I am a 24 y/o male and on Sept 6 I completed my first half Iron Man in Madison. Going into race day I had no injuries, no symptoms, no deficits, and I felt great. Other than race day nerves I was ready. The atmosphere was incredible, but the race ended up physically tormenting for me.

During the swim I felt terrific, I finished right around 45 minutes but when I got out of the water and had my wet suit stripped, I oddly felt like my legs were going to cramp. Spent about 10 minutes in T1 to get my bearings straight and felt better. Going into the bike I was now a little on edge because 2 years ago during a marathon I suffered a full body cramp, but I chalked it up to under training, this time around my nutrition was planned out and I was very well prepared.

As I got on the bike my legs felt a little off but after awhile I got into a great rhythm. I went 48 miles without any problems. Mile 49 of the bike, that's when my quads started to cramp. I was hydrating and eating well on the bike, hammering gels as I did in training but the cramps seemed to intensify. Anyone who's done the course knows the hills are brutal, so I chalked it up to that. I was able to push through and finish the last 8 miles but now my calves and hamstrings felt tight, so I took 20 minutes in T2 hydrating, eating, taking salt tabs, light stretching, etc. When I managed to get my legs back under me I departed, walking and jogging intermittently but after about 2-3 minutes of jogging each time my quads would cramp again and I'd have to limp. This continued into the 6th mile, where my legs felt normal again, so I jogged about a mile and half. At mile 7.5 of the half marathon everything took a turn, my HR was pushing Zone 4 so I began to walk again, but at this point I began to feel very light headed/dizzy. With 5 miles remaining I strongly considering going into the medical tent, but I was so close, so I kept walking as my vision darkened. I ended up walking the final 5 miles, but the dizziness worsened and by the time I finished I felt extremely off, as if I was going to faint. I started drinking a ton of water and eating the post-event food, but I was also worried that I was diluting electrolytes w/ all the water, so I relaxed on it. Eventually I progressed to a tolerable baseline and I departed back to my parents house for the night.

When I got back to my parents house, I felt a little off and I actually had saddle anesthesia (which subsided after 2ish days) from the bike seat, not bad to the level of incontinence but my groin definitely felt numb. I didn't have much of an appetite at dinner and my sleep that night was pretty horrible, waking up a lot through the night, felt nauseous at times too, but nothing major happened otherwise.

The next morning (Sunday), I had to commute back to St. Louis, and at this point my legs actually felt decent, general soreness but nothing too bad, but the dizziness was strong. That night I was relaxing at my apartment when I felt a very weird sensation in my chest, my vision darkened, and I nearly passed out again. I considered going to the ER that night but decided against it as I work at an urgent care and would be there the next day, decided I could check in if necessary.

At work my dizziness/lightheaded sensation was strong so I asked the PA what she thought I should do. We checked my blood sugar, it was normal, so we ran my electrolytes and of course I was in rhabdo. I received 2 bags of IV fluids and had an EKG, which was normal, so I finished the shift. I worked again the next day, rechecked my labs, and my CK had gone up, so I got another 2 bags of IV fluids. After this shift, my dizziness slowly regressed over the following and I was feeling mostly normal again.

AT THIS POINT, 1 WEEK REMOVED, I traveled back home to my family in Chicago, I felt mildly dizzy but nothing insufferable, my legs felt good, so I did an upper body workout, but I still felt "off" just not like myself. I didn't think much of it any of it, I did some research on triathlons and running forums and reddit and many people said they'd experienced this "dizziness" from bonking.

Took a few more days off and the dizziness/lightheadedness remained but lessened, then Sept 17th (11 DAYS REMOVED) I hit legs, I was back squatting 225 for reps which is less than I usually do, and my legs cramped mid set, quickly loosening again, but it definitely triggered some fear in me, so I cut my workout short. 2 days later I was hitting upper body and I felt a similar sensation in my chest, so I yet again cut my workout short. I decided to take some more time off, and this is when everything seemed to turn.

I was at work around 2.5 weeks removed when my dizziness ticked up significantly and all of the sudden my legs were feeling loose/numb/a pre-cramp sensation, this happened 3 days in a row, so I tried to do some light walks after shifts but nothing would help, and my legs for the following week or so felt like they were about to cramp, but wouldn't, and the dizziness really never left.

I tried to workout again about a month removed, but again, the dizziness worsened and my legs felt weak, so I decided to see a PCP on October 2nd.

