John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." NIV

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

And then I was told to REST

The first of our Tri clinics for the DCTRI Club MoCo Mafia was on Sunday.

We met with our hired expert, AJ, and after a brief introduction we started.

She had us warm up around the track for two laps, then to run moving up to 90% effort for 10 minutes, and finally run at 100% effort for 20 minutes. This was she would be able to tell us what our VO2 Max threshold was. Of course, I asked if 100% meant sprinting... and she said 100% at the fastest pace we could maintain for the entire 20 minutes.

We all had to wear HR monitors. Silly me had not even taken mine out of the box with I bought my Garmin 2 years ago. As I was pairing it with my Garmin, it said my heart rate was 51... not bad for a resting heart beat (sort of low though).

On the warm up, my HR was all over the place... I backed down my pace since 8:15 wasn't a warm up pace. Once the 10 minute run on, my breathing was all over the place... and by the 20 minute run, I was exhausted.

During the 20 minute time, my heart rate average was 181 with a MAX HR of 220 - WTH? 230 is like a heart attack.

I was breathing horribly and could not catch my breath... and actually when it reached 220, I had to stop (with 7 minutes left) because I felt light headed. My walking HR was 160, at 3/4 of the way around the track. NOT GOOD AT ALL.

All of my runs since my heart surgery have been tough. 6 mile runs feel like 12 mile runs. 12 mile runs feel like  20 mile runs. I am exhausted. I literally took a nap after the track workout on Sunday... btw: total mileage was: 3.44 pace was 8:56.

I was concerned.. AJ, the coach was alarmed.

We had a talk at the end... about form and other very useful information.

On my way to my car, AJ stopped me and gave me her (non-cardiologist) opinion of what was going on:

1. Over training- well, duh... I don't exactly rest.
2. Lack of sleep - I had only gotten 5 hours all weekend.
3. Still having issues with my heart.

Advice: take a week off. Meaning... no exercising at all. Of course, I wanted clarification... meaning no Ab Ripper? NO! No plank off? NOPE!

So... this has been day two. I am not going insane yet... but I feel tired. And scared.

I wondered if I jumped the gun with the surgery. I have felt lethargic since the surgery and EVERY run has felt labored. At my month followup, I talked to my cardiologist about it... he did an EKG, and everything looked normal. He suggested that maybe it was that I was coming off of marathon training.. etc.

But now... now, I should be feeling better. I should not feel labored running 12 miles at a 9:45 pace (Saturday's run) considering a year ago, I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler at a 8:15 pace. Nothing has changed... besides the heart thing (oh and maybe the over training).

One, rather abrasive Mafia member said, "You just need to stop... and quit playing around... you have a congenital heart issue - get it looked at." And it hit me... I shouldn't be messing around with my heart!

So this week, I will NOT workout. And I will wear my heart rate monitor and record the data to see if we an get to the bottom of this. So far, nothing abnormal doing nothing... I did take a stroll with the kids and Dolce the Wonder Dog this afternoon (the weather was just too gorgeous)! HR was around 125. :-)

By the end of this week, I will be going INSANE! Pray for me! ;-)


9 comments:

Melissa Cunningham said...

prayer said!
i do hope you feel better soon and hopefully you will find out what is going on with your heart-im sure it is something minor and although "rest" may make you feel slightly nutty,it just may be the thing your body and heart need right now...
hang in there girl!
sending prayers and warm positive vibes your way!

Pam @ herbieontherun.com said...

I'm with the Mafia on this one. Sometimes you don't get the chance for a DO OVER with a heart issue!

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!

Erica said...

hope your feeling well soon!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

This has got to be frustrating. I'm glad you are taking the week to see how you feel. Take some time to really think about how you proceed, like you said this is your heart, your health. I'll be praying for a clear direction and healing.

Michael said...

Please go slow and be patient. The body is amazing at recovery, it just needs time to do its job. Better to rest a bit now, than to push too hard and set yourself up for a longer recovery later.

TNTcoach Ken said...

I wear my HR monitor like my RoadId. I try to now compare what I was doing in the past, it only makes things worse......

bobbi said...

Scary stuff - be kind to you!

I'll be praying :)

Terri said...

I understand the struggle...REST is a bad four letter word. But I agree your body is telling you something, something is not right. And before this get to a place where you can't run at all it's best to heed the warnings. God made our bodies to have the ability to heal and maybe you just need a bit more time. Will be praying!

a said...

still resting? how are you doing now?