My Second Race and Low Blood Sugar

[[email protected]]

The general consensus among my bike club friends and my friends back
home is that I probably had very very _very_ low blood sugar. Possibly
to the extent of being mild hypoglycemia.

The only person who disagrees with this is my diabetic father who says
I probably was just dehydrated with heat exhaustion, but I've done
dehydrated ... fairly frequently since moving to the tropics ... and
this felt different.

Next weekend's mountain climb race won't be nearly as steep as last
weekend's mountain climb race but it will be a lot longer and I'd kind
of like to avoid doing the wishing I was half dead thing again.

My friends are saying I should go with a chocolate bar before and
another one after along with the bread and water and fruit that are
provided. And everyone is yelling at me for not doing a proper half
hour cool down with stretching before slumping on the ground.

I was thinking also a bit of sugar in my water bottle and some gorp in
my jersey pocket but I'm wondering if anyone on here has any other
suggestions....

-M

(I came in last in women's but I beat three guys. 3.1 kilometers, 388
meters elevation gained, 28 minutes 15 seconds.)

 

[recycled-one]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The general consensus among my bike club friends and my friends back
> home is that I probably had very very _very_ low blood sugar. Possibly
> to the extent of being mild hypoglycemia.
>
> The only person who disagrees with this is my diabetic father who says
> I probably was just dehydrated with heat exhaustion, but I've done
> dehydrated ... fairly frequently since moving to the tropics ... and
> this felt different.

> Next weekend's mountain climb race won't be nearly as steep as last
> weekend's mountain climb race but it will be a lot longer and I'd kind
> of like to avoid doing the wishing I was half dead thing again.
>
> My friends are saying I should go with a chocolate bar before and
> another one after along with the bread and water and fruit that are
> provided. And everyone is yelling at me for not doing a proper half
> hour cool down with stretching before slumping on the ground.
>
> I was thinking also a bit of sugar in my water bottle and some gorp in
> my jersey pocket but I'm wondering if anyone on here has any other
> suggestions....

Before trying different 'cures' check on the 'cause':

Borrow your dad's glucose meter and test yourself to determine if it is low
blood sugar.

 

[[email protected]]

If it happens again, see your doctor to determine whether you are
chronically hypoglycemic. If you are, you want to avoid foods, and
eating patterns, that send your blood sugar skyrocketing because after
the rocket peaks, you enter freefall (and you wind up feeling worse
than before).

Gorp strikes me (I turn the other cheek) as better than sugar.

Jeff

 

[Bill Baka]

[email protected] wrote:
> The general consensus among my bike club friends and my friends back
> home is that I probably had very very _very_ low blood sugar. Possibly
> to the extent of being mild hypoglycemia.
>
> The only person who disagrees with this is my diabetic father who says
> I probably was just dehydrated with heat exhaustion, but I've done
> dehydrated ... fairly frequently since moving to the tropics ... and
> this felt different.
>
> Next weekend's mountain climb race won't be nearly as steep as last
> weekend's mountain climb race but it will be a lot longer and I'd kind
> of like to avoid doing the wishing I was half dead thing again.
>
> My friends are saying I should go with a chocolate bar before and
> another one after along with the bread and water and fruit that are
> provided. And everyone is yelling at me for not doing a proper half
> hour cool down with stretching before slumping on the ground.
>
> I was thinking also a bit of sugar in my water bottle and some gorp in
> my jersey pocket but I'm wondering if anyone on here has any other
> suggestions....
>
> -M
>
> (I came in last in women's but I beat three guys. 3.1 kilometers, 388
> meters elevation gained, 28 minutes 15 seconds.)
>
I may get flamed for this but did you eat anything with a fair sugar
content before the race? This helps me since the sugar is burned about
as fast as it is absorbed in a race type situation. For only 28 minutes
you may get by on stored energy but you could flame out without it being
an indication of anything serious. Last word, do see a doctor and get
checked.
Bill Baka

 

[[email protected]]

recycled-one wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > The general consensus among my bike club friends and my friends back
> > home is that I probably had very very _very_ low blood sugar. Possibly
> > to the extent of being mild hypoglycemia.
> >
> > The only person who disagrees with this is my diabetic father who says
> > I probably was just dehydrated with heat exhaustion, but I've done
> > dehydrated ... fairly frequently since moving to the tropics ... and
> > this felt different.

