Two weeks ago today, after an uneventful parkrun on the previous Saturday, I set out for my weekly 10k. It became clear after the first couple of k that this was not going to be a good run, so I decided to take it easy. However after 5k I felt really exhausted, so decided to take some walking breaks on the way home - that helped, but not much.
After recovering I checked my Garmin which showed I'd been in HR zone 5 for almost the whole run (peak 192!) and my resting HR continued to be high for the rest of the day. My daughter is a doctor and said 'you should see your GP'. I managed to get a telephone consultation the following day and an ECG was recommended. That showed an irregular heartbeat, so a face to face appointment was arranged for last Monday.
The diagnosis was atrial fibrillation (as suspected by my daughter) - basically an abnormal heart rhythm in the upper chambers of the heart. I've been prescribed medication to address this and an anticoagulant to reduce the risk of a stroke. I also need to have a chest x-ray and an echocardiogram (scan of the heart). It's a fairly common condition, which is more likely for people with high blood pressure and diabetes amongst other things, both of which I have. It's unlikely to have been caused by running but the scan might identify a physical cause.
As you can imagine, I was interested in how all this would affect my running! Some research on the internet suggested that as long as the irregular heartbeat had been addressed, there shouldn't be a problem. The GP's advice was that the medication should start working straight away but to leave it a few days before restarting. So early last Saturday I ventured out for an easy jog - all seemed fine and I was interested to note that my HR was 0% in zone 5! This morning I upped the pace a bit and did 5k in 30.50 with 1% zone 5. For comparison on 1 June my 5k time was 30.11 with 20% zone 5, so it is likely that I have had this condition for a while, but undiagnosed, so anyone with a similar experience may want to think about seeking medical advice.
I'm hopeful that this will resolve the issue for me, but if anything of note comes from the x-ray or scan, I'll post again.
Written by
JonathanP
10 Miles
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Oh Jonathan, what a shock for you, but how lucky you have a helpful daughter and GP, and know your own body well enough to realise there was a problem. 🙏🏻 It sounds like you nipped it in the bud before it became a serious issue.
Here’s to a full recovery and thanks for posting. It serves as warning to all of us that if something doesn’t feel quite right, there’s usually a reason for it.
Thanks Cheeky, it was a bit of a surprise! Having Mr Garmin was helpful too, since after the fateful run I was able to monitor my resting HR which over the next few days was much higher than my usual 30-40.
I hope so too - I will be rescheduling my planned 100th parkrun, but it might still clash with your holiday.😔
Thanks HF - it hasn't been described as that to me. From a quick look at the NHS website heart block and AF seem to be 2 different conditions although the former can lead to the latter?
A good thing to post this Jonathan as it will help others along the way I am sure. I still find it hard to believe you still have high blood pressure and diabetes as you are so fit ( in the old-fashioned sense) and slim. The Garmin HR may not be 100% accurate but it shows a trend and it is so useful. Do you have to wear a chest band to monitor it now?
Don’t worry about the 100th run; We will be waiting in the wings for the big day. It wasn’t the mention of fancy dress that did it I hope. 😂😂
Thanks Dexy - hopefully it may help somebody. I guess my blood pressure is under control with medication (3 at the last count!) and the diabetes with diet and exercise, but I still need to keep an eye on them. Btw, glad you qualified the 'fit'!😜 No, I still use the optical sensor - as you say, I wouldn't rely on the actual number, but the change I noted was significant.
Will be in touch about 💯 as and when - yes fancy dress might make me jump from 99 straight to 101!
Well done for following that up straight away. It sounds like you have a very workable solution going forward. One of the advantages of running I think, is that we get to know our bodies so much better than before which really helps us spot when things change. Wishing you all the very best.
Gosh Jonathan, what a shock! It’s so good that you got a diagnosis promptly and know what to manage.
My brother has this and has lived with it for years. Apparently it’s fairly common.
Thank goodness for running in a way because otherwise it might not have been picked up early. We do get to know our bodies much better when we are runners.
All I’d say is if you can run 5K in 30.50 then you’re in pretty good shape 👍 fitness-wise.
Thanks BC. It's surprising how many people have it or have had an episode - I was swapping AF stories with my daughter-in-law's father over the weekend!
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HM training day 4 - stay in the zone, man, like stay in the zone 🧘♀️