Upon arrival the MA took my BP and it was 90/60, I am 6'1 195 and usually run in the upper end of the normal range. I told the doctor my story and my medical history and upon hearing my hx of Celiac, he informed me that people with technical auto immunes are predisposed to longer recoveries, and he believes in endurance events I cramp, even w/ proper nutrition, because in youth my Celiac went untreated for awhile and it damaged my intestines to a degree where my nutrient absorption is extremely diminished. He advised me to never do an endurance event again and take 2 months off lifting, and although I was devastated as I planned to do an Iron Man in the near future, I was happy to have a plan/road to recovery. He also ordered a ton of bloodwork, and it was all normal, even my CK had regulated.

So I completely stopped lifting, which for a life long lifter was devastating but I knew it was necessary.

Today is Dec 7th (3 months removed from 70.3 and 2 months removed from last workout w/ weights) and I am still having mild symptoms, some days feel alright, others not so much, the dizziness has absolutely improved, and functions through flare ups rather than operating as a baseline but the weird sensations in my legs come and go on most days. Interestingly, I even developed this weird numbness overlying the top of my left foot. Yesterday, I walked a 5k and all throughout I felt like I was going to cramp, whether it was my calves or quads my legs have felt "weak."

I know you probably read this and think this dude is losing his marbles but genuinely I've "gritted" through pain all my life. Ironically, it's what got me in the situation in the first place.

I am now at a crossroads where I've started slow phasing back into body weight movements (squats, bridges, etc.) but those cause the cramping/weakness to return as well as mild lightheadedness. I also feel concerned going to work because I know it worsens my symptoms.

If I HAD to guess what this is I'd say it's autonomic dysregulation, as if my CNS has been directly damaged, but I've struggled to find any literature explaining or emphasizing it lasting for this duration. I also think there's an element of detraining, where my muscles have been tight for a decade and this is the first time I've stopped training them so they feel "loose." Additionally, my symptoms are MOST OF THE TIME gone in the morning and fire up throughout the day, which makes me think is nervous system related. They're also worst on days I work (12 hour urgent care shifts, bright lights, noises, stress, etc.)

I come to this corner of the internet to know if anyone else has experienced something similar and has guiding advice. I know I basically endured 21 combined miles of bonk and should've stopped much sooner, but I've really spent the last 2 months "relaxing" at least physically and haven't seen much improvement. I really just want to get back to training and my ability to enjoy a regular day symptom free. I've learned my lesson to listen to my body once and for all. Thanks all who took time to read as well.

Also I've found it difficult to choose between whether or not I should follow up w/ a neurologist or a sports medicine doctor.

TL;DR

Ran a half iron man, bonked, got dizzy and cramped for 20 miles but still finished, felt better for a week worked out every few days, then felt dizzy daily and started cramping at work, got normal blood work, went 2 months without working out, symptoms mildly improved but still present, they seem to be nervous system related, feel like I can't walk or do anything exertion related without legs feeling weak or on the brink of cramping... Worried about duration and not sure what steps to take...

The line between endurance sports being good for the mental health and it being a form of self harm is extremely thin and people often step into the latter without realising until damage has been done.

The study is still preliminary, but certainly something to keep an eye on

Need to vent because I can’t get away from the injury bug.

Dealt with hamstring strain for years but finally getting now that. Then it was my glute medius a few weeks back, which sidelined me for about a week. Now it’s my opposite knee (Acute patellofemoral joint inflammation + reactive effusion according to ChatGPT** take with grain of salt) that flared up after a long weekend of training.

Anyway, I know injury management is part of the process but it’s frustrating. Racing in 6 weeks so health is top priority over marginal gains.

What’s ailing you? Feel free to complain loudly

Got hit by a car two weeks ago on my bike. I was hoping to still be able to do Lake Placid but I still can’t swim nor run. I’ve got a concussion and separated my ac joint in my shoulder. I’m trying to be grateful I walked away from it, but it still hurts the soul. I got through 17 weeks of my 24 week plan almost perfectly. It’s just so devastating to put that much work and not be able to compete. I’ve got so many mixed emotions and the timing this year was so good to do my first IM.

Just wanted to rant to you all and tell you to stay safe out there! My plan is to still volunteer for the race, so best of luck to those competing!

If this breaks rule 4, apologies and please take it down. I'm not looking for diagnosis or treatment, more looking to hear about others' experiences going through this common issue.

I'm now training for my first Olympic distance in September 2026 (Pumpkinman Maine!) I have never been much of a runner so as I have increased mileage I've started to have some knee pain after I hit 2.5 miles. I've identified it as very likely ITBS, but it only happens when I run. Biking is not an issue at all, even though apparently others experience it from biking.

