Originally Posted by rumrunn6

impressive first rides. congrats on the new bike. do you use strobes front and rear? if not you might consider adding them. some kind of hi-viz clothing too.

regarding nutrition pre and post ride including drinks:

I've had good luck with:
a normal meal an hour or more prior to a ride
600 milligrams of vitamin B6
250 micrograms of B12
for all day rides: 250 milligrams magnesium (not more than this!)
for all day rides: potassium (can't find mine but a good solid dose)
a simple carb immediately before my ride (box of raisins or banana)
I salt my water (just enough so that it's barely noticeable)
I've been advised by an experienced rider to eat 1/4 PB&J sandwich occasionally during my ride.
I told him I would go 1.5 hrs w/o food and he said that was way too long
post ride I have a simple carbs cuz the muscles will suck it up and burn it off
also a protein rich meal or a liquid protein supplement or shake
post ride your muscles are starved for simple carbs and protein

in muscle building it is advised to take 48 hrs off for muscles to recover; repair and grow. if you're a new rider I suspect rest would be advised. most people don't realized how important rest is. once you reach a certain fitness and muscle mass level you can cycle every day. weight training though still requires 48 hrs rest between sessions using the same muscle groups

I can swim; bike; and/or run every day. but the weight training - uh uh - every 3 days for that

for all day rides I've had good luck with 1/2 turkey sandwich but the animal meat requires digestion so not too much at one sitting. i'm fond of the rear rack trunk cuz it helps carrying the extra food; etc. I've also noticed a great boost using a supplement like "muscle milk" in the middle of a 60 mile ride.

I never use Gatorade; prefer salted water but sometimes use iced tea in my bottles. an upset tummy may benefit from apple juice.

stay visible and keep researching nutrition. don't experiment with new foods on long rides. stick with what you know your body likes.

oh - also - after long rides these two things make a huge difference:
1- massage - this really works moving fluids around inside your tissues
2- 30 minute soak in a high concentration of Epsom salt bath. the magnesium osmotes (word?) through your skin tissue into your muscle tissue and helps them keep from cramping. I use 1 lb per tubful but I've heard pro athletes use up to 20 lbs per tubful!

Originally Posted by Vicelord

first, stop eating McDonalds. That **** isn't even food, and gives your body nothing as far as fuel to burn.

Originally Posted by cyclezen

Obviously, sounds like you didn't overestimate your ability.
I say ride as long as the muscles, joints and connective tissue don't start complaining.

Originally Posted by BryGuy

Your body's not a car, it burns whatever you eat. Grease happens to be a calorie dense food. A few generations ago, beef tallow (fat) on bread was a great lunch for field workers. Lots of energy without weighing them down.

I ride to eat whatever and however much I want to.

Originally Posted by tommyrod74

I'm a Registered Dietitian with a MS in human nutrition. Please, please stop posting about my field of expertise, you are both unqualified and misinformed.

Originally Posted by Dr. Banzai

That's going a bit far tommy.

Next I'll stop telling people to give advice on bike repairs since I'm a licensed mechanic. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Your burden, being a trained professional at level X is to provide advice that is better than complaining. If you want to complain you have to give a reasonable reply.

Next we will have a physician in here telling YOU to not give out advice since they are more qualified in their eyes to dole out advice.

Eat and drink what works for you, ride often. Enjoy. Avoid cars. Next.

Originally Posted by KD5NRH

Oh, folks are quite well informed that your field of "expertise" is a scam. Go make up an elementary school menu.

Originally Posted by Vicelord

Jack La Lanne had a saying – “if it’s made by man – don’t eat it! If it tastes good – spit it out,” Who better to listen to than a man who is in his nineties and is more fit than most guys in their 40’s, still lifts weights and has an infomercial?!!

Originally Posted by Nooch

Just letting you know... Jack LaLanne died in January... Though he's probably still lifting weights and towing tugboats post-mortum..

Originally Posted by Vicelord

your body will not run as efficiently on garbage food as it will on a well thought out intake of proper food. You're crazy if you disagree.

You need to think of your food as fuel. When I turned the corner and realized this, I realized what foods maximize my performance, and what foods rip my body apart. A regular diet of fried chicken fingers and hamburgers won't get you anywhere.

Food is Fuel. If we could all start looking at food as fuel for our body’s instead of using it for comfort, stress, or a remedy to boredom.

Originally Posted by yarb

What a joyless attitude! I'm sure you'll live to be 100 on a diet of fruit, nuts and brown rice six times a day; I'll continue to skip breakfast (except for my weekend fry-up), consume alcoholic drinks to excess, eat a wide range of food processed in various different ways, and ride my bike every day.

Your body might just a be a motor, but mine is also the means for me to experience pleasure and pain. I can't imagine eating purely for nutritional purposes.

Presumably you only have sex for reproductive purposes, too.

OP: yeah, probably dehydration or just plain old fatigue. Have a rest day and well done on starting with a bang.

Originally Posted by Jakedatc

Banzai Giving poor medical advice is a lot different than giving poor mechanical advice. Especially when you start talking about supplements and stuff.

what works for some might really be wrong but doesn't bother that one person. Another person might be put in big trouble.

Gel and many bars are not that bad for you. They are small and convenient to pack with you. I wouldn't eat them around the house but for during a ride they are fine. I actually asked one of my old professors about Maltodextrin based stuff since she is well respected in the athletic nutrition field. She said there was nothing wrong with it.

you CAN bring and eat other "normal" foods and many mix that in with gel etc so you should listen to yourself and not disregard those products because you don't like them. Personally i like to have a gel flask handy for quick swigs on the go and then more normal stuff for snack breaks.

And if you read the OP more carefully she said she felt like ass afterward.. not during. This is a clear symptom of being dehydrated, not out of shape. she rode 110mi in 3 days off the couch. she has to be in decent shape to even want to get out on day 3.