Feeling exhausted after workouts?

My health issues aren't self-diagnosed. My anemia has a definite cause, too. It's just not one that I want to go into on a public forum.

I'm going to be stupid on this one so I don't screw it up...do you cook the oatmeal first or just mix it together? I've never cooked the oatmeal. The recipe I found online didn't really call for it. Philo - how're the sprints starting to workout? or have you done one yet? I'm curious to see if just the core workout (to help your stomach so you can eat closer to practice) and the eating closer to practice is working out. I always follow the "keep it simple and stupid" philosophy until that fails to pan out. Then I would start worrying about the more complicated stuff.

The same thing was happening to me too. I now make sure to have a banana before heading to the pool and have begun tracking the other foods that I eat during the day to make sure I'm getting all the nutritional requirements that I need (i.e. enough protein, carbohydrates, etc.). Seems to be working and I'm getting out of my bad/slow swimming funk and back up to the times I had been swimming.

I'm wondering if somehow prolonged under-oxygenation can be a trigger. When it happens for a certain amount of time, maybe the brain thinks, it's nap time to restore it. I do think it has to be in combination with something else too, rather then just not enough oxygen. I used to do a lot of breath diving in my younger days, so I can hold my breath really well, and know how to hyperventilate pretty effectively... and neither of those have a significant effect on their own. I played with it over the years, and didn't spot a pattern. But, I think maybe in combination with other things, it may trigger sleepiness. Couple things I know about myself is: 1. I have chronic mild anemia (hereditary thallasemia, my red blood cells are too small - similar to what Pete Sampras has.) 2. Fast thyroid, my heart rate tends to get high quickly.... that combined with anemia, I'm not much of a sprinter, I'm out of air very quickly when sprinting. 3. Looong circadian rythm... I'm more comfortable on a 30 hour schedule then 24. 4. Low blood pressure. 5. Autoimmune issues - arthritis and sclerosis. I am very comfortable with breathing while swimming... easy three count, long relaxed exhaling under water... So I'm not holding my breath and struggling, which I know is one of the things that can cause extra exertion, and reduced oxygen. I never had a cardiopulmonary stress test. I wonder what that would reveal. My baseline EKG is normal. I have a vague suspicion this has something to do with cardiopulmonary inneficiency that kicks in in certain situations.... and maybe being in water changes the blood pressure a bit. I heard somewheer that people with heart and lung disease tend to have a lot of sleepiness, because if inefficiencies in their functions. What's frustrating is that I can't seem to pinpoint what it is, to bring it on, or to avoid it. I used to think it's because I'm not a morning person, and I was doing 5AM workouts, but since then I learned that time of the day isn't "it". I've started keeping FLOG diary here on the website, maybe I'll spot some patterns over time. 1. I have anemia on and off, depending on certain female issues I'd rather not get into here. It's reasonable to expect that it's more "on" lately than "off," although I haven't been tested in awhile. 2. Check on the fast heart rate -- have always had it, regardless of level of fitness 3. Don't know about the circadian rhythm, but I tend to want to stay up late and sleep late. 4. Low blood pressure -- check. 5. No autoimmune issues, but I do have exercise-induced asthma. So, yes, many of the same issues as you. I'm interested in your prolonged under-oxygenation hypothesis -- it seems plausible to me. Maybe it's that, specifically under situations of heavy exertion when the muscles are demanding a lot of oxygen.

Having gone through no shortage of quasi-hypochondriacal amateur self-diagnosis over the years, for everything to somnolence (tsetse flies nesting in my pillow?) to groin lesion analysis (sexual leprosy?), I have come to believe in the old chestnut about horses and zebras. My health issues aren't self-diagnosed. For example, Thalasaemia is a hereditary kind of anemia. I had a bone marrow test for it.. after being misdiagnosed with all kinds of things, from lazyness to chronic fatigue syndrome and mononucleosis etc etc. Eventually I found a doctor that paid attention and noticed that my anemia was unresponsive to iron supplements - which is the case with thalassemias. If anything all the additional iron poisons your liver. He suspected thalassemia, sent me to a hematologist to do a bone marrow test, and it came out positive for thallasemia beta minor with microcytosis. this means, genetically, tour red blood cells are about 70-80% the size of normal ones. As a result, you can carry less oxygen. see: en.wikipedia.org/.../Thalassemia If I want 'normal blood' I can have it by transfusion - which is what Pete Sampras used to do for competitions, so he could perform in athletic range. On the good side of it, I'm supposedly naturlaly immune to Malaria - whatever good that does me LOL. Same with other health issues, they've actually been diagnosed.

