LoriRose

Elapsed time for the ride was 5hrs. I averaged 17km/hr on strava, but, remember, I had to walk for 20 minutes.

Before I left for the ride I ate 3 eggs and a cookie (about 60g carbs).
After about an hour and 15, I had a granola bar, which was 21 grams of carbs.
An another hour and 15 I had two more cookies. So 120 grams.
An hour later, one more cookie.
20 minutes later is when the brain fog set in.

It wasn't too cold, around 5C. Just my feet were numb. I was fine unless I stopped moving. When I took 10 minutes halfway to stretch and eat I got cold fast.

I think you are right about the dark. My mind was playing tricks on me as I was straining to see. Most of my ride was lit, but there were unlit bike paths as I was approaching the end of my ride where things just got funky! Luckily, the last bit of my ride is through downtown which is very well lit.

I am very disappointed as my goal was to do 100km before the winter and now I can't see that happening after the way my body responded last time. I'm a little nervous to do another long ride.

Carbonfiberboy 

I've long since discovered that one can't get frostbit feet as long as the temperature is above 0° C. Sure feels like it, though. Not a fan of numb feet. A stopgap measure is toe warmers. I buy them by the case: Amazon.com : HotHands Toe Warmers : Sports & Outdoors The real cure for cold feet in winter is winter MTB boots. I have a pair of Lakes. Wonderful but expensive.

I'm going back to my previous suggestion. I call it the drip method of feeding. No ups and downs, just constant carb calories coming in. The once an hour thing is hammering on your pancreas. For instance a Clif Bar: 250 calories but only ~43g carbs. I break them into 4 pieces and eat a piece every 15' minutes. Back when I ate solid food, I used to eat 6 of them on a double century plus rest stop food.

So that was a 4 hour ride: you were making good time, good for you. By the 60g/hour estimate, that would be 4 bottles of Ensure so you'd put 2 in your saddle bag. Don't get the Ensure Plus - it has more fat, which is what you don't want. My wife gets by on fewer calories, but you might need more.

As I ride, I look at the bottle - I always use translucent bottles - and see if I'm eating enough. At the rate you specify, a 480 calorie bottle would be gone in 2 hours or so. I'll guess that you don't really need that many calores - that'll probably get you 3 hours. So I'd look after an hour and make sure it was 1/3 gone.

The breakfast was light and then you didn't eat enough after. 400 calories is a number that's easy to remember for breakfast. Oatmeal is common: if you cook a cup of rolled oats, sweeten it up with lots of brown sugar, add butter and whole milk, you'd be pretty close. Half-and-half is extra marvelous.

LoriRose

Thanks for the advice. Seems so complicated! ugh. I think it's best I stick to the comfort and safety of the indoor trainer for now. At least if I'm feeling for a nap I can easily throw in the towel and take one. The feeling of being stuck out in the cold with zero energy to get home is not a fun one.

Garfield Cat

Try not to make riding over complicated.

LoriRose

Resurrecting this thread! I'll try and sum it up and bring everyone up to date so you don't have to re-read the entire thread...

Last year I had just got back into biking and was doing long-distance rides once a week as well as commuting and doing shorter mountain rides weekly. My end goal is to do 200km from Ottawa to Montreal, alone, unsupported. My longest ride to date was 82km last fall and it nearly killed me as I was unprepared for the cold and the dark. Shorty after that I had a nasty, NASTY fall on my tailbone so I had to end my season.

Fast-forward to this year...

Was slow to get started and haven't been riding as much per week as I did last year because I've been super busy with a new job. I've really only been commuting and doing my long-distance rides once a week if I'm lucky. I completed 70km today, the longest so far this year, and it was quite frankly a breeze (though my last ride of 63km wasn't as easy - I think it was the heat).

So, what I'm wondering is when should I have a go at the 200km? How much more do I need to increase to before I can tackle it? Do I have to hit say 150km first to be ready? I know I haven't given a lot of info, but I really have no clue so any advice is welcome. If I need to provide more info just ask!

