Nutrition- Early morning rides

jocksyboy

Please bear with me on this difficult to explain properly.

Even though I'm generally a morning person - getting up 5.30 most weekday mornings, when it comes to club runs or early morning rides I always seem to suffer from near bonking or very tight muscles no matter what nutrition strategy I take on.

Things i have tried: porridge 2 hrs before ride followed by more porridge an hour before and toast jam etc

Pasta with sauce 2 hours before
Energy drink 800 ml 45 minutes before ride &after either of the above

extra gels or cereal bars just before starting the ride before ride &after either of the above

probably 7 out of 10 times feel pretty rough for first 2 hours of a 3 to 4 hour ride then mostly begin to feel good , sometimes excellent sometimes feel absolutely b***ered when i get home though with muscle aches and lethargy

factors which don't seem to have any influence are temperature or intensity of ride

However if I go out PM I never have this problem at all.

Any pointers?

fuzzynavel

jocksyboy wrote:

However if I go out PM I never have this problem at all.

Any pointers?

That would say to me that you are short of useable fuel in the morning. Do you eat enough in the evening before the ride? Are you riding 2 days in a row without refuelling sufficiently. Is your diet too low in carbs (good stuff) to allow your glycogen to replenish?
You could just be going out too hard and fast.
I often get very achy muscles for the first 20 minutes of a ride(at any time of the day) and I have to try and push through. It gets a lot better after that to keep the same pace with lower perceived exertion.
Another factor could be that you are conscious of being low in fuel so you make an extra effort to fuel up. you then end up still digesting when you start the ride leading to the lethargy that you mentioned.

Blonde

Are you getting enough sleep and/or rest the day before? You need to get a good nights sleep as well as enough chill out time before bed each day if you are cycling the morning after. You may find that you can't do back to back rides (every day) or other exercise the day before a ride, because you take longer than 24 hours to recover between ride/exercise sessions. I also agree that you need to eat well all day, every day - Don't forget to eat enough high quality protein and "good" fats for energy and for muscle recovery between rides. It's not all about a high carbohydrate diet, which can make you feel bloated, sluggish and tired. It's surpirsing to me that many people exercise frequently and at high intensity yet don't eat enough high quality protein, because they think that they only need to concentrate on carbs. Try to avoid blood sugar spikes and corresponding troughs by eating regular balanced meals (not just high sugar carbs like white pasta or white bread). I find I need little fuel whilst on the bike these days, after adressing my previous low sugar problems, through better diet (lowered carbs, increased quality protein). I can now go for up to 6 hours without eating on the bike (I don't use energy drink, just electrolytes) whereas in the past I had to eat every two hours, even when simply sitting at work, or I felt weak, cold and faint! It might be worth checking the GI count of the foods you're eating and trying to get a better balance of low and medium GI foods to ensure a steadier supply of energy.

Bear in mind that it is also quite normal to take a while (an hour is not uncommon) to warm up when out riding - especially at this time of year!

jocksyboy

Rest wise adequate although could always be more....

previous nights meals- i am vegetarian so any combination of vegetable sauces with beans tofu and quinoa or pasta often with salads. I'll have to say I (in the past often ate too much) but now I have an adequate amount for my size- that hasn't seemingly had an effect as i have lots/ too little /early and late and all with similar results.

i suppose I could get up even earlier but I don't want too if I can help it

fuzzynavel

jocksyboy wrote:

Rest wise adequate although could always be more....

previous nights meals- i am vegetarian

There's your problem!!! Eat some meat!

** Puts on flame proof suit and waits for the fire to rain down** :twisted:

chriskempton

As well as porridge, have some wholemeal toast with honey. For some reason this works better for me than just having more porridge.

It sounds like you should also try some quality snacking close to bedtime. Don't know when you have your dinner, but I'd guess 12 hours before breakfast, which is a long time with nowt. Have something slow release carb-y before bed.

ConsciousPilot

You could try adding chopped nuts, dates & sultanas (or other dried fruits) into the porridge. Looks like muesli before you add the water and cook.

jocksyboy

i won't rise to the meat remark!

I'll try other suggestions but still think something else is the key.

Just don't know what!

fuzzynavel

jocksyboy wrote:

i won't rise to the meat remark!

I'll try other suggestions but still think something else is the key.

Just don't know what!

Said in jest mate......it's your choice and nobody should force you either way.

bluecow

fuzzynavel wrote:

jocksyboy wrote:

i won't rise to the meat remark!

I'll try other suggestions but still think something else is the key.

Just don't know what!

Said in jest mate......it's your choice and nobody should force you either way.

Mmmm bacon.

singlespeedexplosif

if god had wanted us to be vegetarian, he wouldn't have made animals out of meat.

fuzzynavel

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

if god had wanted us to be vegetarian, he wouldn't have made animals out of meat.

LOL....look what I have started!