It's been a while since I've had muscle cramps, but today I had two of them after my ride: one in each leg about 10 minutes apart.
The day started with making my lunch in the AM before going to work. I haven't had tuna in my salads for a while, so today it was tuna again...and a reminder of how good it is and a nutritious source of protein in my salads. I tend to eat similar meals until I get tired of it and then switch to another until I get tired of it and then switch again. So, I think I'm back on tuna for a while. My salad was fairly normal for me: tuna, spinach, broccoli, onion, garlic, mustard, cayenne pepper, black pepper, craisns, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crushed almonds. Tasty!!
Rather than leaving in the middle of the day for a long lunch break (ride) I went in early and just worked through - eating lunch at my desk. I was able to leave around 2:30 and was on my ride by a little after 3. It was warm. I repeat: it was warm (85+). I didn't take a third water bottle as I would have had to take a backpack and I chose not to do that today. Next time I will. Before the end of the ride I was sipping warm water out of my insulated water bottles...not a good thing for replenishing hydration needs. Two 24 oz bottles wasn't enough today.
The numbers: 46.2 miles (again), 2:30 (again), 18.4 mph avg, HR 140/173. They look very similar to recent rides, but it was much harder today. I was feeling fatigued, thirsty and my hopes of doing extra mileage at the start were dismissed by mid ride. It was the first ride in such warm/hot weather. The heat can be a zapper of energy and requires a more thought through plan for hydration and replacing energy than riding in cool weather has. (Or so that is my opinion.)
After getting home, showering and eating Chick-fil-A (we enjoy Tuesday nights fairly frequently as you get a free kids meal with a regular meal purchase - see the nutrition link on the side bar) I was still a bit warn out. But, my youngest still wanted to wrestle. So we did - on my bed (which is the normal wrestling ring). After him was Beth. And this is when I got my first leg cramp: in a muscle in my thigh that I've never had a cramp in before. Then 10 minutes later, still wrestling - with Beth and my wife now, I got a cramp in the same muscle in the other leg. Ouch!! Cramps are no fun...
What I'm drawing from this is that it's no longer enough to drink water only on my rides. I've been eating some bars, but I think I need to get some sports type drinks / powders to mix with my water as the days are heating up, I'm loosing more sweat.
Tonight's "The Biggest Looser" had a good reminder segment on not just focusing on calories, but focus on nutrition. When you are exercising intensely, you need carbs and energy to fuel those workouts. You need protein. You need good fats. This is something that I try to practice in my daily eating. I was surprised that last week I gained weight while doing more intense exercise than I probably ever have before.
The one thing I've changed for this week is - no sweets. That's all. No chocolate, Sherbet, Ice Cream .. etc. What helps me is to have accountability. So my wife is doing that for me. In my case it's pretty simple. The rule that I have is: "I can't eat any sweets with out asking my wife first." It's not like she has to say "NO", it's just that I have to ask and can't just eat in private/secret. For me that's enough. I've yet to ask and yet to eat some. And I'm seeing the weight come down a little already.
Most people don't appreciate the number of sweet teeth that I have in my mouth, I don't have a Sweet Tooth .. I have a mouth full of them! So the moral of this story is to know your self and get the help you need when you need it. Usually it will involve interacting with someone else to help you. Accountability and interaction are key with family or friends that you trust and will be honest with.
[Today's photo is of our most recent 4 legged addition to the family. My wife brought him home this past weekend ... to my surprise and ...]
Awwww but he is so cute!
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