> Before trying different 'cures' check on the 'cause':
>
> Borrow your dad's glucose meter and test yourself to determine if it is low
> blood sugar.

Which is on the list of 'things to do' the next time I'm in the US.
But I'm currently on the far side of the planet from my dad's glucose
meter.

I won't give my personal rant on how the Chinese attitude towards
medicine differs from the west but lets just say that for anything
short of my being unconscious I'm not going to convince the hospital to
do a blood sugar test.

 

[[email protected]]

Bill Baka wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:


> > (I came in last in women's but I beat three guys. 3.1 kilometers, 388
> > meters elevation gained, 28 minutes 15 seconds.)
> >
> I may get flamed for this but did you eat anything with a fair sugar
> content before the race? This helps me since the sugar is burned about
> as fast as it is absorbed in a race type situation. For only 28 minutes
> you may get by on stored energy but you could flame out without it being
> an indication of anything serious. Last word, do see a doctor and get
> checked.

There was a great big huge lunch about 3 hours before the race, and
half a dark chocolate bar about 30 minutes before.

I know there was bread at the top of the mountain (meat floss rolls,
coconut rolls, and red bean paste rolls) but I honestly don't remember
if there was anything to eat provided at the start.

-M

 

[Bill Baka]

[email protected] wrote:
> Bill Baka wrote:
>> [email protected] wrote:
>
>
>>> (I came in last in women's but I beat three guys. 3.1 kilometers, 388
>>> meters elevation gained, 28 minutes 15 seconds.)
>>>
>> I may get flamed for this but did you eat anything with a fair sugar
>> content before the race? This helps me since the sugar is burned about
>> as fast as it is absorbed in a race type situation. For only 28 minutes
>> you may get by on stored energy but you could flame out without it being
>> an indication of anything serious. Last word, do see a doctor and get
>> checked.
>
> There was a great big huge lunch about 3 hours before the race, and
> half a dark chocolate bar about 30 minutes before.
>
> I know there was bread at the top of the mountain (meat floss rolls,
> coconut rolls, and red bean paste rolls) but I honestly don't remember
> if there was anything to eat provided at the start.
>
> -M
>
It is possible that the lunch could have been a little too huge for you
and overloaded your system. I remember that old saying about never
eating and swimming. The chocolate bar about a half hour before sounds
like it was timed right.
Just guessing, but I think the big lunch may have done you in.
Non-medical opinion.
Bill Baka

 

[[email protected]]

Dear Fellow Alphasmart User:

[email protected] wrote:

SNIP

About hypos, glucose meters, etc. Before I go on a full-on
www.mendosa.com rant (for those who want the lowdown, and as much of a
history of the little beasts that I can find), you had a "bonk." The
typical home glucose meter usually draws capillary blood (fingertips,
upper arm where the device is approved for same by my guitarist
friends, the occasional daring soul who lancets her palm), which
sometimes does not give the same sort of results/reaction to changing
blood glucose conditions as the typical "in the lab" vascular blood
draw from the elbow. Heard that from Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller herself at
the June 2005 Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes
Association. We're not EVEN going to get into the "Whole Blood" vs.
"Plasma" thing here -- leave that for www.diabetes.org and their
forums.

Urine test strips are cheaper and relatively easy to use but useless in
this case: One typically only "spills" glucose there at 180 mg/dL (10
mmol for most non-USians). Most people don't get that high (for details
on this, go to www.diabetes.org). I know some insulin shooters and
pumpers (don't know if they're type 1, type 2 or one of the less usual
types) who typically get that high maybe once every month or so, they
claim. HOWEVER, there ARE no-machine-required blood test strips. They
give you a color to match to a chart (like the urine test strips), and
you still need to lancet yourself (in fact, I believe they require a
bit more blood than typical glucose meters, even the budget colorimeter
types), but I believe that on a short term use pre/post exercise tryout
basis, they'd be the way to go.

If you'd rather do the machine thing, I'm relatively sure Home
Diagnostics' new, cute, inexpensive,SMALL, disposable "Sidekick"
glucose meter is built in China, might be available there. How small?
They built the meter into the strip vial cap (because they want you to
throw it away, of course).

