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Bit of an odd one this but thought I'd post here in case anyone has experienced anything similar. I've stepped my training up this year with use of a coach, and averaging around 10 hours a week. From a mental standpoint I feel fine about the amount and intensity (bearing in mind everything else that gets in the way - life, work, family etc!), however l am now experiencing my fourth bout (this year) of what l can only describe as flu-like symptoms which seem to come about after strenuous exertion. I raced on Sunday and Tuesday this week - 24hours later I'm feeling weak, achey, headaches, slightly sniffly. This is probably the mildest bout I've had this year - previously included a bad gut and shivering. I've had blood tests with initial results that have come back 'clear', but this is starting to worry me. I'm booking back in to the doctors to get a second opinion.
Has anyone had anything like this? I don't feel burned out (mentally), in fact I'm raring to go, but my body keeps feeling crap. My training schedule is out of the window again, and I'm wondering whether l need to just stop completely before this gets worse (CFS comes to mind...)
Thanks
Does sound like your immune system is "down" and being weakened by the excersize. I would suggest some multi-vitamins taken daily, also do take care with excersizing when unwell, some very fit atlhetes have died in such circumstances.
Was going to add - l'm especially careful to take on enough vitamins, mainly through good diet choice but also with the odd supplement - Vit C and Metatone tonic daily.
Some kind of virus/infection that your body is struggling to fight off with the amount of intense exercise you're doing?
I used to get it 4 times a year when there was a seasonal change but this year I started taking cod liver oil and vit B-complex supplement and so far I am fine.
My immune system is getting weaker but physically I feel well but that's just misleading ...
This is standard stuff when you are doing loads of training. I have been averaging 30/40 miles running and similar numbers cycling per week this year (similar numbers to you in terms of time) and have had two bad colds which I have never really shaken.
It’s your immune system being at a low level struggling to fight the stuff that you normally never notice. Can you get some decent recovery time in to your schedule or take a week off. A week off to avoid a cold will be better for you than getting one and then taking a week off.
CFS or similar is possible. If you're mentally raring to go it's probably not external factors (which I tend to suffer from) but I do / can get a feeling of washed-over aches about a couple of days after.
Is it possible to redirect the training to lower intensity - e.g. using a HRM keep it below a given threshold?
It can be a bit of a vicious circle - train, race, sick, rest, recover, train harder to make up, race, sicker, rest again etc
Breaking the cycle (ha!) might be key, take a couple of clear weeks off, focus on R&R, eat well and rest. Ease up your training and also work meso cycles into your training workload every 4 weeks of reduced effort so a maintainance week. 10h pw should be OK but it's all the other stuff like work stress, life stress etc that piles up on your body and you tend to work harder as your time is stretched.
Yours 'I spent years trying to fix myself with help'
Col
As an exemplar to all that, while not doing too much over the winter I thought I was getting out reasonably often (although not with much enthusiasm). Cue spring time, a shitstorm of personal worries, enthusiasm went out the window, tried to get out a few times, to make up, and am now languishing with a bad cold, general flu symptoms and tonsillitis to boot. Blast!
@crapknees - try a multi vit like berrocca or wellman - zinc is important for keeping colds away
Don't underestimate the power of Sleep and a good Diet. You will never improve without both, and if you keep trying, you will keep feeling poorly when you over reach.
More sleep. More rest. More good food. Less Bad food.
Enjoy getting faster!
Request a copy of your blood test results (you're entitled to them) and see where they are in the ranges.
Sounds like overtraining, reduced resistance to colds is pretty common.
Proper science: http://www.nature.com/icb/journal/v78/n5/full/icb200070a.html
From the abstract: "Moreover, the incidence of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection increases during periods of endurance training."
Basically, you need to rest properly. Take a few days off after each event, make sure you're getting enough sleep, and don't forget to include recovery days and easier weeks during your training. And think about changing coach if s/he hasn't picked up on this, it's a pretty well known symptom!