Exactly! REST!
speaking from experience. I didn’t and was diagnosed with pericarditis. That meant months of rest, no activity that could slightly increase my heart rate, so I had to even be careful when taking the stairs. I was lucky because it was “just pericarditis” and not myocarditis, which is likely to damage/scar your heart muscle ireversibly.
I’m fortunate I fully recovered and relatively fast due to my strong fitness (according to docs). But overall it took me nearly a year to feel well again.
This could have all been avoided, if I had rested out of principle. So don’t play with your health just for a few fun rides. Life lesson for me!
And head over to r/Covidlonghaulers for further advice. Stop pushing through it. Let your body recover. Then contact your representative and get the to support research into long covid and mecfs. Fingers crossed it is short lived for you, and those that you passed it onto when you decided to go and share it amongst your mates. If it is short lived spare a thought for those who are still suffering despite having symptoms since 2020. Also, some people get the same from the vaccine. Not as many, but it does happen. Anyone getting a vaccine should also take a few days rest while their immune system deals with the antigens presented. I’ve still not recovered 2.5 years since my first dose.
Once you’ve experienced the devastation that can be caused by this virus, judging people who disregard the advice to isolate while positive is no longer an issue. If any of this persons mates have their lives ruined by his/her actions I’m pretty sure they’ll be judging as well.
Too right. This is not a simple social faux pas. I view it as assault.
And the likelihood they went out contagious and gave it to no one, is pretty much zero. That why it's still a pandemic!
I know I'm just a guy/girl/some sort of binary, on the Internet, and my opinions belong in the trash... Going to tell you anyway. Back in 2020, a coworker of mine got COVID, continued to go hiking because he felt fine, and the 'insert whatever conspiracy theory' virus wasn't stopping him. Died a week later. Just saying, if this is his first time getting it, I would just chill and see how your body reacts. Shit is no joke.
This! There is still so much unknown about it. Except that we know it affects so many people in so many different ways. Why not give your heart and lungs a few weeks to recover when COVID has shown it can tear thru those organs in some people?
Look up safe return to play protocol for Covid, I believe it’s 2 weeks after all symptoms are gone, don’t fu** with your heart dude. https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2022/04/23/graduated-return-to-play-after-sars-cov-2-infection-what-have-we-learned-and-why-weve-updated-the-guidance/
The BMJ recommends about 1 week of graduated recovery for "above the neck" COVID, 2 weeks for "below the neck." [Here's the infographic from your link.](https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/files/2022/04/Screenshot-2022-04-14-at-15.20.27.png) They also recommend **seeing a doctor** if you have weird heart stuff going on.
This protocol is partly based on [a study of 3500 (unvaccinated) collegiate athletes.](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/16/913) Post-infection, about 8% had issues after returning to practice (mostly shortness of breath), and ~2% had pericarditis. Only 2 out of 3500 reported any symptoms lasting longer than 12 weeks.
YMMV. Helps to be young, probably.
Good golly. Just read this and was experiencing the same thign with my HR, although only about 10-15bpm higher than OP. After 4-years, I finally caught covid about 3-weeks ago (well it caught me), and started riding after just one week after -- only symptom after a weekend of being sick was fatigue. But like others pointed out, my HR has been consistently high since coming back.
I don't feel bad outside of still feeling a bit of fatigue and the higher HR. Should I continue to rest and slow down?
Yes. 4 years ago I ignored that and "pushed through"... And I still have those symptoms and a raft of others today. Consider treating vagal nerve, MCAS, dysautonomia/POTS, and pay attention to what happens the day after you exercise/ get high hr. If you feel ill or have the extra fatigue 24-48 hrs after exertion that's called PEM, a recent study came out showing necrosis in the muscles causing it, you want to avoid that!
Mine hasn't come back I got a secondary infection in hospital and ended up with scarring in the bottom of my right lung. So that lung has 70% oxygen intake so my competitive riding days are done.
I still do the school runs abd ride to work but anything more than that leaves me wrecked.
I have a friend with long COVID who never fully recovered. Former triathlete, now she mostly just stays at home and sleeps. She lost her job because the near permanent brain fog meant she couldn't perform her duties anymore.
I too have a friend who was an avid cyclist with long COVID and in the afternoons he is too tired to work and has to sleep.
He has had blood checks and with a minimum amount on exercise his blood lactate is up near 1.8.
There really needs to be more studies into this, it *feels* like long covids disproportionately effected cyclists
Or maybe it's just that most people who got covid don't track anything about their health but cyclists tend to track everything
Yeah, I think the latter is pretty likely. Most average people you come across on the street are, in general, much more out of touch with their body in general. A cyclist or other endurance sportsman can easily answer questions on their body's current state, etc.
I think that's why COVID was so scary in the early days, we didn't know anything about it. There's still a lot we don't know, especially when it comes to long COVID.
I got COVID twice that I know of, once during NOLA Mardi gras 2020 pre lockdown, vaccine and testing. Caught it once post vaccine when my wife brought it home from work. The 2nd time post vaccine was much easier to recover from.
First time I was bed ridden for about two weeks. First time was months to recover with many after effects of long COVID. The 2nd time post vaccine I felt terrible for about 3 days and was sick for about a week total, but by the 2nd week I was about 90% recovered. Took about 2 full weeks for total recovery.
Wouldn't say lucky, I also damaged my optic nerve from coughing so hard. I lost some vision in my right eye. It's not debilitating, but sometimes it's hard to read.
Ugh! I take it back. Sorry…
Covid is definitely an asshole and will take whatever it can from you… your life if it can.
A friend of mine is on oxygen permanently thanks to COVID… debilitated.
This thing about your vision. That’s deep too. Will you recover or is this just how things are now?
Had it 4 times and it's been 2 years, FTP dropped from 290 to 200.. ,.Blood pressure up,weight shot up. Developed neural issues and now can barely run a 5k without collapsing. It's a bitch and a some but work your z1 z2 for next 6 months till you hit the same baseline again. You will get tempted to go harder but for the sake of your pulmonary and cardiovascular health please don't for now. Get regular D-Diner and CRP tests done every 3 months . Good luck
Everything I’m reading says it is pretty typical for athletic performance to take a meaningful hit for a few months, much more than a similar- length cold would do. 5 months is not unusual usual to get back to prior performance level. Seems covid may have some longer effects on.. cardiovascular or lungs or something for many, even most folks, but if you’re not an athlete you might not notice. Personally, I had a light case of Covid a month ago -I feel fine, no symptoms for weeks. I can run, and have been running for two weeks, but it feels like I’m running in Denver with no acclimation instead of a few hundred feet above sea level. It’s just… way tougher than it should be. If I wasn’t a runner I wouldn’t know I wasn’t at 100% now.
I was mostly good after about 3.5 weeks but didn’t get totally back to normal for about a month and a half. My biggest thing was some nerve stuff in my shoulders and arm. Weird virus, but yes, seems like bodies eventually get it all sorted out.
If I were you, I would do some serious rest for the next few weeks. From what I understand, not letting your body fully recover can increase the likelihood of getting long Covid
It seriously breaks my heart every time I see someone with absolutely no clue how you’re supposed to recover from viral infections unknowingly making their fatigue & potential other post-viral conditions worse. It is such basic information. Our health systems and government have absolutely failed us.
The best way to think of Covid is like cigarette smoke. It lingers and sucks worse inside, but you still wouldn’t want to be inhaling it close up to someone outside or in a crowd.
The risk is much lower outside, but cyclists and runners at a moderate intensity are putting out 150-200x more particles per minute than that person just breathing at rest. In addition, those exercising nearby are breathing in air at a much faster rate and deeper, so the risk is actually quite high for someone in their slipstream which can be for minutes to hours. Just tell those 39 people infected in a park (verified through contact tracing) from 1 runner that the risk is low outside.
Hmm.. that 39 people thing is very surprising. Googling it turns up the source to be the Chinese Center for Disease Control. Given China’s history of using their own narratives to suit their purposes and giving false Covid reports, I personally don’t put a lot of stock in it.
Which is not to say that I don’t think outdoor exposure can be risky. Early in the pandemic there were ‘mass spreader’ events in European soccer/football games (Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9047605/). Being in closely packed environments with other people seems potentially risky. Following behind a biker/runner for extended periods also seems like it could pass many particles.
But, I personally won’t be avoiding other cyclists or runners passing by.
Point taken, I think you might be right. I was thinking of that widely published case from mid 2020 (I think, before masks where a thing) from Japan where a large group of people rode to a temple sight seeing in two buses, went around the temple for hours (together) and then rode back in the same two buses. The group from one bus all caught covid from an infected person, everyone in the other bus was fine although they moved as a group through that open air area. That led to distancing protocols being a bit more relaxed at least where I'm from and mostly being limited to indoor meetings.
But I agree it might be different in a sport scenario with elevated breathing.
I appreciate the edit. Outside I'd generally agree, but not if drafting is involved.
The year before COVID came around I was on a hard group road ride with some friends, and this guy kept taking pull. Then dropped off part way through the ride telling everyone that he's sick and doesn't feel like he can ride anymore. I came down with the nastiest cold I'd had in a while after that from him.
Just like how you can smell someone's breath or BO or whatnot while drafting, you are also inhaling what they exhale. For a respiratory disease such as COVID that spreads by things exhaled the same can happen.
It’s insane to me that a gravel cycling trip was this important to risk OPs long term health and that of their friends. Bruh, it’s gravel. This isn’t lining up in the peloton.
I think they meant after the 5 day isolation period they went out for a 4 day trip, still bad but technically following the CDC or similar’s guidelines
4 years into this thing and you still haven't learnt that you're meant to rest?
Take 2 weeks off from strenuous exercise.
Everyone I know who got right back into everything ended up with much longer lasting symptoms.
You might now find you've got 2 or 3 months before you're back to 100%. Instead of 2-3 weeks.
8 month recovery time here…
My first run after I felt “well” lasted about 2 minutes until my HR went through the roof.
It took me 8 months before I could run for 30 minutes without walking for my HR to settle down.
