Hey Everyone
I've had cardiac rehab today and my lovely nurses know I've been desperate to get back to running, I've been improving over the weeks and I've been given the okay to walk my local parkrun this Saturday.
However I'm now unsure/ scared if I'm ready. I usually volunteer so I could do the parkwalker role (if this hasn't already been filled)
Any advice?
V x
How far can you walk now?
If you are up to about an hour of walking with no issues and you have been told that you can do it by the Cardio nurses, is it knocked confidence that is holding you back?
If you do go, do please walk at a sensible gentle pace and be sure to tell someone. Maybe walk with the tail Walker rather than be the tail Walker then you will have someone with you walking at a doable pace to give you confidence.
Hopefully someone who has had this exact experience will pitch in with more thoughts for you.
Enjoy it. X
Hi
It's definitely my confidence. I can walk just under an hour if walking at a slow pace.
Thanks for your advice
V x
Hi Valentina, the news from the health professionals is great news...... But a bit scary too because it's over to you now to test yourself. Do you feel you have a better handle on your body and self aware? Finding the right way back is the challenge and to be honest it's starts with baby steps I suggest. I found it best to set challenges I could achieve with a little left to spare. Does your Parkrun have laps for it's course. ie can you do one lap? You might still volunteer on new runners/tourists briefing and walk with the tailwalker for one lap, see how you feel. Hopefully you will know if you have enough in the tank for next week, or know what you need to do to get there in your weekly exercise routine.
In October I had full open surgery and had to take a minimum of a month off to allow healing etc. I found 3 x 20 minute walk/shuffle runs for a week got me in the groove, I could feel how much residual fitness I had, and how safe I felt with the discomfort of surgery. From there I ran for the 20, shuffling and jogging and eventually running the 20 until I got back to my normal pace (which is quite slow but steady) by 8 weeks I managed a slow Parkrun. This week I am back to full running mode, slightly better than before the op and have managed two longer runs and plan a tourist PR this Saturday.
All the time at each stage I ran a little less than I could achieve. Good enough running I call it. It felt successful, safe and progressive.
Hope this helps to structure your own way to find a plan that you have a good feeling you can achieve. If it is too challenging, at any time, then that's good information too. Smaller bite size chunks would be the remedy.
Thank you
My parkrun is a one lap course, I'm scared because last time I ran (a couple of days after a parkrun) I had my heart attack so I think I'm nervous about that and not being around the cardiac nurses if there is a problem. I know all the regular volunteers so if I have a problem I can flag them down. I mean that's why we have marshalls right?
V x
I can only agree with the previous replies.
Go along and enjoy the scenery. I'm sure it will be nice to also catch up with the other park runners if you arrive early.
In my case I found taking photos as I was being lapped was a good way to break up the walk, 
and parkrunners always like photos of themselves :-).
At my cardio rehab class they gradually increased my pulse limit over the weeks. I just used that as a limit on my heart rate monitor whenever I did exercise or parkruns until the next session. Knowing I had done it in the supervised rehab classes gave me the confidence to do it at the parkrun. (I did treat myself to a chest strap though as it gave a more accurate heart rate.)
Enjoy Saturday and best of luck for the walk.
Thank you x
It's quite a nice course so I might bring my camera take photos of the scenery
V x
Hey Valentina,
I'm going to do my first parkwalk this Saturday as well I'm feeling a bit apprehensive as it'll be my first ever so don't know anyone, and it'll be my first official exercise since diagnosis (been walking before but not the same lol)... let's share photos afterwards if you'd like?
Good Morning
Look forward to hearing from you when you’ve experienced your first P’walk. Do take photos.
I’m sure there will be lots of friendly faces. There are bound to be a few keenies at the front who believe they are in the Olympics (my husband is a prime example🤤!!) but there are plenty of normal folk too!!
Hi Valentina, As my excellent cardiologist said to me if you can exercise then its very good for your regeneration. Personally I had paroxysmal afib with increasingly significant pauses which was hampering my ability to function. Im taking it easy for 2 or 3 weeks post ablation but the temptation of walking around with my kids running a Park run was too much on New Years eve and day. I walked one lap of 3 on New Year's Eve which was great. On New Years day I pushed the double buggy gently around for 2 laps and walked the last lap without it occasionally breaking into a jog. I use a heart rate monitor and was careful not to let my HR increase above "Zone 2" training at any point. Since then I ve backed off though am still walking and will continue to do so aiming to have HR upto about 110 max for a couple more weeks. I am due to do a holter monitor day in about 6 weeks where I will do a reasonably significant run and a 30 minute rowing ergometer at rate 22 aiming for 2:08 splits to understand whether the haywire heart issues are now under control. I am very hopeful that despite being nearly 60 I will be able to enjoy park runs and walks, rowing and skiing for years to come. The cardiologists aim with the ablation was to enable that. I would recommend engaging with your cardiologist should you get the opportunity with a full list of questions concerns and wants for your life. Perhaps invest in a decent Heart rate monitor. Whereas the HRM dont understand arrhythmia its still useful as if it is sending rates wildly high or low you have a good idea that something is wrong. Speaking of which has anyone tried Frontier X? I have read all the bumf on it but its pricey and Ive resisted purchasing one. Supposedly its not dissimilar to a personal Holter and I am tempted.... Finally, I hope you have the confidence to venture out and enjoy yourself and that your heart has the strength and electrical ability to allow you to regain fitness and maybe improve to where you were 5 years ago. For me thats absolutely the intention...not to just tread water but to swim freely
As a 70+ year old runner, and back running a bit ( 5kK ) the best advice I believe is know your limitations and read your body on the run, and stop if necessary. Good luck do it👍
Hi, I did a park run in September around 2 years after a stroke. I too had my stroke while out running so has taken a long time to be confident running again. Although not at my previous pace. I now have an exercise watch so I can check my pace, as I am still nervous about pushing it. It just takes time. Hope you enjoy the day.
I was advised by my Cardiac Rehab nurse to use the Couch to 5k app from the BBC which has a very gentle build up of activity. I recently did a 5k run about 18 months after my incident.
I also decided to use a heart rate monitor to check my performance and report the results into my Cardiac Rehab nurse. I started trying to use a Fitbit, but this seems a bit inaccurate. I eventually purchased a Polar heart rate monitor which seems to be great. I would use it for your initial walks and report them into your nurse (you can download an excel file showing all the values throughout a walk and even graphs if you are up to the technology- Otherwise a screenshot of the Polar Flow output on the screen would also be OK). If you feel able to build up to running, the monitor results can be available to discuss with your Cardiac Nurse and allow you to have meaningful conversations with him/her.
Hope this helps.
Go for it! I was volunteering 4 days after being released from Open Heart valve replacement, tailwalking 4 weeks after and running it 8 weeks after. But I was walking up 12km every day by then. I'm now 5 months post-surgery and back down to 29 minutes with an aim of being back to 25 mins by Spring. And another aim of a Half Marathon by Autumn. The physical exercise is good for you but the week-by-week comparison is invaluable. And then there's the mental health positive attributes too. Enjoy!
I had a heart attack 19 months ago and 2 stents put in I started after 2 days leaving the hospital I started walking for about 30 minutes and built up steadily for a couple of months now I walk at a very fast pace doing 5 miles every alternate day and every other day I run the 5 miles all done in the evening after I finished a 12 hour shift at work hope this helps
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