End of training plan, sickness, and high heart rate

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1

Hello,

I’m here to have advice.

I am at the end of an all purpose plan (intermediate).

Everything was OK, I felt that my numbers have really increased, and everything seemed easy. I created through a deducated software some workout to work on my Vo2 max, and I used to train 6 or 7 intervals of 3min at my V02max or below.

Then, last week, i got cold and I was sick (nothing really bad) during 2 days. Then, I started to feel better this tuesday.

So, because I have a FF this sunday and, because I felt really better, i followed my TP again (cadence tueday, tapper wenesday, I also made a new workout (low gear temp 5x4) thursday because I felt great, recharger yesterday). All theses workouts were great, and I felt great although I could feel a real lack of power in my legs (that is why I chose to make low gear workout). Tooday, I had in my training plan primers. And that was just horrrible, truly. Totaly no power in my legs. At FTP, my hearth rate was equal to 174 (usually, t TFP it is about 160/165 bpm). I finished it because I wanted and I have motivation, but I think there is a problem. Tommorrow, I should have a FF.

First, I think that I won’t be able to do it, it will exhausted me. Second, I am not even sure that It would be a good idea to make a FF in these conditions.

So I will be gratefull to have some advices !

Why is my heart rate so high ? Why no power in my legs ? Should I rest (this week was not really hard, i thought that I was rested) ? Should I just have some easy workout or on the contrary working on that fall of power in my legs through revolver or similar workouts ?

thank you !

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Firstly, it’s good to hear that you are fine and that the cold only lasted for a few days. :+1:

There are 3 possible reasons:

  1. Mid week your body was still recovering from the illness, even though you felt fine.
    So even a couple of workouts was a hit on your overall recovery.
  2. It’s all in your head and there is nothing wrong.
  3. Both of the above

Since the FF is tomorrow and you are in a bad psychological mood, i think it’s better to skip it.
If it does not go as intended, it’s gonna make you feel a lot worse.
Maybe, rest tomorrow and do the FF Prep Plan this week with the FF next Sunday.
Or, if tomorrow you wake up and you feel like a king, go for it :grin:

3

Agree with above. Your body had a tough week. Listen to it. Better to put off ff, since it seems unlikely to provide accurate numbers to base your training on.

4

Fitness for whatever purpose at whatever level is a principal function of Recovery. You got sick. You’re overtrained. It doesn’t matter how you ‘feel’. I’d recommend that you start calculating your Recovery. Garmin has a half-arsed “Body Battery.” Best I’ve found is www.8weeksout.com with the Morpheus 5. YMMV and I get nothing from recommending it.

Edit: use this link for Morpheus. It’ll help you avoid the marketing.

this app is also useful: https://www.myithlete.com

anthony

5

Where are you in your hormone cycle? Ovulation = reduced immunity and you can feel sick and lose power even if you’re not sick. Or that combined with a hard week could also mean you’re more likely to get sick. Last week of one’s cycle one can also typically feel absolutely horrible in terms of power on the bike. I try adjust my 3 weeks hard, one week easy training plan with my hormone cycle and save FF for day 3-10 of my hormone cycle, i.e. push rest week a little longer into week 1 before testing. Coach Susie posted an ace article on this recently. Hope that helps.

6

There are some nasty viruses going around at the moment, I caught one before Christmas not much more than a sore throat and a runny nose, otherwise felt quite well, until I went out for a gentle walk and my HR went up to high Z4 even though I was at a pace where I would normally expect low Z1! despite my resting HR only bring slightly elevated 5bpm or so. I took another week of complete rest, didn’t walk further than the end of my street, followed by a week of walking up to half hour, to keep an eye on my HR response. Week 3 was walks of up to an hour at a fast pace and only after that did I return to Sufferlandria.

Useful topic here on returning to training after illness Back to physical activity after Covid19 infection

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Thanks to everyone for your usefull answers !

So yesterday I did not make the FF, in agreement with yours advices.

In replacement, I made an easy but not too easy workout : element of style. I wanted something not too stressfull for my body, but a workout where I can see if I still have some heart rate problems or not.

And everything went fine. During the Vo2max intervals, my heart rate went to a maximum of 164rpm at 198W. For comparison, the day before at threshold (177W for me), my heart rate was equal to 174rpm. So It was really really better. After the warm up, my legs were fine.

I made some “research”. Everything I could find say that overtraining or excessive fatigue (due to sickness for exemple) use to express with low heart rate, and an heart rate wich does not increase as it should be with exercise (a very good article in my opinion here : Heart Rate: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask – The Sufferfest, which is linked to other very good papers!).
But one thing can make the hearth rate increase a lot : deshydratation. And the last few days before being bad, with no doubt I had not drink enough. So yesterady, I tried to drink (water of course !) a little but often. And because evrything was fine during my workout yesterday, I think taht the problem was just not enough water.
Maybe I am right, maybe not. Next workouts will tell me I think !

1 Like
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You may want to consider electrolytes too. I found when I got sick and things were out of kilter that they helped greatly.