One last note -- most glucose meter makers have some sort of note
somewhere in the package insert about the darn things not being quite
accurate within 30 minutes of exercise. If I had to guess at why, I'd
say it's that capillary blood thing. On the other hand, when on a ride
this last weekend I felt a little week, tested, showed at 78 mg/dL (4.3
mmol) and ate an apple immediately. Felt a whole lot better even on the
nasty, nasty grade a few miles later in the ride.

Hope this helps.

Robert Leone [email protected]

 

[Roger Zoul]

[email protected] wrote:
:: recycled-one wrote:
::: <[email protected]> wrote in message
::: news:[email protected]...
:::: The general consensus among my bike club friends and my friends
:::: back home is that I probably had very very _very_ low blood sugar.
:::: Possibly to the extent of being mild hypoglycemia.
::::
:::: The only person who disagrees with this is my diabetic father who
:::: says I probably was just dehydrated with heat exhaustion, but I've
:::: done dehydrated ... fairly frequently since moving to the tropics
:::: ... and this felt different.
::
::: Before trying different 'cures' check on the 'cause':
:::
::: Borrow your dad's glucose meter and test yourself to determine if
::: it is low blood sugar.
::
:: Which is on the list of 'things to do' the next time I'm in the US.
:: But I'm currently on the far side of the planet from my dad's glucose
:: meter.

This is an unliable way to determine low blood sugar, anyhow. If you go
hypo, it could very well be
how fast you drop rather than how low.

But, you didn't even describe your symptoms. How long was the race and
what had you eaten before? It could be that you're simply not used to
racing. It would be a good idea to make sure you eat plenty of carbs before
a race if you expect to be either doing long duration exercise or high
intensity. Combine those carbs with protein and EFA.


::
:: I won't give my personal rant on how the Chinese attitude towards
:: medicine differs from the west but lets just say that for anything
:: short of my being unconscious I'm not going to convince the hospital
:: to do a blood sugar test.

Good, it probably won't help anyway.

 

[Roger Zoul]

[email protected] wrote:
:: Bill Baka wrote:
::: [email protected] wrote:
::
::
:::: (I came in last in women's but I beat three guys. 3.1 kilometers,
:::: 388 meters elevation gained, 28 minutes 15 seconds.)
::::
::: I may get flamed for this but did you eat anything with a fair sugar
::: content before the race? This helps me since the sugar is burned
::: about as fast as it is absorbed in a race type situation. For only
::: 28 minutes you may get by on stored energy but you could flame out
::: without it being an indication of anything serious. Last word, do
::: see a doctor and get checked.
::
:: There was a great big huge lunch about 3 hours before the race, and
:: half a dark chocolate bar about 30 minutes before.

I wouldn't eat 'huge' anything before a race or any kind of ride. What's
important though is that you have full glycogen stores in your muscles and
liver. You can simply up your carb consumption the few days prior to make
sure this is so (eat less fat - stick to EFAs, keep protein adequate). The
problem with chocolate is that there is a good amount of fat and that slows
absorbtion.

::
:: I know there was bread at the top of the mountain (meat floss rolls,
:: coconut rolls, and red bean paste rolls) but I honestly don't
:: remember if there was anything to eat provided at the start.
::

What does it matter if there was anything provided at the start?

 

[[email protected]]

Roger Zoul wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> :: recycled-one wrote:
> ::: <[email protected]> wrote in message
> ::: news:[email protected]...
> :::: The general consensus among my bike club friends and my friends
> :::: back home is that I probably had very very _very_ low blood sugar.
> :::: Possibly to the extent of being mild hypoglycemia.
> ::::
> :::: The only person who disagrees with this is my diabetic father who
> :::: says I probably was just dehydrated with heat exhaustion, but I've
> :::: done dehydrated ... fairly frequently since moving to the tropics
> :::: ... and this felt different.
> ::
> ::: Before trying different 'cures' check on the 'cause':
> :::
> ::: Borrow your dad's glucose meter and test yourself to determine if
> ::: it is low blood sugar.
> ::
> :: Which is on the list of 'things to do' the next time I'm in the US.
> :: But I'm currently on the far side of the planet from my dad's glucose
> :: meter.
>
> This is an unliable way to determine low blood sugar, anyhow. If you go
> hypo, it could very well be
> how fast you drop rather than how low.
>
> But, you didn't even describe your symptoms. How long was the race and
> what had you eaten before? It could be that you're simply not used to
> racing. It would be a good idea to make sure you eat plenty of carbs before
> a race if you expect to be either doing long duration exercise or high
> intensity. Combine those carbs with protein and EFA.

