CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Help, I'm knackered....

(56 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by DaveC
  • Latest reply from Instography

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12

  1. DaveC
    Member

    I doing 3 - 4 days commute of between 16.5 - 18.5 miles a day each way to & from work. I get up at 06.30 - 06.45 each day and I'm finding that come 7pm when I get home I'm shattered. Actually this week is worse but then I gave a pint of blood yesterday so that may explain this weeks early knackeredness. Typically I ready for bed around 9pm. Why am I struggling? I have upped my usual Soup and a roll for lunch far a Tesco pasta meal as we have a microwave, and two rolls with butter. I drink a pint of energy drink when I get to work so think I'm taking in enough calories though I haven't researched how much I may consume eating daily or how much I burn cycling.

    Has anyone suffered this before and have any advise please?

    Dave C

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. SRD
    Moderator

    Porridge! Seriously, sounds to me like you need better quality calories etc.

    I've never commuted like that but I use to get up at 5.30, cycle across town, then train (kayak sprints and distance) for 2 hours and then cycle home or to work. Then same again at 5pm. If I went home in the morning, I used to eat and eat. Once ate half a 9 inch peach pie.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. amir
    Member

    Sometimes you just need a break

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Over training - Google it and I'll put money on you having all the symptoms. My brother suffered from it a couple of years back. As amir says, it boils down to 'sometimes you just need a break'.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. wingpig
    Member

    Lose the energy drink and replace it with a nutritious breakfast of some kind. As suggested above porridge might work if you can stomach it but half a box of oatcakes would also do.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. DaveC
    Member

    Sorry I forgot to mention I do have a bowl of porrage for breakfast before I leave for work. I find I'm most tired now, in the evening.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. SRD
    Moderator

    You might also find that a more substantial lunch would help. I've eaten many a tesco pasta meal at work at lunch, but they are very processed and fillered. Leftovers from home, or something with some wholegrains like a good quality bread in sandwich might give longer lasting energy.

    But, if you're up before 7, then I'd say 9pm is exactly the right bedtime!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    If I'm not mistaken from Facebook posts you're also riding at weekends. Your body needs a rest every now and then.

    Over Training

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Min
    Member

    Yes you need to give yourself a rest. Take a few days off cycling at least. Also make sure you are not dehydrated.

    Are your 3-4 days cycling consecutive? I used to have a 54 mile round commute in a job which was 4 days on and 2 off. I'd drive the 3rd day and cycle the others. Would have killed me otherwise.

    There is no shame in taking rest days. They are an important part of training since that is when your body actually gets stronger.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Porridge.

    Obree recommends "proper" calories in his own practical way - brown bread with some marmalade or jam on it, bananas, crackers.

    You've really impressed me with the recent increase in how much you're commuting each week and riding at the weekend. Ultimately though without adequate rest days, you'll just end out depleting all your reserves and get the resulting coma-like crashes.

    Try on your weekend ride to keep it very flat and in the small ring, just spinning away at an easy pace and trying not to get the heart rate or breathing up. You can cover the same amount of miles, but you won't be stressing your body. Perhaps also give yourself an extra half hour one day a week on your commute to take it easier.

    If you constantly ride towards the top of your capacity in terms of distance and speed, you'll actually end up going backwards in terms of stamina, endurance and your ability.

    Obree also says that rest days are even more important than your training days and can be even harder to force yourself to take. But without them, your efforts during the week are going to be frustrated.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Uberuce
    Member

    Yoinks. I do half your one-way distance in a day and I eat a hell of a lot more than you. If I ate as little as you on you mileage I expect I'd shortly be called into my boss's office...

    "Uberuce...?"

    "Yes? And why are you using my internet name?"

    "Shh. Do you remember yesterday, when you were in the lift with Susan and Tristan."

    "Vaguely. Oh, yes! I remember she had oddly spangly shoes on."

    "Right, well, do you remember falling on them as a raptor on the flock and devouring the flesh from their living bones?"

