Ivan and Tim,
Like Ira, I was a long time jogger. In fact I was on my way to the Y when I stopped for the stress test that stopped my heart. I was 63. My body's failure to reproduce the lubricant on the sides of my lungs that was rubbed off during the surgery caused a series of breathing problems that were not solved until lung surgery several months later. This time wore down my usually positive attitude.
Four months of walking post lung surgery, and series of confidence building events, led to my attending my wife's board retreat at Pepperdine University in Malibu. While the board met, the only level ground that I could find was the university track. My dressing like a runner belied that I was breathing deeply just walking up the steps to the track. When the university students gave me dirty looks, I remembered the unspoken rule that slow people should use an outside lane. I was moving so slowly that I felt like I was in the video game Frogger as I moved to those lanes. I trace the moment to watching two co-eds jog by (not an unpleasant view) as the one where I transformed from rehabilitation-to-recovery. I took an unsteady jogging step, to use the term generously, with my left leg, and to steady myself a quick one with my right one. Repeating this a couple of times and I was sort of jogging. Not far, not fast, not gracefully: but jogging. The physical change was not much: the emotional one was huge. I was no longer a rehabbing heart patient: I was an out-of-shape athlete. I immediately made a program where I could jog three miles without stopping by my first birthday of my second life. Applying my investment approach of long term goals are simply a series of short term goals stapled together, enabled me to silence the internal voices saying "You are tired and should take a break" or worse "Is your heart beating too fast?"
My advice is to start slowly, monitor your feelings and a "can do" attitude will carry the day. For inspiration watch the movie Chariots of Fire.
Hope this is helpful.
Brent Zepke
Author "One Heart-Two Lives: Managing Your Rehabilitation Program WELL"
------Original Message------
Hi Ivan and Tim,
Ivan, how old are you? Without knowing your age, my advice to you is to ease off and take things slower. I'm pushing 70 and had my heart attack and CABGx5 at 67, immediately followed by pneumonia complications that nearly killed me, but I didn't try running again until around 4 1/2 months post-release from the rehab hospital (around 5 1/2 months post-surgery). At that point, the running went fine, although I was so slow that I it was not much faster than a walk. Eventually, my running days were ended by recurrent sciatica. By the way, suffering from sciatica was the second worst feeling I'd ever felt, the worst being measles as a kid-heart attack and OHS recovery was easy in comparison, but I digress.
The point is that I was no stranger to running or racing. I began running at the beginning of the running movement during the 1970's, just after Jim Fixx wrote his iconic book about running. At the time, I was a mid-twenties former wrestler and gymnast and still an active weightlifter. Although I was more heavily muscled than the classic long distance runner, I found that I was pretty good. During my peak years through my mid-40's, My weekly mileage would fluctuate, but I frequently was running between 45-60 miles per week and I was racing middle distance 5-10k races at around 6:20 minutes per mile, and training at around 8 minutes per mile. Even un my 50's, I could and did string 50-60 mile weeks together, although at a pace around 2 minutes per mile slower than at ny peak.
The point is that I was no slouch or newbie and I proceeded very slowly post-heart attack. I even found advice for post-heart attack returning runners, including advice from cardiologists, instructing us to take it real slow and easy running for the first year post heart attack because it is much easier, during that time, to dislodge some more plaque and precipitate another heart attack.
My advice to you and every athlete like me out there is to take it real slow and easy that first year back, pushing yourself very gradually while listening to your body with laser like focus. You will get where you want to go eventually, but never forget that heart recovery is a long distance run. As a great Masters ultrarunner used to say, "I start slow and then ease off."
Good luck and train wisely,
Ira
------------------------------
Ira Reid
Hoboken NJ
------------------------------