3.1 kilometers, ~388 meters elevation gained.
28 minutes 15 seconds personal time.

Symptoms:
Trembling hands
General feeling of weakness
Heartrate not wanting to go back down.
Dark spots in my vision
Dizziness
Mild headache.
All over pain (not just in the climbing muscles) with a concentrated
extra double dose of pain in my bad leg near the break point in the
tibia.
I was also kind of freaking out about heights (something I rarely do)
at the overlook and despite knowing how good a driver the mechanic is
went into a near panic at a couple of the curves when we were
descending.

Additionally I look kind of sleepy in the group photo I don't remember
posing for.

By the time we got to the resteraunt (had to wait for all the people
who weren't biking to get to the bus at the bottom of the mountain) I
was merely feeling miserable. Did go into a bit of a panic at the big
drop from the bus's bottom step to the ground, but someone offered a
shoulder for me to brace myself against for getting down.

Even though I'd already rehydrated when the tea at dinner turned out to
be sweetened I was going through it faster than the waitress could
refill the teapot. That and eating eating eating ... and then about
twenty minutes into dinner all the feeling bad just went away. Some
tightness left in the climbing muscles but that was it.

> :: I won't give my personal rant on how the Chinese attitude towards
> :: medicine differs from the west but lets just say that for anything
> :: short of my being unconscious I'm not going to convince the hospital
> :: to do a blood sugar test.
>
> Good, it probably won't help anyway.

Good to know

-M

 

[Paul O]

[email protected] wrote:
> Roger Zoul wrote:
<snip>
>> This is an unliable way to determine low blood sugar, anyhow. If you go
>> hypo, it could very well be
>> how fast you drop rather than how low.
>>
>> But, you didn't even describe your symptoms. How long was the race and
>> what had you eaten before? It could be that you're simply not used to
>> racing. It would be a good idea to make sure you eat plenty of carbs before
>> a race if you expect to be either doing long duration exercise or high
>> intensity. Combine those carbs with protein and EFA.
>
> 3.1 kilometers, ~388 meters elevation gained.
> 28 minutes 15 seconds personal time.
>
> Symptoms:
> Trembling hands
> General feeling of weakness
> Heartrate not wanting to go back down.
> Dark spots in my vision
> Dizziness
> Mild headache.
> All over pain (not just in the climbing muscles) with a concentrated
> extra double dose of pain in my bad leg near the break point in the
> tibia.
> I was also kind of freaking out about heights (something I rarely do)
> at the overlook and despite knowing how good a driver the mechanic is
> went into a near panic at a couple of the curves when we were
> descending.
>
> Additionally I look kind of sleepy in the group photo I don't remember
> posing for.
>
> By the time we got to the resteraunt (had to wait for all the people
> who weren't biking to get to the bus at the bottom of the mountain) I
> was merely feeling miserable. Did go into a bit of a panic at the big
> drop from the bus's bottom step to the ground, but someone offered a
> shoulder for me to brace myself against for getting down.
>
> Even though I'd already rehydrated when the tea at dinner turned out to
> be sweetened I was going through it faster than the waitress could
> refill the teapot. That and eating eating eating ... and then about
> twenty minutes into dinner all the feeling bad just went away. Some
> tightness left in the climbing muscles but that was it.
>
<snip>

Marian-
Congratulations! The symptoms you describe sound consistent with someone
that has pushed themselves to their physical limits. That what racing is
all about!

Feeling a little bad after a big effort is normal. Work on your physical
conditioning. Improving your conditioning will help you ride faster. It
will also reduce (or eliminate) most of the unpleasant physical symptoms
you experienced during the recovery period after the race.

Part of this whole equation is proper hydration and nutrition before,
during, and after the race. This is a somewhat complicated subject and
there is no shortage of opinions from professional and amateur cyclists
and coaches about what works best. I am going to recommend a couple of
books that I think provide reliable advice on conditioning and sports
nutrition. However, you should take all of this advise with a large
grain of potassium salt. Everyone is different and, in the long run, you
will eventually have to figure out what works best for you.

