I'm a little discouraged about my effort to prepare for the White Rim. That day consists of 104 miles and 6000+ feet of climbing. That day is Oct 4.
Today, I rode a jaunt around the city trails, which included three short climbs. Initially, I felt really good--awesome and confident in fact. Mile 35 hit after climb two and I was feeling so fresh, I thought, "I'm ready!"
Climb three ended and suddenly, I was feeling a little worn. At mile 40, I just wanted to get home. I was running out of steam really fast. My ass was starting to burn from the saddle.
Home at mile 45.5...and I downed a chocolate milk. I felt the burn in my legs thinking, "I can't do this again, no way."
I got on the scale and weighed 6 lbs less than this morning...lots of water loss. I wish it was fat, but tomorrow, as in the past, it will be back.
The last meal I ate was a a six inch sub at lunch with a bag of chips (around 550 calories) and I didn't eat breakfast. I did have a goo mid ride but that is only 100 cals.
I think part of my problem might be that I didn't eat during the ride, relying only on stored energy. Great since I'm trying to teach my body to metabolize fat and lose weight, but bad because it freaks out when that is all it has. Thus, I might have been riding too hard, especially on the climbs for that mode of energy burn. Fat stores are made for survival, not to bust ass on. When you body needs fuel and there is not enough blood sugar and not enough fat, it consumes muscle.
Next long ride, I will be taking the approach to eat often and push the mileage rather than burn up my body. I need to start shifting my goals from losing weight to using energy effectively and eating effectively.
No matter what, I need to gain the confidence that I can push through the mileage in October when the day comes. This is the phase of mental training.
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