Hi All

Is anyone else suffering from long term (several months) of permanently fatigued/heavy legs? I’ve had this since July and have been having blood tests and muscle/nerve tests (all OK) but still none the wiser.

I’m 40 years old and have ridden for 25 years. In past couple of years, I’ve increased mileage – rode 7k miles last year and nearly 5k this year. Mainly consists of 2 x 12.5 mile commute every weekday plus weekend trail riding etc. Consider myself pretty fit and manage to snag quite a few Strava cups/KOMs locally.

Out of the blue, legs seemed to stop working properly. Feel heavy and tired but not sore. No power any more. Can still ride but not to same level. Have tried to cut back and have just been doing daily commute at a much slower Zone 1 pace.

Have I overtrained and am now paying the price? Have never had a structured training plan etc but hasn’t been an issue in the past. Am just wondering if the twice daily commute about 12 hours apart has meant lack of proper recovery over time has taken its toll.

Grateful for any thoughts/comments as desperate to get back to riding properly! Am now going to totally stop riding for weeks/months and hope that cures issue…

Thanks

How’s your mood/motivation ? Tired and snappy all the time ?

If yes don’t rule out depression ..

now going to totally stop riding for weeks/months

Worth a try.

Had a couple of weeks enforced rest myself recently following an operation – and felt really strong afterwards, heavy legs gone.

Mainly consists of 2 x 12.5 mile commute every weekday plus weekend trail riding etc

That’s a lot of riding if you’re doing that all the time, and with work on top.. A serious training programme (and you’re doing volume that menu training athletes would do) would have very steady weeks every 3/4 weeks where volume and intensity plummet.

You might need a couple of weeks (or more) of to help reset and then give yourself some slack on the commute and/or weekend rides every now and then.

And sleep and eat well

I think what you describe could be considered normal for many individuals. Commuting every day does in my experience lead to an accumulation of fatigue, even with relatively short distances i.e. 10-15 miles each way. Add weekend riding to this and its a recipe for tired legs.

Some people probably cope with this better than others – in physiological terms – so I expect there will be people on here who can repeat this sort of load indefinitely. I know I’m not one of them.

The Joe Friel book – training for the over 50’s basically recommends more rest. You are not 50 but you body is still ageing and rest is likely to be the answer.

Having said that any training plan, even one for youngsters, would have an easy week or two built in.

P.S. I have heavy legs having commuted 3x last week (90mile) and added a 65mile road run on Sunday. Don’t really feel like training tonight.

Generally tired or just the legs??
If only legs I’ d say to get your lower back and adductor muscles checked by a good fysio, manual therapist or osteopath

what i will mention, i am 42 and notice that i could do a 16each commute and go out on the mtb and ride at the weekends a few years ago, i just seem not to recover quite as quickly now.

Thanks so much for all the responses – really didn’t expect anyone to reply! Some really great points and useful tips/thoughts. I’ve never had a training plan and just ride for the joy of it – mainly MTB but a bit of road stuff too. Guess I’m getting old though so need to start structuring “training” a bit better I guess.

How’s your mood/motivation ? Tired and snappy all the time ?

Haven’t detected any major change really, although some other things going on in life so may well be a factor. Definitely still motivated to ride though!

Had a couple of weeks enforced rest myself recently following an operation – and felt really strong afterwards, heavy legs gone

You might need a couple of weeks (or more) of to help reset and then give yourself some slack on the commute and/or weekend rides every now and then

Good to know. Thanks – will try some enforced rest (grrrr!).

And sleep and eat well

Good points. I definitely eat well but could always do with more sleep! Get 7 hours a night max probably.

an accumulation of fatigue

I think this could well be the issue. Thanks for book recommendation too – will check it out.

Generally tired or just the legs??

Only legs (and mainly just the quads) are tired. Had some electrical tests to check muscles/nerves and readings showed some possible inflammation in back…but consultant said pretty common among most people. Will get checked out by physio too though – cheers for pointers about adductors etc.

Cheers mrmo. Guess the age thing is a factor. Am off to chuck myself off Beachy Head now 😉

I’m no expert but I’d be having a good rest…like months…(I often feel the need, and do WAY less mileage than you).

Ah, this is interesting. I was going to post a similar thread myself, but just thought ‘getting older’. I’m 49 and my commute varies between 12 and 20 miles a day (depending how energetic I’m feeling) but usually less by the end of the week as I seem to be struggling by Friday. Only 5 years ago I’d be doing it easy and long MTB rides at weekends. Anyway, interesting to read, I probably need to rest more (losing a stone would probably help too 😳 ) but I tend not to commute mid November to about mid March. might look at the book too.

How’s your heart rate? Notice any fluctuations or sudden increases? Only reason I ask is that a few years ago I had a similar thing..Used to riding 12hrs+ per week, but legs proper gubbed after about 5 miles. Noticed random increases in HR even when just sitting around too. Went on for 3 months, had blood tests and nothing was found…told I probably overtrained even though I was used to that training load for years.

