Reducing/ giving up to improve your health?

[vickster]

Both...both...you mean you only have two

I'd go back to the doctor and get a wider range of tests. Have you been checked for asthma etc? You don't smoke I assume

 

[sarahale]

Both...both...you mean you only have two

I'd go back to the doctor and get a wider range of tests. Have you been checked for asthma etc? You don't smoke I assume

Bigger garage needed first!

I don't want to waste their time but if cutting back doesn't make a difference then I'll have to go back. They didn't check for asthma no, just listened to my chest. I don't smoke no

 

[Welsh wheels]

Another thing to try thanks, perhaps I'm overthinking and a distraction could be all it takes to make me forget about it.

Cycling with other people, especially in a large group, does wonders for taking one's mind of the 'suffering' part of the cycling.

 

[Welsh wheels]

From what you have described, I would also wonder if you may be anaemic (but I'm not a doctor though!).

 

[Andy_R]

From what you have described, I would also wonder if you may be anaemic (but I'm not a doctor though!).

+1

Tired and short of breath - possibly not enough oxygen in blood, caused by lack of haemoglobin. As others have said though, I am not a doctor.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Thanks, perhaps I just need to take it a bit easier I just find it hard to as I always want to be on the move!

I've had blood tests, X-ray's, ultrasound on neck lymph nodes and ECG all back as good!

If they've checked for anaemia, and Thyroid function, and it's okay, then it will most likely just be fatigue. I do about 6 or 700 miles a week at this time of year, it took a lot of years to build up to that sort of mileage, and I have suffered from over training fatigue in the past. As long as you keep your feeding / fuelling proportionate to the training / riding / miles that you are doing, your weight and / or fitness won't suffer if you back the mileage / intensity off for a bit. It may not be just mileage you need to wind back, but look at the terrain, and the effort you put into the miles. Maybe do a longer ride at the weekend, but don't go balls out, and don't get sucked into any 'chopper racing'. As soon as you feel better, crank the intensity back up.

 

[sarahale]

No anemia and thyroid is fine, I was almost hoping it was anemia for an answer that was easy to solve.

I've got a few more weeks of 150-200 miles then the long ride and after that I'll give myself some time off and see if it helps. And go from there really.

 

[alicat]

I wonder if you are setting off too fast? I find I enjoy a ride more if I cycle in pootling mode for the first five miles or so.

 

[mjr]

In 3 and a half weeks time I have a long ride but after that I'm thinking of just knocking it right back to commuting only which is around 50 miles a week. But this makes me sad and I think I'll just get unfit and fat. Or do I stick with it and hope I just feel better.

Fifty miles is plenty to keep fit. I'd explore why it makes you sad - why is that? Does it mean there are rides you'd enjoy that you're not doing?

However... be prepared for this: I think there can come a point where we sort of max out, where we hit our limit as it were, aka find our level, and while we might have occasional fluctuations, none of us are getting any younger and the ultimate trend is going to be naturally slowly slower towards some sort of baseline. So eventually we all have to make peace with this:

Or just slow the cycling down and enjoy a more relaxed pace?

Some days I choose pootling aka bimble-mode aka wafting along. Sometimes it's a deliberate decision because I know from past experience that bad things will happen if I don't (after certain medical events, for example) and other days it's that I've started riding and I just discovered that I have empty legs. When riding for transport, I have to allow time to ride it pootling just in case - if I arrive early, there's usually some work or reading that I can do from my phone, or there's something nice to look at near the destination.

Another thing to try thanks, perhaps I'm overthinking and a distraction could be all it takes to make me forget about it.

Maybe not overthinking, but worrying about it probably won't make you any less tired.

Cycling with other people, especially in a large group, does wonders for taking one's mind of the 'suffering' part of the cycling.

Maybe. Even with relaxed riding groups, I can occasionally get swept along into pushing myself harder than I know I should, especially if someone else in the group wants to get home for some testing time limit, and then I end up drained for days afterwards. This seems to happen more easily if it's a headwind home.

Tired and short of breath - possibly not enough oxygen in blood, caused by lack of haemoglobin. As others have said though, I am not a doctor.

