Originally Posted by BlueJay66
Did I over hydrate after dehydrating?
I just finished my first 200K brevet with the Great Lakes Randoneurs on Saturday. Beautiful day
, Wind in the face on the return
. I had 3 liters of water with me in two bottles and a camelback. I did not finish that water by the midway point. I had started cramping at 40 miles and slowed down at that point. The excitement of being with such an awesome group of people, and keeping up with them at speeds over 30 mph with the wind had me going on adrenalin. I did not even buy any food or liquid at the first control! I had 2 clif bars and 3 gu I really don't feel like I bonked. Did I? I thought I was drinking enough, but I can't believe I was. We made the first stop at 31 miles in 1 hour 25 minutes. After the midway point I got two more liters of water and a liter of gatorade. I had a peanut butter and chocolate wafer bar, a ham and cheese sandwich, an ounce of Fritos, and an ounce of salted cashews. I had more gu and cliff bars in there somewhere too. Going back was into the wind but I felt pretty good after resting. I finished my water before getting to the last control at 97 miles and bought 3 more liters of water and a liter and a half of gatorade. I also got a package of sunflower kernals. I had not gone to the bathroom since starting the ride. I had to stop to pee with about 12 miles left to go. I finished all my water that I had. I was not cramping if I took it easy, but going over 15 was too much. Into the wind it had to be 10 or 11 mph. After finishing in 9h 25m and talking to a few people I was driving home and was a little light headed. I considered pulling over, but did not really need to. I went to bed fairly early. I was up through the night going to the bathroom every 2 hours. I did not have any cramps in bed during the night.
Any insights for me? One other clue might be that my Garmin Edge 305 HRM stopped working at about 75 miles. I still don't know if it was a battery, or if it could not get a read. The rest of the data kept recording.
I have learned that I will drink more frequently, I will eat 250 to 300 Cal per hour, I don't think I need to carry as much water as I did, just use what I have more intellegently.
Thanks for any replies.
BlueJay66
2005 Jamis Eclipse
I agree with Machka that you didn't bonk.
You don't mention what kind of cramping you had. If it was leg cramping, it's likely you were just riding too hard. If it was intestinal, it could be either too much food or too much water.
Note that you can rehydrate much better with a good hydration drink than water. I used to get that "sloshy" feeling when I drank a lot of water, but I don't get it with my hydration drink. Gatorade isn't a very good one - the premixed stuff is sweetened with fructose, which some people don't tolerate it well. It also is a bit light on the calories. I think you may have over-hydrated after the ride, and that sometimes happens with water as well (you drink but you still feel thirsty...)
On the subject of food, you may have eaten too much.
The real test to check your hydration is to use a scale. Weigh yourself when you leave, and when you get home.