I have had some amazing rides lately. For the past 4 weeks, I have been beating my usual average speed and have been able to average as fast as 17.9 mph. So great!! But all good things must come to an end, apparently. On Saturday, I had the worst ride ever!!
During the ride on Saturday, I was super hot, super sweaty, and super dehydrated. My legs started to cramp… one leg at a time, starting from the shin and up my leg to my thigh, and again cycling through my legs. It was the worst feeling! I was trying very hard not to push the pedal down, because I could feel my leg cramping. But even as I was pulling the pedal up, the back of my leg was cramping. After a few cycles, tears started to roll down my cheeks. It was very painful.
I have not experienced this much pain in about 4 years. I was a novice rider then. I did not know much about nutrition and hydration. Plus, since I was a beginner, I always pushed myself in order to keep up with my friends. Not a good idea! I remember this one particular ride where the same scenario occurred… cramping cycling back and forth up and down my legs. It was so painful, that I was in tears then too. The unfortunate part was that I was pretty far from the ride start, so I had to keep going.
I greatly welcomed the rest stop on Saturday’s ride, which was at a gas station in the village of Bloomfield. I really needed some water and food. As we were hanging out, my friend Sara mentioned that she wanted to check out the bakery across the street from the gas station. As we entered the bakery, both of us looked at each other in awe. We found the most gigantic cookies that we both have ever seen. We have also found the largest scones that we both have ever seen. After a mere $3.50, we walked away with a gigantic peanut butter cookie and large blueberry scone.
The gigantic cookie!
I was sure that these would help my legs feel better. My legs felt fine for about 5 miles and the cramping started once again. The damage was already done. As I stopped to relieve my cramps, I was thinking about what I did the day before. I rode about 21 miles in an also hot day and for dinner I ate some broiled fish with French fries and drank a pint of beer. Not a very good way to prepare for a ride. I should have known better.
Nutrition and hydration are an important part of an athlete’s training. What you do and eat the day before can make a huge difference in the way you feel during a ride the next day. Also, if the ride is challenging, what you do and eat several days before the ride can make a huge difference. I hope that my legs will feel better for this weekend’s ride… a mere 100 miles. :)
