A couple weeks ago I participated in my 4th 24-hour challenge*, and it was by far the best experience I've had. Still not ready to call it an unqualified success, but lots of things were far better than they were the first three times...
*for those of you wondering about the rules, etc. surrounding this epic cycling event, I will refer you to this earlier blog post which explains it all...
I'll give you a blow-by-blow account, making sure that I warn you of some sections that will certainly be considered as "TMI" by some people (but they're still important parts of my story). Plenty of successes and a few things that, while not failures, probably could have gone better.
The event started out with probably the best decision I've ever made: we decided against camping on site at the middle school. T-K is only about 45 minutes away, so we figured that a good night's sleep in my own bed would be better than the possibility of tossing and turning all night in a tent (or, like last time, the back of a car - the tent was destroyed in a major rainstorm).
TMI section! One of the other reasons this turned out to be a great idea is my usual morning routine. I wake up early, read the paper (online), check Facebook, and have my, uh, morning constitutional. I'm sorry, but a public middle school bathroom or porta-potty just aren't the same as my own home bathroom. And don't underestimate the importance of routine. I made sure the entire week before the ride that my routine would not vary from the norm in as many aspects as possible. Waking up in my own bed and having my own bathroom kept me more focused.
Other parts of my morning that stayed the same were nutrition and hydration. No matter how I've tried on the overnights onsite, I never seem to hydrate well pre-ride. Probably because my usual morning consumption starts with two 12-ounce glasses of water, followed by a large bottle of Isagenix Greens to start the day. (That's supposed to be "Greens!," but I thought the exclamation point might confuse people...) So I actually started the day so well-hydrated that we had to stop about 20 miles out so I could pee. Morning routine complete! More on hydration later.
In addition to my morning liquids I wanted to make sure all week that I kept my food intake to good, clean foods and positive fuel. I know that there are people who can eat whatever they want and still be strong, consistent riders, but I am no longer one of those. So for me, starting about a week in advance, no alcohol, no animal products save for maybe a little cheese, no fried foods, etc. This was definitely different than the past! I stuck to protein shakes, green smoothies, and once or twice a bagel for breakfast, usually a shake for lunch as well, and a reasonably healthy dinner. Not only did I want my body well-fueled, it was also important that my digestive system didn't revolt. I passed on several foods during the week that may have fit my "clean" formula but were too spicy or otherwise risky. Whether all of that really worked or was more psychological I don't know, but I was feeling very good by Friday night before the ride.
What about nutrition and hydration on the ride? That is always a challenge. Usually the deficit is in the hydration. I don't always feel thirsty on a ride, so I don't always drink when I should. Not a problem for your average 25-miler around home kind of ride, but definitely a problem over 24 hours. Or even five or ten. Because once you get behind on hydration it is very difficult, if not impossible, to catch up. This year I promised myself I'd start drinking early and never stop. My goal was a bottle every 45 minutes to one hour, which turned out to be a good plan.
MORE TMI... When I last did this ride five years ago, I remember that I basically didn't pee from mile 75 to the end of the first loop (which is when I gave up). For those of you who wonder whether you are sufficiently watered, there are several ways to tell. The first and most obvious sign your body gives you is color. That would be the color of your urine. When you're exercising and stop for a break, check the shade of your pee. It should be as close to clear as possible; the darker/more yellow it becomes indicates that you are dehydrated. (For the record, I am happy to report that there was only one time during this event that this happened. The checkpoint at mile 96 seemed quite dark based on the rest of the day, but the ones remaining were fine. I even had to make an auxiliary pit stop between the mile 34 and 75 checkpoints, so I was good.)
Nutrition on the bike is another exciting challenge. I've seriously tried just about everything, from energy bars to energy "chews" (basically a gummi bear with carbs and electrolytes), to fruit, candy, and whatever else I could try. Lots of times the chewy stuff is too chewy, the energy bars are hard to deal with, and everything else falls somewhere between. Clif Bars, for instance, are one of my favorite things to supplement with. But the consistency of a Clif Bar means I'm using valuable energy just chewing the dang thing. It's too much work for the result.
This year I had the idea at some point that I would do a trial run sort of thing with a long ride (I planned 12 hours) made up of several laps so I could have a home base/checkpoint system similar to the event. (Usually a ride of more than, say, 50 miles is a long road ride during which I stop at convenience stores to buy drinks and food. I wanted something that would be closer to the event idea, where your crew meets you at the checkpoints and provides planned food and water.) So I mapped out a route from the bike shop and invited people to join me as I attempted 12 hours. I won't go into the details of the eventual 8-hour ride, but I did stop at the shop every 25 miles and was able to try some different food choices. My favorite was a thin version of my regular protein shake (another Isagenix product), along with GU gel, which has plenty of sugary carbs for energy. GU is also great while you're riding, because it gives you that boost without stopping or chewing; just rip open a tube and squeeze it down. My favorites are the chocolate, the peanut butter, and the berry flavors (if you time it right it's like having a PB&J sandwich...). On this ride I also downed at least a half-bottle of "rocket fuel," a concoction of the afore-mentioned Greens! mixed with Replenish and Ionix Supreme (go, Isa-riding!!)
