what did i do this time...?

chick on wheels

swampy1970

I went for a ride yesterday...130km steady pace (25-30km/hr) with rolling hills. It was the first time I have gone that long on my own though I have done more in group rides. Point is about three quarters through the ride I wasnt feeling all that mighty and I am not really sure what happened:

- i felt tired/no energy
- my eyes were really widely open and i wasnt blinking much :eek:
- today i feel like crap although i m not sore exactly its like my entire body is tingling/trembling
-wasnt really my usual cheery self...

It was really hot out yesterday (28C) but i dont usually sweat all that much. I had a cliff bar, two bottles of 600ml each of the G2 gatorade which doesnt have all that much sugar in it i know, and another 500 ml of water. I had good recovery nutrition though (chocolate milk, fruit smoothie) :p

so was it overexertion, did i bonk or dehydrate or run low on salt?? should i take a rest day or am i good to go for an easy spin?

and one more thing...i m on the younger side of things <20, and some ppl have suggested i shouldnt ride that much. should i limit myself to a certain distance a week? i mean that ride yesterday ended up being a pain but it kind of makes me want to try it again...

You bonked. Plain and simple.

Your choice of drinks is rather naff. Ditch the gatorade, especially if it's the premixed stuff. Everyone has a different prefference for taste and tolerence to a given brand on "energy drink" but it's a case of finding something that works for you. I dig Hammer Perpetuem and can rely solely on that for long endurance rides in the mountains that take more that 12hours as I long as I use 2 scoops per 20something ounce bottle at the rate of one bottle per hour when it's hot. Being that you probably weight much less that my 175lb lard **** you'd need less than I.

You could probably stretch a large water bottle over 1.5 hours with the appropriate amount of carbohydrate mixture added if you're on the smaller/lighter side of the scale.

Simply put, you know an energy drink works for you if you don't bonk and you don't end up excessively farting or getting the *****. :D

Try out a few drinks and see which one you like the taste of the best as you'll more likely drink it often rather than having to force yourself to drink.

Chocolate milk and a fruit smoothy... I can think of worse but I'd stick to another bottle of carbo drink.

Cliff bars are OK, bananas are good too - plus they come in an easy to open 'wrapper' that's biodegradable (if you're a tree hugger or just don't like to little the place with plastic/paper wrappers. I used to dig raisins too - but can't find the ones that come in the little boxes. Lots of calories and they aren't acidic.

As for riding too much cause you're under 20 I wouldn't be too concerned. Go out and have some fun. If you're way under 16 then I'd watch what gears you're using and err on the side of a pedal rate over 95rpm on the flat using a gear suitable for the speed...