See:
Basic Training for Roadies by Fred Matheny
http://roadbikerider.com/bt_excerpt.htm

Mountain Bike Like a Champion (Paperback) by Ned Overend, Ben Hewitt,
Ed Pavelka
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...102-4302563-7008151?s=books&v=glance&n=283155


Good Luck
paul d oosterhout
from SAIC

 

[[email protected]]

Paul O wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > Roger Zoul wrote:
> <snip>
> >> This is an unliable way to determine low blood sugar, anyhow. If you go
> >> hypo, it could very well be
> >> how fast you drop rather than how low.
> >>
> >> But, you didn't even describe your symptoms. How long was the race and
> >> what had you eaten before? It could be that you're simply not used to
> >> racing. It would be a good idea to make sure you eat plenty of carbs before
> >> a race if you expect to be either doing long duration exercise or high
> >> intensity. Combine those carbs with protein and EFA.
> >
> > 3.1 kilometers, ~388 meters elevation gained.
> > 28 minutes 15 seconds personal time.
> >
> > Symptoms:
> > Trembling hands
> > General feeling of weakness
> > Heartrate not wanting to go back down.
> > Dark spots in my vision
> > Dizziness
> > Mild headache.
> > All over pain (not just in the climbing muscles) with a concentrated
> > extra double dose of pain in my bad leg near the break point in the
> > tibia.
> > I was also kind of freaking out about heights (something I rarely do)
> > at the overlook and despite knowing how good a driver the mechanic is
> > went into a near panic at a couple of the curves when we were
> > descending.
> >
> > Additionally I look kind of sleepy in the group photo I don't remember
> > posing for.
> >
> > By the time we got to the resteraunt (had to wait for all the people
> > who weren't biking to get to the bus at the bottom of the mountain) I
> > was merely feeling miserable. Did go into a bit of a panic at the big
> > drop from the bus's bottom step to the ground, but someone offered a
> > shoulder for me to brace myself against for getting down.
> >
> > Even though I'd already rehydrated when the tea at dinner turned out to
> > be sweetened I was going through it faster than the waitress could
> > refill the teapot. That and eating eating eating ... and then about
> > twenty minutes into dinner all the feeling bad just went away. Some
> > tightness left in the climbing muscles but that was it.
> >
> <snip>
>
> Marian-
> Congratulations! The symptoms you describe sound consistent with someone
> that has pushed themselves to their physical limits. That what racing is
> all about!

And here I thought racing was all about getting a free pass to the
Guangzhou Shimano Bikers' Festival in July.

> Feeling a little bad after a big effort is normal. Work on your physical
> conditioning. Improving your conditioning will help you ride faster. It
> will also reduce (or eliminate) most of the unpleasant physical symptoms
> you experienced during the recovery period after the race.

Until I go and do something twice as difficult... it's a vicious cycle.

> Part of this whole equation is proper hydration and nutrition before,
> during, and after the race. This is a somewhat complicated subject and
> there is no shortage of opinions from professional and amateur cyclists
> and coaches about what works best. I am going to recommend a couple of
> books that I think provide reliable advice on conditioning and sports
> nutrition. However, you should take all of this advise with a large
> grain of potassium salt. Everyone is different and, in the long run, you
> will eventually have to figure out what works best for you.
>
> See:
> Basic Training for Roadies by Fred Matheny
> http://roadbikerider.com/bt_excerpt.htm
>
> Mountain Bike Like a Champion (Paperback) by Ned Overend, Ben Hewitt,
> Ed Pavelka
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...102-4302563-7008151?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Duly added to my wish list of things to buy the next time I'm
stateside.

> Good Luck

Thanks.

Right now if I don't come in last I'm thrilled.

-M

 

[Roger Zoul]

