Question from Hubby:

[WindingRoad]

He is averaging about 4 miles of running per day for a seven day week and around 30ish miles everyday riding. Not to mention it's been super hot. I was told the rule of thumb for gauging water is half your body weight in ounces. That is for those not exercising at all. So if he is 180 lbs the base line amount for everyday function would 90 ounces. Since each water bottle is about 24ish ounces and he's drinking 3 of these for a more than 3 hour ride that is only 72 oz of fluid for running, cycling and what he needs for normal metabolic processes. Unless he is drinking like mad afterwards, he is grossly dehydrating himself.

[abejita]

THAT's a good suggestion...as women anemia isn't uncommon. I've dealt with it a few times and know how debilitating it can be. While it's less common for guys, I know a couple of male endurance athletes who have been anemic. Definitely something to have checked.

smilingcat is right about the simple sugars, too. Anyone who tends towards hypoglycemia will suffer from blood sugar rollercoasters even moreso.

We can rule low iron out as he just had his yearly blood work and all his levels look good.

The hypoglycemia is an interesting angle...his dad has diabetes.

[Dogmama]

He is averaging about 4 miles of running per day for a seven day week and around 30ish miles everyday riding. Not to mention it's been super hot.

That's a lot! How old is he? Maybe he's beginning to become overtrained? Or, as I said before, maybe he's just a wuss. But I doubt it.

[spokewench]

In addition, to what he eats during the ride, one of the most important things is that he eats immediately after the ride. He needs better recovery. He may try a recovery drink right after the ride as well and this may help. It may also be because he is training a lot during the week and he just may be training too hard without enough off-time recovery time.

Do you train as much as he does during the week; maybe this is the difference between your strength on the weekends after the ride and his lack of?

There are a lot of variables that may be contributing to him being that tired.

[abejita]

We are both 37. I ride about 100-150 miles a week and I don't run (unless chased :-)

[lemondirgopie]

I'm no expert, but maybe replace the sugar in the homemade gatorade with honey? Personally I've never reacted well to real sugar (I immediately feel tired and strangely I get a lot of phlegm in the back of my throat). The sugar may not be the only reason he is crashing, but my guess is it's not helping. Honey is great because not only does it have plenty of nutrients but your body processes it differently, which could have an effect on how he is feeling.

I have a recipe for homemade gatorade that I got from a beekeeping seminar I attended, but can't seem find it. I think it was very similar to your recipe, without the lemon juice and the honey replacing the sugar. Since you already heat up your mixture it would be easy to add the honey. Sometimes I like to add a little bit of raw apple cider vinegar for the health benefits & taste, but of course that's all personal taste. If you want to add a little pick-me-up, brewing some green tea to add to the drink might be a good idea for the caffeine.

[OakLeaf]

I'm the opposite. I can't tolerate much fructose at all on a ride. That goes for everything from fresh fruit to honey to liquid Gatorade (the powder is made with sugar).

I'm also prone to hypoglycemia, but I have never had a problem during a workout. That's been discussed here before and I think it's the consensus among all of us who have those issues. Your body processes simple sugars very differently during hard exertion than it does when you're watching TV and eating bonbons.

[grey]

I had this issue about a month ago. For me it was overtraining for too many weeks in a row. I took a few days off, and when I got back on the bike, I wasn't dead after a ride. Before that - I would be useless the rest of the day. I would eat and then crash for several hours, and I do NOT have time for that! A day in between to rest was not enough (then). Right now it is fine, but I've also leveled off my miles and am in better shape than I was.

[Dogmama]

I had this issue about a month ago. For me it was overtraining for too many weeks in a row. I took a few days off, and when I got back on the bike, I wasn't dead after a ride. Before that - I would be useless the rest of the day. I would eat and then crash for several hours, and I do NOT have time for that! A day in between to rest was not enough (then). Right now it is fine, but I've also leveled off my miles and am in better shape than I was.

Same here. I've had some of my spinning students tell me that they're wiped out too. I think it's partly the oppressive heat & dehydration for them. I read that overtraining, for most people, is difficult to achieve but many of us under-recover. That means days off need to be pleasant - not running around doing errands, cleaning house, etc. I don't think most of us have that luxury, but maybe we can work in a half day here & there.

[grey]

Hm, now that makes sense, Dogmama! I've always got ten million things to do, and most of them are not easy on the body (walking three dogs, remodeling a house, gardening, canning etc). Under-recovery is much more likely. :-)

[abejita]

So this weekend, hubs tried a couple of your suggestions. He brought more with him on his ride and ate it throughout his ride and not just at the two breaks that the group takes. He likes to make himself a shake when he gets back from a ride, but it is just milk and fruit. He added two scoops of protein powder to that and at his post ride meal after that. I have to say that he was much more alert!

Thanks for all the great advice!