Today we rode up to the Cirque de Gavernie – a fairly easy climb up to about 2800 feet with views that will take your breath away. We had lunch there, and unfortunately got caught in a torrential downpour while descending. I have not been that wet in a while and this time it was not very enjoyable. Total climbing by the time we got back to the gite was around 3600 feet and 33 miles.

However, the ride up and our lunch view was amazing. The internet is not cooperating so I can’t upload a picture but will try again tomorrow.

Tonight we drove to Cauteret and up to Pont d’Espagne, also known as The Spanish Bridge. It was a crossing point for exchanges with Spain from the mid-19th century. The bridge and waterfalls surrounding it are two of the more incredible sights I’ve seen. We plan to ride it tomorrow and will gain about 4500 feet in elevation, and our total ride will be around 38 miles. I hope to post pictures tomorrow!

This week I did a 4 day fast, and incorporated a high intensity interval workout on Day 3 which I blogged about, then on Day 4 I rode outside to see how I would feel.

I rode for just over an hour, and climbed for 45 minutes for a total of 1500 feet. My heart rate barely got under 169 the whole time, but I felt great otherwise. I drank Zip Fizz while riding, and I definitely tried to drink more than I normally would. This wasn’t difficult, because I felt very thirsty. But my legs felt surprisingly good, especially since I haven’t done a lot of climbing lately.

I waited to eat for about an hour after, then had a Stabilyze bar and some pistachios. About an hour after that I had half a hamburger, and that was pretty much all I could eat. My stomach handled it ok – not great, but ok.

The next morning I still wasn’t very hungry but I did eat a few pieces of bacon and a few bites of egg. Then at lunch I had more bacon (in my defense, the name of the restaurant where I ate was called Bacon Social), and an omelette along with berries. I felt really good after that meal,  and I think my stomach is back on track.

I’m hoping to ride outside today, so I’m not going to eat until I do some type of workout. I have to travel for work starting tomorrow, so I’ll probably stick to an intermittent fasting routine for the week until I can plan another longer fast.

I lost over 8 pounds during the 4 days. As of this morning I had gained 2 back, which isn’t surprising since much of the weight loss is due to water loss. I learned that I could still do a hard workout while doing an extended fast, which gave me confidence to fast more in the future. I’ll have to take a closer look at why my heart rate was so high. I do recall having a higher heart rate when I’ve ridden after fasting in the past, so it could be something that happens naturally when fasting. The other thing that was new during this period of fasting was the trouble I had sleeping. I had trouble falling asleep and would wake up after only a few hours of sleep. I don’t recall that happening in the past.

To summarize what I learned: 1) Hydration is the key to a longer fast (past one day) and when I drink more than I think I need, I can manage my headaches. 2) I can (and should) continue exercises as hard as possible while fasting.  3) I need to better understand why I wasn’t sleeping well. 4) I love the feeling of being in a fasted state!