Paul O wrote:
:: [email protected] wrote:
::: Roger Zoul wrote:
:: <snip>
:::: This is an unliable way to determine low blood sugar, anyhow. If
:::: you go hypo, it could very well be
:::: how fast you drop rather than how low.
::::
:::: But, you didn't even describe your symptoms. How long was the
:::: race and what had you eaten before? It could be that you're
:::: simply not used to racing. It would be a good idea to make sure
:::: you eat plenty of carbs before a race if you expect to be either
:::: doing long duration exercise or high intensity. Combine those
:::: carbs with protein and EFA.
:::
::: 3.1 kilometers, ~388 meters elevation gained.
::: 28 minutes 15 seconds personal time.
:::
::: Symptoms:
::: Trembling hands
::: General feeling of weakness
::: Heartrate not wanting to go back down.
::: Dark spots in my vision
::: Dizziness
::: Mild headache.
::: All over pain (not just in the climbing muscles) with a concentrated
::: extra double dose of pain in my bad leg near the break point in the
::: tibia.
::: I was also kind of freaking out about heights (something I rarely
::: do) at the overlook and despite knowing how good a driver the
::: mechanic is went into a near panic at a couple of the curves when
::: we were descending.
:::
::: Additionally I look kind of sleepy in the group photo I don't
::: remember posing for.
:::
::: By the time we got to the resteraunt (had to wait for all the people
::: who weren't biking to get to the bus at the bottom of the mountain)
::: I was merely feeling miserable. Did go into a bit of a panic at
::: the big drop from the bus's bottom step to the ground, but someone
::: offered a shoulder for me to brace myself against for getting down.
:::
::: Even though I'd already rehydrated when the tea at dinner turned
::: out to be sweetened I was going through it faster than the waitress
::: could refill the teapot. That and eating eating eating ... and
::: then about twenty minutes into dinner all the feeling bad just went
::: away. Some tightness left in the climbing muscles but that was it.
:::
:: <snip>
::
:: Marian-
:: Congratulations! The symptoms you describe sound consistent with
:: someone that has pushed themselves to their physical limits. That
:: what racing is all about!
::
:: Feeling a little bad after a big effort is normal. Work on your
:: physical conditioning. Improving your conditioning will help you
:: ride faster. It will also reduce (or eliminate) most of the
:: unpleasant physical symptoms you experienced during the recovery
:: period after the race.
::
:: Part of this whole equation is proper hydration and nutrition before,
:: during, and after the race. This is a somewhat complicated subject
:: and there is no shortage of opinions from professional and amateur
:: cyclists and coaches about what works best. I am going to recommend
:: a couple of books that I think provide reliable advice on
:: conditioning and sports nutrition. However, you should take all of
:: this advise with a large grain of potassium salt. Everyone is
:: different and, in the long run, you will eventually have to figure
:: out what works best for you.
::


I agree with Paul on this, Marian. It really sounds like you just over
reached. The fact that you recovered so quickly is a sign. I've actually
had hypos after long rides - where I generally eat a low carb diet. Once
the symptoms come on, they just stick with you for the rest of the day, no
matter what and how much you eat. I know it was a hypo in my case because
I could do it just fine if I ate properly before and during the ride. I was
well trained for that level of riding (about 65 miles, no real biggie as I
was doing it every weekend) with carbs but without I just bonked, and BG
won't be in teh 50s like some would think. Hypos are more complex than
that. What you did was very intense and if you continue to train up that
hill, you'll get better and these issues will fade - assuming of course that
you do get proper nutrition.

:: See:
:: Basic Training for Roadies by Fred Matheny
:: http://roadbikerider.com/bt_excerpt.htm
::
:: Mountain Bike Like a Champion (Paperback) by Ned Overend, Ben
:: Hewitt, Ed Pavelka
::
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...102-4302563-7008151?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
::
::
:: Good Luck
:: paul d oosterhout
:: from SAIC

 

[Roger Zoul]

[email protected] wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote:
::: [email protected] wrote:
::::: recycled-one wrote:
:::::: <[email protected]> wrote in message
:::::: news:[email protected]...
::::::: The general consensus among my bike club friends and my friends
::::::: back home is that I probably had very very _very_ low blood
::::::: sugar. Possibly to the extent of being mild hypoglycemia.
:::::::
::::::: The only person who disagrees with this is my diabetic father
::::::: who says I probably was just dehydrated with heat exhaustion,
::::::: but I've done dehydrated ... fairly frequently since moving to
::::::: the tropics ... and this felt different.
:::::
:::::: Before trying different 'cures' check on the 'cause':
::::::
:::::: Borrow your dad's glucose meter and test yourself to determine
:::::: if it is low blood sugar.
:::::
::::: Which is on the list of 'things to do' the next time I'm in the
::::: US. But I'm currently on the far side of the planet from my dad's
::::: glucose meter.
:::
::: This is an unliable way to determine low blood sugar, anyhow. If
::: you go hypo, it could very well be
::: how fast you drop rather than how low.
:::
::: But, you didn't even describe your symptoms. How long was the
::: race and what had you eaten before? It could be that you're simply
::: not used to racing. It would be a good idea to make sure you eat
::: plenty of carbs before a race if you expect to be either doing long
::: duration exercise or high intensity. Combine those carbs with
::: protein and EFA.
::
:: 3.1 kilometers, ~388 meters elevation gained.
:: 28 minutes 15 seconds personal time.

