Originally Posted by
jcsimko
I am 53yrs old and have been riding my entire adult life. Up until this year I would typically ride 3-4 times a week and put in at least 100 miles during the week. At least one of the rides was some form of high intensity (e.g., competitive group, interval training). I get that your abilities decline as you get older, but this year I have started to experience extreme fatigue after every intense ride. The fatigue lasts 3-5 days after each ride. In addition, I have experienced headaches both during and after the rides. This has been going on now for 2-3 months. Early on I thought that I wasn't training enough, but I realized that wasn't the case. More riding resulted in more fatigue. Searching the internet I was unable to find anything that exactly matched my symptoms. I saw my doctor today and he is going to put me through a stress test and run some blood work. I wanted to know if anyone has experienced something like this or knows someone who has. I would really like to know what the root cause was. Thanks.
Originally Posted by
PeteHski
Sounds like a medical condition rather than anything age-related. We do need more recovery time as we get older, but it's not a sudden change and something you should hardly notice from year to year.
Your described riding and relative effort is hardly overdone. Unless every ride is an intense 'Intervals' ride, your week is a light week for many at that age, and even older.
Could be anything or nothing more than a 'phase'... But I'm sayin - CHECK FOR EVERYTHING! , COVID, low or high something in the chemistry, whatever. Get as many tests done as possible to help define.
Not to scare you... but
I went thru the same chronic fatigue thing starting 7 yrs back. I had tests done, all showed normal body chemistry, no malfunctioning organs, nervous system ok, lymph system a little active but not unusual. All my various docs had little knowledge of sport and it's training affects, so they were always thrown off by my results - low resting heart rate (42), other things like CPK highs, etc.
But what wasn't done, after all other tests showed nothing, was either CT or PET Scan (which would have found the problem instantly)...
Went on like this for 3 years... I would complain at every post hammerfest ride coffee session... I'm not a complainer... I can suffer with the best.
Finally came to a head, 3 1/2 yrs later... I had massive blood in Urine. Immediately to ER, all tests still showed normal - CT Scan done - massive tumor found in the bladder...
Tests come back, it's Stage 3 Bladder cancer, the bladder fully enveloped...
Won;t go into all the detail.... BUT, I'm still here, AND my oncologist happens to be a riding/racing buddy, although he's quite a bit younger. He remembers my pissing and moaning and now appreciates. The struggle against this is proving successful to an amazing degree - I'm blessed.
I'm back riding regular, long road back to where I was before all this ensued... But good with that, coming back takes time.
Get Tests started NOW. Keep riding, but throttle back to recovery pace for every ride, small ring spin, Ride every ride easy.Stay very well hydrated !!!
Get a Heart monitor if you don;t have one. Look at it, as you ride, get to know what seems normal and what isn't.
Again, my message is extreme - I get it. Your issue may be nothing like this
Don't accept a 'non answer', don;t let the MDs shine you on, like my Primary did.Find a Primary MD who has an appreciation and knowledge of athletic conditioning.
You're young! Ok to expect to be able to be and do intense...
My very best to you!
Thx
Yuri