I’m a member of a running club also. I’d say I know roughly six people injured in any given week! And some of them will be multiple times a year . Theyd still come to the post-run drinks, and we have volunteering at events and walking groups - ie other ways to be sociable in the club when you can’t be taking part. Have a word with your CC captain, I’d be surprised if there isn’t something “to do” even if it’s make-work.
As I mentioned before with gardening, a back up hobby is always handy too.
After two weeks of just being content with walking and shorter turbo sessions I feel I’m healing up quite well. Ribs are still really sore, but the shoulder doesn’t need an op.
I was going to attempt a sweet spot level workout today after dipping my toe into tempo in a few early sessions this week. I might sack off the AI suggested Antelope-5 and go for a lower level one.
I think physiologically the two weeks of reduced load has been a benefit. I was cycling myself into the ground to mask my mental health issues.
Fortunately when I was in hospital I other physical illnesses came up which can now be addressed, having said that I have to go for lung surgery in two weeks.
Reduced cortisol from reduced training has partly help my mental health but I’m still physically weak and breathless, with some weight loss .
thanks again for all the support and information. It’s good to read others experiences. Cheers, Michael
Yeah I suppose. Packed in on the last interval of antelope-5 today. Felt like I was drowning and not seen my hr that high for several weeks. Soul destroying. I refuse to turn on AIftp detection though. It’d just make my mental state worse.
I last had this lung procedure 3years ago (Whole Lung Lavage for Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis) and respiratory capacity was significantly improved with some power PRs coming afterwards.
it’s been a long steady decline in lung function since about 2years ago. Not good.
Great that you are back on the trainer so fast. I am at my 5 week mark and pain from my 8 rib fractures still limit what I can do- 1-1/2 hours of light PT and a couple of walks each day. The last 5 weeks have been a challenge - both physically and mentally. Keep up the good work.
Thought I’d see how you are getting along? I’ve been back at training for a couple of weeks and think I’m responding well since the lung operation.
SATs and FEV/lung volume have increased so can tolerate the watts at what the effort should be rather than rapidly sinking into oxygen debt. I’m still crap though
AIFTP set to rise by 6watts from 217->223. I’m still under rheumatology for suspected myositis/iBMyositis/other muscle syndrome.
I am still struggling psychologically with eating a massive amount., and feeling shameful following evening binges/perceived binging on Rice Krispies/corn flakes.
Part of me thinks I should just let go and gain a massive amount of what would be fat and muscle by just gorging for a few months. See what happens on the bike, if my mental health improves (low energy availability can cause depression and anxiety), and my raynauds/other symptoms abate. The fear of doing so with any net benefit is what is holding me back
Great to hear from you and to see your FTP increasing.
On the diet front, have you ever considered tracking your diet with an app like Myfitnesspal? I started over 2-1/2 years ago because I wanted to know my total calories, macro %'s and saturated fat intake. I only planned to do it for a few months but after 30 months I am still tracking. Not only did I gain knowledge regarding my total calories and macro %'s, it has made me very intentional about what I am eating knowing that I need to record it. It is part of my life now just like recording workouts.
As far as my injuries, the docs assure my I am on track for a full healing. I am discouraged that my ribs still hurt after 8+ weeks. I am back on the trainer, swimming, walking with a little light running, and plenty of PT and strength. I consider it rehab and recovery not training.
I do not think I will be out on the roads on my bike any time soon if ever. I do not want to go through this, or worse, again. Not knowing why I crashed gives me no insight into how to prevent it in the future. It saddens me because it has been part of my life for over 40 years.
Kind of ironic to see this thread pop up today. I went down bad in a crit this past weekend. Broke my clavicle in two spots, my scapula, and 8 ribs (on the back side near the spine). Ended up with a small pneumothorax as well as a concussions. Two nights in the hospital with chest tube and a surgery to hopefully fix the clavicle this week.
Surgery teams thinks the scapula will be good to ride again in 12 weeks if things go as planned. The broken ribs really suck. Hard to stand up, sit down, bend over, breathe, etc. Lots of pain. Will probably be sleeping in a chair for at least another week as it’s too painful to get in and out of bed.
