Working towards a LeJoG in September

[bluelagos]

Cant see an intro section so just to say hi guys.

Signed up for a supported LeJog in September (14 days) so will be pestering you guys for tips, reading threads to see whats gone before etc.

Only been riding 6 months and am able to do 40 mile runs in 3.5 hours on a Mtb. Just got a road bike now so looking forward to something a lot more suitable for touring.

Been riding what seems like loads, around 200 miles a week for past 4 weeks (CV has some upsides) but not got a formal training plan or diet plan.

Few bits to sort out, like clip ons (not easy when you cant try the shoes on). Better fueling. Find some hills (Anglia is a bit flat) but hopefully am on the right track.

[Paulatic]

Welcome aboard and I sincerely hope your plans go ahead in September.
Training: ( this worked for me)
From now til then ride a little bit further every week.
A few weeks before the off ensure you’ve ridden at least four consecutive days at least 85% of the LEJOG daily mileage. This will let you experience how tired you might be feeling on day 4. In your case, a 14 day, I’d guess you’re looking at approx 70 mpd
Hills? I’m not sure how you get over that living on the flat. They are an essential part of the journey which you can’t omit. Having the right gearing and a few weekends in the Peak District might help.
Diet Plan:
Eat what you enjoy and eat before you’re hungry. Practice eating two breakfasts because that’s what you’ll do when you’re on the trip.
Bear in mind clip on pedals aren’t essential to do a LEJOG ( ISFE) Getting that cleat position and alignment is very important. Get it wrong and pain could spoil your day.

[whoof]

Few bits to sort out, like clip ons (not easy when you cant try the shoes on). Better fueling. Find some hills (Anglia is a bit flat) but hopefully am on the right track.

Other than a few short trips on a folding bike I always ride with clipless pedals. Mrs Whoof has ridden end to end Europe, over 4000 km using flat pedals and wearing trainers. Clipless pedals, preferable - possibly, necessary - no.
You may not be able to find any hills where you live if it's flat but I'm sure you can find some banging head winds. Practice riding into these and you will have exchanged gravity for wind resistance.

[bluelagos]

Cheers the tips guys. Plenty of windy days here, and will try and get away for hilly rides once we are allowed to.

[LittleGreyCat]

Cheers the tips guys. Plenty of windy days here, and will try and get away for hilly rides once we are allowed to.

Head for the coast.
Plenty of very steep hills down from the plateau to the sea shore.
You can do a circuit with a very steep climb, a rest as you go back down, another very steep climb....

The river valleys (or in many cases stream valleys) can also produce short sharp hills.

[bluelagos]

Yeah, there's a few dips for rivers where I am. The 26 to 30 mile circuit I do have 2 or 3 hills (to me) but still only doing 1000ft of ascent according to the app I use.

One question, I stop for 10 mins in the middle for a coffee, can of diet coke and a fried egg bap. Am guessing there are better ways of fueling? When I was doing 40 milers on the MtB I'd find a co op after 25 miles and grab a pasta bake thing which did the job...

[Paulatic]

Yeah, there's a few dips for rivers where I am. The 26 to 30 mile circuit I do have 2 or 3 hills (to me) but still only doing 1000ft of ascent according to the app I use.

One question, I stop for 10 mins in the middle for a coffee, can of diet coke and a fried egg bap. Am guessing there are better ways of fueling? ..

A bit of bacon with that egg would be good
Cut out the Diet Coke it’s not good for you
Cut out the coffee I suspect it might be rubbish
A better way would be to carry two hard boiled eggs ( they come in their own disposable wrapper) and a bottle of water.

[chris_suffolk]

I'm East Anglia too. Headwinds with 1 too high a gear is a good way to get fit for hills. I did the Alps two years back and whilst I'm not saying it was easy, I didn't walk any. For me, being positive, and riding within my capabilities, rather than trying to set records, was the best.

[whoof]

Yeah, there's a few dips for rivers where I am. The 26 to 30 mile circuit I do have 2 or 3 hills (to me) but still only doing 1000ft of ascent according to the app I use.

One question, I stop for 10 mins in the middle for a coffee, can of diet coke and a fried egg bap. Am guessing there are better ways of fueling? ..

A bit of bacon with that egg would be good
Cut out the Diet Coke it’s not good for you
Cut out the coffee I suspect it might be rubbish
A better way would be to carry two hard boiled eggs ( they come in their own disposable wrapper) and a bottle of water.

