Argghhh
Training has been going really well. I had a solid build phase, finished by a perfect recovery week. My RHR had come right back down, I was feeling blummin awesome. Even my dislocated shoulder had healed quickly this time.
I’d even managed to keep on top of the strength-work through the build phase until I did my shoulder.
The only thing I haven’t managed to do is enough long rides, but have managed a few 5-6 hr z2’s to at least test comfort.
However, during recovery week the entire household, except me, came down with a brute of a virus. It started gentle and built into some kind of covid-like disaster. I was so hoping I may not get it…
I only have a short specialty phase - essentially this week (which I planned to be a BIG week) and then a two week taper.
Monday I decided to do the Threshold workout and it was fine. I got 10 minute power PR, the other two intervals were also above target. However, I knew that it would be an answer as to whether I was paranoid about the illness and sure enough by the middle of the afternoon I was starting to feel rough. Not as sick as everyone else here, but throaty, coughing and generally covid-like.
Tuesday I woke up and thought maybe it was shifting. I did have to ride yesterday but not for training, just to take some girls out with their ponies for half an hour, not actually training. Felt rough in the evening.
Today I am definitely not 100 percent - I feel that annoying illness where I am throaty and achy but certainly well enough to work. Obviously won’t be doing the 4 hour night training ride I had planned for this evening. Looking at the passage of the disease it’s at least 5 days until people are starting to feel better so that puts me around Saturday, if I am lucky.
This means since my build phase I will have had a recovery week, my last proper training week lost to illness and then two taper weeks for an event that was already going to be right on my current limit.
I am not quite sure how to handle the training. I really need to get a proper big ride in before the event if I can, more for my mental welfare than anything, but if that isn’t this weekend it’s feeling like it is getting a bit close. The taper is full of short 30 min-type sessions but my event is going to be probably somewhere between 22-27 hours of riding. Without this week being a big week, I feel massively underprepared!
I know it’s only a bike ride, and to be honest, I could do one of the shorter distances, and I have got a lot out of the training etc etc etc
…but it wasn’t until the end of my build phase that I was happy I could reasonably have a go at the event and had absolutely convinced myself I REALLY wanted to do it. So now I am super annoyed at getting sick.