will the pain ever go away



rumptis

New Member
Jul 25, 2004
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My legs start burning not even a mile down the road and continue the rest of the ride, I have been riding about 3-4 weeks now and did a 14 miles ride today it was mostly flats and I'm guessing I probaby did it at about 16-17 mph average.

Anyways how long will my legs stay like this and what can I expect in time. Will this ever really get better. I just don't know what to expect or anything.

Thanks

Jason
 
rumptis said:
My legs start burning not even a mile down the road and continue the rest of the ride, I have been riding about 3-4 weeks now and did a 14 miles ride today it was mostly flats and I'm guessing I probaby did it at about 16-17 mph average.

Anyways how long will my legs stay like this and what can I expect in time. Will this ever really get better. I just don't know what to expect or anything.

Thanks

Jason

You're just starting so dont expect it to be an overnight thing. Just keep training and you'll get better. Continue building your base miles and pretty soon you'll see some changes. Good luck.
 
tanggoman said:
You're just starting so dont expect it to be an overnight thing. Just keep training and you'll get better. Continue building your base miles and pretty soon you'll see some changes. Good luck.

Sadly, the answer is no if you keep doing what you're doing. If you go out, ride as hard as you can, and don't back off, it's gonna hurt forever - you'll get faster, but hurt just the same. Try backing off, just cruising and not worrying about speed too much - try to enjoy it. I spent all my life in juniors in a world of pain, didn't enjoy it much and ended up spending two years without touching a bike. Just cruise, look around and have fun, I guaruntee your legs will feel better, and you'll pretty soon be riding as fast as you currently are only without the pain.
 
On Soreness:

This pain is caused by microscopic tears in the fibers of the connective tissues in your body--the ligaments that connect bones to other bones, and the tendons that connect muscles to bones.
This microtrauma may sound harmful but is in fact the natural response of your muscles when they experience work. This is the primary reason it is so important that you get enough rest between specific muscle workouts. Each time you work out with weights, you cause this "damage"--these tiny tears in your muscles; they need ample resting time to rebuild and become even stronger, bigger, and more firm.

You need to rest up and let your muscles heal or they'll never have time to adapt to this new trauma.

As for in-ride pain:
During a workout, repeated contractions cause lactic and other acids, as well as proteins and hormones, to build up in muscle tissue.
 
Also, to help you:

In a university study, subjects performed a prolonged one-leg strength exercise first with a randomly chosen leg and then with the opposite leg. They began the workout with normal glycogen levels in one leg (again randomly chosen) and depleted glycogen levels in the other. The researchers found that muscle protein breakdown was much greater in the glycogen-depleted leg than in the normal leg during the course of the workout.

It is important, then, that athletes top off their muscle glycogen stores before workouts. The best way to do this is to eat a meal comprising mostly low- to moderate-glycemic carbohydrates two to three hours before exercise.

In a Penn State University study, one group of athletes ate a rolled-oats cereal (moderate-glycemic) while another group ate a puffed-rice cereal (high-glycemic) before a stationary cycling test. Both breakfasts contained 75 grams of total carbohydrate.

Those who ate the rolled oats cereal were able to cycle significantly longer than those who ate the puffed rice. These results make it clear that athletes should choose their pre-exercise foods carefully.

The pre-workout meal should also contain some protein. New research suggests that providing the body with a dietary source of amino acids (the "building blocks" of proteins) through pre-workout protein consumption can further decrease the body's reliance on muscle proteins for energy during exercise.
 
Thanks for all the reply's.

I have only gotten sore from one ride and that was on this last suday were I went alittle over 20 miles it was alot of rolling hills and it really put the hurt on my legs truly sore were sore after that ride and the next day the 2nd day which was yesterday they felt back to normal not sore at all. So I think I'm giving myself plenty of time off. But the burn factor during riding really hasn't improved, my endurance sure has I think. I'm in this for the fitness but I also want to see if I can get good enough to maybe race in the future so don't I need to push pretty hard as long as I recover well I'm not over doing right?

The problem is I guess the Lactic Acid build up. What happens with that over time? Do you preduce less or get used to it or what?
 
rumptis said:
The problem is I guess the Lactic Acid build up. What happens with that over time? Do you preduce less or get used to it or what?
As you train, you produce less lactic acis at a given power level, and your body gets better at clearing it.
 
MaxPrime said:
Also, to help you:

In a university study, subjects performed a prolonged one-leg strength exercise first with a randomly chosen leg and then with the opposite leg. They began the workout with normal glycogen levels in one leg (again randomly chosen) and depleted glycogen levels in the other. The researchers found that muscle protein breakdown was much greater in the glycogen-depleted leg than in the normal leg during the course of the workout.

It is important, then, that athletes top off their muscle glycogen stores before workouts. The best way to do this is to eat a meal comprising mostly low- to moderate-glycemic carbohydrates two to three hours before exercise.

In a Penn State University study, one group of athletes ate a rolled-oats cereal (moderate-glycemic) while another group ate a puffed-rice cereal (high-glycemic) before a stationary cycling test. Both breakfasts contained 75 grams of total carbohydrate.

Those who ate the rolled oats cereal were able to cycle significantly longer than those who ate the puffed rice. These results make it clear that athletes should choose their pre-exercise foods carefully.

The pre-workout meal should also contain some protein. New research suggests that providing the body with a dietary source of amino acids (the "building blocks" of proteins) through pre-workout protein consumption can further decrease the body's reliance on muscle proteins for energy during exercise.
So you're saying that, if I'm going to ride at 11:30am, I should eat a breakfast of Oatmeal and a Peanut Butter Sandwich at 8:30am?
 
I don't know about peanut butter sandwich - but you do need to give your body some time to digest the food. I like to eat a strong breakfast of carbs and a lighter lunch with less complex carbs and then go ride.
 
MaxPrime said:
The pre-workout meal should also contain some protein. New research suggests that providing the body with a dietary source of amino acids (the "building blocks" of proteins) through pre-workout protein consumption can further decrease the body's reliance on muscle proteins for energy during exercise.

This research isn't new, nor is it accurate. In a glycogen deplete state the body catabolises protein and amino acids - researchers theorised that a good way to stop the negative effects of this was to take on board protein. A much better way is to eat carbohydrate and thus avoid glycogen depletion in the first place. Protein is slow to absorb in the gut, and may slow clearing of foods during exercise.

Also, the glycemic index of foods is less important if you eat during riding.
 
While I'm new to riding, just started again after 30 plus years of not, I have learned a few things. First, you need to rest between rides. The body not only needs time to recover, but it's during these rests that the body improves itself. Second, water - keep yourself hydrated. It will prevent cramps and other issues. Third, do your homework! Read about training, nutrition, etc. There are many good books available. There is a ton on the net, some on this Forum, some on others, and many other sites. Theres more to it than just eating right before a ride. Fourth, excerise - going from sedentary to full blast without getting your body in shape will cause you a world of hurt.