Hi all. Please excuse my poor grammar since English is actually my first and only language........oh right no excuse then! 
(honestly my grammar isn't the best!). Seriously though it's a bit of a long read and I'm good at rambling on so only read if you've got the stamina! Lol.
I last posted here over a year ago now trying to get some answers into my constant fatigue issues after cycling a fair amount. After a long time off cycling (over a year) a few days ago i got back on the bike but feeling quite exhausted once again, which i don't know is normal tiredness or something more sinister going on....
A little bit of background; I'm a 29 year old male, at the start of 2015 i started cycling in an attempt to lose weight and get fit. I started off on an old mountain bike. At the start being fat and unfit i could only manage 3-4 mile rides every other day (having to get off and push up hills etc), feeling wiped out after the rides which was to be expected. Though at the time my recovery times were strong and after a day of rest i would come back feeling slightly fitter and stronger, with plenty of motivation and enthusiasm in my new found hobby.
My mileage progressed nicely and after a few months i was managing 15 mile rides up to six days aweek. Bought a hybrid and found the increase speed and ease of cycling (with skinnier tyres and less weight of the bike) really quite addictive. Few months after that and by the start of the summer 2015 i bought my first road bike and i was amazed at the speed difference (used to go for rides with my brother, he could no longer keep up on his hybrid). My fitness increased further and trimmed right down in weight (12st at 6,2) at my peak of fitness in summer 2015 i was riding 30-50 miles aday, 6 days aweek (first solo 75 mile ride was amazing!), Sometimes riding in the evening aswell. I had to force myself to take a rest day every week even though i was full of energy. I was riding very hilly terrain with average speeds of around 16-17mph (flats would be 20+), i considered myself very fit and loved every second! Cycling had taken over and it had become a lifestyle.
Then around September 2015 time i was caught off guard, i was only a couple of miles into a planned 30 mile ride and cycling up slight gradient of road but my legs turned to jelly....They felt wooden and had no power at all. After only 7 miles i had to turn back home feeling knackered. It took a few days to feel better and able to ride again, which i could still manage my normal mileage ride but found a steady decline in stamina and increased recovery times and fatigue. I would need a rest day after 5 days, then 4, then 3, 2 and finally would need a rest day after every single ride but by this time (November/December 2015) i would feel exhausted all the time!....I had a routine of riding once and feeling severely exhausted for weeks later, feel slightly better but still low in energy and ride again and need a few weeks rest etc etc...
Finally after infrequent cycling for quite a while and feeling terrible permanently and increasingly frustrated i quit cycling in spring 2016. Went to my GP looking for answers but unfortunately he didn't know what was wrong?...Had blood tests (full bloods/checked hormone levels) which come back normal. My diet was good with plenty of protein/carbs/vegetables/fruit, drinking lots of water etc. Started doing some research on my constant fatigue, weakness, exercise intolerance, insomnia, brain fog, heat flashes etc and i come across the term 'Overtraining'. With various grades (depending on how long you had pushed yourself through the fatigue warning signals) with recovery requiring anywhere from between a few weeks off, to the severe end were it had taken some people literally years to recover and some unlucky few never actually recovering/getting back to anywhere near the fitness they once were at ever again. Then later reading into CFS/ME etc which alot of my symptoms matched but i never got a clear diagnosis (GP kept brushing my claims off). I'd resigned myself to the fact any form of high intensity exercise wouldn't be possible any longer for quite a while until i felt like i got some form of normality back.
A whole year later with the only exercise in that time being dog walks twice aday. Unbelievably, though the extreme fatigue got better (varied good and bad days) it never truly went away. I always felt sluggish, it would take me ages to wake up in the morning and would have low energy/motivation, brain fog etc pretty much most of the time. Being inactive I'd picked up unhealthy eating habits with takeaways/bad food etc.With resulting depression of not being able to exercise (gaining an embarrassing amount of weight!) I went to see a Clinical Psychologist which they also believed i was suffering from some sort of CFS/burnout (had expertise working with fellow sufferers). I was given advice about 'exercise pacing' which included a planned regime starting off slow (5 minute walk to the shops for example) and very slowly increase the amounts of exercise i could do. Though i struggled with the idea and never really implemented a plan of action since i was already walking my dog an hour twice aday, i simply missed the high intensity exercise of cycling/running etc. I did get accustomed to being away from exercise and got on with life even though i was frustrated of never feeling good/normal with generally low energy levels and have fleeting memories of being a very fit cyclist with hopes of one day returning to my passion.
Finally a month ago I'd gotten impatient/frustrated with the amount of time away from exercise and with the clocks going forward and the weather getting lighter/warmer i decided to give higher intensity exercise ago. I started with weightlifting (day on day off) and though i had days which i would be exhausted i also had times were i felt fine! This continued on for 3 weeks and i had some confidence of the chance of being active once more. On the weekend I dusted off my beloved road bike and went out for a ride which was exciting!
I only managed 3 miles (includling a massive hill) though i stopped 3 times each mile to catch my breath with my heart beating out of my chest! Lol...Today i went out again this time managing 5 miles though it was very tough going, very very slow, on the small chainring in a low gear, lots of stops. All day after I've felt wiped out, exhausted, feeling warm and slightly achy, though I'm not sure if this is normal since my body isn't used to cycling for so long or maybe I've had a relapse in the dreaded CFS symptoms and will have to curb the idea once more? I will have to see how i get on!
Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
(honestly my grammar isn't the best!). Seriously though it's a bit of a long read and I'm good at rambling on so only read if you've got the stamina! Lol.I last posted here over a year ago now trying to get some answers into my constant fatigue issues after cycling a fair amount. After a long time off cycling (over a year) a few days ago i got back on the bike but feeling quite exhausted once again, which i don't know is normal tiredness or something more sinister going on....
A little bit of background; I'm a 29 year old male, at the start of 2015 i started cycling in an attempt to lose weight and get fit. I started off on an old mountain bike. At the start being fat and unfit i could only manage 3-4 mile rides every other day (having to get off and push up hills etc), feeling wiped out after the rides which was to be expected. Though at the time my recovery times were strong and after a day of rest i would come back feeling slightly fitter and stronger, with plenty of motivation and enthusiasm in my new found hobby.
My mileage progressed nicely and after a few months i was managing 15 mile rides up to six days aweek. Bought a hybrid and found the increase speed and ease of cycling (with skinnier tyres and less weight of the bike) really quite addictive. Few months after that and by the start of the summer 2015 i bought my first road bike and i was amazed at the speed difference (used to go for rides with my brother, he could no longer keep up on his hybrid). My fitness increased further and trimmed right down in weight (12st at 6,2) at my peak of fitness in summer 2015 i was riding 30-50 miles aday, 6 days aweek (first solo 75 mile ride was amazing!), Sometimes riding in the evening aswell. I had to force myself to take a rest day every week even though i was full of energy. I was riding very hilly terrain with average speeds of around 16-17mph (flats would be 20+), i considered myself very fit and loved every second! Cycling had taken over and it had become a lifestyle.
Then around September 2015 time i was caught off guard, i was only a couple of miles into a planned 30 mile ride and cycling up slight gradient of road but my legs turned to jelly....They felt wooden and had no power at all. After only 7 miles i had to turn back home feeling knackered. It took a few days to feel better and able to ride again, which i could still manage my normal mileage ride but found a steady decline in stamina and increased recovery times and fatigue. I would need a rest day after 5 days, then 4, then 3, 2 and finally would need a rest day after every single ride but by this time (November/December 2015) i would feel exhausted all the time!....I had a routine of riding once and feeling severely exhausted for weeks later, feel slightly better but still low in energy and ride again and need a few weeks rest etc etc...
Finally after infrequent cycling for quite a while and feeling terrible permanently and increasingly frustrated i quit cycling in spring 2016. Went to my GP looking for answers but unfortunately he didn't know what was wrong?...Had blood tests (full bloods/checked hormone levels) which come back normal. My diet was good with plenty of protein/carbs/vegetables/fruit, drinking lots of water etc. Started doing some research on my constant fatigue, weakness, exercise intolerance, insomnia, brain fog, heat flashes etc and i come across the term 'Overtraining'. With various grades (depending on how long you had pushed yourself through the fatigue warning signals) with recovery requiring anywhere from between a few weeks off, to the severe end were it had taken some people literally years to recover and some unlucky few never actually recovering/getting back to anywhere near the fitness they once were at ever again. Then later reading into CFS/ME etc which alot of my symptoms matched but i never got a clear diagnosis (GP kept brushing my claims off). I'd resigned myself to the fact any form of high intensity exercise wouldn't be possible any longer for quite a while until i felt like i got some form of normality back.
A whole year later with the only exercise in that time being dog walks twice aday. Unbelievably, though the extreme fatigue got better (varied good and bad days) it never truly went away. I always felt sluggish, it would take me ages to wake up in the morning and would have low energy/motivation, brain fog etc pretty much most of the time. Being inactive I'd picked up unhealthy eating habits with takeaways/bad food etc.With resulting depression of not being able to exercise (gaining an embarrassing amount of weight!) I went to see a Clinical Psychologist which they also believed i was suffering from some sort of CFS/burnout (had expertise working with fellow sufferers). I was given advice about 'exercise pacing' which included a planned regime starting off slow (5 minute walk to the shops for example) and very slowly increase the amounts of exercise i could do. Though i struggled with the idea and never really implemented a plan of action since i was already walking my dog an hour twice aday, i simply missed the high intensity exercise of cycling/running etc. I did get accustomed to being away from exercise and got on with life even though i was frustrated of never feeling good/normal with generally low energy levels and have fleeting memories of being a very fit cyclist with hopes of one day returning to my passion.
Finally a month ago I'd gotten impatient/frustrated with the amount of time away from exercise and with the clocks going forward and the weather getting lighter/warmer i decided to give higher intensity exercise ago. I started with weightlifting (day on day off) and though i had days which i would be exhausted i also had times were i felt fine! This continued on for 3 weeks and i had some confidence of the chance of being active once more. On the weekend I dusted off my beloved road bike and went out for a ride which was exciting!
I only managed 3 miles (includling a massive hill) though i stopped 3 times each mile to catch my breath with my heart beating out of my chest! Lol...Today i went out again this time managing 5 miles though it was very tough going, very very slow, on the small chainring in a low gear, lots of stops. All day after I've felt wiped out, exhausted, feeling warm and slightly achy, though I'm not sure if this is normal since my body isn't used to cycling for so long or maybe I've had a relapse in the dreaded CFS symptoms and will have to curb the idea once more? I will have to see how i get on!Thanks for reading and wish me luck!
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