craigwend
Grimpeur des terrains plats
He stated at one point about having a very long break ....
Possible Overtraining?
- Thread starter Mm87
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He stated at one point about having a very long break ....
Thanks, I enjoyed reading that.
After another week off the bike with the Flu (3 weeks off in total) over Xmas I was feeling pretty good on the bike both Saturday and Monday, well that was until getting run over and my bike trashed that is, looks like at the very least will be another 2 weeks off until its repaired, by the time I get back to cycling I would have long forgotten about any Overtraining issues that's for sure! 
Hi all,
Its been awhile since my last post but unfortunately I'm still dealing with this suspected Overtraining issue. Basically I've gone from quite happily Cycling 6 days a week (30-45 miles aday with no real drop in power) most of last year to slowly feeling the fatigue kick in around September 2015 and slowly my endurance and recovery has deteriorated were I could only ride 5 times, then 4, 3, 2 rides before needing a rest day, now since December time, one moderate 2 hour ride leaves me wiped out for days. I suffer with alot of the other Overtraining symptoms; insomnia, sore muscles/joints, frequent waking after a few hours in a cold sweet, waking up early in the morning, depression, anxiety, brainfog (struggling to concentrate at college), no appetite, my regular tinnitus has gotten louder etc, I've been to the Drs and had blood tests (full blood count, thyroid, liver function etc) and everything came back normal.
I've had short rests of a couple of weeks at a time (think I might need alot longer) and through boredom and frustration i couldn't resist jumping on the bike after 2 weeks, Tuesday I went out for a 30 mile ride and felt OK (according to Garmin average speed was 16.3mph with 1576ft of climbing), felt really irritable and exhausted afterwards though, went out the next day to do the same 30 mile ride (could do that everyday) and legs from the start were burning with lactate, no power through the pedals, with no traffic stops and hardly any wind my average speed had dropped down to 15.1mph and the ride took a good 10 minutes longer! Felt terrible the past few days recovering, had a plan of maybe going out one day and resting the next etc but who I'm I kidding?....from where I was Cycling everyday with bags of energy to now feeling ill and rundown after a single ride its ridiculous!
If I was to follow my gut instinct and from what I've read about Overtraining I should take at least 3 months off the bike but after a few weeks off not feeling particularly terrible but not feeling recovered I go out and ride again leaving me back to square one!
Frustrating times, I guess that's what you get for Cycling over 10000 miles in my first year without adequate recovery, the way things are going this years riding is going to be a write off!
Its been awhile since my last post but unfortunately I'm still dealing with this suspected Overtraining issue. Basically I've gone from quite happily Cycling 6 days a week (30-45 miles aday with no real drop in power) most of last year to slowly feeling the fatigue kick in around September 2015 and slowly my endurance and recovery has deteriorated were I could only ride 5 times, then 4, 3, 2 rides before needing a rest day, now since December time, one moderate 2 hour ride leaves me wiped out for days. I suffer with alot of the other Overtraining symptoms; insomnia, sore muscles/joints, frequent waking after a few hours in a cold sweet, waking up early in the morning, depression, anxiety, brainfog (struggling to concentrate at college), no appetite, my regular tinnitus has gotten louder etc, I've been to the Drs and had blood tests (full blood count, thyroid, liver function etc) and everything came back normal.
I've had short rests of a couple of weeks at a time (think I might need alot longer) and through boredom and frustration i couldn't resist jumping on the bike after 2 weeks, Tuesday I went out for a 30 mile ride and felt OK (according to Garmin average speed was 16.3mph with 1576ft of climbing), felt really irritable and exhausted afterwards though, went out the next day to do the same 30 mile ride (could do that everyday) and legs from the start were burning with lactate, no power through the pedals, with no traffic stops and hardly any wind my average speed had dropped down to 15.1mph and the ride took a good 10 minutes longer! Felt terrible the past few days recovering, had a plan of maybe going out one day and resting the next etc but who I'm I kidding?....from where I was Cycling everyday with bags of energy to now feeling ill and rundown after a single ride its ridiculous!
If I was to follow my gut instinct and from what I've read about Overtraining I should take at least 3 months off the bike but after a few weeks off not feeling particularly terrible but not feeling recovered I go out and ride again leaving me back to square one!
