Ever just feel awful?

[Brusheda]

The past couple weeks I have just felt awful on my rides, especially longer ones. Last week I did a 50 mile ride and it was harder than 100 miles. I though it was b/c I didn't eat enuf breakfast or didn't drink enuf or something. This week I felt awful again, not quite as bad. On my century I started feeling bad at mile 80 with pain in low back and shoulders and headache. Now it seems I am getting those same pains much earlier and can't seem to deal mentally as well as I used to. I don't think it is overtraining b/c I haven't upped my training that much and feel fine between rides. Do you ever just go thru a slump? How do you get over it? The mental part is the worst.

[banerjek]

The past couple weeks I have just felt awful on my rides, especially longer ones. Last week I did a 50 mile ride and it was harder than 100 miles. ...Now it seems I am getting those same pains much earlier and can't seem to deal mentally as well as I used to. ... Do you ever just go thru a slump? How do you get over it? The mental part is the worst.
Yep, I seem to be in one of these slumps right now. As far as I can tell, happens to others too.

All you can do is keep riding, try to keep a positive outlook, and let it work itself out with time. It's hard to improve your state of mind if you keep thinking about how terrible you feel :)

If the pains don't get better, you may need to make slight adjustments your bike and/or your riding habits. Over time, we all change, so it makes perfect sense that we wouldn't always be able to ride the same way with the bike adjusted exactly the same.

[sch]

I did a 72 miler on a tandem two weeks ago and felt great at the end. We started
at 6am and finished at about 85F. Last weekend we started a century at 7a and by 72mi it was 94F and I was feeling terrible. Had to stop every ten miles for a 20min cooler at a quickstop after a 45min rest stop at 75mi. Hydration and fueling were adequate as I only lost 2# on the ride. I did finally recover and the last 15mi were not too bad, though the temp topped out at 97F with typical humidities in the 90 range.
Heat does a number on me, has for 30yrs.

[G-Whacker]

Over time, we all change, so it makes perfect sense that we wouldn't always be able to ride the same way with the bike adjusted exactly the same.

Well said, good advice.

Heat does a number on me, has for 30yrs.

I'm the exact opposite, I love the heat and humidity. I like feeling like I'm in the bottom of a fish tank!

Now it seems I am getting those same pains much earlier and can't seem to deal mentally as well as I used to.

I feel that way sometimes, if you can, stay off the bike until you just can't stand it anymore and are willing to ride in a raging thunderstorm just to get on the thing.....then the pains won't be so bad.