Struggling some days, other days not so?

[Dave Davenport]

I don't really understand the whole food argument, but maybe it is because it is the one areas of training I don't really give a f*** about.

I eat when I am hungry, I don't care if it's chocolate, red meat, butter full fat gold top jersey milk. I notice no difference in training. As long as there is sugar in my blood; I function. When I went out on a club run the other day, everyone pretty much bought a coffee and ate a couple of biscuits. I went and bought 2 mugs of tea and the biggest slice of chocolate tiffin ever and I got some very odd looks. To be honest I felt a bit guilty, but the way I saw it is that i'd already done 40 miles and burned 1600 calories. I'm not exercising to lose weight, at the moment i'm losing weight organically about a lb a week, so by summer I should be my ideal weight of 10 stone for climbing.

The only reason I can think of is that i'm pretty young? (22) Maybe as I get older what I eat will affect me more?

The only consumption which I feel really affects me is alcohol, but that is obvious. The only problem being I don't feel right exercising at all for about 2-3 days afterwards, which is why I am near enough tee-total now. Caffeine doesn't work with me either, makes my legs burn.

Jon

You'd get funny looks at our club's tea stops if you didn't have a big bit of cake.

Make the most of being able to stuff your face with impunity whilst you're young, it won't last forever!

 

[Panter]

Thanks all.

I do eat healthily (just too much of it!) so it's obviously down to natural variability.
I think i may have also been going through a bit of a rough patch after I had several weeks off the bike over Christmas.
Since riding regularly again, I've had more good days than bad

 

[Russell Allen]

I get ups and downs in performance all the time, two weeks ago I broke my record for a 30k traing loop I ride (59'30")... on my single speed racer... I felt almost bionic (showing age with that one) A week later I rode back from my sisters house (17km) on my Dawes Galaxy, no wind or adverse conditions and I felt really very weedy and slow.

Russell

 

[Klaus]

Sunday I wasn't feeling great, the cold thing is persisting plus I had a couple of beers on saturday eve, so not exactly looking forward to the ride ... but was up at 7:30 (clocks changed as well ...) and by 8:30 I was on the road, 26 miles with steady climb for about 8 miles ... in the end it felt great !!!

PS. forgot my tissues and had to wipe nose with my gloves until I found a shop .....

 

[valetillidye]

I don't really understand the whole food argument, but maybe it is because it is the one areas of training I don't really give a f*** about.

I eat when I am hungry, I don't care if it's chocolate, red meat, butter full fat gold top jersey milk. I notice no difference in training. As long as there is sugar in my blood; I function. When I went out on a club run the other day, everyone pretty much bought a coffee and ate a couple of biscuits. I went and bought 2 mugs of tea and the biggest slice of chocolate tiffin ever and I got some very odd looks. To be honest I felt a bit guilty, but the way I saw it is that i'd already done 40 miles and burned 1600 calories. I'm not exercising to lose weight, at the moment i'm losing weight organically about a lb a week, so by summer I should be my ideal weight of 10 stone for climbing.

The only reason I can think of is that i'm pretty young? (22) Maybe as I get older what I eat will affect me more?

The only consumption which I feel really affects me is alcohol, but that is obvious. The only problem being I don't feel right exercising at all for about 2-3 days afterwards, which is why I am near enough tee-total now. Caffeine doesn't work with me either, makes my legs burn.

Jon

I'm with you on that one

Part of the reason I train is so that I dont fell guilty eating what I want !

I used to be a bit of a beer monster as well but as I cycle early morning I've pretty much cut alcohol out apart from a couple of tinnies on a Friday night and a couple of pints when I'm at the footy

 

[Chilternrides]

Yep it happens; it can even happen to me in one ride (feel good, have a crappy spell, and then return to feeling sharp again).

 

[overgeared]

good days and bad days are perfectly normal, as people have said there is an element of randomness, even the professionals cannot be masters of predicting their form. any rider has a constant tradeoff going on between accumulated fatigue and the fitness benefits of recent training.

on the other hand if you want to train regularly and consistently then post ride nutrition is critical. try making sure to eat within half an hour of finishing riding, it's very likely to reduce the number of off-days becasue it's the fastest way to replenish your glycogen stores.