Cramping
Being conditioned is the most important thing for reducing the chances of cramps, since they hit most often when the muscles are fatigued.
What to do when you cramp?
Stop. You can’t keep riding if your hamstring is cramping, because you’ll be a danger to others on the road if you suddenly swerve or fall over.
The best way to get the muscle to uncramp is to stretch it. Ask someone to help you slowly stretch the muscle, or stretch it yourself. You need to increase the blood flow into the muscle; this will help to get it working again.
Energy
Don’t try anything new on race day!
A lot of energy boosters contain stimulants that have the ability to increase your heart rate, so be careful. Stick to well-known brands such as Powerade, since they will be available on the course on race day.
On the day, be sure you know the sugar content of the drink or gel you’re taking. It may make you feel great 10 minutes later; but after the spike, it will dump you.
The key is sustained energy release throughout the race; and drinking and eating good sources of carbs, and even protein.
Medication
Whatever you do, don’t change your use of chronic medication on race day.
Whether it’s asthma, epilepsy, blood pressure or heart medication, stick to your normal schedule. Your body is used to exercising with those meds anyway.
The crucial group is the painkillers. If you take painkillers of any kind, you put yourself at risk. Some anti-inflammatory medications can affect kidney function, and even cause kidney failure; while antipyretics, used to treat fever, can affect liver toxicity when combined with alcohol – such as your post-finish beer.
Then there are the serious painkillers: such as opioids, which contain codeine, and can affect concentration and your level of consciousness. Not something you want, when you’re flying down Hospital Bend.
If you have a history of severe allergy and anaphylaxis, remember your EpiPen. The route may take in some of the world’s great flora, but they also attract bees. So always be on the safe side.
Recovery
It’s important to cool your muscles down after a ride.
Keep walking through the finish zone, and slowly get the blood moving back from your legs to the rest of your body. If you just stop, you may feel dizzy, because all the blood has been shunted to your legs.
Get a recovery drink – chocolate milk is always great – and replenish your lost fluids and electrolytes before you have that first celebratory drink.
When Not To Ride
If you’re taking antibiotics, do not ride.
This means you have a bacterial infection, which your body is busy fighting; so your energy systems will not be normal. You will also have increased sensitivity to heat; on top of that, antibiotics can also affect the absorption of food, nutrients and fluid.
Also be wary of any kind of chest pain on the day. It may be a warning sign that something is wrong, and that not enough oxygen is reaching the heart muscle.
If you experience light-headedness or dizziness, this could also mean something abnormal. Rather stop, and come back another year.
If you have a fever, night sweats, sore throat or shortness of breath, it’s advisable not to ride. There will always be another year, but you can’t get another life.