The wall !! any help PLEASE

andy05

this is my first post, so here goes .
i am training for a 150 miles charity event and have been training as much as i can cycle wise what is 2-3 times a week, one of these being a 50 miles + ride .
i also do cardiovascular and gym work 6 days a week, so im very fit. I would like to cycle train more but im in secondary school studying for GCSE
however are there any tips for batteling through the WALL( hitting the wall) , im finding it incredibly hard to battle through it and carry on cycling at a reasonable pace ?
so any help and tips would help alot
thanks guys

Jonathan15

Why would you want to hit the wall?! It is not good!

andy05

thanks for the comment , but i no its not good . but im asking for help once i have hit it ..
how to combat hitting the wall and what can be done to help >??

azzerb

Make sure you keep hydrated and eat properly.

I don't use things like energy gels etc for normal rides, but for the Polka Dot Gran Fondo i'll be taking energy gels and putting powder in my drink (maybe).

LeighB

I’ve hit the wall after about four hours without food, its not nice but you can keep on going (had to get home) at a reduced pace. I find it best to eat before I go out and if I anticipate the ride being over three hours try to plan a route with a shop/stop of some sort. This can be quite beneficial as its good to have a stretch off the bike on long runs like this. Prevention is better than cure, either take something with you or plan a ‘pit stop’ on route.

ash68

Hi Andy, i find a big bowl of porridge for breakfast, along with some toast and a glass of water to wash it all down with really gives me a good base for sustained energy. after that i tend to have cereal bars, home made flapjacks, raisons, jam sarnies etc to eat, A couple of bottles of energy drink really helps too. I use High 5 but obviously there are other alternatives. Try to eat and drink little and often, don't wait until you're hungry or thirsty as it's generally too late by then IMO

a_n_t

jelly babies, fig rolls, jam butties and bananas!

ut_och_cykla

PAcing and food on the go is the key. Don't go out mad hard - you'll run out of puff much quicker (especially if reserves are already low from previous days training) and eat/drink on the go from the start - little and often of teh things suggested by ash 68 adn others. A bit of experimentation might be needed to find out what suits you though.
Have fun!

clanton

Andy also be aware of overdoing it - given 6 days a week in the gym and 3 training rides per week you may actually simply be struggling with exhaustion. Adding in another rest day (what people refer to as "pasive training") might be beneficial.

andy05

thanks guys for all the help , clanton... that training is on a hectic week , but can vary considerably.

tyhanks guys really helped

Blonde

ut_och_cykla wrote:

PAcing and food on the go is the key. Don't go out mad hard - you'll run out of puff much quicker (especially if reserves are already low from previous days training) and eat/drink on the go from the start - little and often of teh things suggested by ash 68 adn others. A bit of experimentation might be needed to find out what suits you though.
Have fun!

I agree with this. Most people ride far too hard. The problem with doing that is that the faster/more intensely you ride, the quicker you will use up carbs. In order to use fewer carbs and use a bit more fat (ie. not hit the wall so quickly) you'll have to slow down a bit. This is the key to ALL endurance sports, not just cycling. Most people don't want to hear this, because they think that faster/harder is better, but it aint so, not for building endurance anyway, which is what your aim is at the moment. You can always work on speed once you are up to the distance. It's not just about running out of energy though; riding hard also makes your muscles tire to fatigue more quickly, because you're using more of the 'fast twitch' muscle fibres which are for sprinting and speed work. These fatigue more quickly than the endurance fibres, which are referred to as 'slow twitch' and can keep going for longer.

andy05

thanks blonde, helps allot. and yer i have more fast twitch than slow twitch
but its hard as u can understand that once your cycling not to go at what you believe to be a good pace. my average ranges from 14-16 m,ph for me
??