Author Topic: Why do I feel so dreadful?  (Read 12496 times)

Why do I feel so dreadful?
« on: 22 May, 2016, 08:08:27 am »
Doing Mille Pennines in July, riding with mates who are usually first home on anything on two wheels. Wanted not to be the old man slowing everyone up so...

Between

1. Got my weight down to 70kg (I'm 188cm), partly by cutting out lots of dairy and using a non-nutritive sweetener (stevia based - truvia)
2. Doubled the amount of cycling I've done compared to previous years
3. Had a hernia operation in January
4. Got my weight down to 67kg (and then because of ill health it briefly dropped to 64, which was scary - lots of people with my lung condition struggle to keep weight on).
5. Added soy protein isolate and BCAAs to my diet in an effort to recover more quickly

-- felt pretty grim, but got around the Heartbeat 400 okay

6. Feel rotten - like someone has come at me with hammers. People commenting on ill I look, how slowly I'm walking, pulling me aside in meetings to ask if I'm okay.

Have tried... physio... sports massage... cutting out sweetener... swapped soy protein for whey...

I'm taking a couple of days off the bike, and will take at least three off before Three Steps to Severn 600... which is next weekend. Slept nearly 13hrs yesterday after what was an uneventful day. Resting heartrate is normal, lungs normal.

Tell me I'm going to feel better soon with a little rest. Or tell me what the magic bullet is please. I'm sick of feeling ragged.

LMT

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #1 on: 22 May, 2016, 08:23:44 am »
What's your food diary for the last week?

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #2 on: 22 May, 2016, 08:23:56 am »
First guess is overtraining. Back your riding right off, is my advice. Think hard about next weekend's 600. Eat more and sleep lots.

Blood test seems prudent but I have no idea of the specifics.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #3 on: 22 May, 2016, 08:31:49 am »
There ain't no magic bullet.  Metabolism is far more complex than any second-guessing we can come up with, and "we" includes dieticians.  The one in whose hands I was placed after being stented in 2008 succeeded in wasting away my muscles and making me look like a skeleton. Climbing hills was torture and everyone I met asked me if I was ill.  It was only after I threw away the rule book that I returned to normal and started riding like a cyclist instead of a corpse.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

benborp

  • benbravoorpapa
Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #4 on: 22 May, 2016, 08:46:11 am »
Blood tests as soon as possible. I have a condition for which there is a magic bullet, but taking so long to get it diagnosed led to several others that have taken years to recover from.

ETA: Actually, it's probably worth mentioning B12 deficiency or pernicious anaemia as it seems it is frequently missed when it is at the root of problems. Several people I now know of have been at the stage of unpleasant biopsies and a plethora of tests for increasingly distressing diseases before a B12 problem has been identified as the cause.
A world of bedlam trapped inside a small cyclist.

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #5 on: 22 May, 2016, 08:59:07 am »
Yes - blood tests is what the person who looked at my (admittedly dumb, no heart rate variability measure) resting heartrate suggested. Will make a GP appt. Previous bloods pre-op showed anemia. I've had them looked at and there was nothing weird, but that was before I started feeling broken.

In terms of diet.. I'm vegetarian. Lots of salads, quorn, tofu, beetroot, vegetables, seeds. Macros look pretty standard (60% carbs, 30% fat,  20% protein is goal. Lately protein has gone up at expense of carbs.

One weird thing is that I feel fine on hills - and can actually get my heart rate up in the 130s - 140s. It's the flats that kill me. My legs don't want to spin. Usually, i don't have any trouble getting my heart up in to the high 170s, low 180s if i'm chasing someone.

I'll think carefully about the 600 - might take the week off the bike and see how I feel.


vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #6 on: 22 May, 2016, 09:08:15 am »
I'll think carefully about the 600 - might take the week off the bike and see how I feel.

That's what I'd do.  I'm not you but rest makes you stronger not exercise

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #7 on: 22 May, 2016, 09:17:55 am »
Thanks - I find rest hard, but Steve A's description of the need for rest for adaptation rings true albeit at an infinitesimally small level compared to his.  I've felt like I'm grinding to a halt, not getting fitter.

benborp

  • benbravoorpapa
Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #8 on: 22 May, 2016, 09:22:11 am »
While I was nearly at my worst - barely able to walk on many days - I was a terror on the track and as long as it was a hard effort I could put in the miles on the road. Anything moderate absolutely destroyed me. Work had to be all out as well - that is until I came to a complete, terrifying, disfunctional halt.
A world of bedlam trapped inside a small cyclist.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #9 on: 22 May, 2016, 09:24:07 am »
For what little it is worth, overtraining has much the same effect. No matter what, the body just does not respond properly.

I found that there was only a limited time that I could stay near my lowest racing weight before I started to fall apart (peaking early vs. peaking late in the season). If something similar is happening to you, there may be just enough time to bounce back for the Mille.

