[ISuckAtRiding]

It seems like i take in alot more water than most people durring races, expecially when its hot. The past few races i've actually ran out of water and bonked because of it. I always bring a 100oz camel bak and i also take water at aid stations but i always run out at the end. I am not sure if i hydrate enough before hand.
can anyone help me out with this? its costing me wins.

 

[sgrady11]

I had the same problem. Mainly because I started riding with a 100oz. camelback as well.

What I did was only use bottles for a couple months. I thought it sucked at first, but I got those Nalgene ones with the lids to guard from horsecrap and the polar ones to keep my water cold, I got used to it.

THen you just need to pace yourself based on time. I found that after pacing with bottles and going back to the camelback, I somewhat knew how much I should be drinking and ended up not sucking the bladder dry just because I could.

Somewhere I think I heard 17-25 oz. per hour is what you need. My bottles are 22-24 oz. so thats perfect.

hammer nutrition has a free .pdf called the endurance atheletes guide to success, and there is some real good info in there (amongst the product placements). I think thats where I heard that 17-25oz. number.

 

[SeanL]

Two things, A) are you drinking only water, and B) if you are drinking just water, are you eating anything during your races?

You are bonking because you're not taking in any/enough calories, and not because you're running out of water. It really doesn't sound like water intake is your problem...your body can't take in all the water that it loses thru sweat. Your body will only process, at most, about 28-30oz (depending on your size it could be a bit less), so I think you need to look at quality of fluids, not quantity.

 

[ISuckAtRiding]

Thanks for the reply. I usually take a goo right before the race and 2-3 durring. I use the power bar brand goo with the 4x sodium and 2x caffine. My diet isnt the best but it hasnt really changed so i dont know why there is an issue now.
when i run out of water i get partched very quickly and i just want to sit down and chug a gallon of water. I can probably drink 2 gallons in a race and not have to pee at all. My last road ride i drank 200-250 ounces throughout the ride.
Maybe i will work on my pre-race diet before nationals and see how that goes. Anyone have any reccomendations for a good breakfast that doesnt require much preparation time? I have an extemely high metabolism so its gotta be fairly hearty with meat. If there isnt any greasy meat i'm hungry in 5 minutes, as bad as that sounds lol. I used to eat an Extreme Sausage Sandwich combo meal from Jack in the Box and it seemed to hold me over.

 

[LyNx]

Can't really help you with the meaty breakfast, all I can tell you is my metabolism is very high and a good bowl of oatmeal w/ a banana sliced up in it sets me good enough to get started, then I consume food throughout my ride.

Do you hydrate well in the days before the race - As in make sure that on your training rides you drink some form of "sport drink" to help replace all the electrolytes, salts etc you loose while sweating? I personally use Accelerade and I find it works for me. Some people don't like it during a ride/race so you can drink it before you ride/race and even better still drink some the night before you "stock up". Bananas are a good source of protein and potasium so make sure and eat lots of them.

 

[ISuckAtRiding]

Can't really help you with the meaty breakfast, all I can tell you is my metabolism is very high and a good bowl of oatmeal w/ a banana sliced up in it sets me good enough to get started, then I consume food throughout my ride.

Do you hydrate well in the days before the race - As in make sure that on your training rides you drink some form of "sport drink" to help replace all the electrolytes, salts etc you loose while sweating? I personally use Accelerade and I find it works for me. Some people don't like it during a ride/race so you can drink it before you ride/race and even better still drink some the night before you "stock up". Bananas are a good source of protein and potasium so make sure and eat lots of them.

strangely enough i've been trying a healthier breakfast lately which consists of a banana, a cup of yogurt, a bagel, and 3 pouches of instant fruit and cream oatmeal made with milk, not water. I can get about half way through a ride and i'm starving, even if i eat goo and/or powerbars. Seems like i can get away with a sandwich as long as it has meat on it. Fast food will hold me over for a while but it doesnt sit well for the first few miles if i eat right before the ride (usually on the way to the ride).
I usually drink lots of gatorade. at least 400-500 ounces a week. i cut out soda which used to be my main fluid. I also drink at least 100 ounces of water a day, not including the 100 i drink durring a ride. As for salt, i am certain i take in more than enough of that. I usually put alot of salt on pizza and fast food fries if that tells you anything. I usually eat at least 1 banana a day, which is one of few fruits i can tollerate.
I will try to "stock up" before the next race and see if that helps. It cant hurt at this point. Its just weird that it has only happened recently. Maybe because of the heat lately? Must be it. I rode all winter and most of spring without any issues.
Thanks alot for the advice!

