Originally Posted by
bampilot06
Yes.
Basically, 2 years ago something happened. Don’t know what. Was making awesome gains, ftp was the highest it had ever been, was on my way to have it above 300, and my body just snapped. Went from super strong to not being able to complete a work out. Months of fatigue just forcing myself to ride to ride. Everytime I thought I was getting out of it something would happen, I would get sick and feel like I was starting completely over again.
Cycling became a chore. I was forcing myself to do it and holding myself to some standard that I couldn’t meet. I got a coach and that seemed to help my moral, but then I got sick again.
Cant wrap my head around the fact I have continued to ride for the last 7 years, everyday that I possibly could with my job. I peaked at year 5, and then it’s like all my fitness everything I put in has just disappeared.
I can’t figure out if it’s in my head, if it’s physical, if I just lost the drive.
So now i’m lifting, I ride my bike for about an hour after lifting for cardio purposes. I still hate running. I’ll see where this takes me.
The fatigue and frequent bouts of illness sound like everything I've read about overtraining. If it IS overtraining, then it's both physical AND in your head, because what goes on in your head is not really separate from what goes on in your body.
When I got into cycling as an adult, I spent maybe 7 years building up fitness, riding farther and farther, eventually joining a club and doing their group rides every Saturday and Sunday, which I did for two years. I was never able to get myself to spend much time on the trainer in the winter, so I'd lay off for a month or so, and start up again in February/March.
Well, after 2 years of 2 group rides a week with PenVelo, getting faster and stronger and even able to hold onto the racers for most of the ride, the next Spring I just didn't start up again. I think I was off the bike for an entire year, maybe 2 (this was 25 years ago, so I'm a little vague). I just didn't find myself needing or wanting to ride. After a few years I gradually got back into it, and I've stayed with it, though for years it wasn't more than 1500 miles a year, and then the last 6 years a whole lot more, but I've avoided the high intensity of fast group rides or heavy training, and for me that has kept the joy in it.
No idea what will work for you. Everybody's different. It was never about competition for me, and the numbers have never been anything I obsess on.