The 4 hour barrier

[rapid cycler]

So, I'm training for IM. And I'm supposed to be riding up to 5 hours, hopefully 6 hours within the next few weeks. I've been trying to push up to this time for a while but I seem to have this barrier at 4 hours. Some days it's mental, some days it's physical. This weekend, I just did not want to ride any longer due to the heat.

I'm doing most of my riding alone, so it's hard to keep up the motivation on the long rides.

Does anyone else run into this problem and how did you "break though"?

Happy riding.

Hey, I've met that barrier!

Prolly too obvious, but are you fueling yourself generously enough? If you have the luxury of getting off the bike (given your training regimen), nothing picks me up better than a Jamba Juice protein berry pizazz (with an extra protein boost, just for kicks).

[Wahine]

I'm pretty sure I'm eating enough but I may have to throw in more variety. I'm going to try to figure out a way to find a destination where I can have a milkshake or similar halfway to give me motivation and variety. It's a good suggestion. The tough part is that the only route I've thought of thus far is really hilly and might make me more grumpy.

Thanks for the suggestion. Something to think about further.

[rapid cycler]

You mean not everyone lives where there are Jamba Juice franchises every five blocks?

[SR500]

My DH swears by Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem for longer rides. It's a great product.

http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HN...%26%20Recovery

[limewave]

What's a Jamba Juice?

[solobiker]

Jamba Juice is this awesome place where one can get just about any variety of smoothie imaginable. They are so good. My DH and I usually share one or we get 2 different kinds and split them.

[Mr. Bloom]

My DH swears by Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem for longer rides. It's a great product.

http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HN...%26%20Recovery

makbike has a friend who absolutely swears by Perpetuem. I'm ordering based solely on his rave reviews.

[Jiffer]

Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good advice. My only other thought is how you are eating the day before trying a long ride? You should be loading your body with the right foods. I'm not an expert on this, but DH is big on eating certain kinds of carbs and avoiding certain foods. Blames his friend's trouble getting through a bike race with what he ate the night before. You should do some research on it. Different things seem to work well for some people and not others, so keep that in mind. I, for one, would think a milkshake would not be the best choice to fuel your body efficiently, but research it and find out. I guess my point is, don't randomly choose something to eat when you really need the best fuel you can give your body to keep on keepin' on! Be purposeful with what you choose.

Good luck!