# Coming back after COVID



## EricTV (Jun 11, 2020)

I'm looking for a little advice on getting back to form after COVID(first infection). I'm about 3 weeks out from having any symptoms now. I know I'm a little older now but this is not like coming back from cold. I feel fine but when I ride any hard effort(VO2 max type) like going up shorter(50 - 65 second effort) type steep climb will just absolutely destroy me for the rest of the ride. I'll have to ride zone 2 and a little 3 from there on out and my legs just feel smashed. If I stay in Zone 2 or 3 I still can ride all day as before but I just can't go beyond that without feeling horrible. I took 6 days off from riding so maybe that was too much time off or not enough. Admittedly I am not very patient. I guess what I'm looking for is other's experiences and does sound par for the course? Any advice on building back up or any articles that discuss a clear protocol. Any feedback would be appreciated.


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

I had it in May of '21, sick for 14 days, a few of those were high fatigue days, I was off the bike for 3 weeks, I lost about 18 pounds (kind of skinny xc racer to begin with). It took about 4 weeks to start feeling good, and I was race-sharp in 2 months. 6 days off isn't very much, I would expect you'd be feeling pretty good soon, - unless of course you're unlucky enough to get 'long covid' / lingering fatigue.


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## EricTV (Jun 11, 2020)

jimPacNW said:


> I had it in May of '21, sick for 14 days, a few of those were high fatigue days, I was off the bike for 3 weeks, I lost about 18 pounds (kind of skinny xc racer to begin with). It took about 4 weeks to start feeling good, and I was race-sharp in 2 months. 6 days off isn't very much, I would expect you'd be feeling pretty good soon, - unless of course you're unlucky enough to get 'long covid' / lingering fatigue.


Good feedback. I appreciate it.


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## SkidMarked (Aug 14, 2018)

Look up Syd and Macky on Youtube. They are pro racers who recently had COVID. They did a video on their recovery time.. and they are much younger and fitter.

Here it is:


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## EricTV (Jun 11, 2020)

SkidMarked said:


> Look up Syd and Macky on Youtube. They are pro racers who recently had COVID. They did a video on their recovery time.. and they are much younger and fitter.
> 
> Here it is:


Excellent. Thank you!


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## vegen (Jan 2, 2006)

I'm approximately 9 months out from infection, and to be honest, it's been a hard road. I had a number of rides earlier this year where I had to just quit because either I couldn't keep up with breathing, I thought my heart rate was too high, or I was just gassed. I had up and down days but around July I started feeling consistently better, and now I'm pretty much back to where I was last summer. My advice is to pay attention to how you feel and adjust accordingly. And FWIW, my taste and smell, while not gone, are still kind of messed up.


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## barelfly (Jun 27, 2008)

What you describe is exactly what I went through earlier this summer. I was riding more than ever prior, getting in anywhere from 160-180 miles a week. I was out for about 2 weeks without riding, and fatigue was what really got me. No other symptoms really after the first day or two. My first ride out two weeks after was easy pace with my wife, on flat terrain and after 30 minutes I was wiped out! It took about a month of riding to get back to a point where my HR wouldn’t sky rocket on normal climbs. After that first week of riding 3-4 days, I didn’t stop riding, and got back to 5-6 times a week. I just tried to keep my HR down and not go my normal pace I was use to And stay in zone 2.

I haven’t got back to the regularity of hitting 160 miles a week, but the one week I did, I felt pretty good. I can sustain efforts now And I feel like I am back to where I was prior to the ID.

So, I’d just go at a zone 2 pace for all your rides. Ease back into it. I know that’s easier said than done - as I am very impatient and expected to be back almost immediately.


