What\’s up with me?

Am I doing something wrong on my weekly long rides? I seem to get tireder than I should on the way back home; and I have to make more rest stops that I really want to.

Is my nutrition off-base? Do I need to eat more before starting out?  The catch is, if I\’m to get underway before it gets too hot, there\’s not time to eat a hearty breakfast and let it \”settle\” before I ride. Not, that is, unless I get up at 3 o\’clock in the morning. No, thank you!

Am I doing something wrong when it comes to on-bike food? Do I need to eat more? Less? Are Clif Bars and Fiber One bars the wrong kind of food? Do I need to drink more water? More electrolyte drink?

What about my distance? It\’s not as though I suddenly began shooting for 40-50 miles. I\’ve been working up to it; and trying to take it gradually. Am I pacing myself wrong? In my zeal to improve my pace before Tour de Cure, am I pushing too hard for too long? It\’s one thing for me to work for a faster speed during shorter rides; but when I\’m aiming for 40-50 miles, it might be better for me to slow down. That\’s easier said than done, unfortunately.

 

More FAQ

It gets so hot before I can finish a long ride. I wear sunblock, of course; but maybe the sun is still sapping my energy. Is that the problem? Cooler weather is probably at least a few weeks away. I\’ve known us to get a cool front on October 6, though; so maybe relief is closer than I think. Temporary relief, anyway. After a cool front it gets hot again.

Then there\’s the fact that, with a sleep disorder, I\’m always tired. I\’ve battled it for 31 years now; and don\’t remember what it\’s like to feel truly awake and energetic.

And all that about the Sunday long ride! I wonder whether my weekday rides have been on the right track in my prep for Tour de Cure. If not, there\’s very little time left to try to correct the errors of my ways.

I\’ve got these final few days of September; and then there are the first two weeks of October. I can still work during that time to improve my force. After that I\’d probably be wise to ditch the on-bike force exercises and just work on my pace. Then, during the final week before The Day, I\’ll need to taper — shorter rides (but at normal intensity), and just a few very short hard pushes to keep the muscles sharp.

Those are the FAQs. What\’s up with me? Where are the answers?