Curious George Blacks Out, Can;t Breathe, and Goes On a Long Ride.

[ScottH]

Prepare yourself, I’m curious about a few things that have come up in my training and racing in the past few weeks..

1. At the last crit finish, I had tunnel vision right at the line, and this has happened a few times before. This only happens when I’m totally maxed. Is this just oxygen dept?  Is this expected in a max effort so I should just suck it up?

2. Last Wednesday I raced the Toonie race at Smith Creek, total blast, but a total lame race for me. I don't know if you’d call it a cramp, or a stitch, or something else, but I had that debilitating pain on both sides of my lower rib cage from hard breathing which resulted in me slowing right down as breathing became very shallow at higher intensities. I tried deep and shallow diaphragm breathing, and it did not help. I;ve been in similar cases from eating too soon to exercise, but that could not have been it since I was fuelled up hours before. On my Thursday rest day the discomfort was still there, yet very mild. Discomfort grew if I took a deep breath ( just standing and relaxed) or if I ran down stairs but was fine at low intensities on the bike. Then in Friday's crit, I was super redlined just as in the mtb race, but felt like I could push, and had control over my breathing, yet when I was really on the limit the cramp would slow me up before the rest of my body would.  What's actually happening when I feel this in my chest and why does it last? I thought maybe it’s worse this particular time because my body’s not used to coordinating breathing while being bumped around on  the trails. How can I prevent/fix it? AND why does it only happen sometimes.  Although I don’t know what is happening for both situations, my guess to fix both of them is to spend more time at that close too, or max out level?

3. Andrew, ( I’m aware this is a bit delayed) when we were in J Tree we talked about doing two smaller rides in a day, instead of one long one, such as 2 hours, rest for a couple hours, and another two hours on the same  route, with similar intensities, and specific lap times. And if one lap time was failed to be met, I would turn around because this meant I was not recovered. Could you explain to me again why doing this instead of a steady four hour ride would be more beneficial? I’m confused because when I think of the FaCT Model, I thought you wanted to get “worse” in your training. I get that if you can recover faster from two smaller rides this method would make more sense, but why turn around when you can’t make the split?

Thanks and sorry these questions weren’t a bit more spread out!

[Andrew]

GREAT questions Scott.

I am pretty sure what you are describing as cramping discomfort in your lower chest, is actually muscular fatigue of your diaphragm, which attaches to your spine in the back and along the lower rib orders around to the front. This is why if you try to make it go away by taking big slow breaths, it could actually get worse. The immediate treatment, would be to switch to using intercostal muscles and accessory muscles to unload the diaphragm, which will cause you to take smaller faster breaths, not deeper and slower ones. The long-term solution is more respiratory training, which COULD be done during high intensity exercise, or simply sitting on the couch with a Spiro-Tiger...yes, that's right, you have finally seen the benefit of joining the rest of the crew in doing the respiratory training we have talked so much about

Now to answer the question about the 2 x 2 hour sessions. There are a couple of reasons I suggested this for you specifically (which may not be as relevant for everyone reading this). First of all, you were just getting back into riding, and a 4 hour training session would likely have set you back, both mentally and physically, even if you tried to go slowly. But the next reason, was as you mentioned, as an opportunity to see how your body was responding to the stimulus at the time. So, in the first 2 hour session, you may actually feel pretty good, with no drop in performance. Great...take a break, have a nice lunch, rest, do some homework, or chores around the house to keep your family happy. The back out on the bike. You ride the same loop as when you first ride in the morning, and you see how your performance measures up. At the same intensity (using HR and respiratory effort as a guide) you are able to ride the same speed, then great, continue on for the duration of the training session. If your performance is already worse, you can see that the training session in the morning has already been exactly that..."training", and now is the time for recovery. Listen to your body, begin the recovery process immediately, and get up in the morning to try again. If still not recovered, then we can talk about a different kind of training that you may be able to do that does not continue to "train" those systems that have not recovered (like your diaphragm last week), instead focusing on another system which has not yet "failed". So, yes, you could still be able to ride your bike, but not the same way you did the day before during your 2 hour training session. Different focus to allow one system to recover, while still finding a way to challenge the recovered systems.

Do I have you confused yet?

[Peter O'Brien]

Scott, you're always welcome to borrow my Spiro-Tiger when it is not in use! Just need to find a way to get it back and forth...

[Majo]

Hi Scott,

I am trained to perform different manipulative techniques to help release the diaphragm, intercostal, oblique muscles, etc. (all surrounding muscles and fascia will tend to bond to rescue your weaker areas)...   With Myofascial Release, Soft Tissue Release, Active Isolated Stretching and Fascial Stretch Therapy I can help you on an assisted way and also teach you self release techniques.  

In the spring, I hurt my Serratus Posterior Superior (that heps lift the thoracic cage when inhaling) and I had the same symptoms as you are now descibing, but in that other area.  Even at rest, trying to take a deep breath would send me a sharp tightening kind of cramping sensation.  I iiiiiccccceeeeeddd, rested more and worked out at intensities that would not bother me until it was gone :-)

Hope you feel better soon,

And let me know if you need me.

Majo

[ScottH]

Thanks Pete, but how bout I give you the wheels plus a hundred bucks in return for the spiro!! And Majo, I'll email you shortly  for a 30 hour stretch session for my variety of problems. 

Thanks for your reply Andrew but could you please also throw in a brief answer to the tunnel vision question?

For the respiratory problems, sounds like you nailed it because the big controlled breathes certainly didn't help. I only tried those breathes because when ever I had those cramps before soccer and basketball coaches would just say breathe with your tummy and put your arms up,which never really worked anyways come to think of it. I will talk to Chris about setting up some spiro dates, and look for a used spirotiger. I've always loved the idea of the gizmo and felt a difference in the short time I used it in the spring, but I just don't love the price tag.

[Peter O'Brien]

Training over bike quality, always Sorry!

[Andrew]

The tunnel vision is concerning, but also has been described by many athletes at the peak of their intensity in an all out effort like the one you experienced.

I don't know the exact mechanism, but I believe it is likely due to changes in vascular flow and intracranial pressure as a result of the carbon dioxide that builds as a result of the metabolic acidosis.

Control the breathing, symptom will resolve.