Anyway, I went to dentist and turns out I had an infection in my gum. No pain, only a wee small lump I hadn’t even noticed. The dentist said she could smell the infection when she drilled in..yuck! A bit of drilling and a crown later and legs came back within 10 days. Might not be anything, but thought it was worth a post anyway 😀

I would lean more towards illness than overtraining, given the riding history. You shouldn’t be falling apart at 40, I’d say many amateur/casual riders are close to their best then, as the endurance built up over the years makes up for a slight drop in peak capacity. Real pros are of course a different matter and usually pretty much broken at that age (plus even a few percent drop makes it pointless to continue professionally).

I probably need to rest more

yeah, I’m going to adopt this approach too Kojaklollipop. Good time of year for it!

How’s your heart rate?

Interesting Goat Karma. I’ve never actually monitored it! Have never been into racing or properly training – just lucky enough to love riding and happen to be reasonably decent at it (well, in terms of Strava world!).

But….have just bought a HRM to try and see if that sheds any light. Bit annoying that I dont have a baseline to compare against but might be useful to monitor from now on anyway.

Will book a visit to dentist too as haven’t been for ages! Thanks!

I would lean more towards illness than overtraining, given the riding history

Have considered this too, thecaptain. Am very rarely ill and don’t remember being ill immediately before issue started in July but did have flu that I couldn’t shake for about 6 weeks in Feb/Mar. Cleared up ok and rode Tour of Flanders (192 miles in a day) and Paris Roubaix after that.

You could have a point though as in August GP suggested post-viral fatigue. Just seems to be hanging around for a helluva long time if it is an illness. In terms of a more sinister disease, blood tests etc have ruled that out.

You shouldn’t be falling apart at 40, I’d say many amateur/casual riders are close to their best then

Kind of agree with this too. Up until legs stopped working, I certainly felt I was generally improving both my speed and endurance. Rode 100mile South Downs Way in 16hours about 10years ago and was on for sub-8hours last summer (mechanical with 10miles to go) so performance definitely improving still I think.

No way is it overtraining

Took me a long long time to get properly over flu this spring (but I’m fine now). Other diseases could be worse, and that’s before you get into the seriously long-term ME type stuff. Is ME still a thing, or did it get renamed?

At 47 I’m certainly still improving as a runner (which I only really started post-40) and I don’t think there is much of a drop-off in cycling, at least for longer events. Thinking of doing a few flat TTs some time to check on that!

cynic-al – Member
No way is it overtraining

POSTED 2 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

😆

Oh, I should say that I do think it takes a bit longer to recover from a tough ride/week these days, but that should still be a matter of days rather than weeks. Just had a tough Fri-Sun and still feeling it but will be fine by the weekend.

Isn’t that the point though – if you commute EVERY day, then you never get those ‘couple of days off’ that your legs so desperately need to recover.

You aren’t ill

You aren’t falling apart

You are just a little bit tired after lots of work and exercise

All IMO of course!

Strange one. The leg symptoms sound exactly like overtraining, but without any other symptoms i’d lean towards some sort of illness.

Still going to recommend rest though.

Overtraining is not just tired legs. It’s pushing yourself close to illness from overloading your body for a period.

When I’ve been overtraied my legs felt fine.

Doesn’t sound like over training. To be honest it doesn’t sound like big miles either. Less than I do and many of my friends who cycle to work and race competitively.

Over training is something very specific. A bit like saying you have the flu when you’ve got a cold.

You probably are tired and/or a bit ill though so don’t ignore it and soldier on. Take some time off, commute if you need to but drop a few gears and relax. Eat a bit more and maybe take a few weekends off. For me I get similar when I’ve had a virus. Your body feels fine for day to day tasks but there is no top end. Equally jet lag has done for me on a couple of occasions when I’ve just been knackered but still functional off the bike. The other one is stress. I though riding would be a good relief but I was just exhausted.

Book yourself in for some massages might help a bit too if you’ve got lots of issues compounded. Might as well while you are resting. Hope you get over it. It is frustrating – at least when you know what the cause is you can understand – hard when things just aren’t right and you can’t figure it out.

Try to get a TUE for ibuprofen.

Take 3 weeks off… also Find a good thai masseuse… its super painful but will be good for you…. honest!!

Thanks again guys for all the advice and opinions. Really really appreciate. Am pretty blown away by the response!

jonba – agree that miles arent as huge as some people but just wonder if the pattern of 2 daily rides with less than 12hrs rest inbetween has taken it’s toll (combined with no planned easy rides or rest days).

Massages are a good shout. Have never had them in the past but maybe now’s the time to try them. Maybe time to get a TUE for something too 😀

anyway, will certainly get some enforced rest and (fingers crossed) hope that works!

