20 miles!

[qcuthbert]

I completed my first 20 miles today. I did it in 2 hrs which was weird because I was at 10 miles in 40 min. I really enjoyed it. What are some suggestions to make for my ride and some after my ride? Oh I decided to do a half century ride in the fall!

[qcuthbert]

[Catrin]

Congratulations and enjoy the ride! It isn't so weird that your second 20 was slower, terrain can change, and you may have been tiring before you realized it. Your first 20 miles ride is a great milestone!

[ny biker]

Great!! We had a bit of a breeze today not to mention crazy humidity. That sort of thing can slow you down.

Make sure you're drinking enough in this hot weather. As your rides get longer you'll also want some snacks, including something salty when it's hot out.

[Owlie]

Good job!

Snacks and plenty of water/some kind of sports drink. Gatorade/Powerade will work in a pinch, but I find them too sweet and lacking in other electrolytes beyond sodium. After the ride, salty snacks and protein. (I love beef jerky for this purpose, and I get the spicy stuff to "trick" myself into drinking a bit more water.)

[lauraelmore1033]

Go You! You look radiant.

[Sky King]

Could have been a wind factor too. Whenever I am just cruising along enjoying myself I try to remember to do a wind check (look for flags or simply turn around and ride a couple hundred yards) let's me be realistic so I don't run out of steam if I am doing an out and back

[netskyblue]

Wow congrats! 20 miles is my goal for this season (my first season riding). So far, my max has been about 13 1/2. What's your next goal?

[qcuthbert]

Ok. Yeah it was so humid still is this time of night. I caught a headache about 1hr or so into it. It was awesome. I will make sure to get snacks or some electrolytes.

[ny biker]

Snacks are for energy, and the electrolytes are to keep your body chemistry safe. You need both. Electrolyte imbalance iis dangerous.

Hyponatremia link.

When they mention cutting back on water, they mean in relation to the amount of sodium in your blood. Don't restrict water!

Conveniently, Nancy Clark has a recent blog post that's relevant. http://blog.nancyclarkrd.com/2015/06...-summer-sweat/

[salsabike]

Conveniently, Nancy Clark has a recent blog post that's relevant. http://blog.nancyclarkrd.com/2015/06...-summer-sweat/

Very sensible, what Nancy Clark has to say about sodium. Thanks for posting that link. I know there will be some exceptions--racing, ultra endurance events, climate, individual differences, etc.--but still, her advice on this makes good sense to me.

[azfiddle]

Way to go- just keep riding and adding a little more. Terrain, heat, energy- all kinds of things can affect your speed. Keep it up - and all that advice about hydration, electrolytes and nutrition are good.

[qcuthbert]

Riding makes me happy. I feel like it's my way of freeing my body and getting back to be mobile without so much pain. I am grateful I found it.

[lauraelmore1033]

Riding makes me happy. I feel like it's my way of freeing my body and getting back to be mobile without so much pain. I am grateful I found it.

I could have written those words myself! Actually, I think you touched on how a lot of us feel about cycling.

[smittykitty]

Kinda like being a kid again! Welcome, but be careful, cycling can be very addictive.