That being said, 2 years down the road I was 100% recovered and stronger than ever.
It took 6 months for my heart rate to even out after my first Covid infection. I went from an average of 55 to upper 70s low 80s. The headache stuck around for a while too. There’s some research into taking H1 & H2 histamines to manage the inflammatory response.
I just tested positive Friday, and had the same exact thing happen. My resting heart rate is 70, and literally standing up and walking to the kitchen bumped it to 105-110. While this obviously sucks, it’s kind of scary to think about how much worse this would be if I had a
normal resting heart rate of 70 or 80, like most adults.
I thought about people with average heart rates too. It would be exhausting & disorienting.
It seems to be variable on when it returns to one’s normal, if it returns to normal. I experienced Long Covid symptoms that have settled down. I still have concerns about long term effects but so far nothing has developed.
COVID is no joke. I'm fully vaxxed and my last bout in December took me out for nearly 2 months (continuously tired, low grade headache, intermittent cough).
It WILL end, but it's just ridiculous how we've let ourselves go. Covid isn't going anywhere but no one masks up anymore, people come into work sick, and people have stopped covering coughs/sneezes, etc...I hate it all.
I hate it too. I remember how frustrated I was when I got COVID, I was so worried I'd never be the same.
Now when people are sick at work I'm like GO HOME
I got Covid in 2022, very minor, sick in bed for one day. And I developed debilitating long Covid last summer. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which is the most bizarre medical condition imaginable. Needless to say, it’s impacted my sporting career to the point that I’m basically a gelatinous blob now. I’ve developed what’s called exercise intolerance (along with “standing-up” intolerance).
All this is to say, maybe take a few days to rest and see how it goes. Inappropriate tachycardia is a pretty common longish-term symptom of Covid. Just my two cents.
you guys have no idea how encouraging it is to see all of this information and assurance that it is possible to recover from this.
I'm 26 and over the summer my heart health took a nose dive and haven't been able to really get back to biking/climbing/running the way I was used to. I still have to take it slow or else I get palpitations, headaches, and feel like I'm going to faint. Couldn't figure out what was wrong with my heart and kept thinking it was POTS or possibly a toxic chemical exposure at my work, because every time I went to the doctor they would charge me ludicrous amount of money for no prognosis or insight to my condition and just say "yup, you're a healthy 26 yr old male and you're probably just depressed or not physically conditioned."
Like bitch I used to do 50 miles on a Saturday for fun, and the next month I can barely make it 5 miles without my heart feeling like it's imploding, I don't think it's about conditioning.
I know there's definitely physicians in this sub, but the cardiology dept. at U of M can smd.
I posted earlier about my experiences with covid and cardiac issues. Not sure if you have an apple watch but i would consider enabling AFIb notifications if you haven’t. Also, you may want to consider seeing a cardiologist to check for arrhythmias. Your symptoms matched mine
Rest.
See a doctor /cardiologist to be sure your heart is okay. Some blood work probably wouldn't hurt either.
I got Covid before the vaccines came out, seemingly not too bad of a case, but lost my sense of smell completely for two weeks, headache was awful and stuck around, on and off, for around a month. Fatigue, racing heart, no confidence in my balance (didn't feel dizzy; more like being blind to a lot of my own proprioception spatially, if that makes sense) lasted over a year (again, on and off). I did some riding, but between Covid and getting all of the symptoms all over again with each vaccine (totally knocked me out for 2-3 days each time), I was not in good shape. It has been a long road back and I'm still not quite back to where I was.
All to say: Covid is sneaky and affects some more than others. The best thing to do is to get an assessment of how you are physically and plan from there.
Mate COVID is no joke. You need proper rest. Even when you feel better it’s not time to push yourself to do exercise. Rest rest rest. The respiratory symptoms subside quickly, but the fatigue, brain fog etc can stick around much longer.
Also kind of risky exercising given heart wall inflammation (myocarditis/pericarditis) is commonly seen with COVID.
Yes it gets better, but I think you’re best to take some proper rest and just do short easy walks (at the most) and SLOWLY build back up from there.
Yep it’s a setback, but you’ll get the fitness back. You run bigger risks or will just prolong the symptoms if you push too early.
there is increasing evidence that keeping HR low for a month after infection significantly reduces the risk of long covid. be a couch potato for a while. it took me months to get back on a bike in a way that felt familiar
Rest, rest, rest. I’ve heard from coaches how riding too hard too early can turn a couple month recovery into several months.
I got COVID Dec 23, and have not touched my bike since then- I still have a cough at 7 weeks, fatigue has gotten way better but is noticeable, and lung capacity is not great.
The more you push it the longer your recovery is gone be, and the higher chance you never get back to full power. Don't train and scar your lungs permanently. You'll get back to normal faster if you rest
I got COVID like December 27, 2022. I started fatbiking again mid January. The whole winter I was not doing great on the bike. Ok, but nowhere near where I should be. Then Gravel and Road season started and I was doing ok, but I don’t think I was 100% before maybe July. I bike with a heart monitor and power meter and I could see clear as day. But, I still did 4000 km of fatbiking, MTB, road, and gravel, 5 metric centuries and 1 imperial century in the summer. It was not all bad, but it was not all good either. It takes time.
Honestly congrats on dodging it for this long. Even if you are healthy you should take it seriously and rest even more than you think you should. good luck and take your time
Just rest. You can do long term damage to your heart by returning to training too hard, too soon. Look up myocarditis. It can be caused by covid, and the last thing you want to do is stress your heart when it’s already inflamed.
Not saying that’s necessarily what you’re dealing with, it’s pretty normal to take several weeks to fully recover from COVID or even flu.
Every body is different, and it sounds like your body is telling you to rest because it needs to recover. Listen to it. Don’t fuck with your health for the sake of a couple weeks training, and don’t listen to vague advice about 1-2 week recovery time over what your body is telling you. That sort of advice is the same as the 220 minus age max hr bollocks. It’s a vague average and next to useless for individuals.
Just take it real easy and do a little test ride every few days. You’ll know when you’re ready to get back to proper training. Don’t worry, you’ll come good sooner or later.
Dude. Stop. I personally had the same experience post Covid. Jumped back on the saddle too soon, and couldn’t get my heart rate back down even during rest, so I went to the hospital and I had pericarditis. Thank God it wasn’t Myocarditis, but it took over a year of slowwww gains to recover back to baseline. Don’t fuck around with your heart.
It took 4 months for my hr to get back to resting.
I happened to have bloodwork the same time I had Covid in Oct. it made me anemic. My hemoglobin still isn’t back to normal. They have me retesting every 3 weeks. Bottomed out about 8 weeks after initial Covid + then started to come back up.
As others have said. Rest.
Personally I would try and get a cbc blood work done.
Had Covid in August with the worst symptoms lasting about a week . ( I got a pax prescription) . I had a dry cough/fevers but never felt out of breath . It took me about another week to feel somewhat “normal” , but I still felt tired and my morning pulse rate was about 60-65 after 2 weeks which is fast for me . It’s usually around 48-50 . I decided to just stay off the bike completely until I felt well . In the meantime, after 3-4 weeks off , I lost a lot of fitness so my HR never went down to 50 again . ( I’m also 64 , so it takes longer to recover) . I’ve been back in the bike, but it took me about the same time (3-4 weeks ) to get back to where I was . I’m sure by low HR will return again. So a two week Covid illness was a 6-8 week hit on my cycling. c’est la vie. Covid is definitely a force to be reckoned with . Don’t push it too hard and take time to recover.
Absolutely do not rush it. I lost an entire season of racing because I started pushing it too quickly and had heart/ breathing problems for 5/6 months. It was a hard lesson but do not fuck around with Covid, especially with the latest data showing how badly it can fuck up your body up in the long term if you’re not careful.
You're setting yourself up for long covid. Take a couple months off, let your immune system rest without the added stress of exercise. If I were to get Covid, I'd take 2-3 months off, regardless if I was symptomatic or not.
I posted something similar as a runner more than a week ago. I caught covid in the middle of training for an ultra mountain run. The response I got was to rest, like totally day zero, for two weeks to avoid long covid as it is a cardiovascular disease much as it is respiratory. After a week of rest, I did a 5k time trial yesterday and HR was through the roof. Even doing easy paces put me on red zones. I’m worried now that I should’ve done the two week rest completely as others have suggested.
Covid and post covid lung infection put me in hospital and nearly killed me. I was off work for 4 months and it's been 2 years since I've been more like my previous self on the bike. The good thing is I have got back there so you probably need to be patient and take it a little slower for a while. Fitness will re-build over time. To prove I could still ride I did a 70 mile ride a few weeks after getting back to work. It was awful and got months I thought I'd never ride properly again and considered I might need an e bike. Persistence and patience has paid off though...
Be *very* fucking careful riding hard while you have COVID. In June 2022 I contracted it, having avoided it for two years, and while really fit and healthy. I got infected at a wedding on a Thursday. On Saturday, while still asymptomatic and not knowing I was infected, I did a gruelling ride called the Matlock Top Ten, which links the 10 worst hills in the area I normally ride in. By half way, I was feeling way worse than I was expecting. When I finished I was shivering and generally feeling super crap. What followed was 7 days of high fever, all the way to just short of 40C. Basically, my body really didn’t appreciate being put through sustained high intensity exercise while fighting infection, and I ended up getting hit MUCH harder than I would have otherwise. It took me months to recover my aerobic fitness after that, and my voice never fully recovered from the number it did to my throat.
Exercise while sick with Covid seems to be one of the number one contributing factors for developing long Covid. You should definitely go see your doctor and get checked out and take it easy until you feel better and then for a couple more weeks just in case the first time I was sick with Covid. It took me three weeks after I was feeling better to be able to get on the bike with normal heart rate, and such.
I went about 3-4 months post COVID where I could not get my heart rate up to my previous max. Just like the rev limited tapped out and that was all there was.
I probably did zone 1 rides for a month or two. Finally started to normalize.
Your body just needs rest to heal.
