newbie, exhausted AFTER ride?

[lauraelmore1033]

I think, as the others have mentioned, that it is quite normal to feel tired after such an effort. I've also found that it is really important to eat something immediately after a ride. I'm a big fan of Balance bars for just this purpose.

[li10up]

My DH used to tell me I'm "worthless" after a ride. (He didn't mean it in a bad way). But most of the time I just wanted to take a nap after riding. Now that I've been drinking a glass of chocolate milk after my rides I seem to have more energy and don't need the naps as much as before. You could try that after your rides...it might help.

[smilingcat]

eat a banana and/or drink OJ and lots of water.

And yes I'm totally worthless after a good ride. nappy time

smilingcat

[equus123]

with the being really tired thing after a ride - since you've only been riding for a month, your body could still just be adjusting to the demands and stresses of the sport and is nothing out of the ordinary. your body probably got a little bit of shock from the 4 days off and then a harder than normal ride for you. perhaps you didn't have enough carbohydrates in your system and most of your glycogen stores were used up...could be not having enough electrolytes...could be that you pushed at a higher intensity for a longer time than usual. this causes your body to create a higher demand for physiological adaptations and will effect you by being tired, sore, hungry, etc. these are all good things because they're signs that you put a higher stress on your body and it therefore needs to adapt to handle these additional stresses (i.e. you get better).

there are many possibilities as to what caused you to totally crash after your ride but i think it's mainly because you're still new and your body is still getting used to it. when i have rides that are above my normal intensity or volume, i get tired too! it's normal. it's okay

[Jiffer]

I often feel very sleepy after a hard workout as well. When this happens, I always recall my sister telling me how when she and her husband started running and doing 5k's, they would come home and crash. They now do Marathons, and I'm sure they crash after doing those, but not after doing the 5k's anymore. The stronger your body gets, the more it takes to exhaust you like that.

I also recall many a time coming downstairs in the morning to find my husband crashed on the couch after having gone running or cycling. That doesn't happen very much anymore and he's going stronger than ever.

Always remember to give your body protein after a hard workout. Protein is great for quicker healing of those sore muscles. I'm not a nutrition expert, but you should look into this. I just know my husband hands me a drink of some sort he mixed up after a long ride and says, "Drink this within the next 20 minutes." And I obey! It's a recovery drink of some sort. There are lots out there.

[RoadRaven]

I meant to respond to this thread a few days ago (in fact, I thought I had... hmmm... where'd my post go???)

Anyways...
Just wanted to add that remember to have a nap or rest after a good workout is a natural part of your body's recovery from the the demands you have placed on it.

After a solid or long ride, you should typically want to eat something, and then want to shut your eyes or just blob for half an hour or so.
Very natural and very important in the development of your fitness.

Effective recovery is as important as the workouts themselves.

[alpinerabbit]

When I started running in my lunch hour I would also nearly fall asleep at my desk. 20 miles is not a joke. You may want to make 20 miles feel easy before taking this on as a commute. It will come quickly.