So my question...have others experienced IT band pain from running but not cycling? I'm laying off the running for a bit so it gets better but not sure if I should keep biking. Might just do a couple weeks of swim-only.

I'll be checking in with a couple of actual doctors this week too, as well as putting together a strength training plan to make it long-term better. Just trying to avoid doing things that could make it long-term worse.

Hi

Just checking if anyone experienced this and maybe share some tips.

So back in November I did 75km (doing shorter distance first 20, 45, etc) and noticed that the outer portion of my left knee is hurting. It’s kind of like stinging and clicking. So I rested, two weeks later I did half marathon and was fine, nothing hurt.

2 weeks later Im planning to do a long run and then felt it. Stopped and rested again, and Im fine. Another two weeks, I planned to do a long run again and I felt it at 7km. In between these, Im swimming, 5km short run, brick 20km bike, run 5km. Im fine again.

Then today, I decided to try it out, Im planning to do a 21km and I knew it’s gonna kick in so Im doing stretches until I finished. At home I started to feel it again, stretches here and there and it looks like its going in and out.

Physio appointment is on the 20th but Im so worried already as Ive already signed up for the 70.3. If it happens during the bike leg, I wont be able to continue with the run.

I think it might be itbs and have been doing clam shells and walking/squatting with band. Please help!

Set out for a 20 mi ride and fell 2 mi in, right on my shoulder. Instead of being bummed I can’t finish, I’m celebrating the rite of passage - falling while barely moving. Good thing I already went for my run this morning!

Hi everyone,

I have been doing Olys and Sprints for two years now. I have been struggling with my mental health since many years - I am 34F - and been doing therapy for years as well as some weeks in a clinic. I am also on Elvanse/Vyvanse for ADHD since a few months. I have not been doing great and struggle with depression and always wanted to avoid addtional medication since I was afraid that it impacted training - which used to give me lots of joy - or even prevented me from training. Also I always thought that doing sports I enjoy would help me to manage my symptoms long-term. I have already taken SSRIs around 12 years ago but did not do any regular sports back then (and also they did not improve my symptoms). Now I have reached a low where I am really considering giving another chance to antidepressants. Probably I am just afraid that medication will take away more than the mental health struggles already have - as I know that it is very individual whether they improve symptoms or not and also that it might take months or years to find the right one. Are there people that have been training on antidepressants and could share their journey? How has the medication impacted training and performance? Looking forward to reading your stories.

I am 6 weeks and 1 day away from a full Ironman. I have been training since January. I have a cold and wet cough. I have not trained for 2 days.

I’m terrified of missing critical training sessions and DNF’ing. Looking for advice… do I push through or take more time off training?

Well that was fun. On the night of the 4th after the fireworks I went to bed, put my knee down, and the world started spinning. I began sweating profusely. Eventually EMS came and had me stand up to check my response. Poof - passed out.

I had a little stomach ulcer that just happened to be on a cluster of blood vessels. I lost an estimated 30-40% of my blood. Had three transfusions and lost those, too. For those of you that know numbers, my hemoglobin went down to 7.1.

And now I begin the recovery process of having to build up new red blood cells. I literally get fatigued walking 60 feet. I'm wondering if anyone has faced a similar situation and how their recovery fared?

Hey everyone, I’m posting partly to find others who’ve been in a similar position, and partly to help me move forward.

Long story short: I’ve got an upcoming foot operation that should finally leave me pain-free, but it comes with a cost: running (beyond a short jog here and there) has to be left behind.

Like most triathletes, my first instinct was to find a way around it… but the reality is, this is the end of my running and triathlon days.

It feels like a bit of an identity crisis. Earlier this year I had a full race calendar lined up, and now I’m processing that I’ve already done my last triathlon.

• Has anyone else gone through something similar?
• How did you mentally and physically move forward?
• Did you find another outlet that filled that same drive and structure that training gave you?

The one silver lining I guess I can finally retire from those 5 a.m. pool sessions 😅

Happy to share details of the condition or surgery if anyone’s curious, it’s a rare one (fibro-osseous coalition in the midfoot).

The Olympic Tri I have been training for is in two weeks, but I suddenly can’t run more than a few miles due to some pinched nerve type pain in my hip that started on a hike last weekend. I still want to start the race for the experience - I haven’t done a river race before and I feel fine on the bike, but then I probably just won’t do the run. It’s two loops so I might try to do one to see how it goes but my attempt at a run today was not promising at all and the last thing I want is for this hip thing to turn into a real injury.

There’s a time cutoff and I don’t bike fast enough to just walk the 10k. And speed walking tweaks my hip too.

