How much is enough?

[Mads]

It seems like I hit a plato with my results. Training (structured program) does not seem to show the results I want it to. When doing a race, I am doing fine up to a stage (+- 50-60km) and from there onwards my average keep on dropping to a ave of +- 4 hours for 100km.

 

Spoke with someone this morning and he told me he uses a GU plus and energy bar PER Hour.

 

Granted he is not in my league. I think he is seeded in C - and me in S. So the intensity can not be compared. But I only use a GU per hour and 2 bottles of energy drink per race.

 

So here is my question: How do one calculate how much you need to take in? I roughly take in about a 1/4 of the Cal I burn according to my HR monitor.

 

Can it be that I go in a slight bonk?

[Zac.A]

Well,

All I can say is when doing a (major) long race, (100km in my case)

I take 4 powerbar gu's, 1 powerbar, 1 bottle of supplement and one of water.

Just make sure that you continuously take nutrition on board.

So have a gu on 25km, 50km and 75km, or around those marks and keep the last one in case of a serious bonk.

Have the 1/2 bar about 10-20mins after the 1st gu and the second half after 75km.

I wash each gu/powerbar bite down with water and then after about another 10/15mins I have a sip of the shake i made...

Even if you don't go too fast its vital to take on nutrition.

 

You have to have points at which you take it otherwise you'll forget and then by the time you realise you need it it'll be too late and you'll be yo-yo-ing between hyper and hypoglycemia, and thats not good.

 

my2c.

[nuge]

just ride more...

 

(i heard that somewhere)

[Let's Ride]

Get used to long rides and you should be fine.

 

Eat before you ride, not too much but something.

[TNT1]

It seems like I hit a plato with my results. Training (structured program) does not seem to show the results I want it to. When doing a race, I am doing fine up to a stage (+- 50-60km) and from there onwards my average keep on dropping to a ave of +- 4 hours for 100km.

 

 

How far do you train? For a 100km race, you should be doing a few 120km+ training rides at race pace...

[Zac.A]

How far do you train? For a 100km race, you should be doing a few 120km+ training rides at race pace...

 

[Thor Buttox]

It seems like I hit a plato with my results. Training (structured program) does not seem to show the results I want it to. When doing a race, I am doing fine up to a stage (+- 50-60km) and from there onwards my average keep on dropping to a ave of +- 4 hours for 100km.

 

Spoke with someone this morning and he told me he uses a GU plus and energy bar PER Hour.

 

Granted he is not in my league. I think he is seeded in C - and me in S. So the intensity can not be compared. But I only use a GU per hour and 2 bottles of energy drink per race.

 

So here is my question: How do one calculate how much you need to take in? I roughly take in about a 1/4 of the Cal I burn according to my HR monitor.

 

Can it be that I go in a slight bonk?

I seem to be in the same position as you. I'm by no means a great rider but have done a few decent races here and there and have gone gone under 3 hours for some of the 100km races. My problem is that I hate trying to eat in a group on the road - keep feeling like I'm going to hit someone with my chronic bike balance issues - I normally just hydrate for 3 hours an all is reasonably well.

 

At some point though I normally start feeling terrible... the biggest difference in how long that takes to happen is the amount of training rides I have done. Been a bit slack lately and I need to pull my socks up. But if I'm racing every weekend as in Jan/Feb, it's quite easy. I really think it's the conditioning of the body to perform and not the food intake that makes the biggest difference up to say 3-4 hours. Just eat a good breakfast

 

I try to never use GU's though. They seem to lift and drop your blood sugar rather quickly. I prefer the 32GI type stuff which seems to work fine.

 

And another huge difference is how you rest. Many of us ride and do gym and run and...and... and don't rest properly. Top athletes seem to work very hard, rest very hard. Wish I could!

 

My own 2p...

[mrmed]

How far do you train? For a 100km race, you should be doing a few 120km+ training rides at race pace...

 

Not sure I agree. You should be doing your 100km training rides at aerobic pace. "Race pace" during a training ride takes the "race pace" out of your legs for the race.

 

Then you should be doing interval training once a week (8 x 3min at 85% with 3 min rest, one week,alternating with 2 sets of 10 x 30 sec sprints with 30 sec rest and 3 minutes rest between sets). 45 mins to 1 hour.

