Riding in the Heat? Don’t Forget to Eat

[acc]

I learned two important lessons this week. Of course I learned them the hard way because the easy way is not nearly as much fun.

1. Eat and Drink
I was so focused on staying hydrated in the heat I miscalculated my chow. There I was riding along terribly proud for having enough water on the bike.

“Ride, ride, ride. I can ride when it’s hot. That’s because I’m super smart.” Boink.

“OMG, I’m going to die. Right here. Now. I am an idiot.”

2. Try Out Your New Race Gear Before You Race

I am modest. No, really I am, stop laughing. I bought a jogging skirt with short shorts to run in a 10K on Saturday evening. I bought them Saturday afternoon. I swear I tied the drawstring. But after five miles the skirt was heavy with sweat. A kind woman on roller blades whizzed by me and yelled, “Your skirt is sliding down in back.” Not my best moment. At all.

Topic

[KLizotte]

@acc 26737 wrote:

2. Try Out Your New Race Gear Before You Race

I am modest. No, really I am, stop laughing. I bought a jogging skirt with short shorts to run in a 10K on Saturday evening. I bought them Saturday afternoon. I swear I tied the drawstring. But after five miles the skirt was heavy with sweat. A kind woman on roller blades whizzed by me and yelled, “Your skirt is sliding down in back.” Not my best moment. At all.

Pics or it didn’t happen!

[krazygl00]

Forgetting to eat? This is not a problem for me.

[GuyContinental]

@acc 26737 wrote:

I was so focused on staying hydrated in the heat I miscalculated my chow. There I was riding along terribly proud for having enough water on the bike.

“Ride, ride, ride. I can ride when it’s hot. That’s because I’m super smart.” Boink.

“OMG, I’m going to die. Right here. Now. I am an idiot.”

No joke- I totally and absolutely know better but I really almost keeled over on Friday 10 miles from home. Same deal- hydrated like mad all day (feeling smug) but ate a grand total of 300 calories all day and then went for a wee 10 mile CX jaunt through LFP in the middle of my 25 mile commute on a pretty hot day. Bonked really really hard after the Hunter Mill climb on the WO&D, limped home and was sick & lethargic most of the weekend. No good.

Can’t speak to the skirt but the first tri I did I wore bike shorts with a stretched waist for the swim… actually I only wore them for part of the swim. Oops.

[krazygl00]

@GuyContinental 26757 wrote:

No joke- I totally and absolutely know better but I really almost keeled over on Friday 10 miles from home. Same deal- hydrated like mad all day (feeling smug) but ate a grand total of 300 calories all day and then went for a wee 10 mile CX jaunt through LFP in the middle of my 25 mile commute on a pretty hot day. Bonked really really hard after the Hunter Mill climb on the WO&D, limped home and was sick & lethargic most of the weekend. No good.

Can’t speak to the skirt but the first tri I did I wore bike shorts with a stretched waist for the swim… actually I only wore them for part of the swim. Oops.

LFP? We need an acronym guide. Never have I seen so many acronyms for local trails and places — MVT, 4MR, CCT, etc. — than I have since joining this forum. I still have to think a few seconds before I remember each one.

[Jason]

Clothing is overrated anyway. Eating is not.

[dasgeh]

@Jason 26790 wrote:

Clothing is overrated anyway. Eating is not.

So you’re the one on the trail naked with gels stuck all over your quads?

[jabberwocky]

@krazygl00 26774 wrote:

LFP? We need an acronym guide. Never have I seen so many acronyms for local trails and places — MVT, 4MR, CCT, etc. — than I have since joining this forum. I still have to think a few seconds before I remember each one.

LFP=Lake Fairfax Park (I’m pretty sure).

The confusing one is CCT, because we have both the Capital Crescent Trail and also the Cross County Trail.

[baiskeli]

Great advice, Ann. I noticed the same thing myself in this heat. You can have plenty of water, but the heat will still kill you if you don’t eat enough. Easy to forget because it’s not as obvious.

[Jason]

@dasgeh 26791 wrote:

So you’re the one on the trail naked with gels stuck all over your quads?

Not just on my quads!

DAMNIT, now I have to take a different route…

[GuyContinental]

@baiskeli 26793 wrote:

Great advice, Ann. I noticed the same thing myself in this heat. You can have plenty of water, but the heat will still kill you if you don’t eat enough. Easy to forget because it’s not as obvious.

And I used this thread as justification to eat:

1 banana- 100
2 yogurts- 240
2 granola bars- 200
1 bag veggie chips- 130
1 lean cuisine (I’m cheap…) – 250
3l water
= 920 calories via all-day grazing

I’m probably still (well) short on protein and calories in general- riding 3+ hours a day at my height, age and weight I probably need in the neighborhood of 5,000 calories to stay on top of weight loss… yikes, I need to take advantage of my next “car day” to scoot to CostCo and buy some nuts and maybe a block of cheese.

(Oh and the “LFP” in question is indeed Lake Fairfax)

[KelOnWheels]

@baiskeli 26793 wrote:

Great advice, Ann. I noticed the same thing myself in this heat. You can have plenty of water, but the heat will still kill you if you don’t eat enough. Easy to forget because it’s not as obvious.

I did that to myself the other day. I was all “I will ride to work! Then I will not eat much lunch because it is so hot! Then I will ride home and go straight to Del Ray and go on a group ride! Then I will die on the way home because I has no blood sugar!”

[mstone]

@jabberwocky 26792 wrote:

LFP=Lake Fairfax Park (I’m pretty sure).

The confusing one is CCT, because we have both the Capital Crescent Trail and also the Cross County Trail.

And it’s too late to change one to XCT because it has signs all over it that say CCT

[eminva]

@GuyContinental 26802 wrote:

And I used this thread as justification to eat:

1 banana- 100
2 yogurts- 240
2 granola bars- 200
1 bag veggie chips- 130
1 lean cuisine (I’m cheap…) – 250
3l water
= 920 calories via all-day grazing

I’m probably still (well) short on protein and calories in general- riding 3+ hours a day at my height, age and weight I probably need in the neighborhood of 5,000 calories to stay on top of weight loss… yikes, I need to take advantage of my next “car day” to scoot to CostCo and buy some nuts and maybe a block of cheese.

(Oh and the “LFP” in question is indeed Lake Fairfax)

This sounds like a cyclist who could be in the market for The Feed Zone Cookbook.

Liz

[TwoWheelsDC]

On Thursday I learned that a Reese’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cup is not enough fuel for 50 miles in 98 degree heat…should’ve had two

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1435[/ATTACH]

[GuyContinental]

@eminva 26811 wrote:

This sounds like a cyclist who could be in the market for The Feed Zone Cookbook.

Liz

Does it cover lunch? I couldn’t find a review that went into detail. Lunch is my problem… a) I hate it for some irrational reason and b) when I ride I need to stay on-site so have to stock up on staples at the office.

[Author]

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