Terrible experience, need some health tips

Spoken

Spoken

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I'm an avid cyclist. I don't have much time for big rides, so I do 30-50 mile rides with crazy paces. I usually have an average speed of about 20-23mph. I'm constantly trying to burn myself out on hills. I burn around 1400-2000 calories in one ride, depending on my speed, the temperature, and my gearing.

YESTERDAY, however, was one of the worst riding experiences of my life. I think i was going to ride, so I didn't eat that well, but I did drink a lot of water. It was 90 degrees out, and I forgot to bring a second water bottle.
I was tired when I got home, but I could tell I needed to eat. .. so I grabbed grub, rehydrated, and went about my day. Eventually a headache came on, but by midnight-1am, it was a migraine like I've had before. My head hurt so much that I was vomiting.

I think I was hydrated enough because I downed about 50oz of water after the ride. But I'm wondering about nutrion... I peed once during the migraine attack and it wasn't yellow at all.
maybe I need to buy a postworkout supplement? If not, what should I eat after that kind of workout? Does drinking water after the workout help you to avoid these things? (it's clear I need to drink more during).

Sorry for the long post... just trying to provide context.
 
I know very little about cycling, but 20 years of cutting weight for wrestling has taught me a fair bit about dehydration and re-hydration.

While nutrient deficiency could have played a role, you are describing textbook dehydration.

While dark urine is a pretty good sign of dehydration, it does not follow that a clear urine stream is conclusive proof that you are hydrated.

How quickly did you consume the 50 oz's of water after the race? Did you just gulp it down in 20-30 minutes?

If so, and if it was as hot as you say, then the odds are that you were still pretty dehydrated.

You can drink water as fast as you want, but your body (blood, tissues, muscles, the cells) is only going to absorb, truly re-hydrate, at a rate of about 1-1.25 litres per hour. The rest will just cycle out as urine.

To avoid this in the future, make sure you are drinking 1.5 to 2 liters of water per hour for several hours after you have stopped your rides. Most of the time, you probably do this without thinking.
 
Cooks response is pretty on point, IMO. Depending on what you ate, it could also be that. I can't tell without knowing what you ate.
 
Sounds like textbook dehydration. If over the next few days you are peeing normally and don't have any severe muscle aches (other than the usual workout strain) you should be fine.

In the future, especially in hot weather, remember to replace not only water, but electrolytes too.

Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium.

Easily doable with some salt in your food, a banana or other pot rich food, and a cal/mag tablet.


Also, be smarter about the timing. If it's in the 90's during the afternoon, do a strenuous outdoor ride in early morning or evening.
 
cooks1 said:
I know very little about cycling, but 20 years of cutting weight for wrestling has taught me a fair bit about dehydration and re-hydration.

While nutrient deficiency could have played a role, you are describing textbook dehydration.

While dark urine is a pretty good sign of dehydration, it does not follow that a clear urine stream is conclusive proof that you are hydrated.

How quickly did you consume the 50 oz's of water after the race? Did you just gulp it down in 20-30 minutes?

If so, and if it was as hot as you say, then the odds are that you were still pretty dehydrated.

You can drink water as fast as you want, but your body (blood, tissues, muscles, the cells) is only going to absorb, truly re-hydrate, at a rate of about 1-1.25 litres per hour. The rest will just cycle out as urine.

To avoid this in the future, make sure you are drinking 1.5 to 2 liters of water per hour for several hours after you have stopped your rides. Most of the time, you probably do this without thinking.
Click to expand...

mind=blown.
I downed all that water in 30-40 minutes. It all makes sense.

I'd hug you if I could.
 
Along with plenty of water, try coconut water, a lot of people don't like the taste (I personally like it), but it's a great source of electrolytes and potassium.
 
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