All of this is pure speculation of course, based on no tangible evidence at all.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #10 on: 22 May, 2016, 10:42:54 am »


Ha! That's what Garmin thinks of me resting.

Certainly, I do need to be careful with my diet given I'm a veggie that avoids dairy.

So, off the bike as much as possible this week, and let the weekend's 600 slip by if necessary. Hope for the best for MilleP.

Will try to get appt with GPs.

I do recognise what Ben describes. Using stress at work to keep going. I noticed I've been adding double espressos to my double espressos and feeling no effect. It's a worry when the barista suggests you might have had enough.


Ben T

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #11 on: 22 May, 2016, 10:56:39 am »
Undiagnosed glutenist?

simonp

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #12 on: 22 May, 2016, 12:06:34 pm »
I think the most likely thing is overtraining. You've been doing a lot.

I had this in 2010. Rode 4x600k, several 300s and 200s and the Mille Cymru. I had basically three weeks off the bike before the MC and that got me round but I wasn't right after that until the following February when I did a PB on the rowing machine.

I'm in need of some recovery too and as I'm racing next weekend after today it's going to be an easy week.

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #13 on: 22 May, 2016, 12:37:43 pm »
It's a shame you're a bloke- being a lady I get good warning I'm overtraining in that my periods stop.
I have read that overtraining isn't a good description - it's under-recovery. Your caffeine intake can't be helping with that.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #14 on: 22 May, 2016, 12:45:52 pm »
Macros look pretty standard (60% carbs, 30% fat,  20% protein is goal. Lately protein has gone up at expense of carbs.

Is that what's called giving it 110%?  ;) ;D

My unscientific gut feeling is you need more food, more rest and a gentle build-up.

I'd think twice about doing a very long ride.

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #15 on: 22 May, 2016, 12:48:26 pm »
Lol. I blame Garmin. Apparently I'm over my macro goals for each of them.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk


Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #16 on: 22 May, 2016, 12:51:11 pm »
It's a shame you're a bloke- being a lady I get good warning I'm overtraining in that my periods stop.
I have read that overtraining isn't a good description - it's under-recovery. Your caffeine intake can't be helping with that.
Caffeine for sure. Plus occasional prednisolone and a boy with autismy behaviour who wakes me up several times a night.

Samuel D

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #17 on: 22 May, 2016, 12:57:17 pm »
Your whole lifestyle – artificial diet, weighing your food, taking various drugs to get by, apps to track your movement, posting from your SM-G935F using Tapatalk – sounds like hell to me. We are not made to live like that. Many people do live like that these days, but I have yet to meet someone who lived like that who wasn’t also deeply miserable.

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #18 on: 22 May, 2016, 01:35:12 pm »
Please Jesus, show me the way.

Samuel D

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #19 on: 22 May, 2016, 03:13:03 pm »
You’ve mixed me up with someone else there. I’m just suggesting a more natural lifestyle is likelier to work than a series of artificial gimmicks, each rectifying problems caused by the last.

Not saying it’s easy. It requires deliberate effort even in countries like France (where I live, though I’m British), where the culture better supports living well.

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #20 on: 22 May, 2016, 03:24:30 pm »
FWIW, and based on knowing nothing about you other than your posts on here, I get the impression you're always pushing yourself pretty hard, so my first thought would be overtraining.

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #21 on: 22 May, 2016, 04:17:49 pm »
It might be worth tracking your Heart Rate Variability.  Several apps.  Best I think is HRV4Training which has a couple of science geeks behind it and seems pretty solid.

Chris S

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #22 on: 22 May, 2016, 04:55:51 pm »
It might be worth tracking your Heart Rate Variability.  Several apps.  Best I think is HRV4Training which has a couple of science geeks behind it and seems pretty solid.

iPhone only :(

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #23 on: 22 May, 2016, 05:43:48 pm »
It might be worth tracking your Heart Rate Variability.  Several apps.  Best I think is HRV4Training which has a couple of science geeks behind it and seems pretty solid.
This is what the person who looked at my RHR wanted. We've got umpteen different monitors at work, so will see if I can get a lend tomorrow.

Chris S

Re: Why do I feel so dreadful?
« Reply #24 on: 22 May, 2016, 05:47:14 pm »
It might be worth tracking your Heart Rate Variability.  Several apps.  Best I think is HRV4Training which has a couple of science geeks behind it and seems pretty solid.
This is what the person who looked at my RHR wanted. We've got umpteen different monitors at work, so will see if I can get a lend tomorrow.

Looks like you have a Samsung phone. The S-Health app has a "Stress" monitor, which is based on HRV. I use http://www.selfloops.com/products/heart-rate-variability.html but it's a PITA as it needs a strap (won't work with the camera-based HRM).