Health: Eat Sleep Bike Build

It's a misconception that everyone loses weight on Bike & Build. Bike & Build is not a time for dieting. We treat food as fuel for our bodies, focusing on getting enough calories to make it through the ride without “bonking,” which is a sudden feeling of fatigue from needing calories. So, on top of the 2,000 calories that the average person needs to function on a basic day-to-day level, the average Bike & Builder burns an additional 3,000 calories a day on top of that. (500 calories an hour for 6 hours.) Doing Bike & Build is really strenuous on our bodies enough – dieting on top of that would put much more stress on our bodies. It's actually kind of a chore having to take in the amount of food that we need every day. My mind isn't used to eating this much, so I don't feel as much of an appetite as I should have in order to fuel myself.

Because Bike & Build is a travel-oriented trip, and not a fitness program, there’s not much of a focus on resting. Any strength training program will tell you to take at least a day off in between weight lifting sessions. That way, muscles can recover and grow. But Bike & Build simply doesn’t have that kind of time. We have 61 riding days, and 4 rest days this summer. With so few days off, I’ve had to find other ways to take care of my muscles to prevent soreness and recover. In tiny ways, I feel myself getting stronger.

• Mentholated muscle rub – this minty scented crème feels great on my quads.
• Stretching – all the time. Morning, after my warm up, at lunch stops, after my ride, before sleeping.
• Draining lactic acid – this is something other riders have recommended I start doing, and so far I really like it. I just lay on the ground and prop my feet up against a wall, using gravity to drain the lactic acid from my legs.
• Protein – as a vegetarian, I’ve been focusing on this more. I have a 20g protein bar once a day, and loading up on eggs at breakfast.
• Recovery drank – milk + soy protein powder. This has 24g protein, in addition to being the perfect post workout drink.
• Sleep – we wake up at 4:45am most mornings, and I’m usually in bed by 10pm.
• Multivitamin - I’ve learned how to swallow these dry.
• Massages – foam rolling and massages are amazing! This whole team is becoming expert massage therapists.
•  Hydration – two 100oz. hydration bladders, a Nuun vitamin tablet that I add to my water bottle, and Gatorade for electrolytes.

In general, health is so important on Bike & Build. So much of this endurance sport is mental strength, not just physical, so we also need alone time, reading or listening to music or playing guitar. Nobody wants to be in the van, so it’s crucial that we take care of our bodies and minds as best we can. However, illnesses and accidents happen. Supposedly there is a virus going around the team, and it may be this runny nose I've had for two weeks now. We’ve renamed vomiting “vomming” and have begun a vom tally. I'm not on the list yet!