How to get past "wall" at 50miles?

[nomummytummy]

Hi there after 8 weeks on my divine new bike - http://www.emc2bikes.com/index.php/p...l/bikemodel/17 - and being new to road cycling after riding a MTB for about 3 years, I find that I'm really struggling to get past about 50 miles. About 4-5 miles before 50, I just hit a wall. I have also become v v tired during the week w the extra kilometers.
I have scrambled eggs on toast w fruit & maybe a cofffee before we go. I started making my drinks 1/2 water & 1/2 OJ instead of just water and being particular about eating when the bunch stops - a mandarin & nut bar at about 30k. I have this thing about only eating foods that have more words than numbers in the ingredient list, so have shied away from gels or bars. Do you think I need to look at my nutrition - both whist riding - and during the week for sustained energy?

Or do I need to just toughen up & ride longer rides? I am aiming for a 100mile ride in November.

Thanks for your ideas! Louise

[SadieKate]

Can you give us more info about your weekly and daily training schedule on a daily basis? Give us length, intensity, terrain, effort level, etc. Are you sticking to this plan every week or are some weeks different?

[nomummytummy]

Well in theory I do a big ride on Sunday - meant to be going to 90k, but keep just running out of gas, so not got to there yet. I do 1 spin class on Wednesday mornings before work & I often miss breakfast after this as I am too hot to eat for about 2 hours. I try to get to another spin on Friday AMs, but w 3 kids & 2 businesses between me & my husband, Friday often gets dropped. I used to do weights 2x/week, but with the extra riding I am just too tired to face 2 extra 5:30am starts! I have tried to schedule in hills on Thursday afternoons before the kids finish school, but both times I had a puncture that changing took too much of the time away. I woudl like to train more but being winter here & short days I can't see how to get it in, unless I regain the energy to get up in the mornings.

Mostly I eat well - I can be a bit of an adrenaline junkie & run on nothing, but I have learnt to be more aware. So I either have eggs on toast w fruit or a scone for breakfast & a latte - full milk!

Lunch @11 is a salad w meat or a sandwich w meat & salad, or maybe a slice of some flash pie & salad - you get the idea. If I get really busy at work, sometimes there is no break between patients after this time & I might have another coffee on the run rather than stop. If that is the case I get home at 7pm as a "mouth on legs" and then snack on cheese, crackers & fruit whilst I make dinner. Mostly it is a homemade meal w meat & veges - put together as stir-fry, in a pie, in a lasagne, as a roast - you get the idea. If I'm feeling peckish afterwards, I may have a microwaved pudding w ice cream - maybe once a week. Fridays are cheat day - I have a lemon poppy seed muffin & latte for breakfast, lunch as usual then we have takeaway indian curry or fish & chips & a wine or two. Not too extravagent & still I aim to have salad or veges. Lately I have not been enjoying takeaways as just too rich & I wake multiple times during the night feeling full & uncomfortable - so this has happened less & less. (About once or twice a week I have a piece of white chocolate passionfruit cheesecake for a treat.)

I know I need to eat in the afternoons & this has been a hurdle for me for as long as I have been in practice. We take lunch at 11 so we are back to see patients over their lunches in 12-2. Then at 2pm I am meant to eat, but if I run over or one of the team want to talk with me - that time just disappears & I have a full reception again. (To be that busy is a high value problem )

How's that for extra info?

Lou

[nomummytummy]

Oh & I forgot to say that I seem to have hurt my (R)knee. Baically ITB/VMO imbalance with a bit of a weaker (R) glut & tight psoas - residue of an old disc innury. I have skipped spin for 2 weeks to try & rest my knee, seen my chiropractor, had a massage - with one booked each week for next 2 weeks & started stretching again. I also had my bike set up altered 4 weeks ago b/c my knee was getting sore but before it got REALLY sore. They moved my seat back & shortened the stem bit to the hande bars.

[alpinerabbit]

Wow, zero (ok the MTB counts) to 90 in 8 weeks is pretty steep. My first season I only made it to 80 (I had not Mountain biked before though).
Especially since you rode to the extent that you hurt some ligament. So did I in my first season and it took all winter and a refit to make it go away. Ligament injuries take about 6 weeks to heal and they have a habit of returning.
I would take it easy for a couple weeks until you don't hurt anymore.

You need to eat more on your rides, especially when (or actually before) you hit the wall. I also like eggs for breakfast. Try cheese too. And if your stomach can take it, whole grain bread of the darkest kind you can find. After 30K, eat sommat every hour.
Bananas are good and "number free", as are dried fruit. Hammer gel says it's only natural ingredients but I haven't tried it. Other than that you can mix up your own energy drinks using Maltodextrin, a pinch of salt and some flavor (fruit syrups).


P.S. NICE BIKE.

[Torrilin]

Eat more, both on the bike and in your daily life.

Even for comparatively short rides (like my 4-8 milers), you may need to eat. I usually end up riding over part of when I'd eat lunch... and the not eating lunch would lead to poor judgement, exhaustion, and generally stupid riding (so far all my falls can be attributed to need to eat lunch). Now, I either pack a lunch with me, or get a sandwich while I'm out.

The gels and such that you see are meant for people doing long rides - think training for metric or Imperial centuries. That's *you*. It's pretty easy to look up the chemistry and medical research that supports these sorts of performance products. You don't *need* to use them if they sound utterly awful, but if you start having problems with real food, it's good to have them around as an alternative.

Try adding some plain granola bars to your bike food, and maybe up your liquid intake. A banana might not be a bad idea either, if the idea of something sweet doesn't gross you out. In hot weather I can easily need 1.5 liters of water on a 6 mile ride and my hot is 80-90F with moderate humidity. I fully expect that once I work up to 12 mile rides, I'll start to need electrolyte resupply. Yay :P. Right now if I'm coming up short on electrolytes, I can hit a corner market or grocery store or *something*... 12 miles in some directions means no stores.

After you ride you need to eat too. I mostly don't right now, but I'm not riding long enough to get towards dinnertime and I don't do enough miles. A glass of milk after tastes really good and leaves me in better shape tho.

[Trek420]

You need to eat more on your rides, especially when (or actually before) you hit the wall. I also like eggs for breakfast. Try cheese too. And if your stomach can take it, whole grain bread of the darkest kind you can find. After 30K, eat sommat every hour.
Bananas are good and "number free", as are dried fruit. Hammer gel says it's only natural ingredients but I haven't tried it. Other than that you can mix up your own energy drinks using Maltodextrin, a pinch of salt and some flavor (fruit syrups).


P.S. NICE BIKE.

Lara bars are good and "number free" You could make your own gorp.

I've done that even on organized ride for instance if riding with anyone on a special diet. When Duck on Wheels and I "survived the epic brutal Cinderella Century" I concocted custom gorp for her.

Disclosure here; while I've found some don't want nutrition advice from the chubby gal but I do ride long miles. To ride distance you're training your body but also your stomach. Learn what you can ride/train on, that takes time.

In training I like food made from food Go figure

But on a century or multi day ride I'll eat pretty much anything they put in reach of me.

I learned that for me raisins work as well as gels and the energy lasts longer.

There are particular foods I ride better on like oatmeal for breakfast and I avoid anything with grease. There are foods that I feel aid my recovery like chocolate milk is the perfect recovery bev ....

The trick is just get out there and ride and eat and eat and ride, you'll soon find what you like.

P.S. NICE BIKE