MY FIRST 30-MILE RIDE, WOOHOO!! QUESTION: What do I do tomorrow?

Hey, Y'all!

I took the advice of some great guys on here like DaveRyan and Swampy and the usual helpful crew, and went on a ride today to a new destination -- the River Trail here in Sacramento, and tried to pace myself and stop often, etc. . My farthest ride up until today had been 22 miles -- and today I managed to go 30. YEA, ME!!! I took other advice, too, such as stopping every 5-6 miles for a drink and a bite or to talk to the geese and the squirrels, lol, which helped the bottom not get so tired.

Our next-to-last stop was at 23 miles, and I felt fine, and thought, "Getting to 30 is only 7 more miles. I can do that in my sleep. This is gonna be a breeze!" W-R-O-N-G. Everything in my body seemed to have tightened up during that break, and I never got back to feeling right. My bottom had already been tired of the saddle -- now it started screaming. My knees, which had been fine, tightened up and started aching. My back likewise hadn't bothered me earlier, and it started hurting. And my energy, in spite of the nuts and granola bar we munched on and lots of water, just went to zero. Those 7 miles were so hard!! The last 2-3. in particular, were brutal. I was almost in tears, so tired I couldn't look up (and I was on a cruiser!!), and I just focused on Dear Hubby's tire in front of me, silently chanting to myself like the Little Engine That Could, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." I thought I would DIE the last 2 miles.

Part of the problem was probably the heat. It was 94 degrees by the time we finished, and I felt like I was having heat stroke. But I did it. I DID it. I DID IT!!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

My question: Have brutalized my body today, lol, what should I do tomorrow? I assume the answer is an easy ride, since you've taught me that after a hard ride the muscles need warmed up to get rid of toxins or lactic acid or something. But how long should the ride be to do that, how many miles?

I don't know that I'll be able to do very many, because I honestly think I may be damaged my.... errrrrr...... softer parts, which (while the rest of my body is tired but not hurting still), are NOT happy with me. Do any of you ladies have a suggestion for a good chamois cream?

Thanks for the advice, guys! Now to hit the recliner.....

 

30 miles/img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif
94 degrees make sure you are drinking loads of fluid to prevent dehydration.
You should now begin to incorporate some stretching into to riding regiment a liitle pre and post ride strecthing will do you a lot of good.
To keep from becoming stiff you may be better off to keep on your feet and moving around during your rest stops.
As far as tommorow goes you should get out of bed at 4:30 and hit the hills./img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif

A nice easy recovery ride would be your best bet for tommorrow if you are up to a ride. Remember to pace yourself you have reached 30 miles today.

 

Tomorrow you should do 30 miles again but ...

I suspect your problem was the heat. Best thing for heat related problems is a hose directed to the back of the neck. Even warm water will feel cold if you hit the right place.

Houses and convenience stores have hoses. Around here the water fountains have a spigot to fill up a pet water bowel. I think they might work.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

"Get out of bed at 4:30 and hit the hills"?? Dave, consider yourself smacked, lol. I will have to look into what stretches to do, for sure, so thanks for that.

And, Old Guy, I HOPE you're kidding when you said to do it again tomorrow, lol, because there's no way. Of course, we haven't chatted before so you don't know what a relative newbie I am, and how deconditioned. I'd have to increase my life insurance if I were going to do it again tomorrow. But I love the suggestion for hosing the back of the neck. That would sure have felt good!!

But I WILL try to go 10-15 miles tomorrow at an easy pace in more shade, if the lady parts will put up with it.

My only problem tonight is that I'm having cramps in my calves. I'm drinking tons to try to rehydrate, so hope that will help and they don't keep me up tonight.

I did do 30 miles today, though..... and that's a good feeling! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

 

I would do a nice easy ride into the wind as long as you can stand and then turn around. It is hard for me to comment on your soft tissue issue because you were on a bike that I assume had a larger more padded seat, so sometimes that can be the cause of chaffing. If it is more of a pressure issue it should not be, the seat is in the wrong spot, move it forward so you are on your sit bones. Nuts and Granola are filling, but don't do much for energy as they take time an effort from your body to digest, on something like that you need a quick sugar like a gel.

Nice job on the 30 miles though, I would shoot to do 40 within the next week. Do some easy riding till then and then go out and do more!!

 

Hi, BG!

The easy ride sounds good... now I have to find some wind, lol. (Around here, that shouldn't be hard.)

