Flu like symptoms (the day after a long ride).

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

Did an 85 miler yesterday in a leisurely 7hours and arrived home with energy to spare.
(Pushing towards the 100 milers).

Today i have been totally "seized" for want of a better word.
Symptoms today:

Shivers
Fast resting heart rate
Excessive thirst
Legs clicking and popping like bubblewrap
Legs getting really tired by lunchtime

The thing is, i always feel down the day after a 50+ miler.

Would a recovery ride this morning have helped, or have i just "overdone it".

I'm 5'6" weighing 200 pounds and tend to do no more than 30-40 miles on each training ride.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

You've either picked up a virus or, more likely, you're knackered. Or both. Anyhow stick at it, you'll adapt.

 

[Crackle]

So, how you feeling today?

 

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

So, how you feeling today?

Absolutely fine today ... virtually no aches or stiffness in the legs, and all the
shivers and hot flushes have cleared ... also the thirst has gone.

It's a case of "no pain, no gain" i suppose.

 

[Crackle]

Absolutely fine today ... virtually no aches or stiffness in the legs, and all the
shivers and hot flushes have cleared ... also the thirst has gone.

It's a case of "no pain, no gain" i suppose.

Interesting, must have been the exertion of the ride then. 85 miles is a good distance.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Glad it was 'knackered' and not 'ill'.

 

[lulubel]

I had exactly the same the day after a long ride last summer. It was very hot and, although I drank plenty on the ride, I didn't drink very much for the rest of the day. I put it down to dehydration.

 

[Arsen Gere]

Before I start, I'm no expert in this area and the area is not fully understood and I understand it less than the experts. But here is my 2p.
When on your long rides the body breaks stuff down, this may produce arachadonic acid and then you get prostaglandins in reaction to inflamation. The prostaglandins carry the sense of pain to your brain so you feel unwell. Like a cold or flu ache. Paracetamol inhibits prostaglandins and should make you feel better quite quickly, but don't take them if you can cope. The body sorts iself out and you feel better the next day.

The good news is that this should stop as you get fitter and more used to the stress that the long rides create. So don't stop riding, maybe take it a bit easier, try eating and drinking more as the others point out, the problem should go away by itself.

 

[tyred]

I think you need to drink more water. At least it stops me from having problems like this.

 

[IanT]

Personally, I'm finding on long rides that it's just as important to take electrolyte.

I use a CamelBak - which I use to keep hydrated on the go - and mix an electrolyte powder into my drink bottle - which I take at rest stops and afterwards.

Did a fairly testing (for me at least) 55 miles at the weekend and using this method found I did not get the usual Sunday morning seized legs.

There's some pretty good science behind it, too - you loose electrolyte through sweat, which you need to replace. If you just take on board water, the kidneys will want to move more water through you to restore the balance of electrolyte - so you simply pee more.

Makes good sense - and certainly seemed to work for me.

 

[Dave 123]

Drink more....
How did you feel before the ride? 100%? Bit of a cold? Tired from work?
I only did 35 miles on Sunday, felt great for the rest of the day.. felt awful riding to work this morning.
I work outside and I was pretty static all day on a cold hard surface. I think the body uses up a large amount of energy just keeping warm.

 

[danger mouse]

+ many for dehydration/recovery from excess training.

Good way to check is the colour of your wee.

 

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

+ many for dehydration/recovery from excess training.

Good way to check is the colour of your wee.

Thanks for the replies chaps.
I should have pointed out in my original post that i had "pre-loaded" plenty of carbs the day before the ride, and during the ride i drank
just under 1 litre of pre-mixed "high 5" (2 tablets per litre).
Also i ate virtually every hour (peanut butter sandwiches/fig rolls/cake/wine gums).

As for wee ... that looked like beer during the evening. So i guess i should drink more isotonic during the evening after a ride
rather than plain old squash?

I intend to wind up the mileage further during these cooler months, even if the rides knock me out the following day.

As i see it if i don't loose the excess weight now, the excess fat will only hold the heat in more during the summer months,
meaning i won't want to cycle as much ... meaning i won't continue loosing weight.

 

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

Before I start, I'm no expert in this area and the area is not fully understood and I understand it less than the experts. But here is my 2p.
When on your long rides the body breaks stuff down, this may produce arachadonic acid and then you get prostaglandins in reaction to inflamation. The prostaglandins carry the sense of pain to your brain so you feel unwell. Like a cold or flu ache. Paracetamol inhibits prostaglandins and should make you feel better quite quickly, but don't take them if you can cope. The body sorts iself out and you feel better the next day.

The good news is that this should stop as you get fitter and more used to the stress that the long rides create. So don't stop riding, maybe take it a bit easier, try eating and drinking more as the others point out, the problem should go away by itself.

Thanks for the detailed reply ... i'll probably try some paracetamol next time i suffer post-ride fatigue.

 

[Banjo]

Only use paracetomol if you really need it. I would try drinking lots of plain water to flush out your system and rehydrate you. Personally I would drink much more than you on an 85 miler. I carry 1.5 liters in two 0.75 litre bottles and would have refilled one of them making the total more than double what you drink on the ride.