Just venting...

[Lynne]

So here's the deal...I have my beautiful new Fuji and I really really want to ride it as often as I can. I'm only riding a total of about 3 days per week (two during the week for the bike commute and one weekend day).

But I'm so stinking tired all of the time now days in the morning. I was never a morning person before, but for some reason I just CANNOT wake up in the morning anymore and I'm just really out of it and exhausted.

The BF mentioned overtraining, but I've always been an active person and how can 3 days a week be overtraining?

This morning is a good example-I had about an hour I could ride because I was leaving for a business trip later in the morning. I even had the bike over at the BF's all ready to go, but I was just so tired, I couldn't get up and go.

My mind is not only willing, but incredibly frustrated w/the body! Plus, I have always struggled w/the need to exercise as much as possible...I get very angry w/myself when I do less than 5 days a week and feel so good when I do 6 days a week (maybe a mild form of excercise bulimia, if you understand...I like the idea of keeping in shape and NEED to know I am keeping the fat at bay).

Did this happen to any of you other active women when you transitioned to cycling? Is this truly so much more of a demanding sport than hiking/climbing?

I did figure out the "hills" range from about a 4% to a 10% grade...varies at different points on the hills. And of course, I've said these are the areas I stuggle with.

Ok, that's my vent...and I'm stuck in St Paul MN with no bike and no biking outlet (other than driving my co-workers absolutely nuts talking about it all the stinking time, lol!) until Friday when I can bike commute again.

[nuthatch]

There are about a million reasons for feeling too pooped to start. Age, hormones, mental fatigue (even though you feel mentally ready, sometimes there are sneaky subconcious things that make you feel physically tired).

Some of the girls here have talked about just getting on the bike for a brief spin around the block to get the endorphins flowing, which paves the way for your body to kick into gear - this worked for me. Don't tell yourself that you have to ride 100 miles, just around the block to see how you feel. This is all assuming you don't have an actual physical reason for fatigue, like anemia or chronic fatigue, etc.

Here's hoping you can enjoy your new bike soon!

[BIKEAWAY]

being new to serious biking, I find that now (with everyone's help here) that food plays an amazing role in ability and energy. In 5 days, now that I switched from diet bread to whole grain bread, I went an extra 7 miles over the normal 20 and I felt great. I also switched from all water to gatoraide and wow what a difference riding now. I am trail riding this weekend a 40 mile trail and i cant wait.
3 weeks ago I felt like you did. I am still overweight by scale but in the last 3 weeks I lost about 5 inches off my waist line and now I have the engery to lose more.
Just a thought

[Balrog]

I always knee-jerk blame allergies. We've had a GLO-ree-US spring in Michigan, but the blossoms and pollen came forth in the first of May and I thought someone was doping my green tea. I couldn't think, couldn't get through the day without a 20-minute nap on break in the afternoon. Now it's mid-June and some allergens are down and I'm getting my endurance back.

I *also* tend to check my protein intake, too, when I feel like Marcel Marceau walking into an invisible wall ...

--Blarog

[Biking Chick]

Good Morning Lynne,

I agree with NH that there are any number of reasons why you are finding yourself too tired/exhausted to get yourself on your bike even though you are mentally ready to bike.

My suggestion would be to start journaling - keep track of what you eat (including supplements and other medications), how much/when you exercise and what type of exercise you engage in (walk, bike, aerobics), what your moods are and what, if any, types of stress you are experiencing.

I know this isn't *bike related* but bear with me ... When I began to suspect that I was experiencing migraine's and was asked to keep track of not only my headache's but my moods, weather, etc. When I first went to the neurologist I said that the headaches that I suspected were migraines occured only once a month. Imagine my surprise when I started keeping track and discovered that I was experiencing three migraine's a month.

Keeping a journal might help you to see any types of patterns that correlate between your fatigue and other things going on in your life.

