[worm]

hi,

i'm getting really frustrated here!. this is the 3rd time in the last 3 months. i take 3000-4000 vitamin c every day with a multi, zinc and B12 but i'm still getting sick. i have been training when i'm well but the last couple of weeks have had some pretty intense rides.
i'm in the gym 3 days a week with about 10 hours of riding. on some of those rides i've been at race pace (maxed out).
maybe it's too early in the season to be pushing that hard and my body has had a tough time keeping up and healthy? i get about 8-9 hours of sleep and do the best to stay hydrated and streched out.

i'm 34 and i race expert men mountain bike. i've been racing for 4 years now.
any comments?

best,
dp

 

[bikebabe]

Getting sick is usually an indication of stress---physical or mental. I've noticed that if I get back to really intense rides too fast once I start feeling better, I relapse. It's hard but usually for about a week AFTER feeling better, I try to take things slow. I'll go for rides, but fun rides.

Also try to take care of yourself, and not just with vitamins---eat whole grains, fruits and veggies, limit dairy if you're snotty, get plenty of sleep, and try to de-stress. With vitamins, I take a multi every day but limit the high doses of C and zinc to when I start feeling a cold. I also take echinacea at those times. A really simple thing that helps is frequent hand washing with soap and warm water---especially before eating/touching your nose/mouth.

Finally, if you had the flu, there are a lot of secondary infections occuring with this seasons flu. If it's a secondary infection after the flu, is really important to go to a doctor and get treated. You'll probably have to endure a round of antibiotics but that is better than being chronically ill.

Get better!

 

[worm]

thanx bikebabe.
(i like your avatar) grrrrrrrrrr
i've got most of your points covered. i think. ;-)
i've started to improve my nutrition.
i take a multi, c, beta glucan, and b12.
i think i've been taking un-necessary amounts of C
(when i've been well) 4 (1000mg) tablets.
i read that drinking fresh squeezed oj/grapefruit juice throughout the day gives you the most C your body can absorb NATURALLY!
anyway, i just got unlucky this time. i was with my sick teammate after a hard ride last sunday. i rode hard on tuesday and was sick by that evening. oh well.

thanx for being cool.
dp

 

[Evel Monkey]

Sounds like you need more rest than anything.