As we made the final push up Mt. Vernon (see recent post here), we had the sensation of our own "low fuel" lights coming on, and the quote above was heard. We were reminded of Coach David Ertl's advice for base-training: Don't forget to eat!
"Yeah, right, like you would ever forget to do that. But if you haven’t been doing much riding and all of a sudden start doing two hour rides, you may find yourself short of energy, especially if you aren’t eating enough carbohydrates to last you through your long rides. Short rides of 90 minutes or less don’t need much special nutritional preparation but once you start riding 2 hours or more, you will need to make sure you increase your carbs and make sure you eat 2-3 hours before your long rides. Although most of us have enough body fat to fuel a 2,000 mile ride, fat doesn’t burn fast enough by itself to keep you riding so you do need to make sure you have some carbs in your system. Failure to do so will result in low blood sugar, or, as we like to call it, the ‘bonk’" (http://ragbrai.com/2011/03/11/ragbrai-training-time-for-base-training/).
We've come a little too close to the "bonk" a few times, which has motivated us to do some research on healthy, hearty pre- and post-cycling eats. Our first step was to determine how many calories we've been burning on a roughly 4-hour ride. We set up accounts with My Fitness Pal, which has helped us estimate the number of calories burned, incorporating our individual weight, height, speed, etc. We were shocked that we were often burning upwards of 2,000 calories... no wonder we were so hungry!
This brings us to the importance of a solid pre-cycling meal. We've been guilty of rushing out the door after just an apple or banana, and we've paid the price! A quick Google search proved pretty informative: lots of tips about what and when to eat - check it out and let us know what you think. What are your favorite pre-exercise meals?
Now, what about eating on-the-go? While we are not advocating eating while cycling, it's important to have pit-stops for hydration and refueling. We're big DIY fans (and enjoy a little creative time in the kitchen), so we're going to try out the recipes in this post from Adventure Cycling.
I find that MyFitnessPal is WILDLY inaccurate with calorie counts. It'll often say I burned 2x as many calories as I did on a long run.
ReplyDeleteBefore long runs or an intense workout, I like either an English muffin with some peanut butter or a waffle. After, I like to rehydrate with fruit.
It seemed pretty accurate for my long run calorie count... I always eat a bagel and a couple eggs and some fruit about two hours before my long runs. You could also try to carry some gels or honey with you, in case you run low on fuel. They are always super clutch for me if I go further than like 14 miles.
ReplyDeleteThanks, friends!
ReplyDeleteHere's another helpful tip on the hydration topic:
"I always weigh myself before and after my long runs. For every pound you lose (which is really all fluid weight), you are supposed to drink 24 oz of water."