Anyway, I went to dentist and turns out I had an infection in my gum. No pain, only a wee small lump I hadn’t even noticed. The dentist said she could smell the infection when she drilled in..yuck! A bit of drilling and a crown later and legs came back within 10 days. Might not be anything, but thought it was worth a post anyway

I was going to say this too, I’ve had huge problems with fatigue since I got a gum infection just before I hit 31. 37 now

I’ve had various teeth infection and gum infections since.

As the poster above says often I don’t actually feel the pain or it seems to be nothing.

But I just slowly go down and down until the issue is sorted then I slowly come back up. Unfortunately I just seem to have tooth issue after tooth issue since I hit 30.

Bloods have never shown any inflammation or infection, one time my thyroid was out though but since has recovered.

So would get teeth checked thoroughly.

How’s your nutrition? Are you getting enough carbs post ride to replenish stores?

Drinking alcohol any more than normal?

scu98rkr – doesn’t sound great. Ive never had teeth issues but will get them checked out.

chilled76 – pretty good I think. I eat a lot of everything. Not shy on carbs – bit of a human dustbin! Always have been. Haven’t changed diet at all.

Have a few beers every now and then but always have done. Again, don’t think there’s been any change in consumption.

Thanks for comments guys.

Not aimed at OP especially but worth bringing up anyway:

Please avoid ibuprofen and any other similar NSAIDs while doing endurance sports- it’s a really bad idea, potentially leading to kidney and/or liver problems that can be life changing.
Plus, if you’re hurting when training, it’s for a reason and you don’t want to mask it. Feel the pain, respond to it, rest or push through, depending on circumstances; just don’t mask it.
Also, long term use of Ibuprofen can lead to additional risk of heart disease, which can be awkward..

OP, I doubt that age has much to do with it; I’m riding more now in my 50’s than ever. I’ve biked steadily for the last 25 years, commute a bit further 3x weekly, some night rides and usually both days at the weekend. Can do epics at the weekend without any special prep on that regime… and carry on the week after too. I reckon you’re tired and the comments about lurking infections are an excellent shout. Take a wee step back to make a bigger stride forward.

Cheers highlandman. Good advice. I actually never take Ibuprofen or any painkillers – generally try and avoid any type of medication. Not that I’m particularly nails or anything but agree that listening to your body is pretty key.

Good to know about age! I still feel pretty young so inclined to agree. Hope I’m like you and still riding well into my 50’s!

Mainly consists of 2 x 12.5 mile commute every weekday

10 rides a week is hard to revover from you have ~ 10 hours recovery each time. 25 miles a day is not the same as 12.5 twice a day.

riding to work 5 days a week ruins me, 9 miles each way, 90 miles. quite happy to do 100 miles + on a weekend but 2 x 5 day commute wipes me out.

Have not read all the posts so sorry if I repeat anything. So long as nothing medical wrong (sounds like it has been investigated) it may be you have been working at a to much for to long (easy to do on a bike) and may well just not getting enough recovery. Problem with to much work/intensity is you can manage for so long (sometime couple of years)then it suddenly hits you.

Also sounds like you could prioritise speed a lot more as has massive impact on recovery (at least 8 hours, possibly more is often required if active, which you are)

If your interested check out ‘phil maffetone’ he has some great info for heart rate training and importance of not working at a to high rate for prolong periods which is what a lot of people do, has loads of other great stuff which might help as well.

I use his formula to calculate my max aerobic heart rate (for me it is less than 139) I stick to it or less when commuting and it has made a big difference in preventing me from getting to tired, basically stops me working to hard to often.

Another great place to look is a book: primal endurance by Mark Scisson, again some great info, although more geared towards competition.

Again as others have said it might be worth taken a decent break, maybe at least 4 week of and see how you feel. If feeling better slowly build back up again

Anyway, hope you find something that helps resolve your problem.

Thanks dis40 and thomthumb for comments – sorry about delay! Really appreciate the advice.

As an update, legs seem to have sorted themselves out now….but I’m not sure why/how! Bit of a mystery. Perhaps a 6 month-long lingering virus.

Anyway, I went to dentist and turns out I had an infection in my gum. No pain, only a wee small lump I hadn’t even noticed. The dentist said she could smell the infection when she drilled in..yuck! A bit of drilling and a crown later and legs came back within 10 days. Might not be anything, but thought it was worth a post anyway

That’s interesting I’m 45 and follow a similar routine to the OP – and I’ve definitely got a small tooth abscess.

My take (as this happens to me on and off – months of feeling slow/tired etc) – is that you may harbour an illness when you don’t know and keep on riding through it – thus extending your recovery period. I do it all the time.

The flip side could also be – change your routine – try some short sharp rides with bursts of energy, maybe some segments, with lots of rest and see if this brings you back on line. Scrap the commute for a while. There’s a lot to be said against being a bit stale too.

Perhaps a 6 month-long lingering virus.

Sounds most likely. I’ve had them for yonks too. Snapped out of it beginning of March.