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## shred79 (Jul 21, 2018)

Following 61,
Just came back from Bentonville with the crud.
11 days out from first symptoms.
Feel like I need to rebuild my base,cardio and legs.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## Dkayak (12 mo ago)

My wife and I got it in late June and were off the bikes for 2-3 weeks after 48 hours of mild fever and 1-2 weeks of fatigue. We then ramped up slowly but steadily with a mix of zone 2 road miles and MTB for intervals. By early August we were riding pretty normally except for the deconditioning associated with her breaks for cataract surgeries in late July. On August 27 we rode what turned out to be by far our fastest ever century at 18.5 mph avg (vs typical 16 mph pace). Garmin's VO2 max estimates for each of us have since reached all-time highs. I'll attribute that to the more disciplined training with a nice mix of zone 2 and threshold interval rides. 

I offer this not as some sort of goal or recommended program. We all react and recover differently. We also did some things in terms of treatments that are not respected by mainstream medical thinking, but at age 67 and 59 we're pleased with our outcomes. YMMV. All I can offer is encouragement and the suggestion to ramp up steadily while listening to your own body.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

I'm in my mid 50s. I got COVID about 3 weeks ago. Could barely get out of bed for 3 days (fervery and exhausted). Then for the next week I needed a nap each day. At around 10 days I started riding, but was gassed really fast. 15 days post infection I seem to be 95+% back. But I also know that things can sometimes turn back around after you think you are fine.

My wife has been slower to recover energy wise. My 85 year old father had mild symptom for 2 day and felt fine within 5. 

A riding buddy of mine took about a month to feel like his old self on the bike.

Crazy how much this varies.


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## Hurricane Jeff (Jan 1, 2006)

I caught Covid in late June and was down for 12 days. Never felt really that bad. My symptoms would change daily. I was vaccinated and boosted.
It took about a month and a half for me to start feleling better on the bike and I'm not convinced I'm where I'm fitness wise was before Covid.
This is the strange thing about this virus on how it affects everyone different.


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## EricTV (Jun 11, 2020)

I appreciate all of your responses. The feedback makes me more optimistic and at the same time looks like I need to be cautious and conservative with my rides and expectations. It is good to hear people are getting their form back. 

One of the weird things I have noticed is that my sleep has been less than restful with very weird dreams and waking up in a panic in the middle of the night for no good reason. Never lost my taste or smell but things smell different than they used to.


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

I had covid in February of 2022. Barely any symptoms, but tested positive. Vaxed and boosted. 

I took about a week off, eased back into riding and never felt super fatigued, but did notice my SPO2 levels were lower than normal for a couple weeks. Zero long term negative affects that I'm aware of.


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## Blurbikerider (Mar 12, 2011)

14 month covid long hauler here , never got that sick from the initial infection barely even noticed then it was 14 month of every other week my body going haywire , nothing helped and I kept riding off an on going very easy then trying hard efforts . Hard efforts really knocked me back down but I refused to lose all my fitness so I kept on until about 14 months started feeling better then it was just getting hit with every variant that came out and just recently again. No more long haul symptoms but it's pretty much a two week sickness for me feeling wore out and heavy allergies . 
Best thing is a low inflammation diet , lots of rest focused on whatever it takes to get a good nights sleep.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

EricTV said:


> I appreciate all of your responses. The feedback makes me more optimistic and at the same time looks like I need to be cautious and conservative with my rides and expectations. It is good to hear people are getting their form back.
> 
> One of the weird things I have noticed is that my sleep has been less than restful with very weird dreams and waking up in a panic in the middle of the night for no good reason. Never lost my taste or smell but things smell different than they used to.


All of the things you’re listing are pretty typical for your first infection it seems like. I had delta as my first infection last August. Never moved into my chest, but even after the horrible flu symptoms went away I had about a month of serious fatigue and a weird depression spiral. My wife said she got all kinds of wacky dreams and anxiety when we had it.

Weird stuff. Just take it easy for a bit and try not to get frustrated. I remember feeling back to normal but a short ride wore me out something fierce.