 

[LyNx]

Do you eat loads of carbs in the days before - carb loading - this might help. Personally I love whole wheat pasta and then cook up some mince chicken into pasta sauce and add some already steamed veggies, this has all you need and I think it will help hold you for longer with the breakfast you described. Oatmeal raisin cookies are what I love tot take with me on rides (wouldn't do it to try in a race unless it was an endurance event) but on long rides they sit well, taste great and really fill the "hole".

...............................I will try to "stock up" before the next race and see if that helps. It cant hurt at this point. Its just weird that it has only happened recently. Maybe because of the heat lately? Must be it. I rode all winter and most of spring without any issues.
Thanks alot for the advice!

 

[Dawg Fu]

IMO, all of your water during a major event (or even just a big training ride) needs to have at least some electrolyte replacement stuff in it. Think of it this way: electrolytes are not only needed for muscle function (i.e. to avoid cramps), they are also a key to how your body holds onto water, both transporting it and storing it. If you are eating food at the same time that happens to be heavy in sodium and potassium, you can cut back on the amount of electrolytes you put in your water source. Otherwise, electrolytes need to be in almost every single liter of water that you drink.

In my experience, there is no difference between the feeling of "I seem to be drinking so much water but I never feel like I get enough" and a condition of being low on electrolytes.

Test this out in small steps... start by replacing any pure water you would have taken on your next ride with one-third strength Gatorade or Accelerade or GU2O. If this works out all right, try half strength and possibly work up from there. Everyone is different in their rate of electrolyte uptake and in how much salt they sweat out or hold onto. Experiment for best results.

 

[alejandrico]

how long after the start of the race do you begin drinking water?
If you wait too long or rely on thrist it will be too late and you will be drinking too much water, your body is already in the first tages of dehydratation
You should be drinking something every 10-15 min all the time, since the begini of tha rece
I also agree that you should replace water with something else that helps you retain fluids, if you drink all that gatorade during trainings do it also on races it should help you

 

[ISuckAtRiding]

Well i just went out for a 3 hour road ride in 94f degree heat w/ blazing sun and i consumed 3.5 20oz water bottles. I had 2 bottles with 50/50 mix of gatorade and water to start then i refilled half way through. does this seem reasonable? i didnt take in any calories along the way because i left right after breakfast so i didnt get the urge to eat. I think i drink more often to cool down, expecially after climbing, which i did enough of today. I feel ok, considering. Legs are deffinately tired but no cramps (which i never really get anyways).
As for when i start drinking, usually within the first mile or 2. I dont wait too long for that. I will try hydrating more before the race and see how that works. Maybe chug a few gatorades or some cytomax too.
Thanks for the help guys, i owe ya one for sure.

 

[Cheers!]

I got a simple prep that my old soccer coach gave me when I was 11 and I've been sticking to that ever since I started mountain biking racing (which is this year). I've only been riding for 2 months and already tried some racing.

At first I couldn't figure it out, I ran out of energy 3/4 of way into rides. Then I slowly figured things out agian.

My regime is basic but seems to work for rides that are max 3 hours long.

1.) Have pasta dinner the night before
2.) Big bowl of vector ceral in the morning with 1 big banana
3.) Start water loading 1.5 hours before race starts, 0.5 litres per hour or 1.5 litres of water before the race, making use to visit the washroom 10 mins before start of race.
4.) Eat 1 Banana every 0.5 hours before the start of race.

That is it before teh start of the race. If it is after lunch than sub it something light and simple for lunch or dinner, like ham sandwich bagel... etc...

I try to avoid the power gels, I can't stomach that goop, I actually carry a banana in the back pocket of my jersey and 1 power gel just in case.

I only use water as I can not stand the sweetness of powerade or gatorade and I only use bottle.

BTW don't drink from the water stations at relay races. Eventually they run out of cups and the 10 year old/14 year old volenteers end up picking up all of the used cups off the ground and refilling them with water. My sister was volenteering once and told me about that. Ewww....

and since I'm older and wiser now... I re-hydrate on beer after the race.

 

[connie]

strangely enough i've been trying a healthier breakfast lately which consists of a banana, a cup of yogurt, a bagel, and 3 pouches of instant fruit and cream oatmeal made with milk, not water. I can get about half way through a ride and i'm starving, even if i eat goo and/or powerbars.

For starters, use real oatmeal instead of instant. The glycemic index is drastically different - basically instant oatmeal digests MUCH faster and won't hold you over like non-instant. Your breakfast there is mostly simple carbs - balance it out with more complex carbs, add a little more protein and fat and it should hold you over longer.

 

[carsonwick]

As far as stomaching power gels. Try GU, I've found it to be MUCH better tasting than the other brands.

CW

 

[DK1]

In my opinion, you need to think seriously about your diet outside of how it is affecting your riding. It sounds awful. I would need to drink two gallons of water every ride too if my diet consisted of french fries, salted pizza and an extreme sauage sandwich. I had to read your posts a couple of times just to be certain you weren't just f-ing with us.

