Am I doing the right thing?

[sbornia]

Tomorrow I was planning on doing my first double of the year, been preparing for months. During the last month of longer rides, I've been trying to resolve some comfort/fit issues. I made some minor adjustments based on numbers from fittings I've had before, tried a different saddle from another bike, etc. Just when I thought I got it right, some other issue would come up. 50 mile ride the other day, legs and heart felt great, knees and elbow bad.

Given all of this, I expect to feel some type of pain a few hours into the double. Which means riding through it for another 8+ hours to finish the event. Is this stupid? I'm all for working through hard times -- getting through the coffin as it were -- but this isn't about fitness. I don't want to screw myself up for the rest of the year, or longer. It's hard to bail at the 11th hour, but I no longer feel confident about the ride. Rationalizing things, there's another double in 7 weeks, so I could use that time to get pro help.

What would you do?

[chrisroph]

sounds like you have serious doubts about your ability to do the ride without significant issues beyond the normal discomforts associated with a 200. i think you may have answered your own question. re fitting, others can get you close but only you can decide about the final tweaks.

you also need to ask yourself if you have some fundamental weaknesses, imbalances, or other physical conditions that are causing your discomfort and a good MD, DO, PT, etc can be invaluable in this analysis but it has to be a person with the right set of skills and experiences.

[sbornia]

...a good MD, DO, PT, etc can be invaluable in this analysis but it has to be a person with the right set of skills and experiences.

I have been wondering about this, too, just not sure how to articulate everything to a doc, or know what questions to ask. Uncharted territory for me.

And yeah, I did answer my own question. Posting was part of my cathartic processing of the situation. I owe you all $0.25 for listening :)

[chrisroph]

finding the right person or persons can be difficult but there have to be many people in your area that could help. you might ask some cyclists in your community who they see when they have problems. ideally, you want somebody with a lot of knowledge re cycling dynamics.

i found my trusted doc on a bike ride in the mid 80s. he has been my physician ever since and he has helped me immeasurably over the years.

[TAW]

As you know, those small tweaks cause discomfort in other areas.
I mess with my position in the winter on the trainer, and then try to
figure out whether the "new discomfort" is just my body getting used
to something that I'll adjust to, or whether this will cause me some
serious injury.

Are your pains discomfort that you think you'll get worked out by
riding, or are they pains (knee especially) that might cause further
damage by riding on them? If it's the latter, I think I'd abandon the
double until I worked those out.

[Ken Robb]

I have "played with pain" and ended up with long-term injuries that ruined my fun for months. When it starts to hurt "too much"--not just some discomfort--stop. You're not getting paid to hurt yourself.

[dekindy]

Go ahead and try the ride. What is the worst that can happen? You don't ride as far as you planned and you learn from it.

I did the following last summer to prepare for the 160-mile Ride Across Indiana (RAIN). I made a list of all the things that were bothering me and addressed each one. There may be more but these are all that I can recall.

The ride is in July and hot weather gets to me. I did several things to remedy this.

I had a fitting and got rid of my neck discomfort, arm/hand/elbow numbness, and most of my foot hot spots. It took thinner socks to completely rid the hot spots on my feet. I actually had socks that were too thick and it literally was temperature not pressue causing the remaining hot spots.

I also got better insoles for my riding shoes.

I got a more expensive helmet with better ventilation.

I got a Sweatr Gutr to keep the sweat out of my eyes. It worked great and I am also going to try a Halo Headband this summer because a lot guys that I ride with use them and swear by them.

I got new riding glasses that had smaller frames so I could wear them comfortably with my headbands and sweatr gutr.

I switched to sleeveless jerseys.

I invested in more expensive bottoms because the more expensive, thinner pads are really worth it because of the increased comfort and decreased bulk.

I also tried and switched to bibs once I figured out what I had been missing for the last 20 years. So criticize them for being hotter but I did not find that to be true. Just much more comfortable! 90% of riders that switch to bibs never go back to shorts. Once all mine wear out from using them on short rides at leisurely paces, they are history.

I also studied Hammer Nutrition's materials extensively and made sure that I consumed the proper amount of water and calories per hour. I had it planned to the ounce and calorie.

The fitting caused me to decrease the width of my handlebars and change the length/angle of my stem.

Even after the fitting the saddle was still not dialed in properly so I read as much as I could about my saddle on the forums and got it tweaked so that I could enjoy all day comfort.

Don't analyze too much. Advice can only take you so far.

[jeffg]

I have been wondering about this, too, just not sure how to articulate everything to a doc, or know what questions to ask. Uncharted territory for me.

And yeah, I did answer my own question. Posting was part of my cathartic processing of the situation. I owe you all $0.25 for listening :)

I would be a bit concerned if it is fit related knee pain. Repetitive motion for that period of time is no good if something is awry. Solvang is a pretty flat double in the spring, but no point in injuring yourself.

I signed up for an April double (Devil Mountain) last year just to check my fitness and will likely do so again. I will set a limit as to how long I will allow myself to be out there before I call it a day (e.g., I need to finish the first 91 miles to Mines Road by noon). My point is that you should feel free to test your position, nutrition, whatever, tomorrow but know when to say when unless this is a finish or die ride for you, which it doesn't appear to be.

[sbornia]

I hear ya' about just trying the ride to see how it goes. And I'd probably do that if the venue were closer to home. But I have a feeling that after driving 5 hours to the start, I may not be disciplined enough to listen to my body if things are not right...what do they call that, escalation of commitment?

[cmg]

Bring enough wrenches to make adjustments on the fly. allen wrenches for the saddle/seat post and stem handdle bars.

[jimp1234]

Hmm,, hurts at 50 mi. so do 4X as much... Let's see 90rpm X 60 min = 5400 x 9 hrs = 48600 repetitive motions to your knee joints.. the same knees that already have a problem... sure, what the heck do the ride.. those titanium replacement knee joints are getting better every year...


:beer:


-Jim

[dekindy]

Hmm,, hurts at 50 mi. so do 4X as much... Let's see 90rpm X 60 min = 5400 x 9 hrs = 48600 repetitive motions to your knee joints.. the same knees that already have a problem... sure, what the heck do the ride.. those titanium replacement knee joints are getting better every year...


:beer:


-Jim

"Been training for months"

"Just when I thought I got it right, some other issue would come up. 50 mile ride the other day, legs and heart felt great, knees and elbow bad."

"Given all of this, I expect to feel some type of pain a few hours into the double.

I am interpreting all this to mean that the knee is not a chronic condition. OP does not say that OP is expecting knees to hurt. Am I missing something? I remember when I was getting into shape something different hurt everytime I went out also. If the OP waits until everything is perfect then it might not ever get done.

If you don't want to ride a double now, then don't. It really is not that big a deal. If OP has been training for "months", is OP really not ready or just needs encouragement? How are we supposed to know?

If OP is indeed not ready, then OP better try a different training or fitting strategy because "months" should be adequate. How many total miles does OP have? How long has OP been riding?

OP does not mention riding buddies. Is OP doing this alone? I cannot imagine doing a double by myself!

Unless you have a chronic condition, I say go. Then do the next one in 7 weeks and see how much better you do with preparation, adjustments, confidence, etc. Or a least go and ride a single. Then ride a double in 7 weeks.

The one thing OP should be prepared is that you will likely ride the pace you anticipate but your stop times will probably be much longer than anticipated. This happened to me and other strong riders that I have talked to experienced the same thing on their first ride at this kind of distance. It is part of the learning curve.