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## NeedleBanger (8 mo ago)

Take it in baby steps day by day just whatever you can handle lung-wise and I guarantee you'll be back to your old strength in a matter of 2-3 months 💪
I had covid 3 times in the last fiscal year and one of them was horrendous where I had terrible flu symptoms (without any digestive problems strangely) for at least 10 days and then lost my smell & taste for 2.5 months afterwards. My lungs felt like they were around 35% of their normal capacity by the time Spring rolled around, I was moderately worried about it since it was officially time to bust out the bikes. By July I was absolutely hauling ass all over the place like I never even had covid. You'll most likely hack a lot of phlegm and **** out as you heal up, just keep hoarking and riding buddy!!


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## dryk1t (7 mo ago)

Having had it twice now and only finding out both times through mandatory testing needs, I am glad that I have had absolutely zero awareness/impact of it after reading some of these comments lol


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## NC_Foothills_Rider (11 mo ago)

EricTV said:


> I'm looking for a little advice on getting back to form after COVID(first infection). I'm about 3 weeks out from having any symptoms now. I know I'm a little older now but this is not like coming back from cold. I feel fine but when I ride any hard effort(VO2 max type) like going up shorter(50 - 65 second effort) type steep climb will just absolutely destroy me for the rest of the ride. I'll have to ride zone 2 and a little 3 from there on out and my legs just feel smashed. If I stay in Zone 2 or 3 I still can ride all day as before but I just can't go beyond that without feeling horrible. I took 6 days off from riding so maybe that was too much time off or not enough. Admittedly I am not very patient. I guess what I'm looking for is other's experiences and does sound par for the course? Any advice on building back up or any articles that discuss a clear protocol. Any feedback would be appreciated.


I had it in the first week of August for the first time. I felt bad for 2 days, but the fatigue lasted a week. Then it took about 3 weeks of training to sort of get back where I was in July.

What I did was my normal workout, just at an easier power level/pace and slowly worked back up to where I was.

I'd say I'm fully recovered now.

My advice would be just keep doing what you're doing and push yourself a little harder each time. Be patient though. To me it felt almost like I was getting in shape from 'square 1' but the progress was faster once I got going.


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## Porkchop_Power (Jul 30, 2008)

Missed 5 days of riding for COVID. Close to 50 but not quite there yet. Actually found out I had COVID after feeling like ass on a ride. Four days later I was back to full riding form and actually set some PR's probably because I lost 3 or 4 lbs. To be honest of all the people I know who got COVID, and a lot of them are older, no one had more than a week to 10 days worth of symptoms or not being able to ride. None have any long lasting effects. The vast majority were vaccinated however.


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## Kevin Matherne (Jul 27, 2021)

Just did a 2nd round with it 10 days ago. Felt bad 2-3 days started riding again day 5. Not bad riding for 3 rides so far but my heartrate is way higher when compared to similar rides before covid. IE where I would normally be at 140-145 bpm I was at 155-160 bpm on the same 20 mile straight rides. Pretty much my race pace bpm but not race pace times. Resting heartrate is up around 10 bpm from 40's to 50's now.


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## EricTV (Jun 11, 2020)

Kevin Matherne said:


> Just did a 2nd round with it 10 days ago. Felt bad 2-3 days started riding again day 5. Not bad riding for 3 rides so far but my heartrate is way higher when compared to similar rides before covid. IE where I would normally be at 140-145 bpm I was at 155-160 bpm on the same 20 mile straight rides. Pretty much my race pace bpm but not race pace times. Resting heartrate is up around 10 bpm from 40's to 50's now.


I'm experiencing very similar HR symptoms but also sometimes just can't get my HR to jump like it needs to(hard sprint climbs). I could usually hit 179 to 182 bpm on these types of climbs and m HR would fall back to 160ish almost instantly but now I can only get it to about 170ish and it stays that high for far to long. I'm going to ride the next 5 to 6 days at Zone 2 only and maybe a little zone 3 and see how I feel after that. 

