Hi
Trying to restart after covid. Feeling pretty blah, but keen to get started on the long road back. I would like to stick with my preferred short power (track) focus rather than endurance sessions if that approach is viable. Any thoughts about my options?
Reduce FTP? Return progression levels back to basics? Or maybe both? Reduce session durations? I’m really not sure how to proceed.
Don’t know whether it’s of any significance, but I’m a 66 year old woman, and covid hit me hard (despite being triple vaxxed!!), but I’m overall really strong and fit, don’t want to hear that it’s slippers and cocoa time!!
Unfortunately intensity is pretty fatiguing so usually the recommendations for coming back from illness are to stick to lower intensity sessions as you recover.
Looking at mine after Omicron, I took a week off, then did Baxter -2 which was pretty fatiguing, then a few more days off and some TrainNow climbing stuff (first one Achievable, then back to Productive, all 60min) in the next week, then back to the intense stuff and an FTP test to start a block. I wasn’t doing a block when I got sick though. I’m a bit younger but also much prefer the short and intense to the endurance and (someone kill me, oh Coach Chad has it covered…) long threshold work.
I dont think you’re going to see any sensible advice saying a jump back into intensity is a good idea unless you feel 100% recovered and ready to go.
You also simply can’t ignore being 66 yr old either and you said ‘it hit you hard’, so it may not be fun or what you want, but you have got to be sensible and play the longer game and ease back in until you know you can handle more. Do you really want to jump in to short hard intensity and potentially derail your recovery and be even further back in 2-4 weeks time?
I’m on day 8 after testing positive. Ironically, my last workout was a VO2 Max the day before I tested positive. At least I’ve had all of the shots. I could sense that something was more difficult about that session. I’m training for Race Across The West in June. My team (https://www.teamsuicideprevention.com) finished Race Across America last June. The good news is my Covid is happening now instead of during the coming weeks. I also didn’t really take an off season break after riding 9,400 miles in 2021. Yeah, and I’m 66 years old, an asthmatic and cancer survivor so I need to be careful. My fitness has certainly taken a hit with this. It’s humbling to go from top fitness to struggling just to get out of bed. That being said, I’m blessed.
