Feel tired a lot of the time.....can't seem to train.

Ramanujan

Hi,

I've been cycling for a number of years and have raced, albeit at a fairly low 4th cat level for quite some time. However recently, the past 3 or 4 months, I am often too tired to train.

I cycle into work , which is about 10 miles each way, but I take it easy since my legs are often tired and don't have any power. I tend to use the small ring most of the time.

After about Wednesday or Thursday , my legs are really fatigued and have no power. I feel ok apart from that and get enough sleep and eat really healthily. I am a vegetarian and try and get enough protein. I'm about 80kg and 44 years old.. By the time the weekend comes my legs are usually so tired all I can do is relax around the house and try and get my strength back for the next week.

It's very frustrating since I want to race again but it would be pointless without training. Last year ! was training 3 or 4 times a week and although I felt tired, I was recovering ok.

Any ideas about what I could do?

thx

owenlars

Assuming it's not overtraining I would see your GP and get a blood test, could be a thyroid problem or even Type 2 Diabetes

La cucaracha

I've found the same thing this year. Never happened before - even when I'd been off the bike for a year I still wasn't riding below my former typical av speed of 16mph, but since I've been feeling like this I struggle to manage an average of even 14mph. Last time I had a blood test it was normal though and I tried taking a break in case it was overtraining, but that made no difference. Help!

CrookedCucumber

As others have said, it's got to be worth seeing a GP about this. Simple tests will rule out common problems like anemia and diabetes, but you might need checking for more tricky things like endocrine disorders. This is what we pay our taxes for, after all.

BTW I'm a vegetarian too, and I do have problems consuming enough protein. The usual recommendataion is 0.5-1.0 grammes of protein per kg bodyweight per day; but you might need more if you're cycling hard. It's actually quiet difficult to get that amount of protein without swallowing a load of fat with it. I have found Quorn quite helpful in this respect, although I appreciate that it isn't to everybody's taste. Unfortunately, there aren't really any simple tests that a GP can order that will check for proper dietary balance.

ut_och_cykla

CrookedCucumber wrote:

As others have said, it's got to be worth seeing a GP about this. Simple tests will rule out common problems like anemia and diabetes, but you might need checking for more tricky things like endocrine disorders. This is what we pay our taxes for, after all.

BTW I'm a vegetarian too, and I do have problems consuming enough protein. The usual recommendataion is 0.5-1.0 grammes of protein per kg bodyweight per day; but you might need more if you're cycling hard. It's actually quiet difficult to get that amount of protein without swallowing a load of fat with it. I have found Quorn quite helpful in this respect, although I appreciate that it isn't to everybody's taste. Unfortunately, there aren't really any simple tests that a GP can order that will check for proper dietary balance.

Someone training hardish would probably feel better on 1- 1,5g /kg body weight . Teh WHO lvele of 0,8g per kg is for survival level - not hard training!

scapaslow

I would get some blood tests. Could be a number of factors possibly including a lack of iron which is common in vegetarians.

You may be suffering from post viral fatigue without realising it? Did you have a bad virus a little while back or something stressful?

Why not lay off the bike completely for a couple of weeks and then try a leisure ride rather than commuting?

First port of call should be the GP.

Alibran

As a vegetarian, I've found that increasing the protein in my diet has helped tremendously in keeping my strength and energy up for cycling and running. Good ways to increase protein are to replace white processed foods with wholegrain varieties, add beans to salads, soups, etc, have a few nuts as a snack, and have the odd glass of milk now and then (I use soya milk instead of cows milk, which is also a good source of omega 3). I get at least 1.5g protein per kg body weight most days. I also eat plenty of foods that are high in iron, such as spinach, and take a good quality multi vitamin supplement to be on the safe side.

I'm not suggesting it is your diet causing the problem, but along with visiting your GP, it's probably one of the first things to look at.

SilverSurfer

I have had this and I usually find 1 of 2 things cause this - overtraining or getting a cold type viral infection. As I, like you, have not been able to get enough in to overtrain, I go for the virus aapproach.

I have noticed that over this last year there have been a lot of viruses going around with loads of people being off work. I invariably always catch what is going round but it seems to take weeks to take hold, during which time I always feel incredibly tired and irritable.

I now get paranoid whenever anyone sneezes near me!

ut_och_cykla

Were you training last year as well as doing your commute? If so and you can't now I would get to the GP for a check up! I had a nice dose of borelia/Lyme disease many years ago which left me Knackered for months.
viruses can also cause tiredness as can undereating - are you losing weight too?
You might have a thyroid problem, aneamia or other deficiency illness.
Are you depressed over other parts of your life? This can also leave you feeling lethargic.
A doc you trust & can talk to would be ideal!
Hope you get to teh bottom of it soon!