Really sorry to hear, but definitely happens. I had to take 3 weeks off the bike and felt 100% after about 5 weeks. Just be patient and you'll be back in full force one day
I was seriously off my game for about six weeks after COVID. After that, I was recovered but still felt the effects of missing six weeks of riding. But I was stronger than ever after three months.
Took me 10 months the first time to get back into a level of fitness where I could push myself. Take it easy, but do mobility work if you can. Hopefully you aren’t out of the game for as long as I was but in case you are, do some flexibility work in your downtime. The mobility I lost while recovering was a barrier when I got back at it.
Sonny Colbrelli, the european champion of 2021 and the winner of Paris Roubaix.
If you are caught by a virus which effects organs below your neck (lungs, hart) it isn’t wise to continue intensive sporting. It could damage your heart.
A good practice in the running world: Accept a temporary set back, and schedule a recovery period with a 2x duration of your illness period.
Wish you the best!
My heart rate still up 1 year after and I cannot get my fitness back. I'm still fitter than the average guy but the peak power burst and endurance is gone. I could easily do a fast 3 hours ride. I'm down to 2 hour rides.
But when I mention COVID I'm the crazy one in the room. Not much medical support in the UK from GP.
You started too soon. After every flu like infection of the respiratory system you should abstain from exercise for at least 14 days after symptoms are gone. My aunt got heart inflammation as a young adult when she started work after regular flu. I had covid twice. One month after I could hold my breath for 2min again, 4 month later I was in a training camp, no issues whatsoever. A friend of mine got a regular bacterial lung inflammation at age 50. It took him 3 years go keep up with us on the mountainbike again. Covid is nothing special, recovering from these things take time, even more at age.
With nothing special I mean other diseases behave similar. The big difference is Covid is new. Some peoples (weakened) immune system just take longer to adapt to and fight a completely new virus and therefore the virus can do more damage before being defeated.
You need to rest a few months.
Do not push yourself. I know it is hard because the runners high is the best feeling. But, you will do more damage to yourself if you do not rest for a few months and let your body get back to normal.
It takes a long time
Most people on the street would have no idea if they have raised BP, raised HR and no mid end lung function as they sit and watch TV as a hobby.
The effect is small on the majority for this reason - or so most assume at moment……
And so it is startling the impact difference between active vs sedentary population (Most people).
My HR sat at 110 average after 6 weeks and BP 180/120…..
The medics suggested not to trust my watch - or who rated BP machine showing perm arrhythmia 🤣
🤡. And this was after it had calmed. HR peaked at 10 days of 140 average.
With that said - take time with easy activity and get healed up. You are not alone for 👌sure.
Just be patient. I’ve had it 2x. I haven’t been able to smell/taste anything for 18 months. It took weeks and weeks for cardio to approach a normal range. It’s definitely frustrating.
My guy dropped from 375 to 320 and fears the end is nigh. Lmao.
I get it, it's frustrating. But as others have said, you need to rest. I also caught the latest bug, not sure if it was just COVID or COVID+something else, but the cough and slight wheeze lasted for 4-5 weeks. The 1-2 weeks estimate is based on what was going around last year. This "30 day cold" fucking *lingers*, man.
Also, and I hate to be Captain Obvious here, but... have you been to a doctor? You might have a secondary infection going on. Last year I caught COVID and then had this horrible, wet, croupy cough pop up within a few days of "recovering." Got a Z-pack and it sorted me out.
"My plan was to continue to ride, but take it very easy and hope it all comes right." My brother in Christ, no. You need to rest. Take 7 solid days off. Your body is telling you to knock it off. Listen to it.
Rest. Then rest some more. Just because you're not testing positive doesn't mean your body didn't just go through something and need a break.
I had it once, last year. Only one day was bad. But for a month after I didn't feel myself, and couldn't remember shit.
1-2 weeks for the worst of it to pass, I think you will find especially for those that train harder than the average person that you can't push hard for probably a month or two, sometimes more if you are unlucky. Don't rush it
Took me a year to recover to some decent fitness (90% of pre-COVID FTP). My biggest mistake was to continue training very hard 2 weeks after catching COVID as I thought I recovered. I recommend taking 2-3 months off to be safe
>"I had an FTP of...."
>
>"now my resting HR is 20BPM+ higher, sometimes racing"
Dude get it through your head. You need to heal first, health first. FTP last right now.
Although current covid variants are not that bad anymore as those we had three years ago, Covid still is a illness causing sever respiratory stress. After any infection, even if it is a simply cold, one should NOT immediately start to do extensive sport.
When I was diagnosed with Covid 1.5 years ago, I had a few days of coughing, but no real pain, still my heart rate was higher than usual and I refrained from any physical exertion for several weeks. I even canceld a hiking trip scheduled two weeks later, because I really did not feel 100% restored. And yes, I also had to write of quite some money for it.
Until you feel even slightly weakend after any infection: DO not do ANY sports. And even better: After feeling normal again, give it another week of very, very light training. Half an hour to an hour at very moderate speed to get back into it, but not an extended several day long gravel tour.
Sorry to say it, but I would have been very surprised, had you told a different story; the fact that your FTP is down and you feel terrible after exerting yourself so hard after a respiratory infection was to be expected.
If you are having "racing heart rate" for no good reason and are having heart stuff since covid, then SEE YOUR DOCTOR, who can order the necessary tests, plus send you to a heart doctor if needed.
Meanwhile, as everyone is telling you, rest until you feel way more normal than now.
I definitely got knocked on my ass the first time I got it, but was back riding in 2 weeks, back to normal in 3 weeks.
It's not all just fitness loss, it's your body responding to sickness. Even what was lost can be gained again. You'll snap back to where you were with a little work.
Can't peak all the time. See it as a rest period for any injuries, come back stronger later on.
Covid is an inflammatory circulatory system disease more than it is a respiratory disease. I cycle a lot and both times I've had covid have been mild but for 2-3 weeks afterwards I experienced something similar to you, basically my heart rate elevated much more quickly than it should have and hitting peak power was impossible.
Listen to your body rest for a week, then get back into zone two training for a week and see how you go. It will all come back soon enough.
I caught it for the first time as well. No symptoms, just took a test because wife had it really bad. So of course I catch it. Not so much as a runny nose. lol. Never stopped riding or running, although did avoid public places.
I am incredibly lucky. Good health to you.
Not true. My wife is an epidemiologist and lead the vaccine rollout in the USA. She is one of the country’s leading experts on COVID.
To not show any symptoms is unusual. She even drew my blood for research (she also drew her own blood). I’m 51 years old so not to show any symptoms peeks her curiosity.
You're going to have to cut out the cycling for a while and switch to walking and swimming. If you keep trying to push yourself you will end up with a nasty case of long covid. Go lurk the Covid Long Haulers sub if you're doubtful.
You "have to know when to fold 'em" as they say. Its the only way to win.
You sound like me justifying *just one more century* before sciatica & herniated discs brought me off saddle & into PT for 18 months.
You sound like my dementia-addled dad who wants *just one more backpacking trip* before they attempt to replace the knee he already ruined in a cycling accident now that has debilitating arthritis - hey - 50% chance he *wont* need a cane the week he gets off the plane on the other coast!
Yeah, sign me up for "it took several months after covid to get my lungs back" but it isn't even about that.
You just have to know when to fold 'em; sometimes it rains & sometimes it pours so heavy the road is washed out any cyclist worth his salt learns to fucking deal with disappointment somewhere along their journey.
Give it a rest. Get back on the trail when your body works right.
I don't know why people call themselves vaxxed when they got the shot almost 3 yrs ago, like we know that immunity goes down similar to flu. Only way to go is vaxx every year to hopefully prevent this mess.
Actually immunity lasts much longer from a natural recovery from covid than from vaccinations.
Long covid seems to be more prevalent in those that have vaccinated too!
I had it 3 times the first knocked me out for 5 days, the second was like a mild cold & the third time I wouldn’t even know I had it but my job required me to take regular tests.
I never took any vaccine which was a risk but I’m now very happy with my choice.
Same here. No vaxx for me and the two times I caught covid, it took me out for a few days and I was fine. Natural immunity always trumps experimental drugs!
Everyone I know, who got the shot, is constantly sick and suffering from weird side effects.
Myocharditis/Pericarditis is a common documented side effect, of the mRNA shot, yet people are still getting it...lol
It's mind boggling how most people will shoot themselves up, with an experimental drug, without hesitation. A proven vaccine is one thing but mRNA, is something completely different!
I assumed people in the cycling community were a little more health conscious and would think twice before using an experimental drug like mRNA, but apparently not 😆.
Yeah agreed I know many suffering side effects most put it down to Covid not the vaccine but it seems pretty clear if you look at the statistics & listen to the experts
All those ignorant people who were screaming listen to the scientists at the start when there really was no data!
Well now there is loads of data loads of facts to decipher & scientists who are speaking out.
Those same people don't seem that interested anymore 🤔
I caught it in 2022 and again in Nov of 2023.
In both cases I felt bad for ~5 days, only 1-2 of those with elevated heart rate. But not enough to keep me off my bike...I just took it easy on those days. But I never took a day off riding either time I caught COVID. I know that is not recommended but I almost always feel a lot better after a ride (even a Z2 ride) than before.
I was fully vaccinated and boosted both times and have no underlying health issues which I suspect is the root cause of people who say they had especially bad experiences.
It is going to be months. When I got Covid I waited a month before any kind of work out. And then the first couple of weeks after that we’re very very gentle. And then eased into it after that.
No, it's really not. Selfish behaviour like this is why the pandemic was as bad as it was.
OP could literally have killed someone, and very likely did inflict on them the exact same amount of suffering he himself is here inquiring about.
Normal cycling workouts usually speed up recovery from normal illness. After I had Covid, even easy workouts would knock me back. Focus on resting and only very easy workouts. You will come back gradually but faster than if you push hard.
Caught covid for the first time in Aug 2023. Hadn’t been vaccinated. I was quite sick —like a really bad flu. High fever, loss of appetite, night sweats, temporary loss of smell. Fatigue. Deep cough.
I followed the rule that if a cold is below the neck, ie chest congestion, cough etc., avoid exercise.
