I’m looking for some advice and insight from anyone who has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and has gone through the recovery process. I’m particularly interested in hearing about any experiences with training cycling and running after “recovered” from Lyme’s.
I’m trying to figure out how to best manage my recovery while still being able to stay active and train. If you have any experience or advice with this, I’d love to hear about it.
Background:
So, back in mid-September, I started feeling really weird. I was exhausted all the time, had daily headaches, night sweats, and my leg muscles would burn so bad by the end of the day that I couldn’t finish a 30-minute Taku even after a couple days of rest. That’s when I knew something was definitely wrong. After about a dozen tests, I finally got diagnosed with Lyme disease.
In mid-October, I was prescribed 21 days of antibiotics and thankfully started feeling better after finishing the treatment. My doctor said I could start easing back into my workouts as long as I could handle it, so I’ve been super careful and cautious.
Cycling has been going pretty well - I’m seeing slow but steady improvements and feeling hopeful that in time I can get back to where I was before. My heart rate is improving on the tougher workouts and my breathing is slowly getting better.
Running, on the other hand, is a whole different story. I used to run 2-3 times a week for 4-6 miles at an easy-moderate intensity just to stay in shape. But now, I can’t even run longer than a mile without having to stop because of my breathing. I’m getting side stitches, which I never had before, and I can’t even maintain a pace that’s 2 minutes slower per mile. It’s frustrating, but I’m trying to stay positive and keep pushing myself.