Frustrating times, I guess that's what you get for Cycling over 10000 miles in my first year without adequate recovery, the way things are going this years riding is going to be a write off!
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Honestly? Drs I've seen couldn't care less, simply wanted me out of the room as quickly as possible. When they received the results back from the hospital they didn't even phone me up to tell me the results (I phoned them) or to investigate down further avenue's.....nothing.
I didn't even mention Overtraining (mentioned I was Cycling alot but now I'm fatigued) because I don't believe they would understand such an issue, for example I read that most Drs don't recognise andrenal fatigue being real condition, so no real faith in the Drs I've seen really....
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Kajjal
Guru
- Location
- Wheely World
Assuming you don't have any underlying medical conditions i would step back and reduce your focus on cycling. I went through a phase of really pushing myself on the bike over a long period and eventually i really ran myself down. Took a couple of months to fully recover. Now i just go out four times a week max with only one long ride and one other fast ride. This works really well for me as i am still fit enough but have plenty of energy off the bike. Cycling is to be enjoyed, don't waste time and effort putting yourself under performance pressures and go for rides without a garmin and strava.
I see it was further up the thread, but these symptoms that you've put in your post:
"depression, anxiety, brainfog (struggling to concentrate at college), no appetite, my regular tinnitus has gotten louder etc"
They all come with stress too. I suffered from some anxiety problems for about a year some time ago now. I carried on my cycling to work which was fine. Yet when I got home, just taking the bike up the stairs to my flat made me feel light headed and I needed to sit down. I used to fall asleep in the armchair every night regardless of how early or late I'd got up. Stress and anxiety put your whole body out of kilter. Your blood pressure can end up all over the place too.
I don't know anything about overtraining and whether or not those symptoms can come from that too. What I do know though from first-hand experience, is how anxiety can indirectly affect energy levels and the ability to do things you know you should be able to. So perhaps it's the other way round. Cycling too much perhaps isn't causing anxiety and stress related issues. It's anxiety and stress related issues that could be indirectly affecting your cycling.
By the way, I thought I had developed tinitus when I suffered with anxiety. When I got past it all, it turned out that it was always there - I had just become hyper-sensitive to it. I don't hear it anymore, unless I try to. Anxiety, depression, stress and inability to concentrate are all related and put you in a heightened state of alert and you notice the things that your brain usually blocks out. That heightened state of alert can also drain you of your energy even though you might not realising it. For me, that was manifest in falling asleep in the chair at 8pm every night, rather than not being able to cycle though.
"depression, anxiety, brainfog (struggling to concentrate at college), no appetite, my regular tinnitus has gotten louder etc"
They all come with stress too. I suffered from some anxiety problems for about a year some time ago now. I carried on my cycling to work which was fine. Yet when I got home, just taking the bike up the stairs to my flat made me feel light headed and I needed to sit down. I used to fall asleep in the armchair every night regardless of how early or late I'd got up. Stress and anxiety put your whole body out of kilter. Your blood pressure can end up all over the place too.
I don't know anything about overtraining and whether or not those symptoms can come from that too. What I do know though from first-hand experience, is how anxiety can indirectly affect energy levels and the ability to do things you know you should be able to. So perhaps it's the other way round. Cycling too much perhaps isn't causing anxiety and stress related issues. It's anxiety and stress related issues that could be indirectly affecting your cycling.
By the way, I thought I had developed tinitus when I suffered with anxiety. When I got past it all, it turned out that it was always there - I had just become hyper-sensitive to it. I don't hear it anymore, unless I try to. Anxiety, depression, stress and inability to concentrate are all related and put you in a heightened state of alert and you notice the things that your brain usually blocks out. That heightened state of alert can also drain you of your energy even though you might not realising it. For me, that was manifest in falling asleep in the chair at 8pm every night, rather than not being able to cycle though.
Also, another thing. If you've ruled out physical illness, and actually you decide in the end there ARE factors of extreme stress in your life, I'd suggest you try to deal with it now before it really becomes an issue.
Like you, I had all those other symptoms before I had a "crash" but I just ignored them and didn't think about them and put them down to something else (like you might be by blaming them on overtraining). Eventually though, my body/brain just said "enough is enough" and took it out of my hands. I had several massive uncontrollable panic attacks over the course of a day in May in 2011, and then it took me a full year of anxiety, depression and feeling like the world around me had completely changed and didn't make much sense before I got back on an even keel with the help of a CBT therapist.