So when the big ride became reality I knew how I was going to get my nutrition. During my long practice run (113 miles) I also made use of some pickle juice, but decided that it wasn't necessarily something I really needed. Pickle juice, with its salt, vinegar, and other elements, is supposed to be an amazing rehydrator. It tasted surprisingly OK, but...
So now I've been fed and watered and I'm on the bike. When I talk to people about my long rides the comments are many and varied, but frequently center around comfort. "How do you stay in that position for so long?" or "your butt must really hurt a lot" kind of things. So let's talk a little about comfort, because it absolutely does play a role. And yes, it's absolutely going to get into another TMI section!
First of all, if you think of any kind of bicycle, even a recumbent style, there are basically three points of contact with the human body: hands, butt, and feet. Everything else is just hanging around either getting in the way or catching too much wind and slowing you down.
Like your head. Holy cow do I have a large noggin... It must be my least aerodynamic feature. It's also heavy. So neck muscles, etc. have to be strong, but maybe more surprising is the idea of bike fit, which is virtually key to the success of any ride. If my body is in a decent position and I'm not tense, etc., then my head can hang up there and be basically OK even though it weighs about a metric ton.
But the feet, butt, and hands part is really where the bike fit comes in. Anyone who has ever complained about this or that being sore, numb, or otherwise uncomfortable has almost certainly ridden a bike that doesn't fit. If your bike fits you, your hands and arms don't get sore or numb. If your bike fits you, your feet and legs won't strain to operate. If your bike fits you, your butt won't get sore... (OK, that one'e a lie.) So yeah, things get a little tired - holding my head up over the 16 or so hours of ride time, keeping my hands on the bars, etc. were indeed difficult, but because my bike fits well, I only got tired - no pain or numbness.
Let's talk discomfort, though... TMI again, as you may have guessed. Lots of people come into the shop and ask about buying a new saddle (you can call it a seat if you want to) because of one discomfort or another. If you're a guy, the obvious discomfort deals with the "man business." SO MANY seats are designed with channels, cutouts, or other fexibilities built into them to avoid pressure on the penile nerve and other associated areas that it's somewhat humorous. It's not a bad idea, but I am a firm believer, after many hours in the saddle, that it's mostly marketing. My seat is a straightforward design by Fi-zik that is relatively firm with no cutouts, and it's fine. The shorts help, as does the general position on the bike, to keep things from going numb. This is at least partially related to bike fit as well, so pay attention when you're taking a test ride. Numbness anywhere isn't good, but especially there...
The other major discomfort I experienced was indeed my fat@$$. Which, when you think of where it contacts the seat, isn't really that fat. The sit bones, or ischial tuberosities (seriously?) at the bottom of the pelvis are the two main contact points with the seat. It's also near the place where your hips do their thing, so as you ride your sit bones are kind of grinding up and down and back and forth. Which is fine for a while, I guess. But around about mile 175 things started getting a little uncomfortable, and by mile 200 I would be standing up for a few seconds about every five minutes to relieve what felt like some serious chafing (though it turned out to be just sore). Not sure how you train that particular area of your body for an endurance event, but mine could have used a little more stamina. There's just not a lot of tissue between those bones and the outside of your body, and it kind of wears out!
There was only one other moderately-serious discomfort, and it turned out to be unrelated to anything man-made. I started experiencing some itching around mile 75 or so, right along the strap of my bib shorts. I'm used to wearing bibs, and the sets I have are all the same brand, so this was a new and unwelcome feeling. I tried moving the strap around a little from the outside of my jersey, but a few minutes later it was bad again. Another shift brought momentary relief, but I think it was the third time that I finally unzipped my jersey to have a look. Whatever bug was trying to eat its way out of my bibs was finally released and stopped biting my chest and flew away...
As far as the ride itself, maybe there should be a "Part 2" of this entry as this is getting a little long. Plus it's about lunch time. And I should maybe do something today that doesn't involve as much sitting. So I will add a second, shorter installment on this topic in the next day or so. There are things I'd like to tell you about the actual ride and how great I felt, as well as doing some thank yous and that sort of thing. So until then, I bid you a brief farewell and happy Independence Day. Go out and ride a bike!
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