135K ride On Sunday - What should I be eating before hand
scottarm
Posts: 119
As the title says I am doing the attached event on Sunday with a group from work, I've completed a few 100ks before but have suffered from cramps (probably due to not drinking enough) so this time I want to prepare properly
http://www.lapthelough.org/
any advice welcome
Scott
http://www.lapthelough.org/
any advice welcome
Scott
0
Comments
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What you eat during is as important as what you eat before. Evening before eat some carbs (pasta, rice preferably). Eat well but don't go overboard. In the morning have a good breakfast of porridge or muesli or something like that.
When you are riding at a reasonable pace you have to replace lost calories if the ride is longer than an hour - 90 minutes. Eat/drink at least 500 calories an hour: energy drink, coke, cereal bars, bananas, flapjack, cake, bacon butties, crumpets, whatever you like. Also drink regularly - every 15 minutes take a drink and aim to get a litre an hour down.0 -
Good advice from Merak.
If you are suffering from cramps then it might be related to dehydration and sodium/electrolyte deficiency. I would recommend experimenting with something like Nuun tablets although I appreciate that you haven't left much time for solving that one. I use Nuun tablets fairly regularly as I am a very salty sweater (come back from rides with my face all white and encrusted with salt). An ice cold Coke can do wonders whilst out on a ride (certainly helped me when I felt very flat at one point at the w/e).
As to what to eat before, something that you have eaten before! Simple, not too spicey carbohydrate rich meal like pasta or rice the night before (don't go mad and try and eat a mountain) and a decent breakfast about 2 hours before the ride.
Enjoy your ride, hope it goes well.0 -
This is a slightly personal choice but I make up some pesto pasta/chicken/tomato and put it in a box and have that before my MTB marathons/during 24hr races. Works well and proper food has a less disastrous effect on ones digestive system as some energy products can have (over 24hrs)We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
merak wrote:What you eat during is as important as what you eat before. Evening before eat some carbs (pasta, rice preferably). Eat well but don't go overboard. In the morning have a good breakfast of porridge or muesli or something like that.
When you are riding at a reasonable pace you have to replace lost calories if the ride is longer than an hour - 90 minutes. Eat/drink at least 500 calories an hour: energy drink, coke, cereal bars, bananas, flapjack, cake, bacon butties, crumpets, whatever you like. Also drink regularly - every 15 minutes take a drink and aim to get a litre an hour down.
The first section here is spot on, but I think the second section is a bit (or a lot) overkill. You don't need to take on as much as 500 cals per hour. You'll be lucky if you are burning much more than 600 cals per hour, even going at a decent pace, especially in a group. 200 to 300 cals per hour should be more than enough to see you through a ride this long, as long as you've had a good breakfast. Your body can only take on so much anyway (I can't recall how much exactly, but it's less than 500 cals per hour, maybe 300 to 400?).
Have a good breakfast (porridge is excellent, at least 60g serving, maybe up to 100g even, with milk) and you'll be well set for your ride. After that just make sure you drink enough (500ml per hour at least, but 1l per hour sounds like a lot - I sweat quite a lot and I don't drink 1l per hour). To avoid cramps, make sure you use some form of electrolyte drinks, either hydration tablets or energy drinks. For eating, just have something modest each hour or so, like bananas, cereal/energy bars, sandwich, etc. Avoid anything too fatty (harder to digest), or too sugary (can cause energy spikes then troughs).
Good luck!0 -
You're right - I was thinking one small bidon an hour and they are not 1l.Of course this also depoends on how hot it is, how hard you're going and how much you are sweating.dgstewart wrote:
. After that just make sure you drink enough (500ml per hour at least, but 1l per hour sounds like a lot - I sweat quite a lot and I don't drink 1l per hour).merak wrote:....every 15 minutes take a drink and aim to get a litre an hour down.0 -
Agreed, it does depend on effort/temperature/etc. Just that I sweat/drink more than most people I ride with, and even I rarely get through more than 750 ml per hour. Maybe I should though, when it's really hot! It also depends a bit on how hydrated you are to start with.0
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well the 135K completed yesterday, thanks for the advice I managed the day with no cramps, and had plenty of energy the whole day
managed the ride in 5 hr 18min, not the quickest but I'm happy with it!
taking it easy today, just plan to stuff my face I'm starving!0 -
scottarm wrote:well the 135K completed yesterday, thanks for the advice I managed the day with no cramps, and had plenty of energy the whole day
managed the ride in 5 hr 18min, not the quickest but I'm happy with it!
taking it easy today, just plan to stuff my face I'm starving!
Well done - it was a bit windy yesterday!!
i did it in 5hrs last year and 4&1/2 this year - so keep at it0
