Can overdoing exercise bring back fatigue?

cfdr

I am about 2 months post-chemo. The first month I had pneumonia; the symptoms of that are now gone although my chest x-ray isn't clear yet.

 As soon as the pneumonia was gone I started excercising. I'm doing the couch-to-5k program (3 30-minute walk/run sessions per week), and on the in-between days I go for a walk. I've completed the first two weeks of the running program, and as of last week I was up to walking for an hour twice a week, and longer on Sunday. This past Sunday I took a fantastic hike that took almost 3 hours. 

The following day I could barely make it through my running workout. The last three days, I've been exhausted. I haven't even attempted hiking or running. I feel like I'm back on chemo, all I want to do is lie down.  I did go for a short walk today.

Has anyone else experienced this? I'm trying to figure out how to improve and challenge myself without having a rebound effect.

J9W

cfdr,  I would be surprised if you weren't tired!  It might be that you are pushing yourself a little too much too soon. I've done the couch to 5K and it's not all that easy, plus you add in walks and a 3 hour hike - yikes - no wonder your body wanted to rest. I might suggest you skip long hikes and keep things shorter for a while. And, I didn't do this after going through a chemo treatment so I applaud your strength.

 I love to run although I wouldn't call myself a 'runner' - me and a few friends did the Couch about a year and a half ago and with determination we've kept up a regular running schedule. We did a 10k in November and are practicing now for another 10k at the end of this month. I've had a hard time though listening to my body - we try to run at least 2 or 3 times a week and don't like to miss it but I'm getting smarter - when the body aches or is just exhausted, I listen and take rest days.  I recently missed three running days in a row because I was exhausted but I've come back feeling a whole lot better.  So, rest if you must - but don't quit.

ruthbru

Yes, I think you have bumped it up too much too soon. Try to ease back into your normal schedule. Otherwise you get set back & have to start over. If you want some exercise buddies, check out the 'Lets Post Our Daily Exercise' thread. A really fun group of ladies.

misswim

I had the sam eproblem as Ruth mentiod. Pushed way to hard in the beginning, hit a major fatigue wall, so I gave mysel a break- first week cut down to three workouts, regained strength from weight training. After two weeks I moved up to four times a week and added hot yoga. That made all the difference in the world and I now am up to 4 or 5 tikes a week,

Good luck :!

cfdr

Glad to know it's not just me, not that I wish fatigue on anyone. I guess it would be easier if, say, I got tired an hour into that 3-hour hike...but I had a fantastic day, and although I stayed off my feet the rest of the day, didn't feel bad. It didn't feel like I was pushing myself too far too fast. Now I know better!

asmd

Yes, I have had this experience and I'm now 6 mos out from chemo. the hit the wall/chemo fatigue days come less frequently, maybe once every wk or two. If I do too much, my body lets me know, unfortunately it lets me know 24 hrs later. I also feel like all my connective tissue is tighter and I get sore doing things which weren't a problem before chemo.

orangemat

Even without the history of chemo, doing a 3-hour hike when you're not used to that sort of actvity will tap your strength significantly. And yes, you might not feel the effects of it until a day or two later. There's a rule of thumb for running, though I'd say it applies to walking and other such activities as well: don't increase your weekly exercise amount by more than 10% from one week to the next. Usually this is in terms of distance, but I'm sure the same could be said just about time on your feet. Miles, hours, they all add up, and they all take their toll.

I love the Couch to 5K program! Good for you for starting it and sticking to it. 

And that said, I second Ruth's invitation to come join us over at the Let's Post Our Daily Exercise thread. 

cfdr

I should add that I didn't go from couch to a 3 hour walk...I walk 30-40 minutes several times per week, and my sunday hikes had increased from an hour to an hour and a half to the 3 hour hike. The 3 hour hike was on mostly flat ground, whereas my shorter hikes are actually more vigorous because there are a lot more hills. I've been an avid hiker for decades, so a 3-hour flat hike didn't seem like much of a stretch to me. But I should probably have limited it to 2 hours and built up from there.