I'm Pooped

[featuretile]

This is my experience. I did 2 rides this week that were close in length and elevation gain - some big hills (28-30 miles). The first one (28) I was riding with someone who was faster than me and I pushed myself. I also stopped less and ate less. I was really tired when I got home. The second ride (30) was with a friend who rides about my speed. Stopped and had a drink and a few bites and a short lunch break. Got home, felt great and could have ridden longer - no fatigue at all.

I have also discovered that you don't need to eat alot while you are riding, but you need to eat something. If I don't eat when I am riding, I start to feel really not good - it is probably what others have called glycogen depletion. And once that sets in, it doesn't go away right after you eat something. So, I was probably eating too much to compensate for this and sabotaging weight loss. Now, I realize that I can eat 4 pretzels or half an energy bar and avoid glycogen depletion without adding a whole lot of extra calories.

[Reesha]

What I really need is one of those nifty bento boxes it would seem.

[pll]

Or a route with coffee shops. A couple of small snacks can fit in your pockets.

[KathiCville]

If I'm riding more than 20 miles I nibble on something about every half hour throughout the ride, from the get-go. (I don't wait till I'm hungry to snack.) Usually it's just one or two Clif gel blocks (or similar), but sometimes it's a couple of bites of a 'power' bar of some kind.

Eating a little bit at regular intervals throughout the ride keeps me from getting hungry or hitting the wall, and also doesn't weigh me down. So far, so good. I rode 39 miles on Saturday and felt pretty strong the whole ride---my longest and toughest outing so far this year.

[Reesha]

Or a route with coffee shops. A couple of small snacks can fit in your pockets.

Yeah but I hate stopping on rides between 30 and 40 miles and I am not particularly skilled at wrestling things out of my back pockets even after all this time! W/ a bento box I could shove some pretzels in there and eat while riding with ease.

[Becky]

I have noticed that being dehydrated or electrolyte deficient can knock me on my butt as hard as not eating enough. I started adding a couple of Endurolyte capsules (or similar) to my post-ride drink and snack, and it has really helped.