I'm 37, 5'8", 150 lbs in good, but not amazing shape.

Thanks!

Machka 

No, you do not have to hit 150 km first to be ready. But I would suggest that doing 100 km would be a good idea ... and doing 100 km two or three times would be an even better idea ... and getting a ride of about 120 km in there wouldn't be a bad plan either.

The reasons for that are:

-- saddle time. What still feels comfortable at 70 km might not feel comfortable at 110 km, and will be really uncomfortable by 200 km. But if you get up to the 100 km distance a few times, you can sort out some of the fit issues and things which you might encounter.

-- nutrition. You can do a 70 km ride on little to no food and maybe a couple bottles of water. But when you get up to 200 km, you've got to have some good food and water habits in place. A few 100 kms will give you a chance to try out different foods to see what works and what doesn't ... and then develop those habits.

-- environment. Doing a few 100 kms will also give you a chance to ride in different environments ... cool weather, rain, wind, blazing sunshine, heat, hills, wind, more wind. Especially if you make a commitment to go out every Saturday and ride a 100 km for a month, no matter what's going on out there (unless it's really awful or dangerous ... we moved one of our recent 100 kms from Saturday to Sunday because that Saturday was howling wind, pouring rain, snow at slightly higher elevations, and the high for the day reached something like 6C. We figured we were risking hypothermia if we went.) This will give you experience, and allow you to experiment with clothing and equipment.

inspclouseau

Personally I like the 10% rule, maybe a bit more aggressive than 10%. I think it also depends how well you want to feel at the finish line.

My longer weekend rides are 30 to 35 miles on Saturdays and 45 miles on Sundays. This has been my schedule for months and the 45 miles ride is really no big deal.

I recently extended my 35 miles to 66 one Saturday since I was feeling good that day. Yes, I made my goal of the day but it was not fun at all to be honest. Environment was definitely a factor as it was particularly hot that day, and I probably should have left earlier in the morning than I did.

But as I gear up to get towards the 100 mile mark, I'll be adding miles on to my long days slowly, 5 to 10 miles at a time.

So, in my very humble opinion, and admitted lack of experience, I would say one is ready when they can comfortably do 75 to 80℅ of goal.

Carbonfiberboy 

My rule of thumb is that it's possible to do one ride that's equal in length to your week's ride totals for the previous few weeks. IOW if you ride a total of 200k a week for 3-4 weeks in a row, you can theoretically ride a 200k. The theory breaks down if the rider in unacquainted with the hydration and fueling requirements of a long ride or the danger signs of doing it wrong w/r to pacing or said hydration and fueling. In which case, longer prep rides are a really good idea. I sure wouldn't try one unless I could ride 100k full bore all the way, still climbing at lactate threshold on the last hill. But that's me - I'm a performance hound.

You're riding, but are you doing hill intervals? Really stressing your legs and lungs? Intervals are not only about speed, but also about not having these items not pack it in after many hours.

I like 200k schedules where one rolls out just before dawn and finishes before dark. Sunrise is beautiful. Riding in the dark when you're tired sucks. It's good to have a large enough saddle bag to store wind jacket, vest, spare gloves, and the usual self-support items.

LoriRose

Thanks for the advice guys. I think the reason my 70km ride was a breeze is because I have figured out that I need to stop more often for short breaks. Before I was trying to see how long I could go before needing a break, but now that I take 5 - 10 minutes every hour or so the ride is much more manageable. I'm not concerned about speed and if I have to take 20 breaks on the 200km, so be it.

I plan to leave Ottawa in the morning, not too early because I am not a morning person and I have most of my energy in the evening. It will be dark when I reach Montreal, but because I am riding toward home I will be more comfortable in familiar surroundings in the dark.

I think I will do as Machka suggested. Work up to 100km, do that a few times, then a 120km, rest and then go for the 200km. My only problem is I'm going on vacation to Spain for 2 weeks in September and will somehow have to work in a long ride on a rental bike while there. That'll be interesting to say the least!