Recovering from sickness!?

[rowrow12345]

I recently was very sick for around 2 weeks with something like pneumonia and before that in September I had covid. Right before i got covid in September I pulled a 7:35 2k and now I think I’d be lucky to go sub 8. My lungs don’t feel that bad, I keep up during my teams runs but as soon as I start a hard piece, 30 seconds in I get terrible lactic acid in my quads. I rarely used to get lactic acid in my quads other than of course, well in to a 2k. Now my muscles feel so weak, it feels physically impossible for me to pull anything under 2:00 for more than a minute. I used to automatically hold a low split (for me that’s like sub 1:50) at high rates and now I can somehow be at a rate 34 and 2:10 split. I thought that maybe it was harder to pull because I lost weight while being sick but NO, I actually have gained 5 pounds since my last 2k.
I was hoping someone has had experience with this because I’m getting super discouraged and I want to get my strength back. Any suggestions on how to fix this or why my lactic acid is so bad and muscles feel so weak would be greatly appreciated.
female
Height: 5’10
age: 17
weight: 147 lbs

[Dave Neve]

Hello rowrow 12345

I think you might get a lot of answers to this as there are so many aspects to explore.

Taking one aspect though, aerobic v anaerobic and lactic acid, here is what ChatGPT has to say;

Anaerobic exercise causes the body to produce the most lactic acid. During anaerobic activities, such as sprinting or heavy weightlifting, the body relies on energy sources that do not require oxygen, leading to the production of lactic acid as a byproduct of glucose metabolism. In contrast, aerobic exercise, such as long-distance running or cycling, primarily uses oxygen to produce energy, resulting in less lactic acid production.

Based on this, I'd say you might have to change your routine until you fully recover, which in your case would mean leaning towards aerobic rowing (longer distances rather than shorter ones with intensity).

And patience of course. You had a series of illnesses that have clearly impacted your body. Give it the time it needs to recover.

Good luck.

[Tsnor]

I recently was very sick for around 2 weeks with something like pneumonia and before that in September I had covid.... Now my muscles feel so weak, it feels physically impossible for me to pull anything under 2:00 for more than a minute. I used to automatically hold a low split (for me that’s like sub 1:50) at high rates and now I can somehow be at a rate 34 and 2:10 split.

I was hoping someone has had experience with this because I’m getting super discouraged and I want to get my strength back.
female
Height: 5’10
age: 17
weight: 147 lbs

Talk to your doctor. Explain exactly what you said in your post. Better - print out your post and send it to your doctor.

There are things like overtraining your doctor should rule out. They will set your expectations for recovery following two significant illnesses in the last 2 months. And they will be able to give you actions you can take that are tailored to you.

Your description of what you are doing and feeling is excellent. At a guess 1/3 to 1/2 of the people on this forum are thinking "Been there, done that". You are not alone. Recovery Timeframe Rule of thumb, for every day out take 2 days at reduced load to get back to your prior training. This article talks a bit about COVID which can have lingering symptoms -- most of which go away at 12 weeks so could be a problem now but will go away. https://www.triathlete.com/training/inj ... rep-covid/

Good Luck. And talk to your doctor.

[Dangerscouse]

It's easier said than done, but you need to remain patient and forget about your previous sessions for the moment.

How recently were you sick? I remember having flu about 25 years ago, and I mean proper flu, not a cold like some people call the flu, and I could hardly walk more than 50 metres for about a week afterwards and it took me about two months to get anything close to normal again.

Bouncing back from illness can be a roll of the dice and sometimes it's a lot worse than others, but you can't shortcut recovery or do better than getting professional advice. Good luck

[JaapvanE]

Recovery Timeframe Rule of thumb, for every day out take 2 days at reduced load to get back to your prior training.

As a former athlete, our friendly team doctor always used a one-on-one ratio after you are truly recovered. But that was downhill skiing where races are shorter than two minutes.

With illnesses like flu and COVID, true recovery might take quite a while. It could take months before it really clears your system. So talking with a medical professional what is realistic in your situation is indeed the wisest approach.