Mojo still missing

I'm still quite a bit off my usual pace on the bike. While sleep and humidity are major contributing factors it seems I've just lost fitness somehow. I think the main cause was attempting to see a dietitian during a period of chronic depression back in November when I was in a "quitting" state of mind. Her suggestion at the time to back off the exercise was probably the worst thing I could have done whilst in that state and only made my depression worse, which of course then led to a very quick 5kg weight gain.

That in itself didn't slow me down though. I felt physically great with the extra rest and recovery time and put in some great performances during that period. However, just after that as I lost that 5kg again and the weather turned hot & humid it all took a turn for the worse. I'd start a ride feeling ok at about 80 or 90% of my usual self but then I'd only last 30 minutes or so before I'd be down to 50% or less of my usual performance. Hills that I'd normally clean with relative ease became just way too hard. Muscles were aching like lactic build-up, except the sensation didn't pass when I eased off or rested, and I just didn't seem to be able to get enough air in. At the top of some hills I'd be feeling genuinely distressed trying to get my breath back again.

This has been going on now for about three weeks.

Over-training wasn't a likely cause so I decided to just persevere with it and increase my training volume but at a lower intensity and bit by bit it seems to be working. I'm still not completely back to normal but I'm seeing a gradual improvement almost on a daily basis so there's light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime I'm enjoying my rides even if my pace is still a bit down.

My New Year's resolution will be to lose enough weight and gain enough strength to clean all of my local trails with a 32 x 18 gear instead of the 32 x 20 I'm using now on my single speed 29er. The bike came with a 32 x 18 which feels a lot livelier to ride but it was just a little too tough on some of the hills around here so I dropped the rear back to a 20t. It's a better compromise with my current level of fitness but I miss it on the flats and downhills in particular.

The latest Bicycling Australia magazine has a "Lose Five Kilos in 28 days" diet plan that should help me achieve that goal. The plan is very similar to what I've been doing except the portion sizes and overall calories are a bit less. My current diet plan hasn't been completely successful for me because I tend to stray from the path all too frequently so having set meals should hopefully sort me out in that regard. However, with far fewer calories than I'm used to it's going to be tough, but I just need to HTFU and deal with it if I'm ever going to achieve my goals.

Their suggested training plan generally alternates rides with weight training sessions and the rides vary in intensity and duration over the course of the week which is very similar to the Body for Life and Hussman principles I've been a believer in for some time.

Anyway, it's Christmas Eve and tomorrow is going to be filled with enough food and drink to last a month. Thankfully I'm taking a week or two off over the Christmas - New Year period so I'll be able to fit in a few longer rides to burn some of that off. :)

Merry Christmas!