Hello,
Cold has gone down into the lungs, can feel it grating when I cough, which I do loads. Barely ridden in a fortnight, one ill-advised hill climb race last night, less than 5 mins and could barely breath after. Docs tomorrow.
I have the European 24hr in just over a fortnight, don’t want to jepardise that but am getting quite bored. thought I was better but turns out even a brief effort has showed me I’m not.
Going to miss the 100 miler at Kielder on Sunday, was supposed to be the last big effort before the race.
What can I do? Things like weights sessions or (indoor) bouldering? Would you?

Nope definitely not with a chest infection.

Made that mistake once, i am a wheezer and get a couple most winters, I thought I was better and didn’t want to miss a big ride.

Took three months to get over it, rest sucks but there is no way round it.

I wouldn’t do aerobic/endurance exercise but a few light weights or some gentle buggering about on a climbing wall – it’s a “yeah” from me

Stay off any exercise…

You will make it worse or prolong the infection.

We’ve all at some point tried to “ride” through it, and learned some important lessons from doing such.

Medical advice required, and follow the guidance.

Its crap, especially at such an important time in your riding year, but that’s really all you can do about it.

back to basics.

training. exercising the muscles

muscles need oxygen to work

what provides the oxygen .

so remind me again why training with a chest infection is even crossing your mind . ITs not your first rodeo you know that its a terrible idea.

Ultimately the probable reason you have a chest infection in the middle of summer is likely from over reaching for the event

what provides the oxygen .

Blood.

depends if your ploughing your self full of EPO I guess.

How ever it is clear as per usual you have nothing helpful to say.

Ay?

Look up.

I can assure you ending yourself in hospital with pneumonia is deeply unpleasant and to be avoided, just rest up.

Do nothing – as in rest we much at possible. You’ll be back up to full speed much faster with complete rest then trying to train through it.

I know all too well from experience – I’ve been knocked back for over a year as a result of training with a chest infection.

Start to mentally prepare that you might not be up to a 24 hour race in 2 weeks.

As above, tried it a couple of years ago pressing on with a road race when I really should have stopped at home.

Ended up losing best part of 3 months before I was anything like right again, wiped out half of my season when it probably could have been far less.

I had that lurgy a few weeks ago -not racing or training , but I just HAD to go out a few times to keep my legs spinning – any exertion was pointless tbh. I then went for a steam in a turkish baths which fettled my chest right up (apart from the post steam sniffle and the veruca , ffs).

Whats best seems to be person specific. I’ve recovered more quickly from a cold by doing some 50-75% effort cardio many times. It also has backfired once or twice, most notably going from standard cold symptoms to 10 days of tonsilitus and antibiotics – it was a 5 hour bike race i should never have started but didn’t realise i wasn’t getting better until 3 hours in. Do you FEEL ill or just encumbered with symptoms.

I’ve heard, I think from a scientific source (ben Greenfield?), that lower respiratory infections are to be rested and upper respiratory infections might be reduced if mixed with exercise. Higher body temperature helps beat viruses, does it not?

If you go to the docs and they proclaim you have a chest infection (Pneumonia) then you would be daft to do any exercise.

However they can here crackles in your lungs and that isn’t reason enough to give antibiotics.

You might be told just to go away and rest and come back in a week if you are still ill.

As above I would be questioning with yourself why you have got in to such a state in the first place ie over training?

If you have a temperature and rumbly chest, there’s a fair chance you’ll come away with antibiotics. See if you can cough up a bit of sputum so you can report the colour to the doc.

Full exercise is clearly not happening, as for anything else, it depends how hard you go at your bouldering. If you’re anything like me, I’m breathing quite hard after a tough problem.

Personally I’d rest, sleep loads, concentrate on eating well and maybe work on stretching and massage.

I thought exercising with a chest infection risked heart damage (rare, but possible complication).

I thought exercising with a chest infection risked heart damage (rare, but possible complication).

Death is a rare, but possible complication too

It’s a high risk pericarditis which isn’t particularly pleasant but yes a small risk of myocardial damage too.

I ended up with suspect post-viral myocarditis many years ago as went out riding with a mate who came to visit while I was recovering from a bad chest infection. Still get arrhythmia now and again if run down or stressed.
So anecdotally don’t do it.
I say suspect, as it took ninewells 6 weeks to get me an echo, by which time was resolving. Took good 6 months get back up to speed.

You would be mad to do anything in the next two weeks. I raced last year’s national 24TT. The ONLY 24hr of the year and I just didn’t want to miss it. Had been ill the week before. Sore throat and cough, not full on chest but probably going that way. Went fine for first 12 hours (250 miles pace) then the wheels fell off and I started to be sick. DNF at 16 hours.

I was I’ll for over six months with immune suppression, viral rebounds. And to cap it all I managed to grow a third plum due to abrasion and an abscess that needed regular draining

Lost almost the entire winter and spring training and am only just back now (12hr TT last week), albeit down about 10% on 12hr power.

Don’t say you were not warned. There will always be another race. In my case it would be a year wait if not longer for the next 24hr.

Thanks all.
Seems to almost unanimous not to do anything, and a few horror stories to back that up!
Did an hour or so of slow walking today and that’s been it, not done anything else.
Went to the doc on Friday afternoon, said I do indeed have an infection. Tried me on one of those peak-flow measuring things that asthmatics use to blow into. Former girlfriend was asthmatic, she would be aiming for 400 (400 what I don’t know, but 400 whatevers) I would usually be off the scale, 700+, when I tied it on hers, on Friday I did 450 and then had a massive coughing fit.
Been given antibiotics (long word beginning with C which I can’t remember) and a non-steroid inhaler to use ‘if I feel the need’ Not touched it yet but need to get a TUE sorted just in case. She said it was ‘unlikely’ that I would be fit again for the Euros on 21st 🙁 but that I should be OK for Relentless at the end of October.
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Supplementary question, anyone’s chest problems ever caused the to vomit? Coughed so hard I did a little one on Friday evening. Or a reaction to the meds maybe?
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Supplementary question 2: Last week I noticed that I was coughing loads, and hard, at work but much less frequently and much less intensly when outside (not excercising, just working on the camper-van conversion) In the house is somewhere between the two but more at the notcoughing-as-much end of things. It’s an office job, physically very easy, open plan office with half a dozen of us in it. I have a window seat but colleagues moan they get cold if I open it. Anyone else found fresh-air really helps? Or just a nocebo of being somewhere I’d rather not be making it worse?

Question 2 .

Dry air -air conditioned office or even heated office is an irritant.

Fresh air is good.

Expecting the lungs to work with any efficiency is bad.

So it’s good to get out for a walk if you can …but it’s bad to go for any kind of effort – at least till the latter stages. There does come a point ime where a ride will help clear it but if you are going to the doctor’s your not close to that point yet.

Supplementary question, anyone’s chest problems ever caused the to vomit? Coughed so hard I did a little one on Friday evening.

Yes that can happen.

Bit of a silly question really

Been given antibiotics (long word beginning with C which I can’t remember)

Ciprofloxacin?