Struggling.: I had a Cardiac Arrest in early... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Struggling.

uniform profile image
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I had a Cardiac Arrest in early 2017 whilst refereeing a football Cup Final. Luckily two people knew how to do CPR and when the First Responder arrived he had a Defibrillator which revived me. My problem is that although I was as fit as a fiddle then, I am not now due to being largely inactive for the past year. I do run on a treadmill but I do get a tight chest after 3 or 4 minutes and the most I have done is 14 mins, but I am persevering as I am due to resume refereeing again soon and you have to be fit for that. Onwards and Upwards. If anyone else has had the same thing and can advise me I would be grateful.

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SnailRunner71 profile image
SnailRunner71Graduate

Perhaps consult your doctor before beginning the programme?

Katnap profile image
KatnapGraduate

Hi there uniform!

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I had exertional rhabdomyolysis (basically catastrophic muscle break down from over exercise) and I couldn't walk for a week after.

So similar to you, I have a good level of fitness but after the complications and known risks I need to tread carefully.

I deliberately repeated Week 1 three times before progressing.

The advice is not to run at a speed that gets you out of breath.

Consciously jog at a speed just above your fast walking speed. The target is that you can still talk constantly while running.

Good luck with your recovery and happy running! 😸

UnfitNoMore profile image
UnfitNoMoreGraduate

Welcome. Slow and steady is the key here. Follow the plan exactly and you’ll soon be back. Don’t push pace until after this, let that fitness build.

You could probably ref my United right now, they don’t try much and the pace is slow 😂

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

C25k is mostly walking with a few quicker bursts, in the early weeks, increasing to more quicker bits, but still it's done slowly. No rush at all

Which is why it's so good and suitable for most abilities

Languid_Lil profile image
Languid_LilGraduate

Blimey you really have been through it, haven't you. Well done for getting back out there!

My best advice is to take it slow and listen to your body. Increase your running time gradually ask the programme lays out, and don't fixate on speed till you're ready. All the best xxx

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