I'm not saying that'll happen to you, or that's the cause for your other symptoms, but trust me. If you're heading toward that and don't realise it and don't nip it in the bud now, it's not something you want to experience. I wouldn't wish my 2011 on anyone else.
Like you, I had all those other symptoms before I had a "crash" but I just ignored them and didn't think about them and put them down to something else (like you might be by blaming them on overtraining). Eventually though, my body/brain just said "enough is enough" and took it out of my hands. I had several massive uncontrollable panic attacks over the course of a day in May in 2011, and then it took me a full year of anxiety, depression and feeling like the world around me had completely changed and didn't make much sense before I got back on an even keel with the help of a CBT therapist.
I'm not saying that'll happen to you, or that's the cause for your other symptoms, but trust me. If you're heading toward that and don't realise it and don't nip it in the bud now, it's not something you want to experience. I wouldn't wish my 2011 on anyone else.
Hi, thanks for your post. Interesting you should mention stress possibly being the issue, when I say I'm experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms I should say rather they are higher now than normal (underlying issue for years now), the thing is I had a complete turnaround in my general mental well-being when I found Cycling last year, exercising everyday reduced my stress, anxiety and depression levels dramatically, having something positive to focus on, one of the main reasons I cycled so much last year, possibly using it as a crutch. So it's fair to say I had strong levels of stress, anxiety and depression before I started Cycling but I still managed to turn it around managing 3 hours aday on the bike. It was actually during a "better period" in my life (september 2015) I started feeling the fatigue more and more, something to think about though.
Hi, yeah in hindsight I now realise going out day after day only leads to burnout (beginners enthusiasm I guess), it's only recently I become aware of the importantance of rest/recovery (get fitter during rest not during training etc). My biggest issue now is staying off the bike long enough to fix the issue/recuperate, need some discipline otherwise I'll get no where with this, I would be happy Cycling 3-4 times a week in the future, I did notice reduced energy doing other activities so I do need more balance.
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Well that's a good thing - There's no one answer to those kind of issues for everyone. Some people need therapy, some people need drugs, some people need a different focus in their life and sounds like you found that with your riding. Has it dealt with the underlying cause though? Or is that still bubbling away, putting you in that heightened state, and sapping your energy, albeit while cycling helps you forget about it.
Curiously, during my "annus horribilis", the only time I felt "normal" was when I was riding my bike to work. I took no specific pleasure in cycling at that time... in fact I took no specific pleasure in anything that I had prior to that day in May (even though I tried to do the same activities - there just always seemed to be "something missing"). However, I think that because when I was riding I was focusing on all the things you have to focus on around you when you're commuting in London, so for that period each day I wasn't obsessing about how the world around me looked strange and how dark life seemed generally. Of course as soon as I stepped off the bike everything was immediately desolate again. I'm so pleased those days are long, long gone.
Anyway, I'm just sharing an experience. It may well be completely unrelated and irrelevant, but since it's been a couple of months and you don't feel any better, you may as well try and cover all bases.
By the way, riding when it's cold and dark is harder too. I don't hit the same speeds in the winter as the summer, and don't want to go as far. That might be a contributor too.
No you make a valid point, the underlying issue is always there and I personally believe will always be there, I'm now using Cycling as a coping tool, to redirect my focus and energy, but at the same time I enjoy cycling, I just wish I was physically able to do it, I think that's why it's bothering me so much that I'm not able to ride, that "underlying issue" is my main focus again.
Though it's been months, I haven't rested properly when I should have over winter, maximum of 2 weeks off without improvement then I would ride again, bike written off after being hit by a car in January, few weeks off then out of frustration and impatience without a bike start running miles etc, weeks haven't been enough so maybe i need longer, just need to resist the urge to ride until I'm feeling better, easier said than done.
Well once you've got through this with a complete break if that's what you plan to do, it sounds like you need a second activity you can rely on to occupy your mind. Something that's a bit less physical so you can alternate it with cycling if you feel you're overdoing the latter. The possibilities are endless so I'm not even going to try to suggest something!
ayceejay
Guru
- Location
- Rural Quebec
Well, I will suggest something: it is possible that your diet is to blame, would you like to show a sample daily meal plan? You are showing some of the symptoms of diabetes did your doctor check this when you had the blood test?
