I’m not here as often as I’d like to be but wanted to post this to hopefully give encouragement to those either wanting to reduce their blood pressure medication through running, or to those who have been able to and are now worried about the after effects.
Brief back story. TIA in 2009 and put on multiple blood pressure tablets … including beta blockers. Didn’t take it seriously and was over 18 stone by 2018. Decided to get walk fit first for the sake of my young son, completed C25K in August 2018, started (and got addicted to) parkrun, and finally used lockdown last year to increase my running like never before. Got down to under 15 stone and recorded an unofficial (ie Garmin-timed) sub 25 minute 5k. Delighted!
Then it happened. My post run blood pressure was too low. My resting heart rate was now under 40. Within a couple of weeks I was off beta blockers. I was so happy. Briefly.
My heart rate naturally was now much higher and I struggled to run a 30 minute 5k without feeling like my heart would explode. My nurse told me to take it easy as my heart has been used to beta blockers for 10 years. I got comfortable running at this new speed for months and accepted my pre beta blocker running pace was over for good. But in early 2021 a young work colleague encouraged me to push again and we trained for ten weeks and my PBs started falling again, everything from 1k to 10 miles. Yes it was tough at times and there were times I wished for my beta blocker heart rate again but was glad to be off them. The only PB I failed to get was my 5k; my heart rate just wouldn’t let me.
Cutting a very long story short, I injured a quad soon after and took up weightlifting with a trainer twice a week, eventually reducing my running to just 2 or 3 times a week. It worked. Yesterday I hauled my 51 year old, 15 stone body round parkrun in 24:44 beating anything I have done before. Yes my heart rate was high but nothing I haven’t learnt to live with.
So … it can work. Hard work can pay off. I sometimes miss those days when I could call a fast run an easy run where my heart never went above 130 but I realistically wouldn’t change a thing. Next job is to tackle my remaining medication!
Written by
AgingMetalHead
Graduate
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You don't say how you were training but many people make the mistake of pushing too hard too much of the time or plodding on at a middling pace all the time, whereas an easy conversational pace for 80% of your running time is far more effective at building your aerobic base.
Thank you. And yes I’ve spent far too much time training without purpose. 5 times a week plodding around, or too much time sprinting around with the resulting injury. It’s taken my weight training to give my running training purpose. Less is definitely more!
That is so interesting and thought provoking for me. My resting HR (on beta blockers) is about 40 - 42. I enjoy the feeling it gives me. If I am ill or don't take the medication my HR will increase to 60 and I feel very anxious inside.
Initially I thought taking beta blockers was making it more difficult for me to run. My logic being my heart wasn't pumping enough blood and oxygen to the areas it needed to.
Having read your post though I think if I stopped the medication and started running then I would soon be out of breath.
Thank you for such a thought provoking post which has flipped my thought process round 180 degrees.
Yes I agree and tbh most people who are runners who find themselves in beta blockers tend to say it does negatively affect them. But I was already on them when I started running so maybe my situation was less normal.
I would add that I obviously came off beta blockers in a controlled manner after a full consultation with my GP.
I'm not on any such medication and my "idle" HR is around 60-ish. It drops down to the low 50s when I'm asleep. And when I'm doing a sprint finish it often peaks in the low 180s. During a longer run, the HR usually sits around 150 bpm.
Everyone's different, of course.
As others have said, it's best not to push hard too often. You'll benefit most if the bulk of your running is done at an easier pace.
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