Over the past two years dh and I have cut out a lot of refined flour and sugars in our diet (we've been on low fat life style for about 5 years) and are staying away from a number of foods that contain the so-called bad carbs. I've discovered (again by journaling my food/moods) that orange juice and bagels will give me an instant energy burst followed quickly by hours of feeling very sluggish and sleepy. While I can use orange juice in marinade I have had to totally cut the oj out of my diet - one of my favorite week-end breakfasts was a bagel with cream cheese and orange juice. No wonder I felt lazy for the rest of the day!!

It could be that you are pushing yourself beyond your limits and not realizing it - I think you called it exercise bulimia - maybe find some quiet time for yourself to meditate? I thought the advice of getting out for a five minute ride around the block is a great idea. A real hands on reminder that cycling should be about the spiritual experience being on a bike offers and not all about putting on 40+ miles everytime you get out to ride.

If you find that the exhaustion continues and you feel the need to discuss it with your physician your journals will be very helpful to him/her.

Good luck ... having biked in the Minneapolis/St Paul area I know they have a number of wonderful in city trails.

[CorsairMac]

As a note alongside BCs suggestion about keeping a journal - you may find it's what you're eating - or not - the night before. I find when I eat sweeter, carby things at night say - chocolate chips ( ) - I find it very hard to get up the next morning and I feel sluggish for the first few hours. But if I eat an apple with nut butter, or dried bananas at night, I wake up bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy funfunfunfunfun!! The journal should help to sort that out....and good luck!


and yuppers Balrog - spring and fall are the most energy-sapping times of the year for me due to all the pollen, some days I just simply give in to the allergies and sit at home like a pile of pitiful goo!!

[Lynne]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I guess that's why I was venting...I've recently done a RADICAL change to my diet. I had been eating vast quantities of sugar, the major portion of my daily intake. And no, not fat, basically straight sugar (licorice, gummy worms, mike and ikes, etc). I've been doing this for at least 20 yrs that I can track. But recently it really began to bother me that I was eating so poorly...so over the past few months I reduced my sugar intake, switched to more organic foods and tried to balance what I eat. I'm down to about one sugary thing every other day, on average (with a day or so a week where I fall off the wagon and go back to eating a ton). Also, I am now drinking gatoraide instead of water on my rides (don't tell my BF, his head will swell all up knowing I actually LISTENED to him, roflmao!), making myself eat a powerbar (on like a 30-40 mile ride, with one powerbar before as well) and trying x-tran, too.

Having said all this, I should have tons of energy! I did last week get a low iron test result for the first time in my life and I am now supplementing with a prescription iron supplement. My thyroid also tested low, but just a tiny bit low...my doctor re-tested that, but I won't know the results for about another week.

I don't think you can get iron from eating the junk I was eating, so I'm not sure why the sudden low reading. And, I'm still feeling sluggish almost a week into supplementing.

Ah well...I am forced to take 3 days in a row off of biking and working out (I didn't bring any workout clothes intentionally). I will be really curious to see how the ride goes on Friday and how well I'm able to wake up tomorrow morning!

I believe in thinking positive and I really think it will improve...it's just frustrating for now, you know? Things tend to balance out in the end :-)

Thanks for letting me vent...my mind is VERY annoyed with my body right now

[KSH]

I didn't read all the responses... but the last post you made referenced a serious change in your diet.

Do you eat enough carbs? I know that the "fad diet" is to eat low carb, but that simply is NOT going to work if you workout.

Let me ask you this, have you sat down and determined how many calories you should be taking in... and how many you are actually consuming? Maybe you are consuming too few calories.

Now, I am just talking from my own experience... but what I eat and WHEN I eat, has a huge affect on how much energy I have.

And, maybe your body is taking some time to adjust to the new diet? Eh... who knows????

Finally, is it the week before your period. I have read that women lose a ton of energy the week before their period.

Oh well... best of luck girly... and don't give up hope!