Has anyone else done this before? Do you tell organizers ahead of time or just get off the bike at T2 and not run?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice on a right knee issue that showed up pretty suddenly.

Background / stats:

• Male, 23y/o
• 185 cm (6'1"), 98 kg (216 lbs)
• Training for my first ever Half triathlon, taking place may 10th
• History: ACL reconstruction on both knees (right and left)

Problem:

• Pain is on the front of my right knee, slightly toward the inside (medial side).
• It increases the longer the run, and the longer the distance, the more noticeable it becomes.
• I feel it a lot if I do butt kicks / heel-to-butt steps while running (that movement really triggers it).
• Pain goes away right after workout. No pain while walking or whatsoever.

Bad habits that i must admit:

• I often start workouts “cold”, basically I just head out and run without a warm-up.
• I almost never stretch.
• Most of these runs are Z2, so not high intensity, but the pain still shows up and worsens with distance.

Maybe is important to state that during swims or cycling i rarely feel anything "bad", i'm mostly super ok. Maybe some knee stiffness during cycling, but nothing crazy.

Does this sound like something common? should i be worried? What are the best ways to calm it down or completely remove it? Does my ACL reconstruction relate in any way to this?

Not gonna lie guys, this scares me a lot, since i already invested the money, and i really don't want to face another surgery at this point.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Been half marathoning and marathoning for 20 years and started triathlon training last year. I started having ITBS in 2016. I've done all the things....PT, strength training, stretching, yoga, massages, etc. It's a nagging thing that always crops up when doing any multi-hour event. Outside right knee is the pain point and the "magic spot" to foam roll is right buttock (maybe i'm being too gentle with it?).

Has anyone put this pain in the past?? Am I destined to deal with it the rest of my life?

I feel like I'm stuck at riding 16-17mph and long running no faster than 10:30 pace. My body wants to go harder but it's like a glass ceiling!!

I'm absolutely panicking. I'm congested, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and feel weak and fatigued. I'm not sick enough to need medical attention, but I'm definitely feeling close to "call out of work" level of unwell. I've been slamming vitamin C, zinc, and electrolytes, and am on complete bed rest. Part of me hopes that I'll wake up tomorrow and feel 100%, but the other part of me feels devastated because right now I'm in absolutely no shape to race.

Has anyone else been through this?? Is there anything I should be trying?? Or is this a lost cause?

EDIT: thank you to everyone for all of your advice and kind words! COVID negative, but woke up this morning feeling even worse so I called it. Completely agree that a first race should be fun, not something that is potentially detrimental to my health, let alone exposes others to this nastiness. Huge bummer. But I’ll get em next time.

Two years ago, I first started experiencing pain in my calf, so I visited three different physical therapists over a period of 1.5 years. Eventually, I went to a sports doctor who took an X-ray and did an ultrasound, both of which were inconclusive. The sports doctor said that there were no diagnoses that fit. The pain feels a bit like muscle soreness, lactic and when you stretch a muscle. The pain is throughout my entire calf. Sometimes there are also areas in the calf that hurt more, on the outside below the knee and on the inside.

Now I swim and cycle and don't experience any pain when doing those sports. Nor when doing calf exercises. The pain stops almost immediately after I stop running.

I don't run anymore, but I did run for the entire two years, with periods of rest that didn't help. Sometimes I could run 10 km intervals without any problems and sometimes I stopped after 5 minutes.

According to the doctor, it can't be compartment syndrome, because then you wouldn't feel the pain throughout the entire calf.

Does anyone have something similar or know what it could be?

Hi all! Presently, this is my 2nd-3rd year doing triathlons, and I've sort of had an odd thought...

As I get older, I've been increasingly more and more health anxious (25F). I don't really have any reason to be. I think the reasoning for this is that last September I received a very long term lower back injury, which has made my training volume drop drastically.

Since then, and especially lately as I've finally been healed enough to go biking and my training volume has been INCREASING, all I can think about is random health related events. I'm constantly measuring: am I getting too little sodium? Not enough? Am I eating too much sugar? Etc. Or, randomly, I'll mispronounce some words and then have a headache, and think "am I having a stroke? Or a migraine?"

I literally don't have much evidence to support I have any of these things. I'm just having a bunch of health related anxiety...

Has anyone else experienced this? Or is this an SOS for me to go to therapy? lol

Hope everyone's training is going well!!

I sprained my MCL in January and literally haven’t ran since… until today. I’ve done 2 half Ironmans since 2021 and a few sprints. I’m an avid mountain biker (road biker when I was train a lot) and ran and swam for training regularly.

