On the Struggle Bus

Gary Lewis

Anyone have any words of wisdom? 

I was putting in some good work in the fall and ran a good HM in early Sept.  I went through the November OS.  During that time I had a nice run streak going, ran a PR 5K and was making great progress.  Missed a few workouts in December and then ran a HM in Jan.  A week after that, I got a cold.  Just a runny nose and a little cough.  No flu or anything like that, but it took a while to shake it.  Now its like I am slower and have less stamina than when I first started training again in August.  I have not been as consistent as I was in November, but I just cant seem to get the MOJO back.  Its not really a mental block, I am motivated to work out, but can't figure out why I'm so weak. 

Mark Hickman

@Gary Lewis Man, I have been there, often.  My best approach to getting off the struggle bus is to do whatever I need to do to make "working out" fun again.  That might be a long run/walk exploration of something cool, or maybe the same on the bike.  Maybe do a short race on Zwift, or go ride with a group with no concerns about pace, FTP, HR, etc.  If I make it consistent, I get back into things pretty quickly.  When training loses the fun factor, it can be hard to find the discipline to get it in.  Or you can just tell yourself to suck it up buttercup, do the work you can and not the work you think you should be able to do...you didn't lose 6 months of fitness in a few weeks...it'll come right back.  Mark

Gary Lewis

@Mark Hickman I am not so much struggling mentally to do the workouts its more physically.  Its like I've lost all run speed and stamina.  Huffing and puffing after one mile. 

Derrek Sanks

@Gary Lewis - I'm just getting over a head cold and can relate. It took me a week or so to get back to normal energy levels. My workouts had higher than normal HRs, slower paces and/or reduced power. I also stopped doing two workouts a day for a few days to give my body more rest. Speaking of rest, try to get an extra hour or more of sleep. Your body expended a lot of resources fighting a cold virus for a number of day and will take time to recover. Your energy levels will return...until they do just reduce your workout intensity. 

Patrick Large

@Gary Lewis  The only thing that recently got me off the "struggle bus" was trail running.  Not sure where you live or whats around you, but worth a shot.  I ran for a while not caring about data, but running again for the love of running.  Good Luck!

scott dinhofer

@Gary Lewis - I'm no doc, but I play one here in the forums 
while you may feel "better" from your cold bug, it sounds to me like you've got something lingering.. the only thing I'd suggest is to shorten your workouts, go out and run 2-3 miles, bike 30 mins, I personally think the raises in body temp help to "cook off" whatever bug you have... 
either that or go hardcore rest... 
run 2 miles EZ and call me in the morning!
keep us posted!

Sheila Leard

@Gary Lewis
What is your morning HR? Deep sleep is important to reduce your cortisol and release growth hormones.

 Your IM is down the road so you'e got time to let your body shed whatever is lingering.

Alicia Chase

@Gary Lewis If you're huffing and puffing after a mile, it could simple be deconditioning, or it could be lingering effects from the virus. If you haven't been to a dr in awhile, might not be a bad idea to go in and have some blood work done. If you normally track metrics as @Sheila Leard pointed out, your resting HR, sleep time, BP, etc. could give you a clue as to your overall health. But, definitely do as Scott Dinhoffer said, and shorten up the workouts until you start to feel like you're handling them better.

Stephen Cogger

@Gary Lewis sorry to hear about the slump but I'm glad you posted this. I got a cold during a ski trip a couple weeks back and ever since then my run has felt terrible.  I can manage Ok on the bike trainer, but actually running feels like a drag. Sounds like we take the advice above and have trust that our fitness will return in due time. 

Gary Lewis

@Sheila Leard according to Garmin Connect my HR really hasn't changed.  I bought a new Fenix5 in November and it says my resting HR when I get up in the morning is 52.  Which is the same as November.  On the other hand, who knows how accurate that really is, but it is consistent.



@Stephen Cogger you sound like you are in the same boat as me.  I'm hoping the fitness comes back soon.  It wierd, because I feel great otherwise.

Daria Matthews

@Gary Lewis - sorry to hear that, but I've been there. All the above suggestions are awesome, but how is your nutrition? Has it changed? And are you making sure you're eating a big variety of things?  In my case when I'm starting to feel weak I just load up on protein.  I normally tell my husband "ok, I need to go get a big burger" and man, when I get my dose of protein I feel like I can move mountains again.  You will figure it out and you will feel strong again before you know it. Good luck Gary!

Gary Lewis

Finally feel like I am off the bus.  Hopefully, @Stephen Cogger got off at the nearest stop too.  Had my first speed work yesterday where I wasn't coughing up a lung.  Breathing real hard but not dying.  Now its time to build back up my lung capacity.  Thanks everyone for the advice and support.

Stephen Cogger

Great to hear it @Gary Lewis and welcome back. For me, today was the first run where I felt like I could actually run again. Got in 8 miles and it felt right. 2 weeks ago I had to stop after 1.5 miles. Not sure what that bug was but I am happy it is leaving.