    "Urm....can't say I do."

    "You didn't think the lift was, just for example, a little more drenched in blood when you left it?"

    "I think I remember some smearing..."

    "Well, I'm afraid no-one's seen Susan and Tristan since that point, Facilities received some complaints of unbridled feral howling and gorging sounds from that lift, and HR are raising some concerns over Susan and Tristan's productivity, which is frankly very far below normal, except for Susan. Is that a piece of spangly shoe lodged in your beard?"

    "Not neccesarily."

    Ditto the folk saying you need rest days. Rest doesn't mean the bike is off limits, it just means any riding you do on it is at a cheesey smile, pootling along while tweety birds chirrup round you pace.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. Nelly
    Member

    Dave, +1 for all the porridge chat, I have it every bike day once I get to work.

    Your lunch is not doing you any good, sounds a bit gillian mckeith but processed grub is hopeless and wont give you enough of the good stuff for your miles.

    Can you take a big homemade salad/wholemeal bread to go with your soup?

    P.s. Dont discount your waking time either - my usual is alarm at 6.15, on bike by 6.30, it can feel a bit soul destroying every day. Take a day off, long lie, whatever.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. Dave
    Member

    There are two things that are important, when you do ride you need to eat immediately you get off the bike, doesn't matter what, and you need to get enough rest days.

    I don't think the quality of what you eat matters too much in terms of riding (obviously there are general health implications). If you don't believe me, you should see what people ate on PBP!

    It just sounds to me like you're putting in too many miles without enough rest. When I was training for PBP I put in up to 50 miles before commuting to work, but I never rode at the weekends unless there was an event (in which case I kept it to the absolute minimum during the week).

    A good way to think of it is that riding breaks down your muscle while rest rebuilds them. People try to ride more and more as though breaking down more muscle will somehow help - you actually improve only when you rest.

    I was going to suggest a switch to Mon-Wed-Fri, but if you're also riding the weekends, then I'd say Tue-Thu and accept that you're taking a recovery day in between. It won't take long to get back on it if you cut back now.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. Stepdoh
    Member

    Uberuce, her her her, feel that way most of the day, but think I have skinny bloke metabolism

    Have moved to porridge in the morning which definitely tides me over till about 11.55. Then back to ravenous stage. Biscuit barrel will probably have been raided at some point.

    Protein shakes tend to be quite low fat, partic if you make with skim milk, designed these days for chaps who what the MH cover look. Muscular with sub 10% body fat.

    Consequently if your muscles are getting bigger from the extra protein (which I'm guessing from the upscaling of your activity your legs will be) they take even more energy to keep going, even at rest.

    Good quality carbs as everyone said, suspect in the tesco ready meal everything will be at the cheapest quality, so the pasta will probably not be very dense. Compare it to stuff you cook at home and you'll find it's a lot floppier.

    And rest, even if it means going from a run to a pootle.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Rest doesn't mean the bike is off limits, it just means any riding you do on it is at a cheesey smile, pootling along while tweety birds chirrup round you pace.

    Audax and PBP race pace, three or four days a week, Paper Bicycle pace one or two days a week, no cycling at all at least one day a week. Bit hard sometimes when you live at the top of Edinburgh and it's always uphill going home.

    When you habitually ride five or six days a week, every week, you very quickly feel guilty if you don't ride at all for more than two or three days, and use *whispers* a motor vehicle. Meh, sometimes you just need time off to recover.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. Stepdoh
    Member

    This would be a great feature for CityCycling. 'At the fuel pump: proper nutrition for commuters'

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. Instography
    Member

    DaveC. I used to do much the same run from Limekilns to Edinburgh every day plus a ride at the weekend. I had it in my head to be going faster and faster - that was how I was measuring progress, shaving seconds here and there. It didn't take too long before, like you, I was constantly knackered and soon scunnered myself with the whole thing.

    That's partly why, since I started cycling again, I've been sticking to my drive to the airport and cycle from there. It's more sustainable in the long term. Once the weather improves, I'll probably do it the whole way a couple of days a week at most and on other days take the car to the airport and have an easy run from there.