I was indeed on a cruiser, but it didn't have the big padded seat, I had replaced that with a smaller one which I LIKED when it was on my Raleigh (now given to my daughter to replace her stolen bike), but which doesn't seem to work on the cruiser, anatomy-wise. So the search goes on for both my new bike and a possible new seat as well. I will definitely try moving the seat forward, thanks.

40 miles within a week? Holy moly. I will try to ignore the muscles wailing in the background, and aim higher than 30, anyway. You guys are ferocious athletes!

I hadn't thought about the energy needed to digest the nuts and granola bar. I need to do some reading on what to eat during longer rides. Thanks!

Have a good one.

 

I usually try to carry a banana or two. I also like pears. A lot of guys eat energy bars and goo but I try to stay more natural, but I'm not riding competitively. What are you drinking? Maybe you should read this thread: http://www.cyclingforums.com/forum/thread/484714/what-do-you-fill-your-bottle-with

30 miles on a cruiser.... wow. Sierra, you are making the rest of us look like wimps. There is no way that I would try to ride 30 miles on a cruiser.

I second the easy ride, just to keep the legs limbered up. And stretching is a wonderful idea. I thought you were already doing that.

By the way, if you are experiencing exercise induced cramping, it is often a sigh of potassium depletion, so you need to replace it. Bananas are high in potassium, and a lot of sports drinks have potassium and other minerals and electrolytes that you lose when you are riding. Unfortunately most of them also have a lot of sugar so look at the label. Gatorade has their G1-G2-G3 system that my lady friend swears by. The G1 is called "Prime" such as get ready. You are supposed to drink that before you start riding. G2 is called "perform". And then G3 is called "Recover". I do well with the G2 but the G1 and G3 don't really make much difference with me but it seems to work for her.

 

HI, KD!

I was only drinking water during my rides, not having any idea that that wasn't good enough. I just read the link you provided on what to drink, and that was full of helpful information. I will probably attempt to make something on my own with their suggestions, because the one time I drank Gatorade it gave me extreme Montezuma's Revenge -- good thing I wasn't on the bike trail then!

I like to go more natural, too, so the bananas are a great idea for me. I don't care for pears, but could do apples. Would dried apple chips do? The granola bars I was eating are homemade ones; we're tweaking a recipe we found online to give it more protein, etc. But it never occurred to me that it might not digest fast enough to be much help on a long ride.

It also did not occur to me that 30 miles on a cruiser would be any worse than 30 miles on a road bike, lol. I was so worried about making the miles that I didn't think much about what bike to make them on. I mean, I know the cruiser is heavier and only has 3 speeds, but I assumed it would just help me build muscle faster. (My muscles are really 'thanking' me tonight for that, LOL.) But thanks for bringing that to my attention. Now I don't feel quite so bad about feeling like I was dying, at the end.

Thanks for the help! I would like at some point to be able to do 30 miles in a day without feeling like I need an ambulance afterward. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif

Have a good one.

 

Bananas are great for rides - not only do they pack lots of good stuff, they also come in their own bio-degradable wrapper.

Hammer nutrition make a nice drink called HEED. It tastes great, comes in lots of different flavors (none of which are overly strong) and I find it better than Gatorade on the guts. The key is to take smaller drinks every 10 to 15 minutes. If you have a big 24oz bottle then that should be good for 60 to 90 minutes depending on the heat.

You don't need muscle on a bike, so no need to worry about having to pound gears with lots of force. Road bikes are often more comfortable for longer rides because that's what they're designed for. Cruisers are more atuned for shorter, more casual rides.

 

Thanks, Swampy!

I will definitely look for the Heed. Where did you find it?

I bought my new bike today (my post is in the Cafe section), so the next 30 should be easier than it was on the cruiser!

Thanks for the input, as always!

 

You can find your local hammer dealer here: http://www.hammernutrition.com/dealer-locator/ Most bike stores carry at least Heed. Some of the other Hammer products such as Perpetuem (which is my favorite for 2+ hour hard rides) is a little trickier to get. Heed tastes nicer, has electrolytes and mixes easier - which probably means you'll more likely drink it rather than perpetuem. A lot of sporting goods stores also carry it in the small 'one bottle' packets too. I know that Sport Chalet does and I think that Sports Authority does as well. Gotta run - I hear the roads around Lake Berryessa calling my name. Normally I'd get the ride done early but I gotta get some more rides in when it's warmer. Have fun on the new bike.

 

Thanks, Swampy, I'll get some!

Have a great ride today. We're heading out a little later than normal because, after being 95 degrees two days ago, it has decided to be cold again here! The weather is so strange this year.

I'm really looking forward to the first ride today on my new bike. I'm thinking of naming her Fiona, which is Dutch for 'white,' -- do I really need to explain why, lol?