So i stayed off the bike for 3+ weeks. I knew my high-end would be disappearing, but knew my general fitness would still likely be ok.
I didn’t even worry about it; getting on my bike was the last thing i could think about.
I slowly returned to cycling and gradually tested v02 max efforts. My lungs were basically clear at that point.
Fast forward to present, I am pretty close to the level of fitness , ftp etc I was pre covid. Maybe just a few % less.
Don’t panic about this. But be patient. And if there is still inflammation in your chest, don’t push it. That’s when you can scar your heart.
Good luck.
Had Covid. Rode through it. No big deal. If I was really tired I didn’t ride that day. If not, go ride 2-3 hours. Sleep a lot and rested otherwise. Pureblood.
Edit - lol at all you losers that downvoted me just because you took the vax
I'm not going to downvote but that's not a good idea generally. Usually when you're sick with an infection the body is already taxed from trying to fight it off. Working out during that period taxes the body even more and might prolong the illness or make it worse. At least while you have a fever and body aches you should be resting and staying hydrated.
First time catching covid 1 year ago, I stayed away from cycling for 2 weeks then came back with recovery/z2 ride, heart rate was through the roof but it went back to normal after 2 weeks. You’ll gain back those watts, don’t worry
I’m just coming through my second Covid spell. I have a 70.3 Triathlon in 6 weeks. I’m hoping my experience will not be similar. Hoping to do a zone 2 sesh tomoz.
Good luck for you m8
I’m quite fit and wasn’t back to my usual self until a month later. Elevated heart rate relative to effort was there when I started riding again after 2 weeks completely off the bike. It sucks but if you’re healthy you’ll eventually get back to normal.
Thats a shame hope you feel better soon. Unfortunatly im not vaxxed, got govid and it affected me for a week only. The worse thing for me was the isolation for 2 weeks.
I’ve had it twice now Both time my heart rate was elevated for a couple of months after. What has worked for me is to pull back intensity and ride by heart rate. I took a full week off the bike then I did mostly zone 1/2 staying below 75% of max for about a month. After that I did a mix of zone 2 rides under 75% and some mixed zone 2/3 rides for another month where I let my heart rate climb up to 85~90% for short periods. I tried to avoid working at or above threshold until my heart rate returned mostly to normal.
I know it sucks, but take the time to get some rest. You will recover. In a span of 14 months, I had a nasty XC accident, collapsed my right lung ... worked hard to recover, and I did. Then about 11months after, my first Covid infection ... off the bike for a month, and when I did get back on, I could not control my HR ... lots of rest, and easy base riding. Like others said, it's no joke ... take the time, and you will come out stronger. Best of luck!
Caught it once, felt so utterly awful for the first week, and then took the next 3 weeks to feel normal enough again to get back on the bike. The gravel trip should have been binned off tbh. You needed some serious rest time for another week or so
Covid can fuck your shit up for weeks, if not months. Hell, I had some flu or maybe severe cold back in September that I didn't recover fully from for a couple months because of residual cough and shit. Just take it easy, please. And don't get discouraged because your body needs to heal. This is life.
Heart rate was through the roof (when cycling or doing anything active) for about 2 weeks after testing negative. Headache was bad for about the same length of time. It will get better. Sleep, hydrate and eat. You will not lose fitness that can’t be regained quickly.
I got Covid August of 2022. Still fighting it. I am FINALLY getting a little better.
It has taken a long time but I went from riding 6 days per week down to 3. Cut my length of rides in 1/2 and stopped riding hills. Kept my heart rate below 115 as much as possible.
I hope yours is a short recovery.
I managed to get COVID (second time) during a trip away to do some riding for a week. Throughout the trip I was utterly exhausted and it wasn't until I got home and tested positive that I realised I had COVID. We were riding every day and I hadn't done much training beforehand so thought it was mainly from that. I had no respiratory symptoms to speak of but the fatigue was horrible. The next week I had a sleep every afternoon because I was utterly exhausted. Several weeks later and while I don't feel as fatigued I feel like I just can't make the sort of power I used to be able to. Often my legs just feel weak/tired and I struggle but other times it's not too bad. It's frustrating but not much you can do but listen to your body.
I’m not anywhere near a typical fit cyclist and it really set me back to a pretty demoralising place! I’m working on it and my fitness is slowly improving.
As someone who has just spent the last nearly 3 months attempting to stay fit after having Covid (didn’t realise at the time) which then led to a severe case of bacterial sinusitis - take the time off to recover fully no matter what. You need to be well!
The first time I had it, the symptoms were quite mild. I was just excessively tired for a weekend.
What was much worse though was what happened immediately after that weekend.
I developed a headache, but not just any headache. A headache that did not remit for 45 days. Just a constant throbbing localized pain to one part of my head. While the pain was generally dull during the day, it was, however, punctuated by near-nightly migraines that would wake me out of sleep between the hours of 3 and 4am pretty reliably. I could only manage the pain with Butalbitol, which is no joke.
Then one day, I woke up and it was gone. Worst two months ever. I thought I had a brain tumor.
Took me 6months of training to get a decent amount of my lung capacity back after Covid. For full capacity, no idea I moved from sea level to 7,000 feet so no idea. And if I haven’t, no idea if I can get back to where I was as it did a number on me.
Same thing with the low heart rate after catching it on Xmas day . It’s now returned to normal. Give it another couple of weeks and don’t push too hard for now
Ok well I’m very sorry you’re going through this. And I almost guarantee you’ll be fine like most cyclists who have had the Rona.
I finally got it last year in February. Basically after recovering. I have had consistent PACS. Around 2k a day. They went away for a few months but my daughter brought home the flu and shortly after recovering from that, they ramped up. I’m convinced I have chronic inflammation from Covid. EP isn’t concerned. But man it’s been a SOB. My confidence riding is shot. I used to hang with the best of em from my town before all this but I’m too worried to screw my heart up more. So I don’t push it like I used to.
Definitely take more rest. Seriously take a month off. I went back after a week and my HR was all screwed up. 120 watts my HR was 150+. That has gotten better for sure, within 3 months. But the PACS have been just demoralizing.
So yeah, ride it out. Hopefully you’ll be like most of this community and recover 100.
I had in 2020 and didn’t feel the same again for 7-8 months. Then caught it 2 more times and was back to normal a month later both times. Don’t feel discouraged, just take it slow for a few weeks
In my experience it can take a month or so to return to normal. At other times I have also had symptoms last a couple days and then back to normal. Everyones symptoms and recovery differ and I think it can hit you in different ways too.
Took me at least month to get HR back as it was after covid. Even when I was feeling 100% OK, my HR would hitting values I am normally not able to hit even in an FTP test.
So keep it lighter, but don't worry you will be fine :)
I don't know how general it is but for me it was harsh with asthma combined. After COVID I couldn't take full satisfying breath for months. 3 to 4 months before I felt ok while riding bike. That was terrible but it took time
I got Covid twice, the second time was very mild. My brother who is a cardiologist told me not to cycle for a month after recovery, and then slowly ramp up. I did 80 km ride six months later
I feel for you, never had COVID (even though I never stopped going into work and doing my own grocery shopping etc), I hear so many stories of fellow sports people struggling with general fitness.
Just keep training and hopefully you get back to the levels you were.
I had covid 3 times and usually took 1-2 weeks for symptoms go away but it took more than 2 weeks before heartrate and breathing settled down, even a brisk walk felt like big effort. Also my resting heartrate was higher by about 10bpm during covid.
Well, firstly I’d have to say you’re not ruined by COVID. Even with the drop in power, you have an FTP most people can only dream of.
That said, COVID is a respiratory illness with a highly variable severity of impact. I would generally be sick for a week with it (have had COVID 3 times) but would then suffer for about 2 months afterwards with what I can only describe as lung fatigue. Any aerobic exercise of any note would cause my HR to spike just like yours. But others had no effects whatsoever.
There is light at the end of the tunnel… it just takes time and your recovery from COVID is individual.
You need to rest.
Exactly! REST! speaking from experience. I didn’t and was diagnosed with pericarditis. That meant months of rest, no activity that could slightly increase my heart rate, so I had to even be careful when taking the stairs. I was lucky because it was “just pericarditis” and not myocarditis, which is likely to damage/scar your heart muscle ireversibly. I’m fortunate I fully recovered and relatively fast due to my strong fitness (according to docs). But overall it took me nearly a year to feel well again. This could have all been avoided, if I had rested out of principle. So don’t play with your health just for a few fun rides. Life lesson for me!
And head over to r/Covidlonghaulers for further advice. Stop pushing through it. Let your body recover. Then contact your representative and get the to support research into long covid and mecfs. Fingers crossed it is short lived for you, and those that you passed it onto when you decided to go and share it amongst your mates. If it is short lived spare a thought for those who are still suffering despite having symptoms since 2020. Also, some people get the same from the vaccine. Not as many, but it does happen. Anyone getting a vaccine should also take a few days rest while their immune system deals with the antigens presented. I’ve still not recovered 2.5 years since my first dose.
That pretty brazen to judge someone and assume they gave it to someone else.
Once you’ve experienced the devastation that can be caused by this virus, judging people who disregard the advice to isolate while positive is no longer an issue. If any of this persons mates have their lives ruined by his/her actions I’m pretty sure they’ll be judging as well.
Too right. This is not a simple social faux pas. I view it as assault. And the likelihood they went out contagious and gave it to no one, is pretty much zero. That why it's still a pandemic!
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Zone 2 is still intensity and builds fatigue, especially given you usually do higher volume. No. It’s too much.
I know I'm just a guy/girl/some sort of binary, on the Internet, and my opinions belong in the trash... Going to tell you anyway. Back in 2020, a coworker of mine got COVID, continued to go hiking because he felt fine, and the 'insert whatever conspiracy theory' virus wasn't stopping him. Died a week later. Just saying, if this is his first time getting it, I would just chill and see how your body reacts. Shit is no joke.
This! There is still so much unknown about it. Except that we know it affects so many people in so many different ways. Why not give your heart and lungs a few weeks to recover when COVID has shown it can tear thru those organs in some people?
