Hi all, I've been low carb high fat for about a year now, with some relapses. Lost the 40 lbs between May and October last year, then plateaued, probably went a bit off with and gained 10 lbs after the holidays which I've about just lost back again in the last 8 weeks, albeit slowly and with some relapses.
7 weeks ago, I also started riding aerobically after discovering the Maffetone method and signed up to do the 72 mile ride around Lake Tahoe next Sunday. During this "training period" I noticed that since I was already quite fat adapted, I had no trouble doing my bike rides on no food in the morning, and that ensuring I didn't exceed my Maximum Aerobic Function HR of 124 (for my sweet age) I started managing to do the longer rides I previously couldn't do without a lot of suffering and bonking. To stay in the aerobic base building zone, I mostly chose flat rides and on the short climbs I couldn't avoid, slowed to a crawl. Balance training I call it. Last Sunday, I did a 42 mile ride in just under 4 hours. This week I've ridden twice to work and back, total of 36 miles each day, just split in two rides. The afternoon rides home are with a very strong head/side wind, where again, I have to slow down significantly and take it like "meditation". Character building I call riding 18 miles with a constant headwind. On all these rides I only drink water, nothing else. But when I get home I feel like I can't keep riding. Once I rest a bit I feel fine, although my legs and my butt "feel" it. I don't think I can do the 72 mile ride next Sunday on just water, so I'm looking for some guidance and suggestions for how to fuel myself without making it all sugary with gels and the traditional cycling fuels. When I first did these long rides with Team in Training in 2005, I would finish so bloated from all the gels I needed to take just to keep going, and also the pace was too high for me. This time I'm riding by myself so I can control my pace and my nutrition. I'm also hoping that during the day of the ride, I'll somehow find a way to ride for 7 - 8 hours. Right now, it seems impossible as my longest ride has been 4 hours, and most of my rides are around 2 hours. Suggestions are also welcome. I know there is a lot of "mental" stuff needed to do these long rides, as well as more aerobic training and losing the other 40+ lbs I'm still carrying on me. I'm just hoping that persevering will make them truly enjoyable, vs. fighting to just finish them. I welcome any other tips as well regarding managing the long hours on the saddle. Frequency of stops to stretch out, rest the butt, hands, feet, etc.? I know I can always get bailed out if necessary, but I'm going to try to do the whole ride. Thanks for sharing your experience and feedback! I'm riding my Homer. Is anyone from this list going to do the ride as well? Best, René -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
