Finding Things To Eat At 173 BPM

Still trying to find a good way to consume carbohydrates while riding near my lactate threshold. Shot Bloks don’t work. I heard good things about them but never was a fan. Tonight it occurred to me that every time I tried them previously, they were either frozen solid or coated in sand from bouncing around in my jersey pocket. They are much better dirt free and at room temperature but still difficult to eat at 173 BPM.

I will burn about 1100 calories an hour at race pace but I guess I can only digest about 50 grams of carbohydrate (200 calories) in that time. Trying to process fat or protein from food at that effort is less effective. I think I will stick to shorter races and not worry about eating, maybe jump on the cyclo-cross bandwagon.

Even if I can't sort out my caloric intake, I remain defiantly optimistic about the upcoming season. In 8 short weeks, frogs will be chirping and trails should be rideable. I need about 8 weeks to find some type of fitness. Riding the trainer works well because I am not distracted by any enjoyment caused from riding outside. I am feeling stronger and, fortunately, I have no real information from a powertap or lactate test to tell me otherwise. Apparently I thrive on blind optimism, mind numbing boredom, and fuzzy observations. I’m OK with that.