Yesterday, I watched Serena Williams win Olympic Gold in
Singles Tennis. I watched her dance her of
joy, and shout with glee. At that time I
was dealing with my own defeat, having not been able to complete the 30 mile
ride I had planned. At that time I was
researching the reason I was having stomach pains, and why I felt like my leg
were led from the start of my ride. I found
some very resourceful information, and a blog that was extremely helpful, Tuned In To Cycling (TITC). I will follow
this blogger, because he and his wife are both long distance cyclist, and they
provide information in a way that explains the science in a way that I can
understand. Because of this information I was able to go out again today, and do a full 30 mile ride. It was hard, but I was able to do it. I was dancing in my head, and definitely cheering myself on, LOUDLY, as I realized I was going to be able to complete the ride. As usual, the last 3 miles were killers, but completed. E-GO ME!
What I understand is that I was doing it ALL WRONG; initial
approach, action, and follow through, at least from the approach of NUTRITION.
My reason for riding the ElliptiGo was based in my need for
low-impact cardiovascular activity. I
use to jog. I did not LOVE doing it, but
I liked the result. I was never able to
run more than 4 miles, but the weight-loss was accelerated, and that was what I
wanted. Looking back, I hit a wall at 4
miles. At the time I had adopted a life
style and a way of eating that was healthy, but focused on weight loss. I noticed that sometimes I needed to eat more
in order to have the energy I needed.
Unlike jogging, I do love riding the E-Go. However, I have noticed that when I go over
20 miles, I hit a wall. My body just
gives out, like yesterday. I had hydration (Propel) and an energy gel, but from
the start I felt like I had led in my legs.
At 15 miles I felt ravenously hungry, and used the energy gel with
fluid. By mile 16 my stomach hurt and I
had the shakes, and the ride was prematurely over.
What I learned from the TITC blog that, because of my focus
on weight loss in my nutrition, my ride
was doomed form the start. I had not
eaten the right things at the right time after my ride on Friday, and the
energy in my muscles was low. I had
waited to ingest the energy gel when I was very hungry, when I needed to do so
before I felt hungry. I had not ingested
enough fluid when I took the energy gel, which most likely led to my stomach
pain. Also, Propel is good for general
hydration for short work-outs (less than 40 minutes in average heat), but for
long rides, carbohydrates and more electrolytes (Sodium and Potassium) are
needed.
So, without paraphrasing the TITC blog, I need to balance my
diet to allow for the energy needed for the ride, and if I do so wisely, I will
still lose weight. It can be a win-win.
The TITC blog has several posts that I found helpful:
- Dehydration and Over Hydration (Hyponatremia) for theCyclist
- Cycling in Heat and Humidity
- Cycling Nutrition: The Bonk
- Cycling Nutrition: Eating on the Bike
- Cycling Nutrition: Eating After the Ride
- Eating After the Ride Part 2
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