When in rains, it pours...

[m.eliza]

I know I only have myself to blame for the way tonight's ride went, but I'd like to hear about anyone else's past similar experiences. I did MANY things wrong today, but I'm trying to figure out if just one thing contributed more than others to my body's complete shut-down that left me sitting in the grass only 5 miles from home doing something I told myself I'd never do--calling the nearest person I know with an SUV to please please come get me and take me and my bike home :(

First off - NO PRE-RIDE FUEL. What was I thinking? Work's been crazy this week, and I COMPLETELY forgot to eat my usual PB & banana sandwich before leaving work. No food since noon for a 6pm ride... What a dope. Next stupid thing I did? I neglected to listen to the migraine that hit at mile 2 telling me it's not a good day to ride. I guess I thought it would subside (yeah right, like that EVER happens). I DID hydrate myself all day (probably about 100 ounces while I was at work, then another 50 during the ride) and also brought electrolytes with me, and I had a GU about 10 miles in (I know, not enough...).

I bonked somewhere around mile 20, but I guess I didn't realize that was happening (funny how our brains don't work properly when we most need them to). Somehow I pushed through until about mile 32, when my calf muscle siezed up and prevented me from even being able to pivot my ankle enough to unclip without excrutiating pain. After finally making it to a place I could sit, my entire body started shaking (despite the beautiful 72 degree evening), and I couldn't even stand up for more than a few minutes to chat with my fellow riders. I always thought I knew what bonking felt like, but I've never experienced anything like this before.

I guess my main quesiton is this: Is this what glycogen depletion feels like? I'm trying to put a name to what happened, mostly so I can avoid it happening again. I KNOW lack of fuel was a *major* issue, but the muscle cramp didn't seem to fit with that. Most people I was with told me I was dehydrated, though I felt I had been drinking plenty throughout the day and during the ride (although I could be wrong. It was pretty humid today).

I feel like I've been doing a lot of complaining/whining on this board lately, and I apologize! I guess I'm going through a rough patch cycling-wise. If anyone managed to read to the end of my essay, thank you! I promise I'll have some happy stories to post soon enough.

[Owlie]

When it's humid, you just keep sweating because it isn't evaporating and cooling your skin. It's just as important to keep drinking. As DBF's dad likes to say: Drink when you're thirsty. Drink when you're not. Drink in between.

That sounds like glycogen depletion--your liver and your leg muscles ran out, and you're not dumping amino acids from muscle tissue fast enough for your liver to turn those into sugar. Your blood sugar goes through the floor, and...well, you experienced it. You know what the problem is. So just remember to eat. I wouldn't ride after not eating for six hours, that's for sure!

[Crankin]

It was more than 72 last night... there's a heat advisory out and the air quality is bad. All of that, combined with lack of eating could most certainly cause bad stuff! It's amazing what our bodies need in order to perform the way we ask them to.

[m.eliza]

Thanks, Owlie! That's really helpful. I wasn't sure if the leg cramp was related to not eating or if it was something else, but it seems like everything was related.

Crankin, was it that warm yesterday? I realize I didn't check the temp on my bike computer until after 8pm, so it must have cooled down a bit. It's definitely hot today!

[Owlie]

I'm glad being a biochem nerd pays off sometimes. :) Glycogen depletion tends to lead to overall fatigue, so the leg cramp may well have been a manifestation of that. Or, if I recall correctly, you need ATP to persuade muscle to relax. A lack of sugar could certainly cause a cramp in that case...

You might want to keep something easily munchable at work if you plan on riding afterward. The other thing I'd say to do is to keep an emergency gel or two in your seatbag, preferably flavors you don't like so you're not tempted to dip into them unless it is an emergency. (Any flavor works for me because I don't like the texture of gels, so unless I didn't bring shot blocks...)

[Catrin]

I keep a Cliff bar with me to munch on the way home from work when I know that there isn't time to eat properly before a ride. I think this is a hard time of the year since it is getting so hot so fast, and it's only been a few weeks since we were still wearing warmer clothes on the bike (at least for me).

Glad you were with others and you had someone to call. Glycogen depletion is awful, and you needed electrolytes as well. We lose stuff so fast in the heat...did you have a sports drink with you on the bike or just water? Water is good, don't get me wrong, but especially in the heat our electrolytes can get out of balance with just water which doesn't replace them. You probably already knew all this :)

[m.eliza]

Thanks, Catrin. Yes, my body's definitely having a hard time adjusting to the temp differences. It was 40 degrees two weeks ago. Today the forecast says 98! I do bring a sports drink with me when I ride, but it might not have been enough that night. IF I ride tonight (severe thunderstorms predicted, but you never know...) I'll be taking 4 bottles (2 in my cages and 2 more in my jersey pockets) with electrolyte tablets or sports drinks in at least 2 of them.

The good thing about what happened is that, knowing how horrible it feels, I will never let it happen again. Experience really is the best teacher!