Apparently it’s just under 300 days until Ironman Canada or thereabouts and I’m back on the bike literally.
Last week saw the first of a block to build up my base fitness after getting the last of the test results from the cardiologist and blood work.
The visit to the cardiologist was more of an insurance policy. As I’ve mentioned before a number of more mature endurance athletes have been finding issues with their hearts, some unfortunately with fatal consequences, I wanted to make sure I didn’t become one of those sad statistics.
I’m fortunate that the cardiologist recommended by my GP, Simon Etherington is an age-group triathlete so he knew exactly where I was coming from in terms of wanting him to issue me with that insurance policy.
Armed with the notes from Dr Lyn Robertson he noted that I have what is termed ‘borderline dyslipidaemia’ which is an elevation of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs) which have since come down. In his opinion, my coronary calcium score of 0 is impressive given my endurance athletic history, so I was off to a good start!
BP was 112/70, pulse regular 70 BPM. The remainder of the cardiorespiratory examination was normal.
He then conducted a 12-lead ECG confirming sinus rhythm with bifascicular block with a left posterior hemiblock and RBBB – which can mean – If a person has a heart block, they may experience: slow or irregular heartbeats, or palpitations. shortness of breath. lightheadedness and fainting – none of which I have at the moment so no cause for concern.
A stress echocardiogram was performed according to the Bruce protocol. Pre-exercise images revealed normal left and right ventricular size and systolic function. The atria were of normal dimension. The LV wall thickness normal. There was no significant valvular disease and normal estimated PA pressure. Heart rate rose to 107% predicted and blood pressure to 170/70. There were no concerning ECG changes and there was hyperdynamic wall motion at peak exercise. This was a negative test for exercise-induced ischaemia.
So, basically I’m all good to go with what Simon called a low ASCVD risk (ASCVD Risk Algorithm is a step-wise approach for all adult patients – including those with known ASCVD.)
Whilst I understand most of what was revealed the main point is I can feel confident that continuing to train at a higher level as the months go back won’t have a detrimental impact on my health – a great insurance policy!
A full set of bloods was also taken eight weeks after the initial set back in September, cholesterol levels are settling and ferritin levels up slightly so again, all heading in the right direction. I’m convinced that part of the reason the cholesterol levels are heading back to the way they used to be is because of reduced stress.
Never underestimate the impact external stressors can have on YOU and YOUR training! Stress can be a killer in any circumstance but add to that the physical stress that you put your body through when exercising and you have the potential for a double whammy.
There are plenty of articles out there that explain what stress does on a physiological level and why it’s important not to give in to ageist theories about what we can do later in life in many areas of society. I’ve linked to a couple below.
How Stress Affects the Body
10 Ways Stress Affects Women
Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes
So, with less than 300 days now on the clock before Ironman Canada, Jan has begun writing my training programme for me and in the next blog I’ll let you know how I’m getting on, now I’m back on the bike!