This might interest people

[limerickman]

Those are some long rides that you've done, Limerickman. 275 km is out of my range right now, I would have to stop and rest several hours to complete such a journey. I seem to have decent TT power, but my long distance efforts are currently pretty much **** right now. Any ride over 3 hrs and I end up feeling pretty bad for the day, plus I have to remember to down a load of salt, mag and potassium or I get hamstring cramps that can put me out of riding commission for a few days.

-Bikeguy

But Bikeguy, you've got to remember that cycling long distances is about slowly accumulating miles/hours on the bike.
No one could just pick up a bike and cycle for 5 hours (they could but they'd be shattered the next day).

I've been building mileage since I started back on the bike seriously in 2000.
It takes time and patience.

 

[mtbnewbie]

Those are some long rides that you've done, Limerickman. 275 km is out of my range right now, I would have to stop and rest several hours to complete such a journey. I seem to have decent TT power, but my long distance efforts are currently pretty much **** right now. Any ride over 3 hrs and I end up feeling pretty bad for the day, plus I have to remember to down a load of salt, mag and potassium or I get hamstring cramps that can put me out of riding commission for a few days.

-Bikeguy

Limerickman is right it takes time. I have never been a serious cyclist but I have taken it up more seriously just this year. My longest day was on Oct. 1, I did 100km over the day in three legs (25, 50 and 25) My total ride time was 4:38 . I would be hard pressed to do it all in one go, I probably could but it would really take it out of me. I have a cycle computer too and it has helped to motivate me. I am nearing 1000 km since mid July (910 km so far).
I hope one day I can come close to Limerickman's achivement.

I think anyone doing over 3 hour rides would need to consume more than just water to prevent cramping, you would loose to much electrolytes through sweating and metablolism not to need it replaced.

The key is to find a pace that is comfortable for you. I would caution against setting goals based on average speed if you are just starting out. Set goals based on total distance or ride time and concentrate on finding a rhythm and pace that works for you. It will take time and sometimes you have to hold yourself back a bit but eventually you will find it.
While you are riding just think about how it feels, if it's comfortable and you can say, "Gee, I think I could ride like this all day long.". Then you are probably pretty close to your ideal pace.

Happy riding, and just keep riding.

 

[bikeguy]

Limerickman and mtnewbie, I'm not exactly new to cycling having trained continuously for 1.5 yrs and 40 K tt speed of about 38 kph (without aerobars, or slicks). I've just noticed that my muscle fibers seem to be less fatigue resistant then you would expect based on 1 hr power. After an hour there is a significant dropoff in my power output, while I can hold 325 w for an hour (my 5 minute power is over 475 w) , in the case of 2 hrs+ that would fall to 190 w. Weight isn't a problem, I'm 181 cm (6 feet) and 73-74 kg.

LIMERICKMAN, 250 watts for 4 hrs is quite good. You should start doing RR's again.

I'll agree that it takes time to build up to being able to ride long distances like 200+ km. Plus proper nutrition and electrolyte replacement is a must.

Plus I'll admit, riding distances of that length is just pure , if you know what I mean.

-Bikeguy

 

[gntlmn]

(f) my blood pressure reading, which was 125/83 has dropped to 110/70 consistently.

Have you ever tried influencing your bp directly as opposed to a byproduct of exercise? I've been doing this lately, and I am truly amazed. Try seeing what a difference deep breathing makes on your blood pressure readings. Breathe deeply through your belly as you take the digital reading. breathe otherwise and see the difference. my lowest so far is 98/42, but I seem to be able to go a little lower every day. somehow I am learning, even though I couldn't tell you exactly how. I watch the device as it measures and focus on relaxing, concentrating on the breath. I used to hold back on the salt shaker, but not anymore. It seems to be a very tiny influence compared to proper breathing habits.

Let me know what you think and what your experience is. I guess if this doesn't sound like something you might want to try, well, that's ok too. I feel like I'm getting something out of it for sure though. my goal is to have a resting normal bp of 90/40.

 

[limerickman]

Have you ever tried influencing your bp directly as opposed to a byproduct of exercise? I've been doing this lately, and I am truly amazed. Try seeing what a difference deep breathing makes on your blood pressure readings. Breathe deeply through your belly as you take the digital reading. breathe otherwise and see the difference. my lowest so far is 98/42, but I seem to be able to go a little lower every day. somehow I am learning, even though I couldn't tell you exactly how. I watch the device as it measures and focus on relaxing, concentrating on the breath. I used to hold back on the salt shaker, but not anymore. It seems to be a very tiny influence compared to proper breathing habits.

Let me know what you think and what your experience is. I guess if this doesn't sound like something you might want to try, well, that's ok too. I feel like I'm getting something out of it for sure though. my goal is to have a resting normal bp of 90/40.

Thanks for the tip, Gent.

I'll try your method and I will let you know!

 

[gntlmn]

Thanks for the tip, Gent.

I'll try your method and I will let you know!

it would be a lot easier with a real time bp tester instead of waiting for it to read and then checking seeing the results afterwards. in other words, if you could see on a screen both your systolic and diastolic pressures as they occur, you could immediately see the minute changes to make in breathing patterns and get results right away. as i'm doing it, it's trial and error. some days i seem to be right on and others i'm not. i'm experimenting with sitting, standing, lying down. lately i've been lifting weights (yeah, i know, a rider no-no) to see what that does, and indeed, bp stays elevated for a while before dropping down. aerobic exercise seems to make it easier and weights tougher.

what i'm thinking is that i'll eventually develop the optimal breathing pattern and use that throughout the day to keep bp lower than it otherwise would be. actually, i guess i'm already doing that, but i think i can do better, especially with a better biofeedback device.

good luck trying it out. i don't think i'm the only one on the planet this will work with. think about yogis and their ability to influence heart rate, bp and even temperature of extremities, one limb at a time. i'm pretty sure the most experienced yogis have bp's as low as they want them to be. but they don't use instruments. they get into deep trances and "listen" carefully to their bodies. most people cannot develop this awareness because society is fast paced, and they don't have the time to pay attention to these things.

 

[gntlmn]

Aha! Indeed, this exercise that I have stumbled over on my own has been clinically proven to reduce blood pressure, and the results are sustained after repeated practice. It appears that this device is designed to make it easy to pace the breath to less than 10 breaths per minute, down from what people usually do (14 to 19 breaths a minute).

this machine costs $279, but my guess is that if you focus on breathing very deeply (yeah, don't be self conscious. let that belly bulge. ), you will get just as good results on your own. in fact, i already know this because i've been doing it. what i need to do though is to focus more on lowering my breath rate throughout the day. i was thinking it had to do with depth of breath, and indeed it does, but if you think about lowering the breath rate also, then it's easier to focus.

Wow! i just clocked myself with a second hand. i'm breathing about 3 1/4 breaths per minute standing at ease. Do that for a few minutes and notice your hands get warmer too.

I'm glad i found this website describing the device though. it will motivate you to do this exercise throughout the day. also, i know now that i'm on to something as well. i'll keep looking for a real time bp device. i doubt i'll find anything to use at home though. i think in an intensive care unit, the readout is coming from an intervenous probe. it would be nice to have that readout, but i wouldn't want to stick anything into my veins without being a patient.

http://www.bio-medical.com/product_info.cfm?inventory__imodel=RESPERATE