First post, first 50 mile ride, think I overdid it?

[cobalt]

Hi! I have learned so much reading and thought it was time I jumped in. Thank you.

I have been riding for 3 months. I normally go 6 miles a few times a week and 20 miles on some sundays. I was in a 30 mile ride and did fine.

Yesterday I did 50 in a ride with my husband and right now I don't want to get back on my bike again! It was not fun for the last 10 miles, lots of hills.

Is this normal?? Do you not want to ride sometimes?

Also, I gained 2 lbs! I didn't eat much so it's likely water but still...

[Clare]

Sure is....same thing happened to me...I was training for a century...having usually just been riding in the 20 mile range...so when I did a training ride arouind 50 miles, I just about died! I swore I'd never ride again...but that didn't last for long...I've kept riding, ..I did the century but now I only do 20 to 30 mile rides...I guess if I kept doing longer distances, they'd get easier...

Anywho...I just say if you like to ride...then this is just a momentary set back...

[Blueberry]

Yep - I do. That's a huge jump in mileage, and I'm sure you're sore places you didn't plan on being sore!

That feeling will go away (or at least it does for me) in a day or so. Rest, walk, do something different.

I will be you that those 2 lbs will disappear quickly. I gained 3 over MS ride weekend, and then those 3 + 4 more disappeared by Tuesday AM.

An additional thought - did you eat *enough*? Sounds like you might have bonked at the end of the ride.

CA

[Veronica]

I must be the only person who loses weight on a ride.

How long did your 50 miler take compared to your 30 miler? Think about how much longer you were on your bike. If you don't normally ride a lot of hills, having them at the end of your longest ever ride is tough.

Veronica

[cobalt]

Thanks, I feel better.

They had no food at the start so I found a granola bar and a rice krispie treat in the car. During the ride I had 1/2 of a peanut butter sandwich, 2 cookies with frosting and 4 mini candy bars. That's all they had to offer. Lots of sugar and I don't normally eat a lot of sugar.

I drank 2 bottles of Gatorade, so 64 oz. That might have been too little.

My girly bits are sore and my right bicep. My legs are ok, sit bones just a bit sore.

Also, they said the ride was 46 but it was 49 and the last was hilly. When I saw that I was so close to 50 at the end I kept riding a bit to make it to 50.

My husband normally would have done the higher mile ride and he goes faster so it's going to be hard for us to ride together. I hate to make him go slow. He also kept telling me to shift, watch for cars etc. Generally he is not like that so it got on my nerves! I think I'll have him ride with his friends and I'll have to talk one of my friends into biking. That will be a long shot.

[Veronica]

I rode 125 miles yesterday. I ate two bags of fruit chews, two bags of shot bloks, a bag and a half of peanut M&Ms, 1/4 pbj sandwich. I drank 3 Red Bulls, two containers of Gatorade, the first mixed with Sustain energy and about 3/4 of a can of soda, plus a lot of water, probably 3 water bottles full.


Did you only drink Gatorade on your ride?

Veronica

[chicagogal]

It might have been hard, but you should be proud of yourself for having completed 50mi. That was a big jump in millage, so good for you! Take some time to recover, some easy rides, and you will be ready to slowly build your millage up. And yesterday, having been off the bike for over week (partly b/c I had gone hiking in the desert, sand, and my calves were so shot I could barely walk) I got on my bike and rode 50 (my usual "long" ride) and while fun, it was really hard! 50 is no easy challenge!

[cobalt]

Thanks for the support I am watching my husband snoring on the couch so I feel better knowing that he is tired too!

50 miles fun? I can't wait for that. If the hills were not so big, it might have been fun.

The only thing I drank was Gatorade, is that a no no? I can see that I did not eat enough.

Is it really good to eat so much sugar? I would think protein would be important but I have lost 65 lbs in the last year and a half so I am naturally avoiding sugar. It's an adjustment to think it's ok to eat m&m but I could get used to that!

[ttaylor508]

I typically lose weight on long rides as well, but it usually takes a couple of days to register on the scale. You will probably lose any weight you gained once your system gets back to normal.

50 miles is a great accomplishment!!! You should be very proud and I would be surprised if when you look back on this in the future you don't remember it in a postive way. Funny how time makes your forget the pain and only remember the "highs" of the ride.

[violette]

I did the 130km MS bike ride. It was very hard, all hills. When I got home, I didn't even want to look at my bike, but as soon as you're rested up, you'll be proud you did 50 miles. Don't worry, after a couple of days, you'll want to get on that bike again and RIDE!!!!!