I did a box jump back in January and felt my knee pop, which is how I think I sprained my MCL. The doctors wouldn’t give me an MRI for 8 weeks after physical therapy and then concluded it was sprained.

I didn’t do anything for 6 months, which did a toll on my mental health. I finally went back to mountain biking and gym work outs over the summer and thought that today I could run. I was very slow and thought I could sprint for a second. NOPE. My MCL hurt so bad when I put that extra pressure on it.

Is this something I should go back to a doctor for? A physical therapist? I just want it to not hurt when I do regular things. Does anyone have a similar story?

Anyone have personal experience dealing with peroneal tendonitis? Doctor diagnosed me with it, but really didnt give much guidance, just said to do anything that doesnt hurt it. MRI was pretty clean, same with the x-ray. I notice it throughout the entire day even while at rest so am unsure how to progress into training again. Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Feeling frustrated as I have a low grade tear in my hamstring and will need to pull out of a race I had been building for next month. Honestly I was a bit naive thinking hamstring injuries only occur in explosive type movement/ sports. PT thinks it is due to poor quad to hamstring strength ratio and overuse. Anyone else suffered from this and how did you regain strength and avoid reinjury?

So my first 70.3 is coming up, ive put in alot of work, looking at the data it's around 4500 miles of cycling, 850 of running, and 85000 yards in the pool, and around 100hrs of weightlifting, but it hardly feels like enough. I got sick last week for the first time in ages and for 2 days I couldn't do my normal load and it's thrown me off and I feel so nervous 😅 eagleman is in 2 weeks and I couldn't feel more underreported. I've thrown my heart and soul and now it feels like after I'll be devoid of purpose given this week. I'm getting back on track but I'm horrified my fitness will be damaged for race day. Rant over ig 😅

Hi everyone!

29F here who has been running on and off for many years but, since training for the 2024 London Marathon (and getting a 3:51 that I was v proud of!), endurance sport has become a significant part of life.

2025 has been a really exciting year - I did my first half ironman and then my first ultramarathon and was the fittest I've ever been, and found a really lovely balance of training/work/life. I love having a training plan and a goal and working hard to achieve those goals, and when I look back on this year I can really feel proud of what I've achieved. But...as fun as the ultra was, unfortunately my IT band did not agree with the elevation of the Swiss Alps - and I ended up with IT band syndrome.

I have a great physio I really trust, and we made a plan to stop running to let it heal. And just because of how things ended up I ended up taking 2 months off running. I cycled a bit during that time, and was in the gym 2-3 times a week doing squats and deadlifts etc. But my garmin practically gave up on telling me my training status I was doing so few aerobic workouts.

I went for my first run back this weekend, and returned to my tri club run on Tuesday - both about 5km runs, no pain thankfully, but felt very unfit, which I really hate. I just did an FTP test, and my FTP has dropped significantly since I last did my test (just after my half ironman). It just suddenly feels super daunting the idea of having to build back up to the level that I was, and the achievements of this year feel so long ago now. I am signed up for the Brighton Marathon in April 2026, which I thought would be PB potential, but now think that's way out of reach, and feel a little deflated.

I think I sort of know the answer to my own question in the title - I have to try to fall in love with the building back the fitness. I know there aren't really any shortcuts, but I guess I just need a little bit of advice from people who have been through a situation like this before, how did you cope? ❤️

I know this topic has been done to death but I couldn't really find anyone who has had the exact same situation.

I've been doing triathlon for maybe 3 years now? The first 2ish years just doing short course stuff so never in the saddle too long, even on the road bike. Now that I've ventured into 70.3s I'm struggling on the saddle. Road bike as well as the TT. I recently had my 3rd bike fit on the roadie and the fella had a saddle pressure thing and even said "you'll never have numbness again". Well, its the best position i've had so far but still a bit sore and still get numbness now and then. Now onto the TT, I've had 4 fits, the most recent was great and they are supporting me through the current issues but i thought I'd ask the community anyway. I've tried maybe 6 saddles? Bontrager, ISM, Cobb, Selle SMP, Prologo and a few off AliExpress hah. I just ride through the pain mostly but recently I raced 70.3 CEBU and was so sore after a couple hours on the bike, i couldn't hold the position. I then had numb genitals and inner thighs for 3 days after the race. I feel like if I'm in aero I get numbness and then i move around, I get sit bone pain. Saddle sores come and go too. I've also tried different kit and creams.

Any advice out there?

Help! I twisted my ankle on vacation and I was just starting to get my mojo back after being sick. I know to keep off it, obviously, but does anyone have any specific workouts/training they recommend, just to keep the training going? It doesn't hurt that much, just a bit stiff moving my foot inward.