Again thanks to you all who have commented. Very insightful.


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## dvsone81 (Oct 12, 2021)

Oh man. I am now just getting over it. Never had the fatigue though and the coughing was never too severe, maybe more like a cold cough. The phlegm in the throat is still lingering and the occasional cough a few times a day. Lost of smell and taste for about a week but all systems seem to be fine today except for what little bit of things still lingering. Last booster was back in May. Haven’t ridden in 11 days but going to try and go out this evening for an easy ride and see how it is. Good luck to everyone else who had it more severe than me. I hope you’ll regain strength and stamina soon.


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## woodway (Dec 27, 2005)

I tested positive yesterday. I'm 61, first time. Vaxxed, single booster in April. So far feels like a very mild cold with a little loss of energy. Not ready to get onto the bike yet, but no problem taking a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Interesting to read all the comments on this thread. Will check back with my own progress.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

I had covid about 3 months ago. Tested negative for 4 days with mild symptoms, then felt **** for 3-4 days and it took a total of 2 weeks to stop having symptoms. 

I was Farqued for climbing at any speed other than a crawl for a further 6 weeks. I'm not racing or doing heart rate zone training. But a typical ride is a loop with 500m 1665ft vert tough climb starts off steep road is mostly easiest granny gear and finishes with carrying. After the 8 week mark from initial symptoms I was back to 95%. A further month on i'm still not 100%. I'm not sure if that is lingering covid weakness or lack of fitness because I was out of action for the better part of 2 months without significant effort. 

My main advice. Listen to the body and dont over do it. I did receive medical advice stating that too much exercise too soon could lead to long covid.


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## woodway (Dec 27, 2005)

woodway said:


> I tested positive yesterday. I'm 61, first time. Vaxxed, single booster in April. So far feels like a very mild cold with a little loss of energy. Not ready to get onto the bike yet, but no problem taking a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Interesting to read all the comments on this thread. Will check back with my own progress.


Well, my case turned out to be extremely mild. More like a mild cold - my only symptoms were a slight cough, runny nose and a day or two of fatigue. My symtoms were gone five days after the first positive test, but I continued to test positive for another four days. I went back to work this week and got two bike commutes in. No after effects at all, the commutes went fine and I felt strong.

I feel vey luck to have escaped with a mild case, especially after reading what some of you are going through. Good thoughts to you all for a speedy recovery.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

I tested positive this week end. I wouldn't have done so had it not been for a couple others in my household having scratchy throats / post nasal drip. You know, allergy season. So maybe 3 days of symptoms, at this point? My heart rate is slightly elevated, up to 58 resting instead of 52ish. I plan on trainer spins before any real rides, as it's far easier for me to hit lower efforts that way.

Bad time of year for it here.


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## EricTV (Jun 11, 2020)

dysfunction said:


> I tested positive this week end. I wouldn't have done so had it not been for a couple others in my household having scratchy throats / post nasal drip. You know, allergy season. So maybe 3 days of symptoms, at this point? My heart rate is slightly elevated, up to 58 resting instead of 52ish. I plan on trainer spins before any real rides, as it's far easier for me to hit lower efforts that way.
> 
> Bad time of year for it here.


Good luck with the recovery and hope you get better soon. Go easy on those first few rides.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

I had it around Thanksgiving. Two days of headaches and about an hour of shivers, which was what prompted me to take a test. Eventhough I tested positive for a week, I felt fine and was out riding and drinking beer. My wife tested positive too but had zero symptoms. We're both "unvaxxed".


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## Dunnigan (9 mo ago)

Grateful to be in the milder camp. It had me off the bike for 3 weeks with fatigue and dry cough. Generally felt like I had a cold, but I was slower to bounce back than from the average cold. I just finished up a good week of zone 2 on the trainer, so I'll count myself back in the saddle. I boosted earlier this fall, fwiw.


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