    There's room on my rack for another bike if you want to cut the weekday miles down a bit a couple of days a week. I think the timing would work - I leave home at about 6.20am, pick up a mate in Rosyth about 6.30 and leave the office at 5pm on the way back.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. ruggtomcat
    Member

    Ive done some serious regular miles over the years and I gotta say if your feeling overtired then there is something wrong! If I'm fit then normally my capacity for extra energy on demand gets better, not worse. You have to listen to your body and balance going like a loony with lazing like a lump sometimes.

    The trouble comes when there is only one way to work, by bike, and you *really* need a day off the bike. That's when you sit back and force yourself not to overtake anyone.

    Mind you I was on a three day week last week and Ive had 3 rest days! I miss the commute! (tho not the trailer)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. Baldcyclist
    Member

    What days are you doing the full distance? I try to do a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday/Friday on the full commute and one the other days on the short easier commute. I find that my legs are constantly sore from Tuesday evening on, but the tiredness you mention (I can relate!) doesn't appear until Thurs/Fri in time for a rest over the weekend.

    Maybe if you cut down the speed it would make a difference? I know you are fitter than me, and I can manage the miles. Slowing down would probably only cost you 7 to 10 minutes (even on that distance.).

    Other things that folk have mentioned above re calories, are you losing weight? If so that could be draining reserves as you are fairly slim anyway.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. Darkerside
    Member

    'At the fuel pump: proper nutrition for commuters'

    I can get through half a pack of custard creams a day without any obvious/visible adverse effects. They've got, like, milk and stuff in. Gotta be good for you.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. Stepdoh
    Member

    Well, it's wheat/sugar (carbs) 'cream'/butter (fat) and possibly a smattering of protein in there from the milk products.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Chocolate milk already has a lot of what you need in a recovery drink. And it tastes damn good.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  23. SRD
    Moderator

    mmmm...chocolate milk and a banana or two! (I'm actually not a huge banana fan unlike the rest of my family, but they're awfully good at times like this). I buy a bunch for my office at the start of the week, and work my way through them.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  24. DaveC
    Member

    I'm a huge banana fan - but I'm not fussed about the smaller bananas... ;-)

    We took a walk down to TBC at lunch time and popped into Tesco's for lunch. I read that the pasta meals I've been eating have 500cals but that the curries next to them have 940cals so stocked up on a few of those for the freezer at work. I'll try eating double pasta meals in future and monitor my weight. I do suppliment my lunch with 2 - 3 bread rolls with butter now.

    I'll rethink my ~75km rides on Sunday too, for a couple of weeks to see how I feel.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  25. SRD
    Moderator

    we're just not going to see eye to eye o this are we?

    1. small bananas much better than big ones.

    2. its not the number of calories. the curries just have more fat and sugar in them. not what you need.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  26. DaveC
    Member

    SRD said "we're just not going to see eye to eye o this are we?",

    I'll bring a step ladder for you Sarah.... ;-)

    seriously I don't recall much from Home Economics at school - I don't recall much from school actually. What is it I need? I thought it was calories = Bread, Rice, Pasta... oh you're talking about carbs right?

    I'm still made up by Baldcyclists comment about me being slim... Made my week! #iUsedToThinkIWasFat.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  27. Stepdoh
    Member

    Fat and sugar is *okay* definitely needs more carbohydrate though. White rice isn't very complex.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  28. SRD
    Moderator

    fat and sugar are okay, yes, but better not as additives to savoury meals to sell them cheap to punters. eat fat and sugar as cake!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  29. wingpig
    Member

    There'll be quite a long lead time between ingesting the butter in the rolls and it being made available to your legs. Bread is quite bulky and stomach-heavy as far as carb sources go so make the bread count by making it as grainy and seedy as possible.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  30. amir
    Member

    Even better, bake your own bread. Shop bought bread contains a surprising level of salt.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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