Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride

Bike Shops Coaches Fitters Race Calendar NEW Running Stores Stack & Reach Training Log Triathlon Clubs
		MAIN INDEX	RULES & LEGEND	LOG IN

Search for (options)

Newsletter Signup

Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:
Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride

ajfranke

Mar 22, 04 11:39

Post #1 of 9 (118 views)

Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride	Can't Post

I am in serious need of some recovery advice for an upcoming Topeka to Boston 16 day bike ride.

I will be riding with a group doing about 100 miles per day. I have no problem with the distance or the pace. At 48, I do have a problem with recovery.

One of the most serious problems I have that may be unusual is my frequent inability to sleep well after repeated long workouts. This has happened often enough to me that I know the pattern. Even though I am tired, I go to bed and don't come close to getting to sleep. If I take my HR at such times it is between 80 and 90 instead of the normal range between 60 and 70. I usually take a Unisom in this situation. That usually does the trick, but I move like a slug the next morning.

I am hoping for a better plan since I need to go for 16 days in a row. I am considering something more along the lines of a 5 mg Ambien or some similar fast acting, fast dissippating medication. There was an earlier thread on Ambien in this forum, but I am interested in opinions on using the drug in this application.

I am also interested in ideas for a recovery drink while on the road. I can't make one of Tom's smooties. I have tried Endorox and some other recovery drinks, but they seem like swill to me. What do you think of something simpler like keeping some cans of Ensure or Boost in the suitcase and downing or or two at the end of the day before getting to dinner?
____
This forum is going to be a place of civil discourse, and those who wish to foment hate and discord are no longer welcome here. -- slowman 11/8/04

Art Franke

devashish_paul

Mar 22, 04 12:09

Post #2 of 9 (110 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [ajfranke] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Art, sounds like a very epic vacation if we can use the word epic again :-).

I hear you on the sleep following long training days in succession. If I were you, I would do a few things:

a. Start your day of riding by 7 am and end by 2 pm. That way, you ride when it is not too hot and your metabolism has time to wind down for several hours before going to sleep. It is for this reason that I avoid working out in the evening. I sleep much better

b. Avoid using caffeine, or if you have to, limit it to a cup at breakfast

c. At the end of the day's riding, end your shower with 2 min in cold water, or if you are close to a lake or stream, let your body soak in the cold. (I have actually soaked my body in a bath tub with cold water with ice, after a marathon, or sat in a snowbank in my shorts after an XC ski race. It is natural anti-inflammatory for your body.

d. Ensure your sodium balance is OK, by taking it in during the day of riding and then eat salty foods after the riding. If you blood Na is in "equilibrium, your daily recovery process will be quicker.

e. Go on the Francois 1400 semicamp daily recovery program that I am not privy to, but that is likely to help you :-)

Hopefully, this will help.

Dev

vhanchon

Mar 22, 04 13:59

Post #3 of 9 (80 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [ajfranke] [In reply to]	Can't Post

"I am also interested in ideas for a recovery drink while on the road."

Not sure how well this will work on the road, but I like skim milk and Nestle Quick or if you want more vitamins use Ovaltine. Might be tough to do while camping, but it gives you the magic 4:1 carb to protein ratio folks talk about for recovery drinks, it is cheap, and tastey.

Vince

Ashburn

Mar 22, 04 14:16

Post #4 of 9 (71 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [ajfranke] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have the same post-big-day insomnia sometimes too. Had it last Wednesday, in fact.

Things that consistently help:

- Calm the mind. Read something unrelated to running and riding after dinner and don't sit around talking about the ride.

- Big-time refueling. I have an amazingly faster recovery if I take 400 calories an hour during the ride than if I take 150-200. Recovery feedings after the day is done are important, but the feeding during the ride really helps me. I basically try to overdo the on-bike calorie replenishment. Plus, it's fun. When else do I get to eat a few candy bars in a day?

- Hydrate. Have a big honking glass of water before bed. If you don't wake up to pee in the middle of the night, you didn't drink enough. Same during the day. If you don't have to pee every 5-6 hours, you're not drinking enough. An elevated post-workout HR is due to many things, but is driven most strongly by dehydration.

- Alcohol. This one is controversial, I know. But, a glass of wine at least an hour before bed settles me down.

