Quote Originally Posted by Wahine View Post
This sounds like a change in HR from electrolytes (which you already thought of), acute change from overtraining or infection.
I did not think of infection. I was under a lot of stress at the time (end of the academic quarter and finals to take), so maybe my immune system was a little suppressed. I was not exercising at all during the time (I took a "break" from cardiac exercise in an attempt to heal my knee and weaken the exercise compulsion a little), so I think overtraining can probably be ruled out.

Thank you also for the links. I am well aware of the female athlete triad, but unfortunately did not use this knowledge to my benefit. I have just started this year to really try to fix things. I have been seeing a nutritionist weekly since September and made progress, although I do still struggle sometimes.


On a semi-related note, I had a frustrating ride today. I was looking forward to it a lot and the weather was fantastic. I got home in the evening and because of time constraints decided to just run at home, instead of biking to nearby running trails like I had planned. I forgot my knee brace in the rush and ended up cutting my run short. My knee was bad, my stomach was cramping, and I just was not having fun. I figured I'd bike a little longer instead.

I felt so slow on my bike. I don't know what was wrong. By the time I left, it had started to rain a little and it was pretty chilly. I forgot padded shorts, so my seat was a little uncomfortable and my knee was bothering me. I ended up deciding not to push it and just pedaled at a leisurely pace. I ended up at school, but I'm disappointed. I am trying to remind myself that I'll likely have "good rides" and "bad rides" like in running, but it's still frustrating. I really need to work on my fueling. I ate poor-quality foods all day because "it was my birthday" and I'm sure that must have contributed at least a little, as well. I'm hoping to get back out tomorrow and have a much better ride tomorrow.