mikesbytes said:
Could be an injury. Best to visit a doctor or 2 or 3.
See a doctor ASAP. In 2005, I began noticing some training response patterns I had not previously experienced. I also noticed some minor chest pain that I then attributes to poor posture while on the computer. 2006 saw a real dip in my functional threshold power, but I attributed that to less training and a stressful job. By late 2006, things settled down a bit and I was determined to regain my old form (2004 FTP 320 watts at 75 kg age 44; 2005 FTP 305 watts, age 45; 2006 285 watts age 46).
I purchased a PT300 Pro in December of 2006 and began focused SST and L4 training. I saw excellent progression under a moderate CTL with a controlled ramp. By early March, my FTP was at 290 watts and I was ecstatic. Then bam, at 10-15% drop almost overnight. I assumed a bit of overreaching and backed off a bit, only to slowly recover. It took to June to get back to 290 watts, but I had trimmed 2 kgs off my weight and was reasonably happy. However, once the warm weather set it, I really struggled, then essentially took things easy for the remainder of 2007.
2008 start identical to 2007. However, with this year's power crash I was determined to find the cause. Last week I was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation, a leaky heart valve.
Now, all my symptoms that started in 2005 make sense: the chest pain, fatigue, coughing while training (I thought that was exercise induced asthma, excessive urination (it ain't always the prostrate) and extreme thirst while riding (I drink a liter+ per hour).
Without the power meter, it might have taken years more to figure out what was wrong, if I did not drop dead on a ride.