By the way, for the record since I started posting how I feel each day, today is my scheduled rest day. Pretty darn pooped today, just generally worn down. I'm trying to do Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri. However, we're having Junior olympics at our pool starting tomorrow, so I'm not sure I'll get a workout in this Thu/Fri.

Hmm!! Yes, at times I have... interesting. You think that could be a factor? I'm wondering if somehow prolonged under-oxygenation can be a trigger. When it happens for a certain amount of time, maybe the brain thinks, it's nap time to restore it. I do think it has to be in combination with something else too, rather then just not enough oxygen. I used to do a lot of breath diving in my younger days, so I can hold my breath really well, and know how to hyperventilate pretty effectively... and neither of those have a significant effect on their own. I played with it over the years, and didn't spot a pattern. But, I think maybe in combination with other things, it may trigger sleepiness. Couple things I know about myself is: 1. I have chronic mild anemia (hereditary thallasemia, my red blood cells are too small - similar to what Pete Sampras has.) 2. Fast thyroid, my heart rate tends to get high quickly.... that combined with anemia, I'm not much of a sprinter, I'm out of air very quickly when sprinting. 3. Looong circadian rythm... I'm more comfortable on a 30 hour schedule then 24. 4. Low blood pressure. 5. Autoimmune issues - arthritis and sclerosis. I am very comfortable with breathing while swimming... easy three count, long relaxed exhaling under water... So I'm not holding my breath and struggling, which I know is one of the things that can cause extra exertion, and reduced oxygen. I never had a cardiopulmonary stress test. I wonder what that would reveal. My baseline EKG is normal. I have a vague suspicion this has something to do with cardiopulmonary inneficiency that kicks in in certain situations.... and maybe being in water changes the blood pressure a bit. I heard somewheer that people with heart and lung disease tend to have a lot of sleepiness, because if inefficiencies in their functions. What's frustrating is that I can't seem to pinpoint what it is, to bring it on, or to avoid it. I used to think it's because I'm not a morning person, and I was doing 5AM workouts, but since then I learned that time of the day isn't "it". I've started keeping FLOG diary here on the website, maybe I'll spot some patterns over time.

I'm also thinking that spending time in a lower temperature *contact* environment, that lowers your body temperature a bit can have some effect too. I think increase in hunger and sleepiness are perhaps connected. I read a milion times that increase in hunger has to do with exerting yourself in lower temperature. I know from other sports, I can exert myself a lot more on dryland, and not feel *that* sleepy and hungry. Also, whenever I need that nap, it's not just sleep, I'm usually cold too, and need to be very bundled up. Almost like a very very mild hypothermia. I remember when I was working out a lot, year round in an outdoor pool, we always used to run to the divers jacuzzi after the workout. I don't remember if I was feeling sleepy on the days when I didn't go in the jacuzzi. Hmmmmmm! *head scratching*

I also am toast after a sprint workout. I think it's because we very rarely do them. However, last Friday and today we did them. Today was 20 x 100 meters, with an occasional recovery 100. I flew 'em. I surprised myself. I got out of the pool, felt delirious walking to the T (and Boston has finally cooled down for a few days), got home, could barely eat or keep my eyes open; basically was wiped out. Ditto last week. For me I think it is two things: 1. I am not a sprinter. 2. We rarely do these sprint workouts. Also, 3. When we are supposed to swim fast on a lot of rest I often am lazy, but today decided to push myself. Two sprint workouts in the last 3 months? That's gonna hurt. That's my answer for me, because I am quite used to our regular workouts and this is a whole new level of toast. I never went to sleep because I knew I wouldn't sleep tonight, but eventually I made myself an excellent dinner. Now I feel much better. Though I'd like to go to bed and really this is rather early for me. I'm more a 1 a.m. kind of gal. I totally enjoyed today because my lanemate was super. "Just 5 more 100s as fast as we can!" Etc. Also I had fun because I let her go ahead of me, gave her extra time, then tried to catch her and usually did. Plus I like her. I was sleepy even before beginning the workout, even before going to the pool; did not want to swim today. So all around a surprise that I flew those 100s, for me. But the aftermath, wiped out to a level unfamiliar to me (and I did the 10K postal last year) (with no training beyond regular 4K workouts).

Two sprint workouts in the last 3 months? That's gonna hurt. I was thinking that we didn't do sprints that often, either, and whether that was a factor. But we do them more like 1-2 times a week. In any case, today was a distance day, but we did a timed 1000 as part of the workout. I pushed it pretty hard and felt really strong while I was swimming and fine when I finished. But after lunch and a shower, I felt lightheaded and tired. After about a 20 minute nap (there was no choice -- I couldn't work), I felt much better. Oh, no banana today -- by the time I remembered, it was too late. :( I tried the watered-down gatorade instead. My stomach even had trouble with that. Argh. More core work. Not giving up.