Hullguitars

I am 25, and want to ride again. I started at age 11, 14 years ago this march..... with a trek 1000. Put 2300 miles on it my first year. I got in really good shape by age 15, and really enjoyed riding. I rode 5-7 days a week until the age of 18. I raced six local road races and 4 mtn races..... I developed a few health problems and moved away for two years to sort them out. I started riding again when I moved back to Chattanooga at age 20 (5 years ago....) and almost got back to my original speeds and performance. I was averaging 170 miles a week (19.2 mph) up until two years ago when my business took off and I tapered off. I have a beautiful two year old orbea onix and very nice carbon trek mtn bike.... just hanging here. I would love to get back into race shape, but just feel so weak. I am 6 '2" tall and my race weight is 165lbs. I was at 188lbs last year until I contracted lead poisoning and dropped down to 154lbs. So weight isn't the problem..... just weakness. I am addicted to caffeine, about 300mgs a day. I work 50 hour weeks to run my business..... but WILL make time to cycle. When I was younger I would have just got back on the damned bike,..... but it just seams so difficult to even think about. All I know is lead poising will bring you to your knees..... and the only way I feel I will get back to normal is to get into race shape.
Sorry to ramble and thank you for your input.

Carbonfiberboy 

Are you under a doctor's care? Are your blood levels back to normal? Permanent damage?

As it is said, life is for living. So get back to doing what you love. I wouldn't worry about racing shape. Just ride and be happy on the bike. There are so many complications to lead poisoning that it may take a while to feel strong again. Yeah, so don't worry about that. Just be lucky to be riding. Don't compare what you do now to what you did years ago. Just compare today to yesterday.

chaadster

Yeah I think the trick is not comparing where you are now to how you rode then. Tough, especially riding the same roads, but it will set you free.

Once you start doing it, you'll find you love riding all over again, and in time that desire to look back will yield to the joy of riding.

Try setting modest goals like just carving out the time to start, and I bet you find just doing that challenging, but focus on that, and not ride performance at this stage. As conditioning builds, you'll naturally refocus on the now and start comping off where you were 10 months ago, and not 10 years ago.

Hullguitars

Thanks for the input guys! I don't have any permanent damage that they know of.... but they said it could be 10 years before I feel normal. pardon me but SCREW THAT.... I just know that if I can get back on the bike I can boil my blood back to shape lol. In the past cycling is what got me well and kept me well. I just believe it will get me back to where I was...... but agree that I should just concentrate on the present because my past speed will do nothing but discourage me. I look forward to keeping my stats and watching my body heal.

daven

When my wife was sick, we came up with a saying (probably not very original though): Fight from where you stand. You can wish that you were in a different position or situation, but you aren't. There is nothing to be done but to pick up right where you are and to measure progress relative to that point. So what if it takes years to fully recover? Do you want to spend those years laying around or riding your bike in the great outdoors?

Just get started with riding. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you are when you begin. You'll make progress and get faster/stronger as time goes by. While my situation could never compare to lead poisoning, I started riding last year (after a 20-year layoff) at a rather rotund 225lbs. It was slow going for a while and a long ride was 13 miles after work. A bit less than a year later, I weigh 182 (with some ballast left to throw off) and can hang with the local A rides. The point is not to brag but to say that you just have to get started. Who knows what 9-12 months of work might bring to you?

Be sure to keep us posted!