If I'm touring and therefore riding for a relatively long time day after day, as you would doing LEJOG then I fuel on what be considered normal food rather than what might be considered sports nutrition. Everyone is different and some can eat fairly heavy meals mid ride others struggle and prefer little and often. Try different things in advance to see how you get along so you know what works for you for your LEJOG. One thing I would say is try to eat some fresh fruit and veg as it's easy when touring to start with an English breakfast, supermarket sandwich for dinner and a pub meal for tea and only manage a portion of peas.
As to your current ride choice egg bap sounds OK if you want to bacon that's up to you but in terms of nutrition it's pretty poor. Studies have been done on diet drinks and these have found that as it tastes sweet your body thinks it's getting an energy hit but it's diet so you don't so you then get cravings to eat sugary food.
In terms of nutrition there's no difference (other than whether you add milk and sugar) between instant coffee in a plastic cup from a burger bar and freshly ground beans served by a Barista.

[Oldjohnw]

I have found that I need to get my fruit and vegetables whatever else. Internal function is very important. Avoid he big Macs which bung you up. A bowl of good veg soup at a pub/cafe can do it

[Paulatic]

I’m another who will usually plump for homemade vegetable soup when on offer very important to KYBO.

Agree there’s no nutrition differences in coffees. Coffee is all about taste and I’ve tipped so many roadside coffees into the verge I’m a lot wiser and usually resist the temptation.

[whoof]

I have found that I need to get my fruit and vegetables whatever else. Internal function is very important. Avoid he big Macs which bung you up. A bowl of good veg soup at a pub/cafe can do it

I learnt this on a school trip to Italy when I was 15. Probably didn't eat any fruit or veg for a week. I also didn't need to sit on the toilet for a week until we the morning we were leaving when I had really bad stomach ache. I then spent an hour sitting there and the result was jet black and arced up out of the water and protruded about 20 cm into the air. Four flushes and it refused to move and then the bus came so I had to leave. They probably had to cut it out with a hack saw.
Ever since always tried to eat a good variety of fruit and veg when traveling. Some places in the world this isn't that easy. And not where you might expect. On his ride around the world Mark Beaumont struggled most in the USA. When I've gone there I've found it was easy to get large amounts of food but often very low in fresh veg.

[Oldjohnw]

I have found that I need to get my fruit and vegetables whatever else. Internal function is very important. Avoid he big Macs which bung you up. A bowl of good veg soup at a pub/cafe can do it

I learnt this on a school trip to Italy when I was 15. Probably didn't eat any fruit or veg for a week. I also didn't need to sit on the toilet for a week until we the morning we were leaving when I had really bad stomach ache. I then spent an hour sitting there and the result was jet black and arced up out of the water and protruded about 20 cm into the air. Four flushes and it refused to move and then the bus came so I had to leave. They probably had to cut it out with a hack saw.
Ever since always tried to eat a good variety of fruit and veg when traveling. Some places in the world this isn't that easy. And not where you might expect. On his ride around the world Mark Beaumont struggled most in the USA. When I've gone there I've found it was easy to get large amounts of food but often very low in fresh veg.

And somehow several hours on a saddle increases the problem.

[whoof]

I have found that I need to get my fruit and vegetables whatever else. Internal function is very important. Avoid he big Macs which bung you up. A bowl of good veg soup at a pub/cafe can do it

I learnt this on a school trip to Italy when I was 15. Probably didn't eat any fruit or veg for a week. I also didn't need to sit on the toilet for a week until we the morning we were leaving when I had really bad stomach ache. I then spent an hour sitting there and the result was jet black and arced up out of the water and protruded about 20 cm into the air. Four flushes and it refused to move and then the bus came so I had to leave. They probably had to cut it out with a hack saw.
Ever since always tried to eat a good variety of fruit and veg when traveling. Some places in the world this isn't that easy. And not where you might expect. On his ride around the world Mark Beaumont struggled most in the USA. When I've gone there I've found it was easy to get large amounts of food but often very low in fresh veg.

And somehow several hours on a saddle increases the problem.

When you digest food the nutrients are transferred into your blood and form glycogen via the lining of the stomach and intestines. When exercising your heart beats quicker the blood pumps harder and is also transferred away from the stomach and more to the muscles which reduces how well you can digest food.

[mattsccm]

Eat what you normally do. With minor variations it will be about. You won,t suffer from scurvey or malnutrition in that time. I treat holidays as an opportunity to eat food I like so the nearest I come to plant matter is chips or malt in a liquid form.