Lesson learned...I need to eat, and eat ride appropriate stuff before I ride.
03-19-15, 05:32 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Lesson learned...I need to eat, and eat ride appropriate stuff before I ride.
I have a four day weekend this week, and my plan for today was to get up and get a ride in before working on some stuff around the house.
The plan was to ride a mup, 24 miles total out and back, but the weather this morning was bit wonky. I finally decided after I'd been up for three hours that I could get the 24 in without the risk of getting wet. At that point in time I had eaten my usual early breakfast of a small bowl of cottage cheese and a glass of V-8 juice.
The plan was to drink an energy drink and eat a banana before I left, but being a somewhat aged individual, it slipped my mind.
I got out on the ride and immediately knew I wasn't going to ride well, but I pressed on until the turn around point. I did finally realize I hadn't eaten for a ride, stopped at the turnaround point, ate my Clif Bar (never ride without one) and mixed up my powdered (sugar free) energy drink, and sat a bit to let them kick in.
I'm glad that mup had almost nobody on it today, because on the way back I caught myself riding 20+ (5 mph over the ride out) on a number of occasions on the way back. I think I get what a meth head feels like now.
Normally I get upset at riders hitting that kind of pace on that normally busy path, but it was wide open today so I guess it was alright.
The plan was to ride a mup, 24 miles total out and back, but the weather this morning was bit wonky. I finally decided after I'd been up for three hours that I could get the 24 in without the risk of getting wet. At that point in time I had eaten my usual early breakfast of a small bowl of cottage cheese and a glass of V-8 juice.
The plan was to drink an energy drink and eat a banana before I left, but being a somewhat aged individual, it slipped my mind.
I got out on the ride and immediately knew I wasn't going to ride well, but I pressed on until the turn around point. I did finally realize I hadn't eaten for a ride, stopped at the turnaround point, ate my Clif Bar (never ride without one) and mixed up my powdered (sugar free) energy drink, and sat a bit to let them kick in.
I'm glad that mup had almost nobody on it today, because on the way back I caught myself riding 20+ (5 mph over the ride out) on a number of occasions on the way back. I think I get what a meth head feels like now.
Normally I get upset at riders hitting that kind of pace on that normally busy path, but it was wide open today so I guess it was alright.
03-19-15, 06:29 PM
#2
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We're all different, but it's not uncommon for me to do 30 miles or more with *no* breakfast. I'm pretty hungry when I get back, though. Are you sure your return trip wasn't wind-assisted?
03-19-15, 06:57 PM
#3
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The more riding you do, the less often you'll need to eat. But don't worry about it. Just eat what you feel you need to eat and be aware that might change with time and increased riding volume.
03-20-15, 06:15 AM
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Shorter rides don't require me to eat anything but over 30 miles always does.
03-20-15, 06:43 AM
#5
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I've gone riding in the morning with nothing but water a few times. After about 20 miles I start feeling bad. After 30 miles I'm looking for a gas station or vending machine! I don't normally eat a big breakfast before riding, but I do like 200 or so calories in me.
03-20-15, 08:26 AM
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I can relate to having a slower pace for 10 or 12 miles and then boosting to 20 mph with seemingly no more effort, but for me it's a matter of getting warmed up. I don't think I could deplete my glycogen stores enough to feel it in 10 flat miles at 15 mph, so I kind of wonder if the snack at turnaround wasn't the difference for OP.
Maybe you'd had some hard rides for several days and glycogen was already low? You did mention that you felt bad immediately - I'd take it as a sign of cumulative fatigue.
Maybe you'd had some hard rides for several days and glycogen was already low? You did mention that you felt bad immediately - I'd take it as a sign of cumulative fatigue.
03-20-15, 08:48 AM
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We in the St Louis area used to have an organized "Spring Chicken" ride out to a country church in a quite hilly area. The chicken dinner was put on by ALL the males in the parish from about 7 years old to over 70. It was the most efficiently run church dinner I could ever imagine. The chicken was family style, it was real good, and it was all you could eat. I ate a lot. It was only about 12 miles from the church back to where our cars were parked, but there was a real big uphill right after you left the church. Getting up that hill after eating all that chicken was challenging. They had a selection of home made pies too but you got to choose only one slice.
There's a lot of wisdom involved in both what you eat and when you eat it when you ride.
There's a lot of wisdom involved in both what you eat and when you eat it when you ride.
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My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
03-20-15, 09:15 AM
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Originally Posted by bruce19
Shorter rides don't require me to eat anything but over 30 miles always does.
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Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
03-20-15, 04:31 PM
#9
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Originally Posted by wphamilton
I can relate to having a slower pace for 10 or 12 miles and then boosting to 20 mph with seemingly no more effort, but for me it's a matter of getting warmed up. I don't think I could deplete my glycogen stores enough to feel it in 10 flat miles at 15 mph, so I kind of wonder if the snack at turnaround wasn't the difference for OP.
Maybe you'd had some hard rides for several days and glycogen was already low? You did mention that you felt bad immediately - I'd take it as a sign of cumulative fatigue.
Maybe you'd had some hard rides for several days and glycogen was already low? You did mention that you felt bad immediately - I'd take it as a sign of cumulative fatigue.
FWIW, I don't normally need a snack until I hit around 35 miles or so, but I always have one in just in case.
Today is a rest day.