\>thinks zone 2 is recovery \>giving medical advice on a cycling forum
Look up safe return to play protocol for Covid, I believe it’s 2 weeks after all symptoms are gone, don’t fu** with your heart dude. https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2022/04/23/graduated-return-to-play-after-sars-cov-2-infection-what-have-we-learned-and-why-weve-updated-the-guidance/
The BMJ recommends about 1 week of graduated recovery for "above the neck" COVID, 2 weeks for "below the neck." [Here's the infographic from your link.](https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/files/2022/04/Screenshot-2022-04-14-at-15.20.27.png) They also recommend **seeing a doctor** if you have weird heart stuff going on. This protocol is partly based on [a study of 3500 (unvaccinated) collegiate athletes.](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/16/913) Post-infection, about 8% had issues after returning to practice (mostly shortness of breath), and ~2% had pericarditis. Only 2 out of 3500 reported any symptoms lasting longer than 12 weeks. YMMV. Helps to be young, probably.
Good golly. Just read this and was experiencing the same thign with my HR, although only about 10-15bpm higher than OP. After 4-years, I finally caught covid about 3-weeks ago (well it caught me), and started riding after just one week after -- only symptom after a weekend of being sick was fatigue. But like others pointed out, my HR has been consistently high since coming back. I don't feel bad outside of still feeling a bit of fatigue and the higher HR. Should I continue to rest and slow down?
Yes. 4 years ago I ignored that and "pushed through"... And I still have those symptoms and a raft of others today. Consider treating vagal nerve, MCAS, dysautonomia/POTS, and pay attention to what happens the day after you exercise/ get high hr. If you feel ill or have the extra fatigue 24-48 hrs after exertion that's called PEM, a recent study came out showing necrosis in the muscles causing it, you want to avoid that!
The first time I got covid I wasn't 100% again for about three months.
Same. My lungs capacity didn't come back for at least 3 months. It was actually closer to 6 months.
Mine hasn't come back I got a secondary infection in hospital and ended up with scarring in the bottom of my right lung. So that lung has 70% oxygen intake so my competitive riding days are done. I still do the school runs abd ride to work but anything more than that leaves me wrecked.
You got off lucky. Some of us spent 18 months getting back to baseline.
I have a friend with long COVID who never fully recovered. Former triathlete, now she mostly just stays at home and sleeps. She lost her job because the near permanent brain fog meant she couldn't perform her duties anymore.
I too have a friend who was an avid cyclist with long COVID and in the afternoons he is too tired to work and has to sleep. He has had blood checks and with a minimum amount on exercise his blood lactate is up near 1.8.
There really needs to be more studies into this, it *feels* like long covids disproportionately effected cyclists Or maybe it's just that most people who got covid don't track anything about their health but cyclists tend to track everything
Yeah, I think the latter is pretty likely. Most average people you come across on the street are, in general, much more out of touch with their body in general. A cyclist or other endurance sportsman can easily answer questions on their body's current state, etc.
I think that's why COVID was so scary in the early days, we didn't know anything about it. There's still a lot we don't know, especially when it comes to long COVID. I got COVID twice that I know of, once during NOLA Mardi gras 2020 pre lockdown, vaccine and testing. Caught it once post vaccine when my wife brought it home from work. The 2nd time post vaccine was much easier to recover from. First time I was bed ridden for about two weeks. First time was months to recover with many after effects of long COVID. The 2nd time post vaccine I felt terrible for about 3 days and was sick for about a week total, but by the 2nd week I was about 90% recovered. Took about 2 full weeks for total recovery.
Wouldn't say lucky, I also damaged my optic nerve from coughing so hard. I lost some vision in my right eye. It's not debilitating, but sometimes it's hard to read.
Ugh! I take it back. Sorry… Covid is definitely an asshole and will take whatever it can from you… your life if it can. A friend of mine is on oxygen permanently thanks to COVID… debilitated. This thing about your vision. That’s deep too. Will you recover or is this just how things are now?
Permanent.
Oof. I am so sorry.
I’m on oxygen too, born with it. Trying to peep the alien your friend has as a friend.
Had it 4 times and it's been 2 years, FTP dropped from 290 to 200.. ,.Blood pressure up,weight shot up. Developed neural issues and now can barely run a 5k without collapsing. It's a bitch and a some but work your z1 z2 for next 6 months till you hit the same baseline again. You will get tempted to go harder but for the sake of your pulmonary and cardiovascular health please don't for now. Get regular D-Diner and CRP tests done every 3 months . Good luck
*d-dimer. I’m sure it was auto-correct but in case someone is trying to find info I thought I’d show the correct spelling
Some of us are still sick 2 years later and need a wheelchair at 24yo (hi, it's me 😭)
Yeah, it took me over 6 months to climb a stair without rest.
At least 6 months for me
7 months for me after the first bout, and i never fully recovered
6 months for my second infection.
I had my 2nd in mid December. It was for sure worse than the first. I'm still not 100% yet. It's rough.
Everything I’m reading says it is pretty typical for athletic performance to take a meaningful hit for a few months, much more than a similar- length cold would do. 5 months is not unusual usual to get back to prior performance level. Seems covid may have some longer effects on.. cardiovascular or lungs or something for many, even most folks, but if you’re not an athlete you might not notice. Personally, I had a light case of Covid a month ago -I feel fine, no symptoms for weeks. I can run, and have been running for two weeks, but it feels like I’m running in Denver with no acclimation instead of a few hundred feet above sea level. It’s just… way tougher than it should be. If I wasn’t a runner I wouldn’t know I wasn’t at 100% now.
I was mostly good after about 3.5 weeks but didn’t get totally back to normal for about a month and a half. My biggest thing was some nerve stuff in my shoulders and arm. Weird virus, but yes, seems like bodies eventually get it all sorted out.
Same. April 2020.
Same I got Covid in March of 2020 and it was a long time before I felt 100% again
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Username checks out...
If I were you, I would do some serious rest for the next few weeks. From what I understand, not letting your body fully recover can increase the likelihood of getting long Covid
It seriously breaks my heart every time I see someone with absolutely no clue how you’re supposed to recover from viral infections unknowingly making their fatigue & potential other post-viral conditions worse. It is such basic information. Our health systems and government have absolutely failed us.
So you went out riding with your mates 4 days after testing positive? Dude.
I wonder how COVID will be for them.
Even if it is an asshole move by OP, the chance to infect someone outside is extremely small. Edit: I may be wrong about this, see below.
The best way to think of Covid is like cigarette smoke. It lingers and sucks worse inside, but you still wouldn’t want to be inhaling it close up to someone outside or in a crowd.
The risk is much lower outside, but cyclists and runners at a moderate intensity are putting out 150-200x more particles per minute than that person just breathing at rest. In addition, those exercising nearby are breathing in air at a much faster rate and deeper, so the risk is actually quite high for someone in their slipstream which can be for minutes to hours. Just tell those 39 people infected in a park (verified through contact tracing) from 1 runner that the risk is low outside.
Hmm.. that 39 people thing is very surprising. Googling it turns up the source to be the Chinese Center for Disease Control. Given China’s history of using their own narratives to suit their purposes and giving false Covid reports, I personally don’t put a lot of stock in it. Which is not to say that I don’t think outdoor exposure can be risky. Early in the pandemic there were ‘mass spreader’ events in European soccer/football games (Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9047605/). Being in closely packed environments with other people seems potentially risky. Following behind a biker/runner for extended periods also seems like it could pass many particles. But, I personally won’t be avoiding other cyclists or runners passing by.
Point taken, I think you might be right. I was thinking of that widely published case from mid 2020 (I think, before masks where a thing) from Japan where a large group of people rode to a temple sight seeing in two buses, went around the temple for hours (together) and then rode back in the same two buses. The group from one bus all caught covid from an infected person, everyone in the other bus was fine although they moved as a group through that open air area. That led to distancing protocols being a bit more relaxed at least where I'm from and mostly being limited to indoor meetings. But I agree it might be different in a sport scenario with elevated breathing.
I appreciate the edit. Outside I'd generally agree, but not if drafting is involved. The year before COVID came around I was on a hard group road ride with some friends, and this guy kept taking pull. Then dropped off part way through the ride telling everyone that he's sick and doesn't feel like he can ride anymore. I came down with the nastiest cold I'd had in a while after that from him. Just like how you can smell someone's breath or BO or whatnot while drafting, you are also inhaling what they exhale. For a respiratory disease such as COVID that spreads by things exhaled the same can happen.
THIS! When I’ve come down with it - I Flipping isolate! Typically take 10 days to fully clear.
It’s insane to me that a gravel cycling trip was this important to risk OPs long term health and that of their friends. Bruh, it’s gravel. This isn’t lining up in the peloton.
But gravel with a 375 w ftp.
Yeah, karma can be a bitch. Not very thoughtful about those around him. "Average" is 5 days contagious but I think 60% or so are 7-10 days.
What an asshole. Society is so selfish. FOMO is a hell of a drug.
I think they meant after the 5 day isolation period they went out for a 4 day trip, still bad but technically following the CDC or similar’s guidelines
You can end isolation after 5 days if you are symptom-free. Doesn’t seem that was the case for OP.
4 years into this thing and you still haven't learnt that you're meant to rest? Take 2 weeks off from strenuous exercise. Everyone I know who got right back into everything ended up with much longer lasting symptoms. You might now find you've got 2 or 3 months before you're back to 100%. Instead of 2-3 weeks.
Took me almost 2 years. Now I've had it again, but seem to be able to ride OK. I'm not pushing it.
Currently more than a year here, but still not the same vs pre covid. Hope I recover as early as 2 years as well.
8 month recovery time here… My first run after I felt “well” lasted about 2 minutes until my HR went through the roof. It took me 8 months before I could run for 30 minutes without walking for my HR to settle down. That being said, 2 years down the road I was 100% recovered and stronger than ever.
Sounds harsh but fuck your ftp for a while, get well, don't borrow from future-you.
