Despite my best, very thorough efforts, I got COVID. I had taken August off of any meaningful training, kind of an “off-season.” I had planned on getting started again with SSB1 LV on Sept 1. But… came down with COVID. Now I haven’t exercised at all in a few weeks as I recover. Gonna play it very conservative in getting back to activity.
So, starting over.
Bummer.
-Hugh
Remember it is a process. Rest well, and ease back into your training. Keep you head up, you’re making the right decision.
What did it feel like? How did COVID manifest itself in you? And are you feeling any lasting effects?
Glad you got through it. COVID can hit people very differently, so I wish you the best in your recovery and training.
Take it easy bro.
A lot of people are reporting ‘long covid’ where the symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breathe last for months, and lot’s of these people are very fit. Call it complete conjecture, but i think these are the kind of people (like me) to try and get back into exercise ASAP, which may be causing the symptoms to linger for longer (stress to the lungs making the virus take hold of it more?).
Just something to think about - don’t rush back into it. Your fitness will come back quickly!
Yeah, be really careful coming back. Lingering effects can really jack you up if you try and do too much too soon.
You’re not alone, hang in there. I’m about 5.5 months in so far, and still working through the aftermath. On the positive side, I’m again doing some light training on the trainer and swimming, but minimizing any running. Don’t worry about the loss of fitness, regaining your health is more important and your fitness will come back at some future point.
Some general pointers I would give you if you are still suffering symptoms:
Managing inflammation is vital. Revisit your diet to cut or reduce any inflammatory foods, in particular refined sugar and reduce simple carbs. Gluten, dairy are also good candidates to limit. Almond milk is a decent tasting substitute for cow’s milk. Some people also look to limit histamines in their diet. Avoid alcohol.
Try to eat well and carefully, it’s easy to put on a few pounds if you aren’t suffering from GI issues and if you keep eating like you are doing lots of cycling.
Pace yourself, don’t over exert. Fatigue crashes will get you in the following days if you overdo things. Don’t do things if you feel tired or not up to it, rest instead.
Breathing exercises can help you if you’re struggling with shortness of breath symptoms.
Post back or pm me if you want any more info.
I had an antibody test back in July and it showed that I’d had it. My initial reaction was that I picked it up in the middle of February when I had a persistent cough. However, I’ve since found out that antibodies only stay in your system for up to 12 weeks so I’m not sure when I caught it now! 
In February I took a week or so off but carried on training after that. I’ve found that I have been more tired than usual and I’ve had periods where I’m noticeably wheezing. I have allergies with cats, dogs and horses and it feels a lot like that.
Last month I started noticing it more after training so took a week off. When I started back up I noticed it again so took almost another 2 weeks off. I did a couple of rides last weekend along with a ride Tuesday and last night. All endurance pace with some tempo on short hills. So far I’ve felt fine. So perhaps I needed all that extra time off. 
I guess what I’m trying to say is that don’t underestimate the value of time off the bike.
The good news is that there are no events going on anyway, so there is no need to rush your way back.
Take the time you need to let your body recover…you don’t want to become a “long hauler” if you can avoid it.
Get better soon!
Tested positive about a month ago, no symptoms but been just trying to listent to my body. I will be start training gradually and follow the 50/30/20/10 rule! Hope we can recover and train soon!
The good news is I got it really mild. Thanks for all your experiences and advice. I fully intend on going slow getting back to exercise as there’s absolutely nothing on the line. LOL! Take care y’all!
-Hugh
Don’t underestimate “mild” covid. That word can be a misnomer when applied to this virus. Wishing you a full recovery. Cheers.
Good luck with your recovery everyone that has it.
Also a reminder to us all to be careful to protect our training as much as possible.
This virus has a tendency to leave some people with symptoms of ME/CFS, along with a multitude of other chronic conditions. Mostly this time around with my return to training I’ve been striving to keep heart rate in the low-mid Z1 levels. I think it’s helpful in reducing the fatigue and symptom relapses.
I’d speculate that your initial reaction of thinking February for your illness onset is probably correct. I wouldn’t read too much into the 12 week antibody duration, that’s a statistical projection, so with variance it’s certainly possible. Your assessment of symptom timing is important. Interestingly, the majority of long-haulers with mild symptoms have negative antibody tests.
Hang in there. I’m just about a month over now since my first COVID symptoms. I had what I considered mild with ~99.3-.7 fever, back aches, diarrhea. Fortunately no severe symptoms like difficulty breathing, or coughing. As everyone said, listen to your body and focus on health recovery than getting back in shape.
Since my fever went away, I started eating light and whole food (no process food). No workout until only recently and gradually. So far I’ve only had below problems since COVID:
Slightly elevated liver aminotransferases from blood test (ALT) - PCP said to continue to monitor but nothing too serious to worry at this point.
h.plyori bacterial infection - I’ve had stomach pain, acid reflux symptoms. Turns out to be bacterial infection. Not sure if it was caused by COVID. This was treated with antibiotics just few days ago. Continue to monitor.
Right leg muscle pain - not sure if this was caused by COVID. It could be from WFH for sitting too long. Currently treating with stem and stretching.
Few recommendation from my experience:
I would meet with your PCP after your symptoms goes away to let them know you had COVID. This would help them monitor your health going forward.
My PCP had told me his #1 concern is blood clog for folks recovering from COVID. Hence my #1 recommendation to ensure he does proper test for you and monitor your health.
I was told by my county COVID team & PCP, getting re-tested after COVID is optional. You could get false positive or false negative. It is really up to you. As long as you are not showing any new symptoms you “should” not be infectious. Check with your doctor as well for recommendation. I did get re-tested few weeks back and it was negative (getting tested more so I have a peace of mind).
Good luck and wish you speedy recovery!
I’ve heard of bacterial overgrowths resulting from covid, and some people having issues with candida. I’m including a probiotic with my new daily regimen of vitamins and supplements.
It’s worth noting that due to cancer, chemo, and an ongoing maintenance medication my immune system is impaired somewhat. So while my symptoms are (relatively) quite mild, I expect the duration of illness to be longer. And to have all kinds of weirdness in my recovery. LOL! You may have seen me post about my blog about coming back to racing from cancer. It complicates things.
Hoping to get back on my bike in the near future!
-Hugh
Think I had he same, felt weak and tight chested in July, backed off on all training except some Z1-2 commutes (15km) to work a few times a week, Just couldn’t face training, had nearly 5 weeks of low TSS and now feeling a lot better and slowly putting the volume back in with plenty of rest and recovery days - hope to be ready for the limited CX season soon
One more thing to add. I happen to started using Whoop right around the same time when I had COVID. When I initially started my respiratory rate was up 17 and 18 then once I was over with COVID I was back down to 14 and now consistently getting 14.
I was going to only use it for about 30 days but given the current time/situation I think it’s worthwhile to have a tool that can help track whether my body is sick or not.
(I’m not affiliated or advertising for them. Sharing some tools that helped me)
I have Amber’s voice in my head. 'Just be kind to yourself '. It’s like the best piece of advice ever.
While it is possible to lose antibodies in 12 weeks, this is absolutely not a sure fact. It certainly could have been the February cough you mention, although that sounds extremely early depending on your location.
