Food q

[crazycanuck]

Hey,

In about a month or so (move to new house) we'll be commuting to work. I work at 730am & will have to leave around 530-545am as i have a 15km ride ahead of me.

My question to you ladies is, do you have a snack before you commute? Do you have breakfast before or after your commute?

Dunno if anyone bikes the same distance each morning?

Just wondering...

c

[Geonz]

Know yourself.

I have a bagel and cheese and a large glass of tea, or something a lot like that each morning. If I'm riding a lot in general, I'll make sure to toss a glass of something else liquid down, too - lemonade, gatorade, water, wahtever.

My commute is about 12 km. and takes about 40 minutes (depending on traffic). Okay, 35 but if I admit that then I"ll leave even later and be late to work My record's 28. (I gotta get that speedo fixed!)

I'm not a "morning person," though - I need the bagel 'cause the tea will rebound on an empty stomach (and the signals aren't the same when you're riding a bike - finding that out the hard way totally grossed out at least one driver, I'm sure!) but I can do 10 miles or so without fuel, no problem.

Then I'm fine 'til lunch, though I sometimes munch on something aout 10:00 or so (um, should I admit my Pop-Tart habit now?)

How is your route? Hilly? Trafficky?

[DebW]

I eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast whether I ride or not. I try to get the breakfast down at least 30 minutes before I leave or I sometimes get a bit of indigestion. Luckily my 13 mile (21 km) 50 minute ride doesn't have any major uphills in the first 25 minutes. I'm often ready for a snack by 10:30, but sometimes I make it til 11:30 and lunch. There is nowhere around my office to buy food, so I wouldn't want to have to carry breakfast and lunch on my bike.

[DeniseGoldberg]

My commute is usually 18 miles in to work and 20 to 24 miles back home again. I always eat breakfast before I leave - cereal with fresh fruit plus toast and peanut butter. And then I eat yogurt when I get to the office and have a mid-morning snack too.

I can't imagine riding that kind of distance (or the distance you are suggesting) without food!

--- Denise

[tulip]

Everyone is different. My commute is 14 miles (22 km) and I normally don't have breakfast until I get to the office (actually the coffee shop near my office). But a cafe recently opened near my house, so I've gone there before my ride for coffee and a muffin. I've been fine both ways. I find it more important what I eat the night before.

[Tater]

I find it more important what I eat the night before.

Good point, tulip! I find this true as well! I can certainly tell when I didn't get enough carbs.

[mimitabby]

I always eat before my commute because i know i won't eat at work.
If i was going somewhere where there was food, i wouldn't need to eat before i left. with your commute, i'd say it was borderline (whether or not i needed to eat first)

[Tater]

This might be something you may have to experiment with. Unlike Geonz, I cannot do my morning ride on anything more than a glass of something wet and maybe a piece of toast, otherwise I feel like I am going to hork it all over the road. But I haul my food items for the day with me anyway and will graze once I get settled in at my desk. I make sure that when I get to work, to have some carbs and a bit of protien. Sometimes this is a bit of chocolate milk, other times, bagle, fruit and a piece of string cheese. I have a 19 km commute each way and with traffic lights and all, it takes about an hour each way. I found it helpful to drink en route and to make sure to hydrate through the day. I get tired and headache-y if I don't.

[KnottedYet]

Yeah, know what your stomach likes... don't gross out the cars (ewwww )

I eat a gigantic breakfast with 3 or 4 cups of coffee. Usually I don't eat "breakfast" food, cuz it's not burly enough. I need HUGE food: baked potato, steamed broccoli, sausage, scrambled eggs with cheese. Or salmon and rice and salad. (I eat dinner for breakfast, really)

when I get to work I eat something right away and drink a bottle of water. Usually I eat something sugary, like a Payday bar or chocolate or a banana. I can usually get that done while I'm changing into my work clothes/shoes and putting away my bike stuff.

A couple hours later (before lunch) I often need another snack.

I eat a small lunch and a small dinner.

[Quillfred]

Hey,

In about a month or so (move to new house) we'll be commuting to work. I work at 730am & will have to leave around 530-545am as i have a 15km ride ahead of me.

c

Hey crazycanuck, does that mean you ended up buying that house you posted? Congrats!

I drink a yogurt drink about 20 minutes prior to take off. During the summer I also like having water with the Clif's Electrolyte mix as I sweat like a fiend and notice I feel better. I read that the 30 minutes of post recovery is the most important time to replenish muscles with glucose, so I usually eat a sports bar while I'm washing up and changing into work clothes. Now mind you, I am probably overkill.....

[divingbiker]

Usually I don't eat anything before my 7.5 mile ride to work, mostly because I take a medication that requires that I not eat for an hour after taking it. I don't have time to wait around for an hour and then eat, or I'd be late to work. If I feel like I need something, I'll eat a half a luna bar right before I leave. Once I get to work, I eat cereal with fresh fruit and soy milk, and some veggie sausage. It tastes so good after working up a sweat!

[postiechic]

i get up at 3.30am.....not really feeeling like food then. My ride to work is 16.5km. I take all my food to work and enjoy eating brekky after a shower and while i get stuck into the workload. On the other hand, if I woke up hungry then an apple or sutmhin would do till i got to work.

[Crankin]

My commute from my previous house was 6.8 miles, with moderate climbing for the second half. I ate a somewhat smaller than normal breakfast (cereal or oatmeal) and fruit, I can't have coffee that close to riding time or it's big trouble. So i would get my coffee at work and also, bring something else to eat after i arrived, usually protein. Then I would eat half of a Clif bar before going home. BTW, I know someone who for years has done 5:45 AM spin classes with no food before. She decided to go out for a ride this way one morning last summer and was found by the police, by the side of the road, totally bonked and unconscious (yes, she was wearing a helmet). So, be aware that a little change in what you do may require a change in your eating habits.