Shame On You Lactic Acid.

Shame Shame, Double Shame (I couldn't help myself)!

If you read my post about the Tour De Christmas Lights, they you will know how happy I was to ride my bike the other night. Well, what I didn't mention was what happened to me three-quarters into the ride.

After viewing the lights at a leisurely place, we headed over to Glendale to step up our game just a tad. I thought I would be in for an easy ride, and for the most part it was, but wow did that one climb at the half way point catch me off guard. Apparently this whole "only riding once a week" thing has taken its toll. I know what my new year's resolution should be: Commit to more "ME TIME" and get more time on the bike! After reaching the top of the long and steady climb, I saw relief in the rolling hills... but my calf disagreed. Mid pedal stroke I was struck with a nasty, debilitating pain in my right calf (insert a slow motion N-OOOOOOOOO here). This has only happened to me once before. I didn't know what to think about what was happening. I've been told on more than one occasion that this was a result of lactic acid build-up in my muscles. HUH?

So that's what the culprit looks like. Hmm...

Having heard about Lactic Acid and it's relation to cycling before, prompted me to do a little more research.  This article from Active.com explained it well: "Every Cyclist's Enemy: Exploring Lactic Acid".

Our bodies need energy to function (duh) and glucose is the primary source of fuel during exercise. As our bodies perform strenuous exercise, we start to breath faster and hard as we attempt to move more oxygen into our muscles that are doing all the work. Sometimes the muscles need this energy production faster than our bodies can deliver the oxygen. In these instances, the muscles doing all the work (in my case my quads and calves) start to generate energy anaerobically and the muscles respond by breaking down carbohydrates for energy. The effect of this is the now presence of lactic acid (accompanied by a burning sensation).

After reading this article, I have a better understanding what happened and everything that they mentioned rang true. 

1. I cramped up shortly after completing a fast (by my standards) climb.
2. Although my heart rate monitor wasn't recording (!#&@#$%), I could tell that based on my breathing (in comparison to past experiences) I was working around 80% of my aerobic capacity with a heart rate somewhere in the high 160s to high 170s. Hence, lactic acid production increased and became constant.

So what do I do to prevent it? Keep riding of course! Well, more than just that. My plan is to:

1. Rest and recover
2. Stay hydrated (always a good idea)
3. Change your eating habits (See below for some recommendations)
4. Gradually increase the intensity of my workouts over time (ease into those harder rides)
5. Stretch before and after
6. Keep on pedaling

If you want to take some further preventative measure, consider alternating your eating habits. Eat more foods that are rich in the mineral magnesium. Some examples would be whole grain products, tofu and nuts/seeds. Eat more cold water fish, such as salmon (this is an easy one for me as I was raised in the Pacific Northwest and grew up on salmon). Salmon is high in essential fatty acids and will also help reduce inflammation post-ride. Lastly, eat more foods rich in vitamin B (meats, vegetables, whole grain products, eggs, etc).

So LACTIC ACID... just another hiccup, a learning experience if you may. It was bound to happen and now I'm a little wiser because of it. So, maybe it's not a shame-shame after all.

Pedal on, Lady Pedalers!