Lactic what a *****

[Sully]

Hello all, hope your ok
Please advise me, I'm a 43 Yr old male 5"10 around 12 stone, I'm slowly raising my mileage with my target being the Nottm cycle 100 next Yr which which I'm already paid and entered into, on my ride on Saturday I ran into a problem I've not encountered before, or I'm assuming it was a build up of lactic acid, the pain 36 miles into the ride was honestly terrible, I couldn't get comfortable in the saddle and it was affecting both upper and lower legs, I've heard it referred to as a burning sensation, well I can't really put my finger on it but suffice to say it was bl**dy awful !
anyway I gets home and could hardnt walk, so I sank myself into a cold bath, that helped, my ride was 41 miles with an elevation gained of around 2000 ft, I set off quite quickly but had to crawl home, average was just over 15 mph (Strava) So have I done something wrong ? Was it down to not hydrating enough or eating enough ? I'm concerned as I'm going to ride the 100 miles for charity and failure is not an option, but saying this I couldn't manage to do the remaining 50 miles feeling like I did, your help and advice as always is greatly appreciated, Craig

 

[Rob3rt]

shoot happens, forget about it and move on.

 

[Sully]

Lol, love it Rob, I take 25 mins to write an essay and it's sorted in 8 words

 

[VamP]

Considering that Rob bathes his muscles in lactic several times per ride, I am not really sure what you could reasonably expect? Do it more often and you'll actually come to like the sensation

 

[Sully]

Honestly I understand enjoying perhaps a bit of something, I can't think there is a single person who could like what I went through on Saturday which makes me think it wasn't lactic

 

[Rob3rt]

Everyone has bad days now and then. I trust this distance wasn't that much further than you usually do?

TBH, I would put it down to an off day unless it repeats itself persistently.

 

[snorri]

I set off quite quickly

I have often cycled more than 36 miles, but have never suffered the pain you describe so might not be qualified to comment, but would suggest that setting off quickly might not have been such a good idea.
100 miles in a day should be attainable at your age, but is it neccessary to cover the distance within a tight timescale? If not, just go for distance and leave your timing device at home until much closer to the target event.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

If it was not a burning sensation, pins and needles type of experience you should question if what you experienced was lactic acid build up and not just an off day.
Continued soreness the following day (Doms) is also an indication of lactic build up.
If this was what you experienced it basically means that you had not fueled yourself correctly so your body was forced to produce energy anaerobically to break glucose down. In effect you did not meet your energy needs.

The best thing you can do to treat lactic acid is to exercise more frequently, the fitter you are the less glucose you will need to use from sources such as fat. This reduces the opportunity for lactic acid build up
Increase and vary the effort of your work out gradually (this is not the same as increasing distance)
Lactic acid is water soluble, if you remain hydrated you will not feel a burn.
Stretch after a ride.

Weight lifting is reknown for lactic build up as at this time your muscles can demand more energy than the body can provide which is where the phrase "can you feel the burn" comes from

Hth

 

[steve52]

i shall answer in 2 words, (Go slower)

 

[VamP]

If it was not a burning sensation, pins and needles type of experience you should question if what you experienced was lactic acid build up and not just an off day.
Continued soreness the following day (Doms) is also an indication of lactic build up.
If this was what you experienced it basically means that you had not fueled yourself correctly so your body was forced to produce energy anaerobically to break glucose down. In effect you did not meet your energy needs.

The best thing you can do to treat lactic acid is to exercise more frequently, the fitter you are the less glucose you will need to use from sources such as fat. This reduces the opportunity for lactic acid build up
Increase and vary the effort of your work out gradually (this is not the same as increasing distance)
Lactic acid is water soluble, if you remain hydrated you will not feel a burn.
Stretch after a ride.

Weight lifting is reknown for lactic build up as at this time your muscles can demand more energy than the body can provide which is where the phrase "can you feel the burn" comes from

Hth

Are you sure?

 

[Dusty Bin]

The best thing you can do to treat lactic acid is to exercise more frequently, the fitter you are the less glucose you will need to use from sources such as fat. This reduces the opportunity for lactic acid build up
Increase and vary the effort of your work out gradually (this is not the same as increasing distance)
Lactic acid is water soluble, if you remain hydrated you will not feel a burn.

 

[Thomk]

If it was not a burning sensation, pins and needles type of experience you should question if what you experienced was lactic acid build up and not just an off day.
Continued soreness the following day (Doms) is also an indication of lactic build up.
If this was what you experienced it basically means that you had not fueled yourself correctly so your body was forced to produce energy anaerobically to break glucose down. In effect you did not meet your energy needs.

The best thing you can do to treat lactic acid is to exercise more frequently, the fitter you are the less glucose you will need to use from sources such as fat. This reduces the opportunity for lactic acid build up
Increase and vary the effort of your work out gradually (this is not the same as increasing distance)
Lactic acid is water soluble, if you remain hydrated you will not feel a burn.
Stretch after a ride.

Weight lifting is reknown for lactic build up as at this time your muscles can demand more energy than the body can provide which is where the phrase "can you feel the burn" comes from

Hth

I don't know where to start with this except to say that you should always be cautious about accepting training advice from someone who talks about lactic acid in the human body.

 

[Biker Joe]

It sounds like you just 'bonked'.
Questions to ask yourself:-
Were you fueled up properly before the ride?
Did you take fuel and enough water with you?
Have you been pushing it too hard recently without giving yourself time to recover between rides? (Your body might have been saying," Enough already. I need a break".)

Don't panic! You've still got plenty of time. Take a step back and look at how you're treating yourself.
You've probably just had an off day so consider the questions above. Don't forget about recovery rides and rest periods.
Don't worry. You'll be OK

 

[Rob3rt]

It sounds like you just 'bonked'.
Questions to ask yourself:-
Were you fueled up properly before the ride?
Did you take fuel and enough water with you?
Have you been pushing it too hard recently without giving yourself time to recover between rides? (Your body might have been saying," Enough already. I need a break".)

Don't panic! You've still got plenty of time. Take a step back and look at how you're treating yourself.
You've probably just had an off day so consider the questions above. Don't forget about recovery rides and rest periods.
Don't worry. You'll be OK

No it doesn't.

 

[Fab Foodie]

The best thing you can do to treat lactic acid is to exercise more frequently, the fitter you are the less glucose you will need to use from sources such as fat.

Hth

There is no pathway to convert fat to glucose in the human body.