Happy pedaling.

 

You're spot on with it getting cold. Darned windy too. For all the hi-tech equipment the best bit of kit I invested in today was a newspaper so I could stuff half of it up the front of my jersey for some old school wind/cold insulation...

 

The weather here right now R-E-E-E-E-E-K-S!!!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/hissyfit.gif

 

I'm stealing everyone's suggestions for Sierra Did my first 26mi today, will do a 36 on June 5.

Sierra, I LOVE that river trail, I grew up in Rocklin and my Dad and I used to bike from Rancho Cordova to Nimbus Dam. Those were 30-40 miles days depending on where we started, and I used to do it on the heaviest mountain bike ever! 20 years later I'm sucking on 26mi on a 15 lb road bike /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif

I'm going to be up in Rocklin around June 10, I'm thinking of doing that SIERRA CENTURY 2011 ride on June 11, but probably only ("only") the 40 if I can get my bike fit sorted out. Anyway, we should all do it if you are up for it. I'm super slow, I average about 11.5mph, so there will be no dropping going on

 

Hey, YGirl!!

CONGRATULATIONS on the 26 miler! For us newbies, that is a long way to go on a saddle. But look how fast you're coming along! You'll be doing those 40 milers again in no time.

I would consider going to Rocklin on June 10 and trying for 40, too, but I'm going to be in Idaho then on my bike tour, struggling to take my measly 30-milers that I can manage once a week, and turn it into 4 days in a row of that and more. We'll see how THAT goes, lol. I may be seeing a lot of the Sag wagon from the inside!! But it'll be fun trying, and I consider just doing my tour at all as a win for me, because last July I hadn't exercised at all for 40 years -- unless you counted the walks from the recliner to the fridge, lol. So I may not finish every day -- but I'll start every day, and do my best as long as my knees and bottom hold out.

Good luck on your 36 miles coming up, AND on the Rocklin scene. Let me know how it goes! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif

 

YosemiteGirl,

There's a few pretty good bike stores in and around Sacramento that should be able to help you with bike fit. City Bicycle Works and Mikes bikes are in the city and are probably the most well known. Kinetic cycles down closer to Elk Grove had a Specialized Body Geometry Master Fit technician - whether they still do I'm not sure but they'd be worth a call.

The Sierra Century looks fun and I keep checking every year to see when that ride is but as usual there's something else on that grabs my attention a little more. This year it's the "usual" ride on the otherside of the hill - the Alta Alpina Challenge up in Markleeville on the 11th. I keep saying I must get more rides done on the west side of the Sierras.

Sierra,

How's the weather treating you? I bet after the cold and wind of the previous weekend, you were all ready for the the thunder and hail. I got caught in it early Sunday morning riding around Davis and upto Berryessa. That wasn't hail and it was really a surreal nighmare where I was being pelted with White Chocolate Hershey's Whoppers.

 

Swampy,

Do you BELIEVE this weather?? It's just so strange. Saturday, when it was so cold and rainy and windy and haily, we were at an outdoor picnic at Mission Park, where friends were throwing me a goodbye party for my upcoming move to AZ next month. So we froze our kiesters off while we ate brats and chips, lol.

In addition to our own move, my daughter just moved this past weekend, so I've been so busy packing and unpacking either her stuff or mine that I've hardly had a chance to look outside, except for the 2-hour jaunt to the park for the freeze-and-eat, lol. I had a friend up in the Arden area who took pictures of what looked like softball-sized hail in her yard. Just unbelievable.

So I will go from shivering and wearing sweaters here -- to Phoenix!! Don't know how the body will handle that temperature change, lol. Because of all the moving arranging and appointments and preparing to work with the Jazz Festival and all, I figured out last night I have exactly 10 days to finish my training before the tour. That's almost terrifying, lol, because while I can now do 38 miles in a day, I generally have to RECOVER the next day, instead of getting up and going on a longer one for 4 straight days! So it will be really interesting to see how I manage that, lol. And while I am looking forward to it a lot, I am also ready for it (and the move) to be over so my life can get back to semi-normal, and I can go riding just because I LIKE it, instead of because I'm freaking out about the tour. Life's fun, isn't it?

Have a good one!

 

Whenever I am feeling bad I can depend on you to cheer me up with the events in your life./img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

I am willing to bet that you could terrify Steven King./img/vbsmilies/smilies/ROTF.gif

 

Lol, Thanks, Dave!

I've already terrified King. Now I'm working on Dean Koontz, lol.

It IS pretty scary right now! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif