It's official. I have the flu. I have been fighting it off for a week now. Am taking antibiotics and can only hope I have enough to do the event. Between the pollen and this bug I guess I lucky to be doing as good as I am. I have had much worse flu's so I hope to recover quickly.

Not sure what the "real definition" is. All I can say is that if I'm in discomfort to the point of having difficulty walking as a result of biking, or snowshoeing, etc. I don't recover in a mere four days. It takes longer, much longer.

"Overtraining syndrome frequently occurs in athletes who are training for competition or a specific event and train beyond the body's ability to recover. Athletes often exercise longer and harder so they can improve. But without adequate rest and recovery, these training regimens can backfire, and actually decrease performance. Conditioning requires a balance between overload and recovery. Too much overload and/or too little recovery may result in both physical and psychology symptoms of overtraining

Symptoms include:



Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
Mild leg soreness, general aches and pains
Pain in muscles and joints
Sudden drop in performance
Insomnia
Headaches Decreased immunity (increased number of colds, and sore throats)
Decrease in training capacity / intensity
Moodiness and irritability
Depression
Loss of enthusiasm for the sport
Decreased appetite
Increased incidence of injuries. "

Read more . . .

Ahhh...That overtraining.

In my case it was a situation of the brain writing a check the body couldn't cash so it took out a loan. Then the brain forced the body to take out a second mortgage. After 7 days the loan hasn't been completely repaid, but close.

Maybe that's why I had the worst cold I've had in years, eh?

Found out why I’ve been hurting so much!
I got Diabetic Neuropathy!
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dia...opathy/DS01045

BUT, that’s OK; I’ll work with it, around it or thought it. I will stay hard until the day I die.
I have all the special shoes that look like “duck feet” and what ever. So I’ll just keep going maybe a little different then before, may use the machine more often but I’ll stay hard!

Everyone try clicking on this link. You should see the pics.
http://picasaweb.google.com/11103571...05261127303586
Then scroll thru the pics with the <--- ---> arrows at the top of the picture box.

Thanks Dnvr and RonH for helping people see the pics. It's my second night in Portugal, in Albufeira on the south coast. My progress westward has slowed down due to consistent 10 knot headwinds and lots of quaint towns to stop in. Went through Olhao, the main fishing port of the area, today, and had a snack of Octopus salad, Delicious. Also bought 5 tangerines in the market for 14 cents! All of a sudden lots of English spoken, lots of Irish pubs, as this is a big holiday area. I hope to reach Cape St. Vincent, the SW tip of Portugal, on Wednesday morning. The only real drawback has been that there is only one road along the coast, and sometimes it gets like riding on a freeway. I'll try to post more pics.

Sorry to read that you have the flu, Phil:

Thanks for the Photos. Wish I were with you. What great memories your making. More Photo please.

Sorry to hear of your dilemma. I sometimes like to feel sorry for myself cause of a minor set back, and then I want to smack myself cause other have real issues and have a better attitude. Lets hope you are able to get in under control and in not be a deterrent to cycling.

Thanks

I took a short ride today just to see how I would do and was happy with how I did. I tried a few hills too. I forgot to put on the chest HR strap and also forgot to hit the start button for about a mile too. I need to get retrained I guess. Its been to long off the bike. Hope I'm ready for the Tour de Mesa in a few days.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76202457

Please see this thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...cross-training

I need help. Will turn 65 in Dec. From you experience, what sould I do about medicare/insurance? My insurance now for me and the wife cost a little over $1000 per month. What can I expect to pay with medicare?
Thanks,

I am with Secure Horizons and my co pay is 10.00 for my doc and 40.00 if I see a specialist, but there are so many options. We got a broker to come over and help us choose a plan that best suits us. I was on no meds but the wife was on lots of meds so our plans were different. Good luck. Remember anything the government touches it screws up something terrible.

I am with a Medicare HMO (RMHMO) - costs a bundle, and they cover a lot. Our expenses have been astronomical this year, and they lost a whole bunch of $$ on me and my wife.

Some of the plans include a rec center membership - I believe Secure Horizons does. Mine doesn't.

Phil:

Good luck with the Tour de Mesa. Burr, I have some neuropathy in my feet, too: don't know what kind - my doc decided it was enough that I had it, without spending big bucks to find out why. It started about 15 years ago when I had high blood sugar for a short while. I think my left foot got worse on the long flight to Ethiopia last month - so it may have something to do with lost circulation in general. It's a nuisance: feels like my socks are all rumpled up under my feet all the time, my feet are cold at night, and it has some effect on my balance, but it's not stopping me doing anything.

Ride report: I'm in Sines, Portugal, tonight: a gritty industrial port in a beautiful setting. Did 74 miles today, a record for this trip, and I hope to do 80+ tomorrow and get to Lisbon - my first tail wind of the trip is forecast. Today was slowed down a bit at the beginning by 5 long climbs from sea level to the plateau at about 700 feet above sea-level. Saw my first other touring cyclists of the trip - four German guys headed my way, and a young couple - also German by the look of their gear -headed south. Beautiful sunny weather! Photos soon - would have been tonight but I had to fight with the computer for two hours to get on the internet.

Regular medicare Part A (hospitalization) has no premium Part B (doctor and related expenses) is just under $100 a month today and pays about 80%. Medigap or supplemental comes in several flavors but covers what Medicare doesn't and will be $60 to $150 according to what plan you select. These plans let you use any doctor you choose that takes Medicare and are good everywhere in the country,

There are also, depending on where you live, HMOs that are less expensive, usually and have more complete coverage, but they are area specific, have different pay scales for in and out of network providers and often cover nothing but emergency if you travel out of the HMOs area of service. There are also Advantage programs in some states which differ widely according to the state (and sometimes county) you live in. Lots of choices and no one size fits all. Medicare Part D has a separate premium and is just for drugs.

Your medical premium and out of pocket costs will probably be considerably lower when you go on Medicare. I have been happy with Medicare and in spite of Phil85207 gratuitous "anything the government touches it screws up something terrible." I have found Medicare to be a lot more useful than most private insurance programs that I have been inflicted with over the years.

Talk to people who are on Medicare in your area about what they use and why. Look for seminars from people like AARP in your area. You have to brush up and figure out which type of plan will work work best for you and your wife. Your circumstances may lead you to decide on different programs for each of you depending on your particular needs.
Do it now, don't wait til the last minute. Good luck.

Agree. Medicare pays promptly, the MD's accept my HMO almost universally, no hassles, much easier than my former "private insurance." I believe Medicare's overhead is significantly lower than private insurance. I have never had a problem, and, in fact, when I disputed something with my HMO - supplement - RMHMO - they made the HMO pay. That was a $2,000 item.

Well I got done with the Tour de Mesa, or should I say it's done with me? Anyway it was a good ride, I'm glad it wasn't any longer. That long climb near the end was a killer for me with the heat getting up there, and of course a 10+ mph head wind going up it. I swear the gusts only came at the steepest part. Wind wasn't much of a factor except for that climb. Here's the link http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76753916

Kudos. :thumb:
Looks like you coasted a lot because your cadence was zero. ;)

Keep Pumping Phil, your doing good.

Yea for some reason it quit. I noticed it dropping to 45 or so when I knew I was around 90 a few times and then there was nothing.

I have to confess I was glad there was not one more mile cause I was just about done in near the end. That last climb out was really tough on this old guy with a stiff 10+MPH head wind. By that time it was also getting hot too. I passed lots walking up that had not paced properly and didn't have enough in the tank. My advantage was that I have this route as one of my regulars so I knew better what coming near the end. Still it really worked me over. I guess three weeks off the bike before the event did come into play.

Yea, If you notice I coasted all the way up Usery Pass mountain according to the Garmin, but I can tell you for sure it didn't feel like I was coasting.