[wildhawk]

First of all, congratulations on doing such a long ride - 50 miles is quite a jump up from where you were. And also, congratulations on your weight loss too - I am also losing weight, so I know how hard it can be. It sounds to me like you were not getting enough nutrition for the calories you were expending - especially with hills. DH and I just completed our first 50k yesterday, but I have been training for a 150mile charity ride - doing 20 miles every other day. Saturday night, I had carbs - pasta and a baked potato. And before our ride on Sunday, we had pancakes and fruit. Our sag stops on our bike ride offered fresh fruit, trail mix, PBJ sandwiches, ice cold Gatorade and fresh water, and no sugary snacks except for the occasional donut - ugh!. We had packed our own clif snacks in case and brought extra water in our bike bags. It is important to get proper nutrition and hydration. You did o.k. with the Gatorade, but also needed water and it sounds like you had too much quick burning sugar. The type of sugar you had on the ride would have burned off quickly and not given you sustain for your ride. Next time, take along some Clif shots and definately take some fruit and healthy carbs in case the support is not there for your ride. It will get better, I promise you. My first ride I was worn out after 7 miles, but now do longer rides and feel great. The weight gain is probably fluid and will come right back off. I ignore my scales nowadays and feel the inch loss in my clothes. When I put my biking shorts on yesterday they were noticably looser. Hang in there and set your goals and build up the mileage gradually. Hopefully you can find someone to bike with that will meet your goals with you. Best wishes and hugs to you!

[Jiffer]

CONGRATS ON YOUR FIRST 50!!! YOU ROCK GIRL!!!

I do think you probably jumped up to 50 a bit quickly. For someone who is already very fit, that may not have been a problem, but for most of us it can be a big leap. You not only have to build up your muscles and endurance, but it's quite normal for your body to get really mad at you in other ways. Your "bits" from a long time in the saddle, for me my back and neck. The longer the ride, the more those things start to become an issue.

I highly recommend the book Every Woman's Guide to Cycling by Selene Yeager (just came out this year), which I posted about on the main cycling board. You'll get tons of useful info about what to eat and drink, how to train, etc. I had it easier when I started cycling, because I had a crazy athletic husband who was into both running and cycling very competitively. So, he's done lots of research and is always giving me tips. He researches and buys our sports drink, etc. Lately, he tried and really likes Accel Gels, which have protein, in addition to carbs. I used one on my 53 mile ride yesterday, for the first time, and I did really well to the end. Not sure how much of it was the gel, but I won't be leaving for a ride of that length without one again! I also drink Cytomax Lite. I believe the general rule is about 20-24 oz in an hour period, depending on the temp and humidity. You probably did have too much sugar, especially with your body not being used to it, and Gaterade does have a lot of sugar. You should start looking into a different kind of sports drink.

Fig Newtons are great. Bananas. Once you get over 90 minutes, protein from peanuts, peanut butter, Accel Gels, etc. If you aren't sure what you are going to get along the way, it's a good idea to bring your own food that you know your body is used to and does well on. I took an Accel Gel at 70 minutes yesterday, knowing I was in for a long ride and was about to do a lot of climbing.

I can totally relate to being miserable during the last 10 miles. I've been there a couple of times this year. However, I wasn't yesterday, which was a thrill for me. This is proof that it DOES get better! Not only have I gotten stronger with more time on the bike, learned better technique, had a professional bike fit, etc., but I have really been trying to pay attention to what I should and shouldn't be eating the day before a long ride, as well as the day of ... before, during and after. I'm not sure how much it helped me yesterday, but it may have been what did it for me.

I would stick to your usual 20 and 30 miles for a while. Plan ahead when you want to do 50 again, possibly on an organized ride and then "train" for it. Do 35 one week, 40 the next ... maybe 35 again and then 40 again. And then take it somewhat easy for the week before the ride.

Also, make sure you recover AFTER a long or especially hard ride. Dh and I drink Recoverite within 30 minutes, which helps rebuild your muscles. Carbs and protein (together) are good. If you have a swimming pool, sitting in the "cold" water for a little while is GREAT for sore muscles. (My husband used to actually bring a huge ice chest full of ice and water to his races and sit in it right after!) You can use ice packs as well, or a cold bathtub or water. The colder the better.

Massaging your muscles and stretching them are both very good. Anything you can do to "recover" will help you the next time you ride. Pace yourself. If you know you are doing a long ride on Saturday, don't push yourself too much on Thursday or Friday, so you have something left for the long ride.

Don't throw in the towel just yet. Just get smart and ease into the longer rides.

[cobalt]

Wow, thank you all so much for taking the time to help me with such long and helpful posts, I really appreciate it.

I have a mental image of your DH sitting in the cooler of ice Jiffer!

It's 48 hours later and I am starting to think about riding again. I think I'll do my favorite ride, 10 miles to our favorite coffee shop and 10 miles home.

Thanks for the detail nutrition advice, very helpful.

I am going to look at the book suggestion, I don't know much about my bike. My DH does it all but I need to learn. I have a Lemond Etape and I really like it.

[sfa]

Good for you! And it sounds like you're not suffering physically TOO much--just the normal kind of soreness. Glad to hear you're thinking of getting back in the saddle!

Sarah

[Jiffer]

I think I'll do my favorite ride, 10 miles to our favorite coffee shop and 10 miles home.

That's perfect. Whenever you are finding yourself disenchanted with riding, or even just to break up the training ... go for a basic fun ride. Don't worry about your time. Enjoy the scenery. Be a kid.