I have a recommendation for you that I seriously think you should consider. I bought Chris Carmichael's book Food for Fitness last year and it's a very good book that is also an easy and interesting read. In my opinion, it reinforces a lot of stuff that you already know, but it will help you get serious about changing your diet to improve your performance. It will also get you thinnking about how the choices you make effect your performance. Good luck!

 

[ISuckAtRiding]

In my opinion, you need to think seriously about your diet outside of how it is affecting your riding. It sounds awful. I would need to drink two gallons of water every ride too if my diet consisted of french fries, salted pizza and an extreme sauage sandwich. I had to read your posts a couple of times just to be certain you weren't just f-ing with us.

I have a recommendation for you that I seriously think you should consider. I bought Chris Carmichael's book Food for Fitness last year and it's a very good book that is also an easy and interesting read. In my opinion, it reinforces a lot of stuff that you already know, but it will help you get serious about changing your diet to improve your performance. It will also get you thinnking about how the choices you make effect your performance. Good luck!

as a single 25y/o guy living in the most expensive part of the country, its a little hard to get by, nevermind pay for healthy food, which seems to be WAYY more expensive than my current diet. I also cannot cook to save my life nor do i really even have the ambition to do it, expecially since its only me here. I know that sounds like lame ass excuses but it is really hard to find the drive to spend the $$ and time to eat right, expecially since i dont put on weight at all.
As for my performance, i was pefectly happy being at the top of expert class while it lasted. Only recently with the heat that i have been having issues. I think alot of things said in this thread will get me back on path again since i really havent been hydrating properly before the race as it seems. I think that, with a healthy pre-race breakfast and dinner, should be a good place to start. After that, i will work on what i can. BTW, pizza and fast food isnt all i eat. I do eat a few ceasar salads, rice, pasta, decent sandwiches, ect... throughout the week. My diet has never really bothered me before.

 

[DK1]

I can relate to everything you said and you're right...eating healthy isn't as cheap as eating off the dollar menu at McD's, but there are a lot of very healthy foods out there that are perfect for your racing and training that are inexpensive, with easy or no preparation. They're even starting to put potatoes and sweet potatoes in their own microwaveable wrappers. You just throw one in the microwave for 6 or 7 minutes and when it's done you have one of the most nutritious and best sources of clean burning carbs available, for less than an extreme sausage sandwich.

I didn't mean to knock you for your diet and if you are riding at the top of your expert class, maybe it is me that should be considering your diet to improve my performance

In any case, I stick by what I said about reading that book. I promise you won't be sorry and you will learn a lot. Amazon has used copies for $5 plus shipping.

 

[ZipMTB]

Want vs. Need

This may be stupid, but does your body really need this much water. What I mean is have you done a before/after weight +/- the water you consume during a ride?

Remember thisrt is not a good indicator of need, either too much or not enough. YOu could weigh yourself before a hard training ride, like a race simulation, and consume liquids that you know the net weigh for, then when you get back, weigh yourself again. If you are low, then you ned more fluids, same then your cosuming enough, and more than when you left then you are consuming too much.

A 2% drop in fluids can reduce your performanc by around 10% or more, so it might be worth a check.

Also FWIW, I go on a high RPM spin before a race to warm up and dring a whole bottle of Cytomax (works for me) in the hour leading up to the race. Try not to pee again and then bring a 20 oz bottle to consume during the 1.5 hr race. Then consume another bottle after the race and it seems about right for my body.

 

[SLX]

Are you taking any anti-depressents?

 

[LyNx]

Going by this I would say I need to drink more water when I ride and I already drink a crap load - I never weigh more when I'm done a ride, always a lb or 2 lighter. 4-5 hour ride 3 litre CB and 2 - 24oz water bottles, 1 has in accelerade. I'm going to try to keep an eye on this and see how it goes.

This may be stupid, but does your body really need this much water. What I mean is have you done a before/after weight +/- the water you consume during a ride?

Remember thisrt is not a good indicator of need, either too much or not enough. YOu could weigh yourself before a hard training ride, like a race simulation, and consume liquids that you know the net weigh for, then when you get back, weigh yourself again. If you are low, then you ned more fluids, same then your cosuming enough, and more than when you left then you are consuming too much.

A 2% drop in fluids can reduce your performanc by around 10% or more, so it might be worth a check.

Also FWIW, I go on a high RPM spin before a race to warm up and dring a whole bottle of Cytomax (works for me) in the hour leading up to the race. Try not to pee again and then bring a 20 oz bottle to consume during the 1.5 hr race. Then consume another bottle after the race and it seems about right for my body.

 

[ISuckAtRiding]

Are you taking any anti-depressents?

haha, no, no meds. why should i?