I used to ride a lot, I was a bike cop for a while and rode 20 miles or so a day, 5 days a week. Later I got into mountain biking and would go pretty hard for 5-8 miles, but basically nothing in 15 years.
So, after 3 knee surgeries now and it looking like a 4th one coming before long, I decided to start biking again as running is just too much. I got a MTB but am in nowhere near the shape I need for the big trails around here so I started by riding paved trails.
First ride was fasted other than BPC, I rode a section until I decided I was done and it ended up being 14 miles of pretty continuous pedaling with about a half mile of 90% effort hill. Was fine when I got home except very hungry, I ate about 500 calories of keto food, then dinner a few hours later. Really surprised that I never even got sore.
Next ride had a bit of elevation change but only one brutal hill about 1/4 mile long. BPC only prior to ride. This time I did 19 miles (tired of a MTB on paved surfaces at this point!) and felt great other than a feeling a little reminiscent of my hypoglycemia days before keto. Quite a bit more hungry this time, but after drinking a ton of electrolytes I ended up eating about the same as the previous ride. 500 cal extra for the day while the ride supposedly used up 1,200.
After a 2 day break I did the 3rd ride, same as the second but with eating 400 calories of pecans to see how it affected energy and hunger. Out of the gate I was really high energy, doing about 3 mph more on average than the second ride. At the halfway point I felt much more exhausted, and while I did each half of the ride in about the same amount of time on the second ride, this one was much slower and I lost all of the speed I had gained in the first half. Then 3 really odd things.
- On the way back my legs, not sure how to describe, they weren’t cramping per se, but they felt like they were numb and needed oil, if I stopped pedaling and coast it seemed I could feel something rush in and lubricate everything and pedaling was easy again for 5 minutes or so and then had to do it again.
- As soon as I could see this tall building in the distance, which is where I started, I immediately started thinking about food, specifically french fries and ice cream. I couldn’t stop, mint chocolate chip or cookie dough? Reese’s cup maybe, mmmm oreo would be good. That continued for the last 10 mintues, I couldn’t think of anything else.
- I went home and was so hungry, much more than I had been on previous rides. I had some nuts, a protein shake with HWC and an atkins bar just to try to quell the sweet tooth. I felt like I was about to fall over asleep, I could barely keep my eyes open. I took my BG and it was 61, I am usually in the 80’s and that number is usually where I was with my hypoglycemia stuff. I ate peanut butter on a slice of white bread and everything seemed to even out.
I drink a lot on my rides, I have a camelbak not just the little bottles so I am drinking a ton. I am only about 15-20% bf if that helps. I have read about Targeted Keto where you take in carbs before a workout but before I did that I figured I would ask here. Any ideas? Maybe just too much too fast?