Noticing a trend in early morning bike rides
I have been riding really early 1 day a week, and I have noticed a trend in that I just don't perform very well so early. Comparing the same routes to when I ride later in the day I am measurably slower. The only think I can think is happening is that I am eating breakfast at like 5:00 AM (granola) and then start riding at 5:30 and perhaps this is just not enough time to digest any food and I am operating on empty? On other days I eat at like 6:00 AM but then do not ride until 7:30 AM and I feel much better on the bike, I also have coffee when I have more time like this. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Should I wake up even earlier to make sure my breakfast has some time to percolate?
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In my experience, everyone is all over the map re what works / doesn't work for them with regards to fueling before an AM workout. As I've gotten older, my AM digestion has slowed down quite a bit, to the point that I can't really eat anything before a hard AM interval ride. Just coffee, for me, and I'm good for about 90' with zero cals. If the ride is longer, and/or I'm trying to run a calorie deficit everyday and therefore probably have low glycogen stores, I may bring a bottle of Gatorade or a bar. Curiously, I'm fine eating on the bike, just not before.
My point is that you just need to experiment with works for you.
1. I wake up at least an hour before starting my run or ride. This allows time to eat and for the food to digest, but also helps me clear up my mind and get in the right place mentally. The way I see it, I wouldn't wake up only 15-30 minutes before an exam, client meeting, etc. and a tough workout can be just as mentally grueling.
2. Once awake, I immediately drink 24oz of sports drink. I prefer 2 scoops of PowerBar Perform (comes to 140cal, 34carb, 380sodium). This hydrates and gives some easily digestible fuel for the workout. For short, higher intensity workouts, this will often be all I need to have prior.
3. I also drink an energizer of some sort along with the Perform. While I've tried a number of different things here - black coffee, caffeine pills, and even 5-hour energy for many months though it's likely poison - I now swear by Vega Preworkout Energizer. If you're not familiar Vega is a vegan supplement brand that makes some pretty good stuff in my opinion. It's Preworkout Energizer is pretty much just a number of powdered herbs, roots, etc that tastes like tea. I mix a scoop of this in my 24oz of Perform. It wakes me up and clears out the cobwebs.
4. If I wake up hungry or have an 1hr+ workout ahead, I'll have a bowl of low-fiber, easily digestible cereal (e.g. frosted flakes
5. It usually takes me 15 minutes to prepare and then eat/drink everything. So, I typically take the next 45 minutes to relax and go through personal email or read before I start my workout.
Taking this full hour makes a HUGE difference in how I perform during my workout. I've tried to shorten it on occasion when I get to bed a little later or simply look to be more efficient in getting up and out the door, but workouts have ultimately suffered. I now love this hour of my day and especially like the 45-min period of reading/emailing prior to working out. Anyway, I hope this helps!
Peter - Rob makes some really good points of giving your body an hour to wake up.
Keep your pre-ride food semi solid or liquids. Suggestions are: yogurt, glass of soy, almond or regular milk with a scoop of whey protein isolate, bowl of cream of wheat (no fiber) with coconut oil (metabolizes quickly), then when you start your ride begin drinking a sports drink - don't wait. You can also have a bedtime snack that will put some calories in the bank for the morning. However, this may not be so good for your waistline
Waking up dehydrated can affect your HR and RPE rate of percieved effort goes up. So drink up and start hydrated.
I actually have the same issue with fueling in the morning, and I agree that it's a very individualizd thing that you'll have to figure out by trial and error (which it seems that you've managed to do!). Here's an earlier thread that you might find useful too:
http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/11617/Default.aspx