Headache/feeling sick and tired after riding!

Maybe something salty. Don't you all think all the energy food like hammer products or motor tabs is kinda over kill for the Fullerton loop? :?:

 

I might go for Hammer products, which one would you prefer that fits my needs? sorry i never take sport drinks before, so please somebody educate me..
also what do you guys take or drink from hammer products, i know there are few that i can take but i wanna know exactly what i need.

Thanks,
Allan

 

lots of options on hammer stuff... here's a summary....
rides of 1.5hrs or less, i go with water, or a light mixture of heed if its hot or i feel like it.

1.5 - 3 hrs, i use heed and 1 gel. i'll aim for about 2-3 bottles in that time. usually with some water as an option in a pack). a gel about 1/2 way to get a few calories, but i stay covered with the calories in heed.

another option for something in the 3 hr range is 1 bottle of perpetium, along with a bottle / pack carrying water. that will give you some calories, some fats, and help keep hunger down. same thing, i like a gel half way in.

longer rides 5 hrs, or endurance races, i'll alternate between heed (2 scoops per bottle) and perpetuem. again, always carrying a bottle of fresh water too. longer events i like to mix it up a little stronger, but thats just my preference.

for rides 3hrs and up, i will take 1 endurolyte per hour. if its hot, i'll go 2 per hour. i dont have an issue with cramping... ever. so that amount seems to work for me.

something like the cc or vq, i'll carry 1 heed, 1 perpetuem and have a bottle of each at the aid stations. if that fails, i rely on gels and water - always a good plan and delivers similar calories.

test them out and see what might work for you. you may find that an endurolyte before the ride may help with how you feel. there really is no set formula so what works for me may not work for you.

the thing i like about the hammer line is that it compliments each other. at the 12hr of rim nordic, i was feeling queezy from the intensity and elevation, so i moved to just water and hammer gels. that help settle my stomach and gave me the same calories as my heed would have done. once you know the product, it becomes predictable and you'll have options to use.

post ride, be sure to get in fluids and stay hydrated. recoverite in a bottle with a handful of ice cubes is great, and have something small and solid right away.

one more reason for the gels too is that while i may not be hungry during the ride, you want to take in calories so that you dont run "into the red" for tomorrow's ride... eat not only for the ride you're doing, but for the following day, too.

 

This used to happen to me, and it sounds like dehydration
If your body was not well hydrated and you drank water the day before and that day....you may still not be hydrated. I am always hydrating.....it takes days even weeks to get your body properly hydrated. You should always be drinking water.
Some say in humid weather you will dehydrate faster because you sweat a lot. Some say in dry weather you will dehydrate faster because the sweat evaporates so fast you are always sweating and in humid weather your sweat just stays on the surface.
I tend to believe dehydration occurs more in dry weather.

 

My wife uses salt and potassium supplements. Handled the same problem for her, she needed a surprising amount of salt though.

 

I agree--if you're talking about a single lap at a Thursday night social pace.

If you're pushing hard you can get cramps no matter where you're riding. The Loop is a perfect testing ground for "real" rides elsewhere.

The first time I ever got a cramp was at the end of two hard Loops laps in hot weather.