8 days from now - mountain bike marathon page

[smilingjustalittlebit]

30 miles or so, not very far, but VERY hilly. Last year I had just gone paleo andit broke both me and my bike. Severe leg cramps forced me to to pull out. This year I want redemption. I was pretty damn fit last year and definitely believed the cramp to be a diet issue during the adjustment period.

My body is now well adjusted obviously, but I want to make sure I eat the right stuff in the days leading up to the race. If you can provide some tips I would be extremely grateful, for pre race and also during the race.

Thanks

[Mr. O]

30 miles or so, not very far, but VERY hilly. Last year I had just gone paleo andit broke both me and my bike. Severe leg cramps forced me to to pull out. This year I want redemption. I was pretty damn fit last year and definitely believed the cramp to be a diet issue during the adjustment period.

My body is now well adjusted obviously, but I want to make sure I eat the right stuff in the days leading up to the race. If you can provide some tips I would be extremely grateful, for pre race and also during the race.

Thanks

I'm in the process of becoming fat adapted for endurance cycling. I think a lot of your question boils down to your heartrate. Are you trying to win the race or just complete it. If you are just challenging yourself and can stay below 70% of your max heart rate during the race, then you probably don't need to "carb up" for the race and you can use your existing fat stores for fuel. If you are going to be anerobic, then you probably need to top off your glycogen stores prior to the race and may want to consider fueling with carbs during the race. I guess it really just depends on your goals and what you are trying to accomplish. I'm aiming to eliminate the GU packet/sugar fueling if possible. We'll see. Good luck!

[clint2]

You may want to look into a book-The art and science of low carb performance. These guys really know their stuff.

[Knifegill]

I bicycle every day. Magnesium and potassium in powdered form have *cross fingers* cured my leg cramps. I still carry a vial of baking soda in case of a cramp, because it works so fast - but I haven't had to use it yet.

I am usually very low-carb. But I ride up intense hills, often relying on my arms to pull my body downward to pedal. I rarely ride more than five miles. The hills here are too intense for it. If I go all-out and feel good sweating and breathing, that's when I've had cramps in the past. Always had cramps, before paleo, ever since the ritalin days in my preteens. So I ride like the disabled person I am.

[elenius]

I see that someone already mentioned magnesium. I would not worry about taking it during the race because you're not sweating out magnesium, but instead make sure you have enough to start with, by taking 2 slow-mag every day. These are slow-release magnesium pills, that (I've read) work much better than the regular ones. Take with food. Good luck!

[smilingjustalittlebit]

Unfortunately the event is tomorrow so assume I'm too late for the magnesium supplement to really take effect?

I'm entering to finish, I won't be competing for a good placement, just want to exorcise the ghost of last year!

[smilingjustalittlebit]

Well, race is done and dusted, I had the cramps again, serious ones but was able to at least finish it this year. I'm curious if I'd have had these cramps a couple of years ago when I was eating the CW way. As it stands, I'll make an effort with the magnesium and see if it helps.