Sick and Cranky...

It seems like ever since I started training seriously this year, I've done nothing but fall sick. So, a reason could be because I used to volunteer in a special school and when one kid gets sick, well everyone does. But I've looked over the last 6 months and there seems to be a pattern, I'd be able to do a really good, hard bike session, feel terrific and as though my training is finally going somewhere and BAM, I'm sick. With, oh, I don't know, flu-like symptoms, an inexplicable fever, sore throats, dizziness, incredible tiredness & etc. They don't all come at once, they usually come individually or in a fun mix-n-match set. And its making me very, very cranky. Having to stay off the bike or 'ease back into training' is very annoying after the first 5 times. I can't be 'easing back' into training once every darned month, I wouldn't get anywhere with training at that rate.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong here. My training load is not as hard as it could be. I try to eat relatively well, except for my moody days when I get so anxious I can't eat at all but those are far and few as long as I keep riding. And there's all the stuff about taking supplements which I'm following but its not really helping to stave anything off. Someone mentioned that putting on more weight might help which I'd agree on the basis that more weight would give me more power. But apart from that, I have no idea what else to do to keep these odd episodes out.

Have you been to your doctor yet? I would venture a guess that it's time for a good blood workup.

If you are new to your school, you'll probably get everything for about a year, and then the longer you work there the less this will happen.

In the meantime: Wash your hands every chance you get!

Blood work is a good idea too.

Are you sure you're not overtrained? It's more than your specific training load that contributes to that, it's your whole life - work stress, family, everything. How many recovery days are you incorporating into your week? Maybe add another one. How's your resting heart rate the morning after one of your "good, hard" rides? Hard training does suppress the immune system, that's why professional athletes get colds so often.

Malkin, I'm not volunteering with the school any more for this term because of work stuff so there's no more chances for me to get exposed to stuff. But its really hard to avoid catching colds when a sniffly kid comes up to you and just CLINGS.

Oakleaf, trouble is, its hard to isolate one particular cause of stress. I've had a crazed year with all sorts of stress and trouble coming at me in all directions. Before this current bout of cold, I've cut training days to a bare minimum and am taking about 3 full days of rest. I don't about my resting heart rate because I keep forgetting to take it.

Now that this bout of sore throat-sinus infection thing is going away, I'll be starting a fresh log when I start training again. Hopefully, being a bit more religious about keeping it, getting some blood work done and seeing my therapist again will help to answer some questions.

Some thoughts....Are you getting enough sleep? Are you a diligent handwasher/keep your hands away from your face person?

When my bf was riding a lot (200+ miles/week and sometimes 2 centuries on the weekend), he was sick all the time. Performance athletes get lowered immune systems. You should consider a rest week every fourth week, and try to sleep 9.5hours/day. I think that is the rule of thumb for training.

I went through this when I was teaching 6-8 aerobics classes a week, as well as working full time, with 2 little kids. I constantly had swollen glands, sinus infections, bronchitis, and my asthma reared its head. I was also super skinny, and not from trying to lose weight. Oh, and I also got up at 4:15 AM 2-3 days a week to teach at the gym.

After a bout with heart palpitations, from lack of sleep and too much caffeine trying to sustain this lifestyle, I decided to cut my schedule of classes. The issue slowly resolved itself, after years of this. It was just plain over training and lack of down time. While I ride and do other sports now, I am very careful about my rest time, both physically and mentally. Being 20 years older helps, too!

Everyone is different. I know I couldn't keep up the training schedules some others here do, even though I might want to. Get a good physical and maybe a nutritional check up.