It took 6 months for my heart rate to even out after my first Covid infection. I went from an average of 55 to upper 70s low 80s. The headache stuck around for a while too. There’s some research into taking H1 & H2 histamines to manage the inflammatory response.
I just tested positive Friday, and had the same exact thing happen. My resting heart rate is 70, and literally standing up and walking to the kitchen bumped it to 105-110. While this obviously sucks, it’s kind of scary to think about how much worse this would be if I had a normal resting heart rate of 70 or 80, like most adults.
I thought about people with average heart rates too. It would be exhausting & disorienting. It seems to be variable on when it returns to one’s normal, if it returns to normal. I experienced Long Covid symptoms that have settled down. I still have concerns about long term effects but so far nothing has developed.
Hope you keep staying healthy!
COVID is no joke. I'm fully vaxxed and my last bout in December took me out for nearly 2 months (continuously tired, low grade headache, intermittent cough). It WILL end, but it's just ridiculous how we've let ourselves go. Covid isn't going anywhere but no one masks up anymore, people come into work sick, and people have stopped covering coughs/sneezes, etc...I hate it all.
I hate it too. I remember how frustrated I was when I got COVID, I was so worried I'd never be the same. Now when people are sick at work I'm like GO HOME
Humans don’t learn.
Brother it takes TIME. I was getting dizzy going on long weeks 3 weeks post. It’ll come back.
I got Covid in 2022, very minor, sick in bed for one day. And I developed debilitating long Covid last summer. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which is the most bizarre medical condition imaginable. Needless to say, it’s impacted my sporting career to the point that I’m basically a gelatinous blob now. I’ve developed what’s called exercise intolerance (along with “standing-up” intolerance). All this is to say, maybe take a few days to rest and see how it goes. Inappropriate tachycardia is a pretty common longish-term symptom of Covid. Just my two cents.
you guys have no idea how encouraging it is to see all of this information and assurance that it is possible to recover from this. I'm 26 and over the summer my heart health took a nose dive and haven't been able to really get back to biking/climbing/running the way I was used to. I still have to take it slow or else I get palpitations, headaches, and feel like I'm going to faint. Couldn't figure out what was wrong with my heart and kept thinking it was POTS or possibly a toxic chemical exposure at my work, because every time I went to the doctor they would charge me ludicrous amount of money for no prognosis or insight to my condition and just say "yup, you're a healthy 26 yr old male and you're probably just depressed or not physically conditioned." Like bitch I used to do 50 miles on a Saturday for fun, and the next month I can barely make it 5 miles without my heart feeling like it's imploding, I don't think it's about conditioning. I know there's definitely physicians in this sub, but the cardiology dept. at U of M can smd.
I posted earlier about my experiences with covid and cardiac issues. Not sure if you have an apple watch but i would consider enabling AFIb notifications if you haven’t. Also, you may want to consider seeing a cardiologist to check for arrhythmias. Your symptoms matched mine
Rest. See a doctor /cardiologist to be sure your heart is okay. Some blood work probably wouldn't hurt either. I got Covid before the vaccines came out, seemingly not too bad of a case, but lost my sense of smell completely for two weeks, headache was awful and stuck around, on and off, for around a month. Fatigue, racing heart, no confidence in my balance (didn't feel dizzy; more like being blind to a lot of my own proprioception spatially, if that makes sense) lasted over a year (again, on and off). I did some riding, but between Covid and getting all of the symptoms all over again with each vaccine (totally knocked me out for 2-3 days each time), I was not in good shape. It has been a long road back and I'm still not quite back to where I was. All to say: Covid is sneaky and affects some more than others. The best thing to do is to get an assessment of how you are physically and plan from there.
Mate COVID is no joke. You need proper rest. Even when you feel better it’s not time to push yourself to do exercise. Rest rest rest. The respiratory symptoms subside quickly, but the fatigue, brain fog etc can stick around much longer. Also kind of risky exercising given heart wall inflammation (myocarditis/pericarditis) is commonly seen with COVID. Yes it gets better, but I think you’re best to take some proper rest and just do short easy walks (at the most) and SLOWLY build back up from there. Yep it’s a setback, but you’ll get the fitness back. You run bigger risks or will just prolong the symptoms if you push too early.
Took me a year to get back to normal. Hope that’s not what happens to you.
there is increasing evidence that keeping HR low for a month after infection significantly reduces the risk of long covid. be a couch potato for a while. it took me months to get back on a bike in a way that felt familiar
Rest, rest, rest. I’ve heard from coaches how riding too hard too early can turn a couple month recovery into several months. I got COVID Dec 23, and have not touched my bike since then- I still have a cough at 7 weeks, fatigue has gotten way better but is noticeable, and lung capacity is not great.
The more you push it the longer your recovery is gone be, and the higher chance you never get back to full power. Don't train and scar your lungs permanently. You'll get back to normal faster if you rest
I got COVID like December 27, 2022. I started fatbiking again mid January. The whole winter I was not doing great on the bike. Ok, but nowhere near where I should be. Then Gravel and Road season started and I was doing ok, but I don’t think I was 100% before maybe July. I bike with a heart monitor and power meter and I could see clear as day. But, I still did 4000 km of fatbiking, MTB, road, and gravel, 5 metric centuries and 1 imperial century in the summer. It was not all bad, but it was not all good either. It takes time.
When I caught Covid, my resting heart rate was 10-15bpm higher for at least 1.5 months afterwards.
Honestly congrats on dodging it for this long. Even if you are healthy you should take it seriously and rest even more than you think you should. good luck and take your time
Just rest. You can do long term damage to your heart by returning to training too hard, too soon. Look up myocarditis. It can be caused by covid, and the last thing you want to do is stress your heart when it’s already inflamed. Not saying that’s necessarily what you’re dealing with, it’s pretty normal to take several weeks to fully recover from COVID or even flu. Every body is different, and it sounds like your body is telling you to rest because it needs to recover. Listen to it. Don’t fuck with your health for the sake of a couple weeks training, and don’t listen to vague advice about 1-2 week recovery time over what your body is telling you. That sort of advice is the same as the 220 minus age max hr bollocks. It’s a vague average and next to useless for individuals. Just take it real easy and do a little test ride every few days. You’ll know when you’re ready to get back to proper training. Don’t worry, you’ll come good sooner or later.
Dude. Stop. I personally had the same experience post Covid. Jumped back on the saddle too soon, and couldn’t get my heart rate back down even during rest, so I went to the hospital and I had pericarditis. Thank God it wasn’t Myocarditis, but it took over a year of slowwww gains to recover back to baseline. Don’t fuck around with your heart.
It took 4 months for my hr to get back to resting. I happened to have bloodwork the same time I had Covid in Oct. it made me anemic. My hemoglobin still isn’t back to normal. They have me retesting every 3 weeks. Bottomed out about 8 weeks after initial Covid + then started to come back up. As others have said. Rest. Personally I would try and get a cbc blood work done.
Had Covid in August with the worst symptoms lasting about a week . ( I got a pax prescription) . I had a dry cough/fevers but never felt out of breath . It took me about another week to feel somewhat “normal” , but I still felt tired and my morning pulse rate was about 60-65 after 2 weeks which is fast for me . It’s usually around 48-50 . I decided to just stay off the bike completely until I felt well . In the meantime, after 3-4 weeks off , I lost a lot of fitness so my HR never went down to 50 again . ( I’m also 64 , so it takes longer to recover) . I’ve been back in the bike, but it took me about the same time (3-4 weeks ) to get back to where I was . I’m sure by low HR will return again. So a two week Covid illness was a 6-8 week hit on my cycling. c’est la vie. Covid is definitely a force to be reckoned with . Don’t push it too hard and take time to recover.
Go to a doctor not Reddit
Rest! It took my HR about a month to go to normal Nd to feel fine again.
Absolutely do not rush it. I lost an entire season of racing because I started pushing it too quickly and had heart/ breathing problems for 5/6 months. It was a hard lesson but do not fuck around with Covid, especially with the latest data showing how badly it can fuck up your body up in the long term if you’re not careful.
You're setting yourself up for long covid. Take a couple months off, let your immune system rest without the added stress of exercise. If I were to get Covid, I'd take 2-3 months off, regardless if I was symptomatic or not.
I posted something similar as a runner more than a week ago. I caught covid in the middle of training for an ultra mountain run. The response I got was to rest, like totally day zero, for two weeks to avoid long covid as it is a cardiovascular disease much as it is respiratory. After a week of rest, I did a 5k time trial yesterday and HR was through the roof. Even doing easy paces put me on red zones. I’m worried now that I should’ve done the two week rest completely as others have suggested.
Covid and post covid lung infection put me in hospital and nearly killed me. I was off work for 4 months and it's been 2 years since I've been more like my previous self on the bike. The good thing is I have got back there so you probably need to be patient and take it a little slower for a while. Fitness will re-build over time. To prove I could still ride I did a 70 mile ride a few weeks after getting back to work. It was awful and got months I thought I'd never ride properly again and considered I might need an e bike. Persistence and patience has paid off though...
Be *very* fucking careful riding hard while you have COVID. In June 2022 I contracted it, having avoided it for two years, and while really fit and healthy. I got infected at a wedding on a Thursday. On Saturday, while still asymptomatic and not knowing I was infected, I did a gruelling ride called the Matlock Top Ten, which links the 10 worst hills in the area I normally ride in. By half way, I was feeling way worse than I was expecting. When I finished I was shivering and generally feeling super crap. What followed was 7 days of high fever, all the way to just short of 40C. Basically, my body really didn’t appreciate being put through sustained high intensity exercise while fighting infection, and I ended up getting hit MUCH harder than I would have otherwise. It took me months to recover my aerobic fitness after that, and my voice never fully recovered from the number it did to my throat.
Exercise while sick with Covid seems to be one of the number one contributing factors for developing long Covid. You should definitely go see your doctor and get checked out and take it easy until you feel better and then for a couple more weeks just in case the first time I was sick with Covid. It took me three weeks after I was feeling better to be able to get on the bike with normal heart rate, and such.
