Sunday. I was scheduled to get up and do 40. My body said "Whoa Big Fella, you need sleep! Remember getting up at 4:00 to train during the week? Remember that one extra glass of red wine and piece of cheese cake after dinner?" Okay, still two weekends to do long rides and decent distances during the week until I taper down to the MM. The sleep felt great, I have to admit. I can still get on the trainer this afternoon for a good spin.
Equipment problems are popping up now. For on is my left knee. It is feeling a little "wonkey". It gave out one morning standing. Not pain, just weakness. My bike is acting up too. The headset is loose as a goose! I have about .25 - .5 back and forth play in it. I broke it down and noted a retaing ring is broken, that might be the problem. Also the lower end has a tiny bit of side-to-side play which might get worse as I crank harder. Might have to shoot it. I'll start by getting it in to the shop ASAP Monday. Reason to buy that new bike...Hmmm.
The chemistry experiment was very usefull -- glad I did it this far out. Tried the HEED Electrolyte powder Friday. It went right to my gut (now, it could have been the ruben and 6 doughnut holes -- I have issues:) but didn't sit right. Worked well for the energy portion though. I found Accelerade (at the grocery store by our house) and tried that Saturday. It worked fine too, a bit tastier (un-natural colors and all. Can you say Ridalyn Smoothie?) and left me less thirsty and more refreshed. I followed both by FRS concentrate as a recovery drink -- I think that is a good part of either routine. Today I'll try some Hammer Gel.
Bob, can you give me a little lesson on sugar Vs. sucrose? Gatorade has sucrose, Accelerade ahs sugar. Will one help keep weight off better?
Gotta go, Sunday at the office.
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Fun weekend in Chicago left me with no time on the bike but plenty of time in search of the local bike shop and lots of time catching up with Le Tour.
An attempt to answer Steve's questions about sugar:
Well, there are lots of different types of sugar. Sugar often refers to sucrose, which is white table sugar. Sucrose is a simple sugar, easily converted into energy via ATP (the Krebs cycle). C'mon guys, you do remember basic biochemistry, right? OK, sorry about that. Sucrose and other simple sugars (when consumed in quantity) typically set off a cascade of events in the body. The pancreas releases insulin to regulate that spike in blood sugar level. Hence, the quick sugar 'buzz' followed by the quick 'sugar coma'. Obviously, this is not optimal when looking for a source of energy during endurance exercise. One of the other many functions of the body is to store that energy. Some gets stored in the form of muscle glycogen (good); some gets stored as fat for use later...or maybe not. (bad)
All sugars/carbs, both simple and complex, follow the same pattern. The complex carbs take a bit longer to break down and also do not cause the big release of insulin to regulate. So, you typically get a more even level of energy production.
It's difficult to comment on carbs & dieting when discussing supplementation. Your body needs carbs when you ride. As one of my coaches recommended to me: "now is not the time to be on a diet". That being said, you can watch calories off-the-bike.
I noticed that Accelerade's first ingredient is sucrose, followed by trehalose (a proprietary sugar) and then fructose. I'm not sure about Trehalose, but sucrose and fructose are simple sugars. Accelerade does have some maltodextrin, but it is a bit further down the list.
Also note that not all Accelerade's are the same. There are multiple products, powders, ready-made drinks. These products have different ingredients and levels of carbs.
I am not dissing Accelerade. I used it all of last year and it served me well. The most important thing is to find something compatible with your stomach that will keep you hydrated, prevent bonking and give you enough electrolytes so you don't cramp.
There are guidelines for carbs/hr of exercise. They vary based on weight. I will dig around for these and forward when I get a chance.
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