While I love biking, not necessarily in a hurry to get back on it. Have to contemplate what risks I want to take moving forward. Really sucks losing a chunk of time where I can’t pickup, Play with, hug my kids, etc
I’m further on than you guys, but I’m 15 weeks post scapula surgery tomorrow (the surgery was 5 months after the injury due to non union) and today I rode up rocacorba (and did decent rides the last two days too). The arm tired on the descent, but it was good enough and it’s so nice to be back out there.
I know what you mean about riding outside. I get extremely anxious riding on long ride because of some unknown reasons, getting dropped, the need to fuel more than I do on relatively shorter rides indoors, constantly pushing due to others pushing up the pace etc.
I’ve found that indoor training and outdoor riding do not mix well as trying to accommodate both just means you are bad at both, neither fast outdoors nor able to hit the numbers indoors.
I might just go with the slower groups so rides are truly endurance as opposed to thinly disguised races advertised as club runs.
I’m getting distressed about the binge eating of an evening. Although it’s healthy stuff (fruit/kefir/cereal/almond milk etc,.) it must be an additional 600-900kcal. Tbh this probably takes my intake to near what I need. ~2400-2700. I’m burning 750-1100 calories on the bike with ~3miles of walking and 30min gym activations (rowing/ski erg 5-10mins each, push ups, planks, KBswings or medicine ball slams, stretching etc,.).
Thinking logically it probably still not enough food. As I tend to eat vegetables/greens with smaller portions of protein and carbohydrates for each meal. This is likely not to be absorbed and just excreted in greater quantities. I want to recover from the REDs but don’t want to accept the changes that come with it. Ie weight gain, loss of identity as the ‘lean cyclist’, loss of control mechanism in a chaotic life navigating loneliness a career change etc.
some deep stuff in there, I am under therapy for depression etc. but venting on here to people that may relate to the training aspect is a welcome relief. Sorry for the essay.
Being a lean cyclist doesn’t really mean anything if you don’t have the correlating power to go along with it. There is a pretty sharp break off point when you are thin enough that both strength, power, (and health) fall off rapidly by being too thin.
You clearly put in the training work and nutrition tracking, it doesn’t have to be one extreme or another. I’d start consciously adding in another 300-400 calories/day in carbs/protein and see how you feel in a couple weeks. Evaluate and go from there. You don’t just have to pull a plug and go all out with a ton of junk and gain 20 lbs of fat.
You might find that you gain some muscle which will really benefit you all around, especially if you do some (or start doing) some weight lifting.
I don’t find this to be true at all. I cycle 4x/wk. I do (2) 1.5 hr TR interval sessions indoors and (1) 2 hr TR endurance session indoors. On the weekends, I shoot for 3-5 hr endurance outdoor rides that are typically gravel or single track. I’ve been on TR for a couple years and have done a few of their programs (doing one now in preparation for a 100 mile MTB race) and I have yet to fail an indoor workout. Some have been dam* hard, but I think I’m a pretty good indoor rider. Alternatively, last weekend I did a 55 mile 7500’ gravel ride over 4.5 hrs with a .75 IF, and felt pretty dang good during that as well!
Some people can do amazing structured intervals workouts outdoors, I don’t think I can. It doesn’t mean I’m bad at intensity outdoors, it’s just hitting exact power numbers at certain intervals on the terrains I ride is hard. I feel super optimized with my training schedule based on the hours I put in. I should hit 4.5 w/kg in the next couple months pretty easily as a relatively novice rider. My sleep, nutrition, and training, are all pretty on-point. I also lift weights heavily 2x/wk.
I didn’t think of using a neck pillow. I might give that a try tonight. I’ve slept surprisingly ok in the recliner the last couple nights. I think some of it is due to the fact that oxy pretty much knocks me out. My problem is when I wake up my back muscles are really tight from holding myself in one position and I usually have a knot in my neck (among all the pain from the meds having warn off)
Keep intervals simple and choose ones that suit the terrain. Exact power numbers are not important. Even indoors your power fluctuates second to second.
It’s great that the tear wasn’t too severe and you’re back to full fitness. The confidence dip after an injury is very real. Starting indoors and gradually moving outside is a smart way to rebuild. A happy ending!
. Theyd still come to the post-run drinks, and we have volunteering at events and walking groups - ie other ways to be sociable in the club when you can’t be taking part. Have a word with your CC captain, I’d be surprised if there isn’t something “to do” even if it’s make-work.
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