What I Did Wrong...

 ...yesterday has been on my mind moreso than what I did right.  The biggest reason there is this lingering curiosity is simply... I am drained.  

First of all, the ride...

Yesterday I rolled outta the Pima-Dynamite Trailhead just before 8 am.  Kinda chilly, maybe in the high 60's, a bit of a breeze... so for the most part, it felt GREAT.  On the Cutty (my gravel bike with the fatter tires), the ONLY plan I had for the next few miles was to ride on Zone 1.  Even as the grade got steeper and there were moments my heart rate popped into Zone, the internal coaching was adamant that reigning in the effort was imperative.  Weave up to the gare, recognize that the next stretch will not be as easy (as it is much steeper in spots and much looser from OHV traffic) and settle into the idea that a match will be burned (as in I will hit Zones 2 and 3).

Stop at the top, eat some Shot Blocks, gather my head before rolling onto the Maricopa Trail past Bartlett Dam Road.  My HR jumps up... but comes back down soon enough it seems I am riding quite well.  For the most part I was in Zone 1 all the way down to Camp Creek Trail.  At this point 90 minutes or so had clicked by.

Hike a bike up the rutted, loose trail to the ridgeline.  Ride the ridgeline to the next highest point and realize that this ride was not gonna get any better (the trail I wanted to hit next was in worse shape than the current one...which was rutted and loose from the monsoons.)  Turn tail and drop back down to Camp Creek.  About 35,40 minutes had passed while surveying all this.

So I am about 2:15 in.  I have consumed one 20 oz bottle of Skratch & one sleeve of Shot Blocks... so 360 calories... which is good for me.  The lack of water though would catch up to me later.

The next 20 minutes was spent climbing outta the creek.  5 percent grade, lots of ruts to navigate.  Zone 4 was more common than I wanted... but it was necessary.  I could not climb much faster.  Get to the top, rest again... more water w/ Skratch, 1/2 a sleeve of Shot Blocks.  Weave onto the Maricopa Trail... 'cause singletrack is more funner.  Stop long enough at the next gate into Browns Ranch to drink a bit, eat a couple more Shot Blocks.

When I hit West Express, the fun of the bike overtakes all self-preservation sensibilities.  Even as my wrists and hands are aching from hanging on and my lower back is wanting to bark, the pedals are getting kicked harder and harder.  It wasn't until the bike went a bit more sideways in a quick chicane that I relented to my ever-decreasing reaction time.

Back at the truck, I feel a bit sore, not as tired as expected but happy with the ride.  This was my first ride OVER three hours in a long while.  I mix up the Skratch recovery drink (basically dehydrated chocolate milk with some other stuff thrown in) and sip on it all the way back to the house.

At home I settle in.  The fatigue is real... but my urge to move is even more debilitating.  I order in a Sonic burger and tots for lunch... now 75-90 minutes after finishing.  Get in a nap, wander around the house with small chores.  After Meghan gets home, we order in dinner... and I get a Philly cheesesteak bowl (with basically rice instead of bread).

So the wheels fell off after laying in bed for about an hour.  When I get dehydrated OR take in way too much sodium OR consume too much sugar before bed, my feet and legs become restless.  Everything else can be about to pass out with sleep and a twitch will wake me back up.  It's not involuntary but it feels dire at that moment.  This went on until 10 pm when I went downstairs.  I have found laying on my stomach with my feet propped up (allowing the blood to not "pool" in my feet & toes) the feeling dies down.  I pass out but around midnight I head back upstairs to bed.  Lay there for maybe one more hour after the twitching recommenced before just passing out from exhaustion.

This morning I was up by 5:30 am as usual but laid there for another 30 minutes sorting out my thoughts.  Get up, get dressed and inventory the aches and pains:

• right heel tendonitis... which has been there off-and-on for two months (which did loosen up after getting out this morning)
• sore thumbs at the joint in BOTH hands...definitely from hanging onto the bars yesterday.  My forearms and triceps are noticeably weaker but good.
• dead legs... just climbing the stairs was a chore
• lazy diaphragm... as I climbed stairs, it was clear my breathing was shallow.
• shoulders are tired... but good
• neck feels tires... but hasn't been bothersome.

The other factor that woke up this conversation in my head - the scale said 225.7 pounds this morning.  That's my first time below 226 in years... which sounds good but it also means my water weight is depleted more heavily than expected (although the Garmin scale says it has NOT... and I am holding steady at 50.4%)

All morning I have been compiling the data in my head and setting out solutions.  Some of em' are easy fixes while others will take practice & focus:

The tendonitis in my heel isn't really part of this ride... but I am not helping it along.  I have switched insoles from Superfeet to Currex in most of my shoes so I'm hoping this helps.  Some new Hokas were brought in to replace the Asics that seem to be getting worse in quality... at least for me.

The sore thumbs & wrists will likely mean two changes.  One, more gym time... 'cause a stronger core and arms will undoubtedly help.  Two, possibly a higher stem.  I have been hesitant to raise the stem because my weight distribution on many of my rides on the Cutty have felt balanced and quick.  When I raise the stem, it will only be 5 mm or so.  The other sore muscles... will get better with more riding and more gym time.  

My BIGGEST change will be to focus on my hydration during and AFTER the ride more closely.  While I don't think I could take in many more calories right away,  my post-ride intake was too low through the latter parts of the day.  My post-ride recovery drink has been helping alot over the last month or so.  Where I need to continue to improve once I am back home and settling into recovery mode.

More water... and just water.  Alot of the achiness that is lingering is simply dehydration.  Maybe add in some salt and electrolytes...as much as my stomach can stand.

More protein... and not burgers.  Even tacos with more vegetables and less grease would have been better.

More focus on better foods at night - less sodium, less sugar.  I honestly think I was sipping on a bottle with hydration mix last night and didn't notice.  That late night sugar could not have helped.

Now I have made myself hungry.  Later.