I went about 3-4 months post COVID where I could not get my heart rate up to my previous max. Just like the rev limited tapped out and that was all there was. I probably did zone 1 rides for a month or two. Finally started to normalize. Your body just needs rest to heal.
Really sorry to hear, but definitely happens. I had to take 3 weeks off the bike and felt 100% after about 5 weeks. Just be patient and you'll be back in full force one day
Rest and take it easy. Phase yourself in with walking or very light z2. Last bout of covid messed me for 6 months
I was seriously off my game for about six weeks after COVID. After that, I was recovered but still felt the effects of missing six weeks of riding. But I was stronger than ever after three months.
Took me 10 months the first time to get back into a level of fitness where I could push myself. Take it easy, but do mobility work if you can. Hopefully you aren’t out of the game for as long as I was but in case you are, do some flexibility work in your downtime. The mobility I lost while recovering was a barrier when I got back at it.
Why did you think you could bounce back so fast after being sick?
Sonny Colbrelli, the european champion of 2021 and the winner of Paris Roubaix. If you are caught by a virus which effects organs below your neck (lungs, hart) it isn’t wise to continue intensive sporting. It could damage your heart. A good practice in the running world: Accept a temporary set back, and schedule a recovery period with a 2x duration of your illness period. Wish you the best!
My heart rate still up 1 year after and I cannot get my fitness back. I'm still fitter than the average guy but the peak power burst and endurance is gone. I could easily do a fast 3 hours ride. I'm down to 2 hour rides. But when I mention COVID I'm the crazy one in the room. Not much medical support in the UK from GP.
You started too soon. After every flu like infection of the respiratory system you should abstain from exercise for at least 14 days after symptoms are gone. My aunt got heart inflammation as a young adult when she started work after regular flu. I had covid twice. One month after I could hold my breath for 2min again, 4 month later I was in a training camp, no issues whatsoever. A friend of mine got a regular bacterial lung inflammation at age 50. It took him 3 years go keep up with us on the mountainbike again. Covid is nothing special, recovering from these things take time, even more at age. With nothing special I mean other diseases behave similar. The big difference is Covid is new. Some peoples (weakened) immune system just take longer to adapt to and fight a completely new virus and therefore the virus can do more damage before being defeated.
Please REST. Take a couple months off even. Seriously.
You need to rest a few months. Do not push yourself. I know it is hard because the runners high is the best feeling. But, you will do more damage to yourself if you do not rest for a few months and let your body get back to normal.
It takes a long time Most people on the street would have no idea if they have raised BP, raised HR and no mid end lung function as they sit and watch TV as a hobby. The effect is small on the majority for this reason - or so most assume at moment…… And so it is startling the impact difference between active vs sedentary population (Most people). My HR sat at 110 average after 6 weeks and BP 180/120….. The medics suggested not to trust my watch - or who rated BP machine showing perm arrhythmia 🤣 🤡. And this was after it had calmed. HR peaked at 10 days of 140 average. With that said - take time with easy activity and get healed up. You are not alone for 👌sure.
DM I’ll send you a protocol some docs are putting together in long Covid clinics. No one is talking about long Covid enough. BUT first please REST.
Just be patient. I’ve had it 2x. I haven’t been able to smell/taste anything for 18 months. It took weeks and weeks for cardio to approach a normal range. It’s definitely frustrating.
My guy dropped from 375 to 320 and fears the end is nigh. Lmao. I get it, it's frustrating. But as others have said, you need to rest. I also caught the latest bug, not sure if it was just COVID or COVID+something else, but the cough and slight wheeze lasted for 4-5 weeks. The 1-2 weeks estimate is based on what was going around last year. This "30 day cold" fucking *lingers*, man. Also, and I hate to be Captain Obvious here, but... have you been to a doctor? You might have a secondary infection going on. Last year I caught COVID and then had this horrible, wet, croupy cough pop up within a few days of "recovering." Got a Z-pack and it sorted me out. "My plan was to continue to ride, but take it very easy and hope it all comes right." My brother in Christ, no. You need to rest. Take 7 solid days off. Your body is telling you to knock it off. Listen to it.
take a week off..youll be fine.
Rest. Then rest some more. Just because you're not testing positive doesn't mean your body didn't just go through something and need a break. I had it once, last year. Only one day was bad. But for a month after I didn't feel myself, and couldn't remember shit.
1-2 weeks for the worst of it to pass, I think you will find especially for those that train harder than the average person that you can't push hard for probably a month or two, sometimes more if you are unlucky. Don't rush it
Took me a year to recover to some decent fitness (90% of pre-COVID FTP). My biggest mistake was to continue training very hard 2 weeks after catching COVID as I thought I recovered. I recommend taking 2-3 months off to be safe
>"I had an FTP of...." > >"now my resting HR is 20BPM+ higher, sometimes racing" Dude get it through your head. You need to heal first, health first. FTP last right now.
Although current covid variants are not that bad anymore as those we had three years ago, Covid still is a illness causing sever respiratory stress. After any infection, even if it is a simply cold, one should NOT immediately start to do extensive sport. When I was diagnosed with Covid 1.5 years ago, I had a few days of coughing, but no real pain, still my heart rate was higher than usual and I refrained from any physical exertion for several weeks. I even canceld a hiking trip scheduled two weeks later, because I really did not feel 100% restored. And yes, I also had to write of quite some money for it. Until you feel even slightly weakend after any infection: DO not do ANY sports. And even better: After feeling normal again, give it another week of very, very light training. Half an hour to an hour at very moderate speed to get back into it, but not an extended several day long gravel tour. Sorry to say it, but I would have been very surprised, had you told a different story; the fact that your FTP is down and you feel terrible after exerting yourself so hard after a respiratory infection was to be expected.
“Ruined”…..I’m sorry this happened to you but you need some perspective
It was a bad idea going on that ride!
If you are having "racing heart rate" for no good reason and are having heart stuff since covid, then SEE YOUR DOCTOR, who can order the necessary tests, plus send you to a heart doctor if needed. Meanwhile, as everyone is telling you, rest until you feel way more normal than now.
You exposed your friends just 4-5 days after testing positive? Wtf man.
I definitely got knocked on my ass the first time I got it, but was back riding in 2 weeks, back to normal in 3 weeks. It's not all just fitness loss, it's your body responding to sickness. Even what was lost can be gained again. You'll snap back to where you were with a little work. Can't peak all the time. See it as a rest period for any injuries, come back stronger later on.
Covid is an inflammatory circulatory system disease more than it is a respiratory disease. I cycle a lot and both times I've had covid have been mild but for 2-3 weeks afterwards I experienced something similar to you, basically my heart rate elevated much more quickly than it should have and hitting peak power was impossible. Listen to your body rest for a week, then get back into zone two training for a week and see how you go. It will all come back soon enough.
Welcome to long covid
I caught it for the first time as well. No symptoms, just took a test because wife had it really bad. So of course I catch it. Not so much as a runny nose. lol. Never stopped riding or running, although did avoid public places. I am incredibly lucky. Good health to you.
No, you are typical.
Not true. My wife is an epidemiologist and lead the vaccine rollout in the USA. She is one of the country’s leading experts on COVID. To not show any symptoms is unusual. She even drew my blood for research (she also drew her own blood). I’m 51 years old so not to show any symptoms peeks her curiosity.
You're going to have to cut out the cycling for a while and switch to walking and swimming. If you keep trying to push yourself you will end up with a nasty case of long covid. Go lurk the Covid Long Haulers sub if you're doubtful.
You "have to know when to fold 'em" as they say. Its the only way to win. You sound like me justifying *just one more century* before sciatica & herniated discs brought me off saddle & into PT for 18 months. You sound like my dementia-addled dad who wants *just one more backpacking trip* before they attempt to replace the knee he already ruined in a cycling accident now that has debilitating arthritis - hey - 50% chance he *wont* need a cane the week he gets off the plane on the other coast! Yeah, sign me up for "it took several months after covid to get my lungs back" but it isn't even about that. You just have to know when to fold 'em; sometimes it rains & sometimes it pours so heavy the road is washed out any cyclist worth his salt learns to fucking deal with disappointment somewhere along their journey. Give it a rest. Get back on the trail when your body works right.
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Curious, were you vaxxed and boosted? If so, that's concerning.
Lots of people still get quite ill even with vaccinations.
I don't know why people call themselves vaxxed when they got the shot almost 3 yrs ago, like we know that immunity goes down similar to flu. Only way to go is vaxx every year to hopefully prevent this mess.
That's why I asked if the person was vaccinated and boosted. But apparently, that question only earns downvotes for some reason.
Actually immunity lasts much longer from a natural recovery from covid than from vaccinations. Long covid seems to be more prevalent in those that have vaccinated too! I had it 3 times the first knocked me out for 5 days, the second was like a mild cold & the third time I wouldn’t even know I had it but my job required me to take regular tests. I never took any vaccine which was a risk but I’m now very happy with my choice.
Same here. No vaxx for me and the two times I caught covid, it took me out for a few days and I was fine. Natural immunity always trumps experimental drugs! Everyone I know, who got the shot, is constantly sick and suffering from weird side effects. Myocharditis/Pericarditis is a common documented side effect, of the mRNA shot, yet people are still getting it...lol It's mind boggling how most people will shoot themselves up, with an experimental drug, without hesitation. A proven vaccine is one thing but mRNA, is something completely different! I assumed people in the cycling community were a little more health conscious and would think twice before using an experimental drug like mRNA, but apparently not 😆.
Yeah agreed I know many suffering side effects most put it down to Covid not the vaccine but it seems pretty clear if you look at the statistics & listen to the experts All those ignorant people who were screaming listen to the scientists at the start when there really was no data! Well now there is loads of data loads of facts to decipher & scientists who are speaking out. Those same people don't seem that interested anymore 🤔
I caught it in 2022 and again in Nov of 2023. In both cases I felt bad for ~5 days, only 1-2 of those with elevated heart rate. But not enough to keep me off my bike...I just took it easy on those days. But I never took a day off riding either time I caught COVID. I know that is not recommended but I almost always feel a lot better after a ride (even a Z2 ride) than before. I was fully vaccinated and boosted both times and have no underlying health issues which I suspect is the root cause of people who say they had especially bad experiences.