How many times had you done this climb in practice, or something like it?
Did you wear a heart rate monitor while doing it? They can be useful for
intensive activities like this. If you end up riding very near your max
heart rate for long enough, you can be sure you're over reaching. I'm
willing to bet that you'd find you were very close to max during much of
this climb. This problem with go away if you improve fitness by doing this
activity as a normal part of your training. You still have to feed your
body correctly to support this, though. Intense activity (= very near max
heart rate) will drain glycogen stores quickly.

Call you use this climb as a training tool?

::
:: Symptoms:
:: Trembling hands
:: General feeling of weakness
:: Heartrate not wanting to go back down.
:: Dark spots in my vision
:: Dizziness
:: Mild headache.
:: All over pain (not just in the climbing muscles) with a concentrated
:: extra double dose of pain in my bad leg near the break point in the
:: tibia.
:: I was also kind of freaking out about heights (something I rarely do)
:: at the overlook and despite knowing how good a driver the mechanic is
:: went into a near panic at a couple of the curves when we were
:: descending.
::
:: Additionally I look kind of sleepy in the group photo I don't
:: remember posing for.
::
:: By the time we got to the resteraunt (had to wait for all the people
:: who weren't biking to get to the bus at the bottom of the mountain) I
:: was merely feeling miserable. Did go into a bit of a panic at the
:: big drop from the bus's bottom step to the ground, but someone
:: offered a shoulder for me to brace myself against for getting down.
::
:: Even though I'd already rehydrated when the tea at dinner turned out
:: to be sweetened I was going through it faster than the waitress could
:: refill the teapot. That and eating eating eating ... and then about
:: twenty minutes into dinner all the feeling bad just went away. Some
:: tightness left in the climbing muscles but that was it.
::
::::: I won't give my personal rant on how the Chinese attitude towards
::::: medicine differs from the west but lets just say that for anything
::::: short of my being unconscious I'm not going to convince the
::::: hospital to do a blood sugar test.
:::
::: Good, it probably won't help anyway.
::
:: Good to know
::
:: -M

 

[[email protected]]

Roger Zoul wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:

> :: 3.1 kilometers, ~388 meters elevation gained.
> :: 28 minutes 15 seconds personal time.
>
> How many times had you done this climb in practice, or something like it?

Once. And since the road wasn't closed that time I ended up getting
forced off my bike by a descending car at a switchback right before a
fabulous overlook and ended up getting a lot of rest time.

As for something like it, there were a bunch of intense climbs on my
trip to Vietnam and some still more intense climbs on the round the
island trip but there aren't very many hills of this length or
magnitude close to the city. My climbing practice is mostly limited to
going over the big suspension bridge at the harbor mouth.

> Did you wear a heart rate monitor while doing it?

That's the scheduled bike toy purchase for May.

> They can be useful for
> intensive activities like this. If you end up riding very near your max
> heart rate for long enough, you can be sure you're over reaching. I'm
> willing to bet that you'd find you were very close to max during much of
> this climb. This problem with go away if you improve fitness by doing this
> activity as a normal part of your training. You still have to feed your
> body correctly to support this, though. Intense activity (= very near max
> heart rate) will drain glycogen stores quickly.
>
> Call you use this climb as a training tool?

It's 120 km away, which makes it kind of inconvenient for training.

-M

 

[[email protected]]

[email protected] wrote:
> If it happens again, see your doctor to determine whether you are
> chronically hypoglycemic. If you are, you want to avoid foods, and
> eating patterns, that send your blood sugar skyrocketing because after
> the rocket peaks, you enter freefall (and you wind up feeling worse
> than before).
>
> Gorp strikes me (I turn the other cheek) as better than sugar.

Race Three ...

