During my 4th week of my 5th block of sweet spot base (04/28/2022) I got in an accident. I got major road rash on the left side of my body. I was placed on antibiotics and daily wound care. It’s been about 11 days post accident and it’s been the most time I’ve taken off the bike since I’ve started training with TR (back in November 2021)
I’m not sure if it’s the break in routine or lack of endorphins but it’s put me in depressed state. I don’t look forward to waking up. Im unenthusiastic. I’m not interested in things I usually am.
I just started training again Saturday the end of 5th week. And I did light z2 on Saturday. And long z2 on Sunday. This week I’m not scheduled for any intervals just zone 2 it’s a recovery week. So next Monday I’ll do a ramp test and start up intervals again.
Is this normal to feel this way?
Should I seek professional help?
I don’t have a history of depression or mood disorders or I’m unfamiliar in this territory.
I appreciate any response thanks.
Sorry man. I’m not a mental health expert but, I am a crash expert with numerous nasty crashes to my name over the years. It takes more energy than you think to heal. PTSD might be a place to focus and start researching from. While I never seemed to get depressed many friends/riders who crashed have experienced depression/being really bummed or in a funk as you wrote. I think it’s quite common but, I have no science or research to back that up. Again, PTSD might be a good place to focus. Keep you chin up!
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If you have the time, I’d totally recommend ‘Rebound’ by Carrie Cheadle. It is a mental skills / sports psychology book about dealing with the mental side to injuries and the recovery process. My #1 takeaway is that all the effort and time you spend training should go into the recovery process. You have a lot of free time to think about all kinds of things instead of having your normal focus. Work hard → recover hard.
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Several times a day I think about the crash and it disappoints me because I know I took the wrong line and all I can think of after is going back and sending it correctly.
Antibiotics can screw with your gut biome which help with serotonin production and a lot of other stuff. Probiotic laden foods such as kombuchas, etc. are a good idea after antibiotics. Get your gut fixed then see if your mood improves
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This is what I was thinking of as well. I’m going to jump on the on the kombucha and yogurts today.
I can relate to this- got hit by a car a couple of weeks back and my head has been all over the place ever since. Had about a week where I couldn’t even think about riding and ever since I’ve been sort of unfocused and moody which is pretty out of the ordinary for me.
It is worth noting that you don’t need to be clinically depressed to benefit from therapy if you feel like it would help, and getting on top of how you’re feeling early is pretty much the biggest factor in improving long-term prognosis if you are prone to mental health issues. Similarly, there are a few other strategies that are useful even if you’re just going through a hard time- reaching out to your friends/ride buddies or just making time to hang out, getting some fresh air even if it’s not exercise-related, immersing yourself in other hobbies, etc. I think a lot of us think we need to be diagnosed with something in order to act on our mental health, or even acknowledge that we’re struggling- but prevention is usually better than cure in this regard, and it’s a big part of taking care of your overall health whoever you are.
Best of luck with your recovery- hope you’re back out there soon!
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I would echo what others have said already in this thread. Based upon recent experience with a crash, I think what you are feeling is totally normal (unfortunately). I went into a funk a bit after my accident, and found it hard to dig out. On top of what you are experiencing, I also found my confidence was (and still is) shaken on subsequent rides, which has also impacted my mood and outlook at times. I can only offer a few suggestions, as I am still in the process of trying to “dig out” of some of what you are experiencing: 1) if you struck your head, it is worth getting a CT or at least getting examined. Lingering concussion after-effects can have an impact on mood (Nate has spoken on this topic a lot after his accidents). It doesn’t take a severe blow to result in a concussion, so consider that aspect; and 2) build back slowly, and as others have suggested, consider speaking with someone if you think it will help, lean on friends/riding groups/buddies, etc.
I have had my share of crashes and by far the worst are the ones where I lose lots of skin! Feels like the body goes into hyper repair mode to seal things up at the expense of everything else. Combining that with difficulty sleeping due to the road rash (only broken ribs are worse-ask me how I know) plus the antibiotics is bound to put you into a funk.
Tons of great advice in the other responses but try everything you can to not dwell on the crash. Just focus on your recovery plan, hanging out with friends, go for a long walk, etc. This too shall pass.
Totally understand what you’re going through…I think it is fairly normal to be a bit ‘down’ when an injury, or other unfortunate circumstance, takes us out of our routine. Especially if that routine is something that we really identify with. Or if you’re using that routine to build towards a specific goal, event, etc. In this sense, you’ve experienced a ‘loss’, and there are various stages one goes through before getting through it (grief, anger, acceptance, etc.).
Lots of us here have dealt with it I’m sure in one way or another.
I’m going through it now myself: I suffered a broken scapula 3 weeks ago. I suffered it by taking a dumb line in a training race, just 2 weeks before a block of my ‘A’ races (i.e. Whiskey 50 MTB race and some others)…so I’ve been experiencing the ‘loss’ of not being able to do the things I’ve been working towards for a the past 5 months. I’ve totally been down about it to…my funnelling my ‘anger’ (I would definitely call it that) and the drive that I once had to prep for these ‘A’ events into my rehab with the NEW goal of coming out of it stronger than when I entered.
I went through this last year also…I broke my femur in a dumb road bike crash while living in Denmark 3 days before my flight back home to the US which caused so much turmoil in my life at the time I can’t even begin to describe it…had to spend Christmas alone in a foreign country, had to delay my return home by an unknown amount of time due to DVT risk after a major surgery for a long flight home etc. etc. Then had to deal with the painful rehab and coming back to form on the bike.
Then before that, went through it with a torn ACL…
…allways always I’ve had to shift my goals fully into rehab and trying to (eventually) come back stronger. Being down about it all is very natural…if I have a history of depression or feel it is a little more serious than just simply the blues, then you should reach out to a professional. And most imporatant…be with friends, family…let them know how your feeling, they’ll help get you through.
Road rash will heal in no time my friend.
Hey! I was hit by a car last year and was off the bike for about 3 months. I think what youre feeling is normal. My advice is to try and focus on what you CAN do and not so much what you CAN’T do right now. Walks, light exercise, banded work outs, maybe engage in some video games, reading etc. Anything that you used to truly enjoy that you didn’t have much time for before you started cycling super consistently. I felt super low and frustrated by how much fitness I had lost. Depending on how much time you had to take off, you will have a big decrease in fitness, just go in expecting that but withe the knowledge that it WILL come back! Best of luck, I hope you heal quickly!