FWIW I've a fine haematocrit but still get tired. I think there can be other ways of getting tired by too many long rides - so-called overtraining seems an obvious suspect. http://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/training/five-ways-to-tell-whether-you-are-overtraining-147014 - pootling is something I find relaxing, almost like meditation - at least as long as I'm not riding busy roads where I can end up feeling under siege!

I wonder if you are setting off too fast? I find I enjoy a ride more if I cycle in pootling mode for the first five miles or so.

I'm lucky(!) in that junction-infested road layouts mean it's rare that I set off too fast, but on the rare occasions that I do, it is indeed far more tiring than rides where I set off easy and speed up.

 

[HLaB]

I love my cycling and never felt fatigued but I was advised to cut back. I miss that aimless cycling sometimes though but I've substituted it with a more structured training plan to TT's (before I just turned up). It seems to be working I've knocked a whole lot of time relatively for TT's and set a PB (24.56) on Wednesday night on what is called a slow course (poor surface and dead turn, where I unclipped). Perhaps you need to focus your time around something to substitute for cutting back @sarahale .

 

[sarahale]

I wonder if you are setting off too fast? I find I enjoy a ride more if I cycle in pootling mode for the first five miles or so.

Nice idea but I don't think so, it all feels like hard work to start with so I'm slower to begin with. Then as I feel better I get going.

 

[sarahale]

Fifty miles is plenty to keep fit. I'd explore why it makes you sad - why is that? Does it mean there are rides you'd enjoy that you're not doing?

However... be prepared for this: I think there can come a point where we sort of max out, where we hit our limit as it were, aka find our level, and while we might have occasional fluctuations, none of us are getting any younger and the ultimate trend is going to be naturally slowly slower towards some sort of baseline. So eventually we all have to make peace with this:

Some days I choose pootling aka bimble-mode aka wafting along. Sometimes it's a deliberate decision because I know from past experience that bad things will happen if I don't (after certain medical events, for example) and other days it's that I've started riding and I just discovered that I have empty legs. When riding for transport, I have to allow time to ride it pootling just in case - if I arrive early, there's usually some work or reading that I can do from my phone, or there's something nice to look at near the destination.


Maybe not overthinking, but worrying about it probably won't make you any less tired.


Maybe. Even with relaxed riding groups, I can occasionally get swept along into pushing myself harder than I know I should, especially if someone else in the group wants to get home for some testing time limit, and then I end up drained for days afterwards. This seems to happen more easily if it's a headwind home.


FWIW I've a fine haematocrit but still get tired. I think there can be other ways of getting tired by too many long rides - so-called overtraining seems an obvious suspect. http://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/training/five-ways-to-tell-whether-you-are-overtraining-147014 - pootling is something I find relaxing, almost like meditation - at least as long as I'm not riding busy roads where I can end up feeling under siege!


I'm lucky(!) in that junction-infested road layouts mean it's rare that I set off too fast, but on the rare occasions that I do, it is indeed far more tiring than rides where I set off easy and speed up.

It makes me sad because I like being so active and fit. I'm only 27 and yet my energy has gone, I just feel rubbish but there is no reason for it. I want to be out exploring on my bike all day like I used to. But that's hard to do feeling this way.

 

[sarahale]

I love my cycling and never felt fatigued but I was advised to cut back. I miss that aimless cycling sometimes though but I've substituted it with a more structured training plan to TT's (before I just turned up). It seems to be working I've knocked a whole lot of time relatively for TT's and set a PB (24.56) on Wednesday night on what is called a slow course (poor surface and dead turn, where I unclipped). Perhaps you need to focus your time around something to substitute for cutting back @sarahale .

I've always wanted to give climbing a go, not sure if that's exactly what you ment but it's an idea!

 

[mjr]

It makes me sad because I like being so active and fit. I'm only 27 and yet my energy has gone, I just feel rubbish but there is no reason for it. I want to be out exploring on my bike all day like I used to. But that's hard to do feeling this way.

There probably is a reason but you don't know what it is. You might not find out what it is before it resolves itself, or you might find out on the way to overcoming it. I think you should keep asking questions of your medics and other advisors but do what you feel best.

 

[Racing roadkill]

It makes me sad because I like being so active and fit. I'm only 27 and yet my energy has gone, I just feel rubbish but there is no reason for it. I want to be out exploring on my bike all day like I used to. But that's hard to do feeling this way.

Help yourself.