 

The other weekday ride should also be an aerobic ride.

 

My wife has been doing this for 6 months and did a 3h20 Shova, on two rides a week.

 

Nutrition is important but not the reason you are doing 4 hours for a 100km race.

Edited October 17, 2011 by mrmed

[Zac.A]

If you want to do a 120km fast then you should be doing about 150km at about 70% of max effort (HR/power.)

Then like 2 weeks before the race you should do the 120km at race pace...

That prepares you more mentally than anything else but will assist with training of course.

[TNT1]

Not sure I agree. You should be doing your 100km training rides at aerobic pace. "Race pace" during a training ride takes the "race pace" out of your legs for the race.

Then you should be doing interval training once a week (8 x 3min at 85% with 3 min rest, one week,alternating with 2 sets of 10 x 30 sec sprints with 30 sec rest and 3 minutes rest between sets). 45 mins to 1 hour.

 

The other weekday ride should also be an aerobic ride.

 

My wife has been doing this for 6 months and did a 3h20 Shova, on two rides a week.

 

Nutrition is important but not the reason you are doing 4 hours for a 100km race.

 

Dunno what else you said, but I go train with some of the country's top pros the day before a 94.7 or whatever, and they do 70-80% of the race distance at around 80-90% of race pace. It's an old school thing to rev the engine.

 

And what I was talking about wasn't for the day before the race, but maybe a couple of weeks before. Oh, like Zac said in the post before this one...

 

Doing less is never going to get you to do more.

Edited October 17, 2011 by TNT1

[Wyatt Earp]

It seems like I hit a plato with my results. Training (structured program) does not seem to show the results I want it to. When doing a race, I am doing fine up to a stage (+- 50-60km) and from there onwards my average keep on dropping to a ave of +- 4 hours for 100km.

 

Seriously sounds to me like you have not done enough TITS.

You need to do base training, good LSD rides.

Once you have done these you can do some intervals once (maybe twice) a week, but never more, you need to wake up those fast twitch fibers that went to rest.

But without base and LSD, you will run out of steam and hit that wall so hard the plaster will peel off.

Edited October 17, 2011 by Dangle

[Steveluck]

Seriously sounds to me like you have not done enough TITS.

You need to do base training, good LSD rides.

Once you have done these you can do some intervals once (maybe twice) a week, but never more, you need to wake up those fast twitch fibers that went to rest.

But without base and LSD, you will run out of steam and hit that wall so hard the plaster will peel off.

I definitely need to do more TITS on LSD!

[TNT1]

Seriously sounds to me like you have not done enough TITS.

You need to do base training, good LSD rides.

Once you have done these you can do some intervals once (maybe twice) a week, but never more, you need to wake up those fast twitch fibers that went to rest.

But without base and LSD, you will run out of steam and hit that wall so hard the plaster will peel off.

 

True. I assumed he had a base.

 

Without a base, real work won't help. You wont be able to do real work...

[Tiny K]

Seriously sounds to me like you have not done enough TITS.

You need to do base training, good LSD rides.

Once you have done these you can do some intervals once (maybe twice) a week, but never more, you need to wake up those fast twitch fibers that went to rest.

But without base and LSD, you will run out of steam and hit that wall so hard the plaster will peel off.

 

Just for Mads

 

TITS = Time In The Saddle

LSD = Long Slow Distance

 

I agree with an earlier poster - I ride with 32GI and I think that the energy bars and GU's have a negative effect on me - time to try White bread and peanut butter / nutella as a feeding suppliment.

 

The banana's work great, but they'll bruise by the time you get to the last one. Not cool coz then the sugar content is raised.

[NotSoBigBen]

Just for Mads

 

TITS = Time In The Saddle

LSD = Long Slow Distance

 

I agree with an earlier poster - I ride with 32GI and I think that the energy bars and GU's have a negative effect on me - time to try White bread and peanut butter / nutella as a feeding suppliment.

 

The banana's work great, but they'll bruise by the time you get to the last one. Not cool coz then the sugar content is raised.

 

I was always told LSD = Long STEADY Distance

[Zac.A]

I'm sure (not actually) but maybe it has something to do with your metabolism @TinyK, I can take a banana but anything more solid like bread or potatoes cause me to feel sick.

I do also wash the gu's down with copious amounts of water though...