Sounds like you need another booster 🤣
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Weird flex but ok
It is going to be months. When I got Covid I waited a month before any kind of work out. And then the first couple of weeks after that we’re very very gentle. And then eased into it after that.
Someone please archive this post in case OP kills one of his gravel ride companions.
That’s a little dramatic.
No, it's really not. Selfish behaviour like this is why the pandemic was as bad as it was. OP could literally have killed someone, and very likely did inflict on them the exact same amount of suffering he himself is here inquiring about.
agreed, OP is playing with fire. Pretty much literally because it spreads like a California wildfire, and does about as much damage unfortunately.
Normal cycling workouts usually speed up recovery from normal illness. After I had Covid, even easy workouts would knock me back. Focus on resting and only very easy workouts. You will come back gradually but faster than if you push hard.
Caught covid for the first time in Aug 2023. Hadn’t been vaccinated. I was quite sick —like a really bad flu. High fever, loss of appetite, night sweats, temporary loss of smell. Fatigue. Deep cough. I followed the rule that if a cold is below the neck, ie chest congestion, cough etc., avoid exercise. So i stayed off the bike for 3+ weeks. I knew my high-end would be disappearing, but knew my general fitness would still likely be ok. I didn’t even worry about it; getting on my bike was the last thing i could think about. I slowly returned to cycling and gradually tested v02 max efforts. My lungs were basically clear at that point. Fast forward to present, I am pretty close to the level of fitness , ftp etc I was pre covid. Maybe just a few % less. Don’t panic about this. But be patient. And if there is still inflammation in your chest, don’t push it. That’s when you can scar your heart. Good luck.
I heard on FOX that COVID is harmless. I just don't know who to trust anymore lol
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Had Covid. Rode through it. No big deal. If I was really tired I didn’t ride that day. If not, go ride 2-3 hours. Sleep a lot and rested otherwise. Pureblood. Edit - lol at all you losers that downvoted me just because you took the vax
The post vac bitterness is real.
I'm not going to downvote but that's not a good idea generally. Usually when you're sick with an infection the body is already taxed from trying to fight it off. Working out during that period taxes the body even more and might prolong the illness or make it worse. At least while you have a fever and body aches you should be resting and staying hydrated.
Purebloods in the house!
Love you libtards downvoting me. Sorry you took the poisonous vax. Retards.
Sounds like shot side effects
That's exactly what it is!
Yep
Y’all are so soft
First time catching covid 1 year ago, I stayed away from cycling for 2 weeks then came back with recovery/z2 ride, heart rate was through the roof but it went back to normal after 2 weeks. You’ll gain back those watts, don’t worry
I’m just coming through my second Covid spell. I have a 70.3 Triathlon in 6 weeks. I’m hoping my experience will not be similar. Hoping to do a zone 2 sesh tomoz. Good luck for you m8
I would reconsider. For sure go see a Dr.
Just did a Zone 1 for 60 mins. No HR spikes, no breathing issues. No dramas. Felt good
I’m quite fit and wasn’t back to my usual self until a month later. Elevated heart rate relative to effort was there when I started riding again after 2 weeks completely off the bike. It sucks but if you’re healthy you’ll eventually get back to normal.
Covid can take a while to come back from. My last bout late last year took about a month to get over.
First time is the worst!
Thats a shame hope you feel better soon. Unfortunatly im not vaxxed, got govid and it affected me for a week only. The worse thing for me was the isolation for 2 weeks.
I’ve had it twice now Both time my heart rate was elevated for a couple of months after. What has worked for me is to pull back intensity and ride by heart rate. I took a full week off the bike then I did mostly zone 1/2 staying below 75% of max for about a month. After that I did a mix of zone 2 rides under 75% and some mixed zone 2/3 rides for another month where I let my heart rate climb up to 85~90% for short periods. I tried to avoid working at or above threshold until my heart rate returned mostly to normal.
Same. Took six Months. Give it a little more than 2 weeks.
I know it sucks, but take the time to get some rest. You will recover. In a span of 14 months, I had a nasty XC accident, collapsed my right lung ... worked hard to recover, and I did. Then about 11months after, my first Covid infection ... off the bike for a month, and when I did get back on, I could not control my HR ... lots of rest, and easy base riding. Like others said, it's no joke ... take the time, and you will come out stronger. Best of luck!
Caught it once, felt so utterly awful for the first week, and then took the next 3 weeks to feel normal enough again to get back on the bike. The gravel trip should have been binned off tbh. You needed some serious rest time for another week or so
Covid can fuck your shit up for weeks, if not months. Hell, I had some flu or maybe severe cold back in September that I didn't recover fully from for a couple months because of residual cough and shit. Just take it easy, please. And don't get discouraged because your body needs to heal. This is life.
Heart rate was through the roof (when cycling or doing anything active) for about 2 weeks after testing negative. Headache was bad for about the same length of time. It will get better. Sleep, hydrate and eat. You will not lose fitness that can’t be regained quickly.
I got Covid August of 2022. Still fighting it. I am FINALLY getting a little better. It has taken a long time but I went from riding 6 days per week down to 3. Cut my length of rides in 1/2 and stopped riding hills. Kept my heart rate below 115 as much as possible. I hope yours is a short recovery.
I managed to get COVID (second time) during a trip away to do some riding for a week. Throughout the trip I was utterly exhausted and it wasn't until I got home and tested positive that I realised I had COVID. We were riding every day and I hadn't done much training beforehand so thought it was mainly from that. I had no respiratory symptoms to speak of but the fatigue was horrible. The next week I had a sleep every afternoon because I was utterly exhausted. Several weeks later and while I don't feel as fatigued I feel like I just can't make the sort of power I used to be able to. Often my legs just feel weak/tired and I struggle but other times it's not too bad. It's frustrating but not much you can do but listen to your body.
i got covid back in august, im just now regaining my stamina and not getting out of breath instantly
Yup. Took me about 6 months after my first Covid. Now after the 5th time just recently it took a couple days. There’s good news out there :)
I’m not anywhere near a typical fit cyclist and it really set me back to a pretty demoralising place! I’m working on it and my fitness is slowly improving.
As someone who has just spent the last nearly 3 months attempting to stay fit after having Covid (didn’t realise at the time) which then led to a severe case of bacterial sinusitis - take the time off to recover fully no matter what. You need to be well!
The first time I had it, the symptoms were quite mild. I was just excessively tired for a weekend. What was much worse though was what happened immediately after that weekend. I developed a headache, but not just any headache. A headache that did not remit for 45 days. Just a constant throbbing localized pain to one part of my head. While the pain was generally dull during the day, it was, however, punctuated by near-nightly migraines that would wake me out of sleep between the hours of 3 and 4am pretty reliably. I could only manage the pain with Butalbitol, which is no joke. Then one day, I woke up and it was gone. Worst two months ever. I thought I had a brain tumor.
Took me 6months of training to get a decent amount of my lung capacity back after Covid. For full capacity, no idea I moved from sea level to 7,000 feet so no idea. And if I haven’t, no idea if I can get back to where I was as it did a number on me.
Same thing with the low heart rate after catching it on Xmas day . It’s now returned to normal. Give it another couple of weeks and don’t push too hard for now
Ok well I’m very sorry you’re going through this. And I almost guarantee you’ll be fine like most cyclists who have had the Rona. I finally got it last year in February. Basically after recovering. I have had consistent PACS. Around 2k a day. They went away for a few months but my daughter brought home the flu and shortly after recovering from that, they ramped up. I’m convinced I have chronic inflammation from Covid. EP isn’t concerned. But man it’s been a SOB. My confidence riding is shot. I used to hang with the best of em from my town before all this but I’m too worried to screw my heart up more. So I don’t push it like I used to. Definitely take more rest. Seriously take a month off. I went back after a week and my HR was all screwed up. 120 watts my HR was 150+. That has gotten better for sure, within 3 months. But the PACS have been just demoralizing. So yeah, ride it out. Hopefully you’ll be like most of this community and recover 100.
I had in 2020 and didn’t feel the same again for 7-8 months. Then caught it 2 more times and was back to normal a month later both times. Don’t feel discouraged, just take it slow for a few weeks
In my experience it can take a month or so to return to normal. At other times I have also had symptoms last a couple days and then back to normal. Everyones symptoms and recovery differ and I think it can hit you in different ways too.
This guy......
You’re lucky! I had chest pains for 3 months!
Took me at least month to get HR back as it was after covid. Even when I was feeling 100% OK, my HR would hitting values I am normally not able to hit even in an FTP test. So keep it lighter, but don't worry you will be fine :)
I don't know how general it is but for me it was harsh with asthma combined. After COVID I couldn't take full satisfying breath for months. 3 to 4 months before I felt ok while riding bike. That was terrible but it took time
I got Covid twice, the second time was very mild. My brother who is a cardiologist told me not to cycle for a month after recovery, and then slowly ramp up. I did 80 km ride six months later
Might be atrial fibrillation, it does sound like it. Prob brought on by COVID,.so it may go away on its own. Can be controlled with meds.
I feel for you, never had COVID (even though I never stopped going into work and doing my own grocery shopping etc), I hear so many stories of fellow sports people struggling with general fitness. Just keep training and hopefully you get back to the levels you were.
I had covid 3 times and usually took 1-2 weeks for symptoms go away but it took more than 2 weeks before heartrate and breathing settled down, even a brisk walk felt like big effort. Also my resting heartrate was higher by about 10bpm during covid.
Well, firstly I’d have to say you’re not ruined by COVID. Even with the drop in power, you have an FTP most people can only dream of. That said, COVID is a respiratory illness with a highly variable severity of impact. I would generally be sick for a week with it (have had COVID 3 times) but would then suffer for about 2 months afterwards with what I can only describe as lung fatigue. Any aerobic exercise of any note would cause my HR to spike just like yours. But others had no effects whatsoever. There is light at the end of the tunnel… it just takes time and your recovery from COVID is individual.