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Just A Bad Day ??

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Just A Bad Day ??

Old 06-05-20, 07:05 AM
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Ronno6
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Just A Bad Day ??

Weight is falling...down 43# since early Feb. thru interval fasting and exercise.
Riding performance has been ramping up as well.
Feeling stronger, faster, farther, etc...
Til recently.

Last week I did 3 days in a row: Thursday 30 mile solo; Friday 26 mile solo and Saturday 30 miles with my usual buddy.
The first 2 rides were good solo rides for me; Saturday's was good for the first 20, then I ran smack into the Wall !
I really had to drag my butt back home.....

So, after a rest day on Sunday, we went back at it on Monday. OK ride.
Tuesday, OK ride.
Wednesday, off.
Thursday..........disaster seemed to strike.
Just couldn't get going, and my HR seemed to go up and stay up.
This ride, compared to the last time we did it 2 weeks ago, avg speed was down .6mph, but average HR was UP by 9 bpm !!
And I felt like crap..........shoulders and neck sore again just like they were when coming back after a 2 year layoff!
Before Monday and Tuesday's rides, I drank a bottle Ensure 2 hrs pre ride. Thursday, I tried Boost.
Could that have made the difference??
Or, was I just having a bad day ??

Feeling crappy the rest of the morning and into afternoon, I decided to break my fasting and eat something.
I didn't lose nor gain any weight yesterday, but did feel batter after eating..........
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Old 06-05-20, 08:05 AM
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It sounds like an extra rest day was called for.
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Old 06-05-20, 08:47 AM
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Speculation but you maybe you need more rest and/or food after 2 days of 25-30 mile rides. Hitting that 3rd ride in a row seems to be stressing your body.

Losing 43 pounds in 4 months is impressive but you’re in a big deficit so that would impact recovery as well I would think.

Youll find a balance.


I have been doing 15-20 mile rides with intervals incorporated. I do these rides on Tues, Thurs, Sat, and then a less intense ride Sunday. On the off days I do strength training.

Ive been steadily losing weight but did it with a pretty small calorie deficit daily. I imagine a big calorie deficit and fasting combined with burning all those calories could impact your recovery a bit.
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Old 06-05-20, 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by CyclingBK
Speculation but you maybe you need more rest and/or food after 2 days of 25-30 mile rides. Hitting that 3rd ride in a row seems to be stressing your body.

Losing 43 pounds in 4 months is impressive but you’re in a big deficit so that would impact recovery as well I would think.
A car doesn't run well when the tank's empty. A bike doesn't either, and the tank can either be available glycogen and blood sugar, or rest.
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Old 06-05-20, 10:33 AM
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A motor has got to have fuel and fluids.
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Old 06-05-20, 12:48 PM
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Yup.. I understand the gas analogies..............
The only thing in my routine which I changed was the intake of the protein drink 2 hours before riding............
I had previously read where the body should have sufficient glycogen stores for 2 hours of exercise.........the Ensure or Boost
should have added to that...................

(and, no, 30 miles does not take me 2 hours..........)

So, after a rest day today, I may try the Boost again tomorrow to see if the results repeat...........then I may have a clue.

Sunday and Monday may be forced rest days due to Cristobol...
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Old 06-05-20, 10:29 PM
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I disagree with all of the above. Low fuel = low HR. Too much for too long = low HR. However, dehydrated = high HR. It's really easy to get dehydrated on the bike. Some think they can make it up after the ride, but it doesn't work that way. Your body won't store water that's just dumped in. Riding for several days in a row, one really has to work at the hydration. Out on a 4 hour ride say, you pee after two hours, but maybe you don't have to pee again when you get home. Bad sign.

For sure, drinking before a ride helps, drinking food 2 hours before a ride helps the most. I drink 400 calories of a carb/protein drink for breakfast before rides of over 3 hours. During the ride, a bottle/hour is the usual rec, though I don't need that much, but everyone's different, and the PNW is not known for a lot of heat or humidity.

You're also not "bonking." Bonked, your HR won't get out of zone 1 and neither will your speed. You also can't normally get low on fuel from a 1.5 hour ride. After a 30 mile TT a recovery drink sure would be good, but usually a normal dinner and breakfast with normal carbs does the trick.

Dehydration raises HR because with less blood, the heart has to pump it faster. One of the reasons that conditioned athletes have low resting HR is high blood volume.
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Old 06-06-20, 10:40 AM
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Maybe I'll try hydrating more before each ride.
In the morning I usually drink 2 cups of coffee....caffeine is a diuretic, I know.....
I drink water every 2 miles..about 24oz in 20 miles.
I typically never have to urinate during or immediately after a ride....like my kidneys stop producing urine.It has always been thus.....

Today I did a 20 miler, again having drank a Boost 2 hours pre ride.
My performance level was back up to par
My perception was that my HR was higher than usual.
However, according to Strava's comparison to the times I have done this ride before,
average speed was about .1mph slower and my HR was 1 BPM higher than the last time we did it 2 weeks ago.

So, all things considered, I guess I just had a bad day on Thursday............
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Old 06-06-20, 12:55 PM
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It is useful to weigh yourself (best unclothed so sweaty bike clothes don't futz the weight) before and after a
ride in order to judge hydration, as any weight shift will be due to fluid loss. For me a ride with a weight drop of 3-4#
this time of year over 40-55 miles is typical and that is with drinking at least 1 oz fluid per mile. Glycogen stores
should be good for 30-40 miles, but daily rides will slowly deplete these even shorter ones if you are not
eating a lot after the ride. FWIW my usual wgt is 142 or so lbs.

For example: June 4: 40miles 83F at ride end, start wgt 141.5, end 138. June 6: 59miles, 84F at end
and start 143#, end 138.6#, felt reasonably functional at end of ride but did not want to do any yard
work.

Last edited by sch; 06-06-20 at 01:32 PM.
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