Saturday I finally got on the bike and did my 31 mile ride, with a few detours due to flooding in the neighborhood. The intent was an easy, get-acquainted-with-the bike-again type ride. However, I kept the cadence as high as I could and the body responded exactly how I expected it to given the length of time sans exercise. The surprise was my neck and triceps were the most sore.
Sunday is the 360 ride and with a looming 33 mile State Championships, I wanted to give myself a good workout. Thus, rather than meandering along for the first eight minutes, I cranked up the revolutions and attacked. Perhaps attack is too strong, but it was quick. The computer read-out just gave speed, cadence, and heart-rate, not minutes and miles, and in the past I didn't look at the speed going up hills (it's so depressing to see single digits).
Realizing I didn't have complete real-time info, I hit the "lap" button so that the first half info wouldn't be swallowed up by the second half morass. My body was rebelling at current energy levels and even only half-way, the quads had lost their punch, and in another 15 minutes, I would face the tri-level dam-Steiner Ranch climb.
Well, I kept a decent cadence, having to resort to the small chain-ring, and made all three climbs and kept a fair speed on my way to Anderson Mill Rd. Turning onto Anderson Mill proved the last straw for my left hamstring. I tried letting it hang and just use my right leg, but the right quad then cramped. Ok, I gave up and stopped, propped the bike against a telephone pole and sat down, gingerly, to let the protesting parts rest and recover.
It only took five minutes, maybe less, before I mounted up to ride the last couple of miles. The short rest did the trick, and I soft-pedaled to the car without incident.
Nice story, you might say, but what's the point? Ah! The first half of the ride turned out to be 13 minutes faster than my previous best. This included nine tough hills, so, cramps in the second half notwithstanding, I'm pretty pleased at the result.
PS, I have changed the computer read-out to show time and mileage also (I really like my Garmin 305). Immediate feedback on training rides is important.
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I used to get bad cramps. I found some effervescent tablets to add to your bidon called High Five Zeros which add the essentials salts without extra carbs. There's another product called Nuuns which is similar, though I haven't tried it.
ReplyDeleteThese have transformed my cycling, particularly the night cramps I got afterwards but also during the ride.
I carry tablets in my Camelbak, but unfortunately, left it, and Moose, at home. For home use, we drink pickle juice. It is quite effective on night cramps.
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