Right hand jersey pocket - 1/3 raisins, 1/3 peanuts, 1/3 dried green
peas (a lot like wasabi peas only they weren't spicy)
Left hand jersey pocket - red hawthorn candy (sort of like sour fruit
rollups that have been rolled in sugar)

Two water bottles (a little more than a liter and a half), a number of
water stations where I was handed cups of water and one where I took a
volunteer's water bottle. I was a bit dry at the start and ended up
going through my big bottle in the 20 minute ride from lunch to the
start point but was just able to refill before we started.

12.2 kilometers. ~1000 meters elevation gained (since we weren't
starting at sea level it's a bit harder to figure out the exact gain).

New heart rate monitor says I spent almost the entire race over 160bpm,
occasionally going as high as 180bpm. When I hit 190bpm I decided it
was a good idea to get off and walk for a while. Shortly after that I
got the opportunity to switch bikes with someone who'd given up.
Although my road bike cost about $350, it is not a $350 road bike, it's
a 3000rmb road bike. His mountain bike, however, was a $200 mountain
bike...and had been maintained like that. But it had a granny gear and
got me up the mountain.

At 1 hour 54 minutes 59.55 seconds (or was it 55.59 seconds?) into a
two hour race there was no chance for anyone to come in after me, even
if the two men behind me hadn't flat out given up and decided to ride
the truck up the mountain.

With five women, I came in women's 5th. 4th was Fearless Leader's wife
riding his mountain bike with slicks. (He was on his race bike and
was, I think, men's 3rd). She only beat me by 10 minutes... and if I'd
done the whole thing on a mountain bike (or had three front gears) I
_might_ have come in 4th. Especially with the time lost changing
bikes.

Men's first did it in 47 minutes!

-M

 

[Roger Zoul]

[email protected] wrote:
:: [email protected] wrote:
::: If it happens again, see your doctor to determine whether you are
::: chronically hypoglycemic. If you are, you want to avoid foods, and
::: eating patterns, that send your blood sugar skyrocketing because
::: after the rocket peaks, you enter freefall (and you wind up feeling
::: worse than before).
:::
::: Gorp strikes me (I turn the other cheek) as better than sugar.
::
:: Race Three ...
::
:: Right hand jersey pocket - 1/3 raisins, 1/3 peanuts, 1/3 dried green
:: peas (a lot like wasabi peas only they weren't spicy)
:: Left hand jersey pocket - red hawthorn candy (sort of like sour fruit
:: rollups that have been rolled in sugar)
::
:: Two water bottles (a little more than a liter and a half), a number
:: of water stations where I was handed cups of water and one where I
:: took a volunteer's water bottle. I was a bit dry at the start and
:: ended up going through my big bottle in the 20 minute ride from
:: lunch to the start point but was just able to refill before we
:: started.
::
:: 12.2 kilometers. ~1000 meters elevation gained (since we weren't
:: starting at sea level it's a bit harder to figure out the exact
:: gain).
::
:: New heart rate monitor says I spent almost the entire race over
:: 160bpm, occasionally going as high as 180bpm. When I hit 190bpm I
:: decided it was a good idea to get off and walk for a while. Shortly
:: after that I got the opportunity to switch bikes with someone who'd
:: given up. Although my road bike cost about $350, it is not a $350
:: road bike, it's a 3000rmb road bike. His mountain bike, however,
:: was a $200 mountain bike...and had been maintained like that. But
:: it had a granny gear and got me up the mountain.
::
:: At 1 hour 54 minutes 59.55 seconds (or was it 55.59 seconds?) into a
:: two hour race there was no chance for anyone to come in after me,
:: even if the two men behind me hadn't flat out given up and decided
:: to ride the truck up the mountain.
::
:: With five women, I came in women's 5th. 4th was Fearless Leader's
:: wife riding his mountain bike with slicks. (He was on his race bike
:: and was, I think, men's 3rd). She only beat me by 10 minutes... and
:: if I'd done the whole thing on a mountain bike (or had three front
:: gears) I _might_ have come in 4th. Especially with the time lost
:: changing bikes.
::
:: Men's first did it in 47 minutes!
::

So you didn't feel like death afterwards, right?

 

[[email protected]]

Roger Zoul wrote:
> So you didn't feel like death afterwards, right?

Does the hangover the next day count?

-M

 

[Roger Zoul]

[email protected] wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote:
::: So you didn't feel like death afterwards, right?
::
:: Does the hangover the next day count?

Not if it's from boozing!