. Thanks for the advice.

I work the overnight shift too.

There are two things that make my commuter better. 1. A hot shower before departure. I still have to shower again when I get home, but it wakes me up. 2. Clean clothes. We have laundry at work, so I throw my commute clothes in with my work clothes.

I know that my fasting glucose will be low in the morning, so I don't expect much from my ride. I also try to take a break somewhere at the halfway point and eat.

Hey I have tried what some of you have suggested. I get up from my nap at work and go for a little jog (maybe 10-15 min.). I eat a banana and some fig newtons and drink alot of water (more than usual which is alot already).

Half way through my ride I stop and sit on a bench and eat a bagel or a muffin (depends on what they have here in the kitchen for me...shhhh) and drink lots of water on the way.

I can honestly say that it helps. Not that I'm as fresh as when I left for work. I can't expect that but I have noticed a refreshing improvement in my energy level and muscle strength.

Thanks for the advice.