Sudden change in performance

Viruses can take a long time to run all the way through (4-6 weeks).  I'd say you are just experiencing effects of the virus which is very likely still present in your body.  My advice is take it easy when you are sick, don't push hard trying to hit some previous performance level.  Going easy but getting some time in is plenty at this stage.  Some of these viruses can attack the heart tissue and bang, it's all over in an instant if you push it too hard -- this is fairly rare, but not unheard of.  Your performance should come back around within a few weeks as your body returns to normal health.  Needing more sleep is a sign that your body needs it, so get that extra sleep.

Id agree you've gone too intense too early and their is still a few bugs floating around your system.

This is completely human, most normal people will be raring to get back into training and might hit it too early. I'd say take another week of light or no exercise and then try again.  Personally speaking I went flying into training after the Xmas break and pulled a hamstring, because I hadnt trained for a few weeks and my muscles/tendons/ligaments didnt like the surprise - easy yourself back into it

I have been reluctant to respond because, well, I fully expect to be told I am an idiot.  However, if you're gonna post in public forums you just need to develop a thick skin.  So, since nobody else has mentioned it, here goes.

You don't mention what your training has looked like (i.e. volume or intensity) and there is nothing in your logs to give any insight.  However, what you mention are often considered to be classic early signs of overtraining.  You can go to any number of sites and see that "Increased susceptibility to sickness and injury" - https://greenfieldfitnesssystems.com/article-archive/all-about-overtraining/ - is an early sign of overtraining.  

On the site https://overtrainingsyndrome.wordpress.com/testimony/ is the statement, "Many triathletes, marathoners, cyclists, and other endurance athletes who were diagnosed with overtraining also noted that they had difficulty getting their heart rate up into the training zone that they wanted to be in for a given workout."

Are you showing signs of overtraining syndrome?  I have no idea.  I am not a doctor.  However, early overtraining is relatively easy to correct, while chronic overtraining syndrome has ended athletic careers.  If nothing else, a close look at your training logs and a visit to a doctor might be a good idea.

Another BT member recently had a personal battle with overtraining syndrome.  He posted a great article about it here on BT at http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=537259&posts=16#M5151783 and linked to an article on his blog at http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com/2015/11/overtraining-syndrome-ots-my-experience.html.  The article is certainly worth the time to read.

Good luck!

I don't think you're an idiot, Scott.    I agree with your premise, but suspect that the OP isn't yet into the realm of OTS, but is likely experiencing overreaching / under recovery due to the combination of the increased training that they imply and the illness.  The difficulty in achieving HR's that were relatively low intensities a few weeks earlier is one of the most common symptoms of being under recovered.  The OP doesn't want to hear this, but the solution is more rest and allowing the body to recovery completely from the illness.  Continuing to train and push forward and ignoring the overreaching / under recovered symptoms can progress things into OTS.

Hey Dan,

Admittedly this is probably hijacking the thread away from the OP's question.  That said, and not to argue, but to have a discussion - aren't the earliest stages of OTS and over-reaching two sides of the same coin?  In either case, the "treatment" of choice would be to shut it down, or at least heavily restrict training, until full recovery is achieved.  According to Dr. Phil Maffetone (http://philmaffetone.com/the-overtraining-syndrome/), Stage 1 overtraining may be synonymous with overreaching.  How do you tell the difference? Or perhaps the better question, WHAT is the difference?

A little "back story" - I recently started working with an athlete that is recovering from Stage 3 OTS, having been diagnosed ~20 months ago.  Needless to say, I have taken a special interest in OTS.  When I read the OP my mind immediately went to early OTS.

People like to group things into neat little boxes, when things are really a continuum.  Overreaching versus OTS is just how we decide to define two "zones" on the continuum.  With overreaching, a couple days to a week or two of relative rest will allow the body to return to a normal healthy state and training can resume.  With OTS, more severe damage has been done, and recovery is going to be measured in months.

The best cure is prevention.  Teaching athletes that more training is not always better can go a long way towards preventing it in the first place.

Yeah, you have Scott and I mixed up, but that's ok.  

The reason I said you didn't want to hear it was because most endurance athletes want to keep training all the time, and don't like to hear they should rest.  This is especially true when a race is on their calendar.

The reason I referred to you in the third person is because my post was in response to Scott.  If I were responding to your post while referring to someone else's post, I'd address you in the first person, and them in the third.  It's a way of writing in forums that's fairly common.  I don't mean to be rude.  It's just my style of writing.  I'm here trying to help you.

ETA:  BTW, Scott wasn't saying you needed a thick skin.  He was talking about himself, because of the possibility of other posters saying he was an idiot.

The "thick skin" reference wasn't directed at you.  I tend to be one that says things that others sometimes won't say or vehemently disagree with.  That often results in heated comments directed towards me.  The thick skin comment was merely an obviously ineffective attempt at defusing those comments before they were made.  That said, I have to say I find it interesting that you chose to attack both Dan and I instead of acknowledge that we were attempting to offer answers to your questions.  Which kind of proved my rationale for the thick skin comment.  But hey, whatever.  Good luck.

Or.......you have/had the same upper respiratory crap that the rest of us have.....it can last upwards of 6 weeks from what I have seen. As I got over it I was falling asleep at my desk.......I'm training exactly NONE.   LOL 

I would say the chances that you are overtrained tend toward zero. You're more likely getting over being sick......rest up, train when you can, and try not to over-complicate this. 

It's triathlon.....not a WW2 beach landing.

Nice pictures, Marc.  Thanks for sharing.

Don and Scott.......how common do you think OTS actually is?  Admittedly, I don't know muchy about it and haven't seen it (that I know of) in any of the athletes I'm around who train extensively. 

I do agree completely with something you said, Don......when there has been a period of hard racing, like during XC season when it's a championship race every week for 5 weeks.....training is shut down completely if there is any sign of illness at all. (fever, cough, no appetitie, etc)

OTS isn't very common, but that doesn't mean that athletes can ignore it's possibility.  I've never had an athlete progress to the point of OTS, but it's common for athletes to experience overreaching.  Like Marc's picture indicated, monitoring the athlete and adjusting training and recovery as needed is important.  IME, most AGers will get sick if they're overreaching too much, which then forces rest, allowing them to recover before doing any real damage.  An athlete who is getting sick repeatedly should consider the possibility that they're trying to progress their training faster than their body can adapt.

I'd suspect that you would be unlikely to witness it with any of the youth athletes you're around, because it sounds like they're working with multiple reputable coaches who are focusing on sustainable long term development unlike professional athletes who may be more likely to be trying to squeeze out that last little bit of additional performance in the current season.  They're also not AGer's who are trying to balance life's other stressors with training and recovery without the objective guidance of a coach.

In the end, athletes need to learn that more training isn't always better.  The objective is to do the minimum amount of training that will result in the maximum amount of adaptations.  Doing too much and not being recovered for the next training session can impair improvements.  Sometimes doing less in a session to allow quicker recovery and more frequent training sessions will provide greater fitness gains over a shorter period of time.

Yeah, admittedly, I never count in the "other stressors" that you mention and that Don always alludes to. (which I have to believe is valid)  I've seen people reduced to a shell of themselves just from stress.....no way you could add any meaningful training on top of it.  

Still, in the OP's case.....I'm voting for sick.  I had that crap.....walking up stairs made me want to lay down.