- Stretch. The muscle tightness and spasms keep me restless. Stretching all over right before bed helps.

- On recovery food: Don't obsess over the prepared drinks. Have some, but then plan on a normal meal for dinner.

- Don't just lie there. If you've been in bed for an hour, and your HR is racing and your mind is racing, get up. Go sit in a chair and read or sit on the floor and stretch or something. Try again in an hour.

I know nothing about Ambien, other than I tried it once. On a backpacking trip, I had a wicked poison oak rash and had been awake for over 40 hours when my buddy pulled out his little stash of Ambien. I took one at 9 pm. My next memory was opening my eyes at 8 am the next morning feeling the most rested and refreshed I have ever felt in my entire life, before or since. Amazing stuff.

NextSport.com
Mavericks Surf
Financial Blog

Simple Stevie

Mar 22, 04 14:56

Post #5 of 9 (62 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [ajfranke] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Art,

I think that by day 3 or 4, you'll be out like a lite soon after dinner.....

I would definitely avoid alcohol, as it tends to wear me out as much as riding...

Regarding ambien, I used it a few times back when I travelled a lot for business. Used to make me a little loopy, then sleepy, but awoke with a clear head. Great stuff, but I would worry about taking it for more than a couple days in a row. I think it's one of those drugs that gets folks in trouble when the like it a lot.

ajfranke

Mar 22, 04 15:38

Post #6 of 9 (58 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [Ironstevie] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Through experience I know when I am going to have a serious problem sleeping due to heavy workouts. The effects are cumulative. The more days I over do it, the more likely I am to have trouble.

I am sure you are right about the Ambien though. I wouldn't want take it more than a couple of days in a row.

Alcohol doesn't work for me either. Even a couple of beers will cause sleeping problems for me. Funny, I didn't have that problem when I was 22.

I do like Julian's eating idea. That should be very workable, since we have a SAG wagon and a lunch stop.

This should be a fun trip. Anyone want to join?
____
This forum is going to be a place of civil discourse, and those who wish to foment hate and discord are no longer welcome here. -- slowman 11/8/04

Art Franke

Cyborg42

Mar 22, 04 15:53

Post #7 of 9 (52 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [ajfranke] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Sounds like a lot of fun. Is this an organized tour thing, or did you just plan it with a group?

I want to plan a bike trip in Spain. I'm hoping to convince my father and his wife to come and drive my gear around. I'd like to ride every day and stay in hotels/ pensions (no camping).

Oh, and I've taken Ambien, I think it's fine for a few nghts. Remarkably free of that next day grogginess.

ajfranke

Mar 22, 04 16:08

Post #8 of 9 (48 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [Cyborg42] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I hooked up with America by Bicycle (abbike.com). They organize and support a number of tours. I hope it works out for me. I am sure I will be fine if I can recover. Part of that is sleep. I hope the Ambien works out when I am fried. I guess I will find out soon enough.

There are lots of organized tours. Hit google and you will probably find what you are looking for.'
____
This forum is going to be a place of civil discourse, and those who wish to foment hate and discord are no longer welcome here. -- slowman 11/8/04

Art Franke

toadpalmer

Mar 22, 04 19:39

Post #9 of 9 (32 views)

Re: Recovery plan for Cross Country bike ride [ajfranke] [In reply to]	Can't Post

hey art,

i would give the ambien a try as a "practice run" before you rely on it for your x-country ride. i have used it before, and it works great for me, but i have also met folks that experienced problems with it, including memory lapse and confusion during the next day. i once had a long-term bout of insomnia, and took ambien for about a month during that time. i had no problems getting off of it, and slept like a rock each night, but had a sense of deep weariness during that month. don't know if it would have affected athletic performance (i was in the field at the time, so no biking), but it is a possibility.

though there is no scientific evidence that i know of suggesting ambien is addictive (and therefore tough to get off of), i know a number of folks that have struggled resuming normal sleep patterns after taking it for a while. definitely start out with a low dosage (e.g. 5 mg), and see how that works for you. and getting off of it might be easier if you taper the dosage for a couple days and then quit.

good luck with that ride! sounds like fun.
http://www.kenyawilds.com/faculty.html