My heart loves running …..good job !!

By justinesq on November 2, 2014 • ( 0 )

I do love the science behind running, reading the latest training trends and I love trying to understand the bio mechanics of the human body. If I had my time again, it would be as a sports science expert or physiotherapist, I’d love it. I love to understand my body and what it’s capable of. I spotted this earlier and loved it…..

An LCA motto. So many of friends just don’t get this and I hate how they are missing out.

I’m proud of what I currently achieve, I feel fit, strong, faster and thinner than I’ve ever been in my life. I think I might have peaked a bit late, but never mind. This blog gets to the heart of the matter so to speak. Your good old heart rate and the natural variations that make us all different. Apparently a ‘normal’ heart rate should be between 60 – 100 beats per minute (BPM), if you’re and ‘athlete’ it is most likely lower, around 55 (BPM).

So on a recent random blood pressure check, my blood pressure was absolutely fine, as I expected, but my heart rate was considered low, too low in fact. To give it a lovely medical name ‘brachycardic’. Fortunately, I know this already, I love using the heart rate app on my iphone and have been logging my heart rate a couple of times per week at rest, after training, because I’m such a geek! So my little ticker beats at around 45 (BPM) and if I’m totally ‘vegged’ out on the sofa it calms itself to 39 or 40 (BPM). I showed the nurse my readings just to show her that for me, it’s the norm, I’m fine and alive. Apparently 39 for a lot of people is a coma !

That one random blood pressure check lead to an ECG for the doctors perusal who, I’m glad to say, thank god for common sense, declared it fine. I run, I’m fit, get over it. If my heart can plod along so lazily, but my blood pressure is fine and I am symptomless, good on it. I’m a medical freak. Apparently, going forward, I will need to have my phone app always to hand to explain my weird readings every time I encounter the medical profession. I was kindly told if I had had any kind of hospital procedure and my heart rate had been taken at 39, I’d have been up in ITU before you can say brachycardia.

So now I’m thinking maybe that’s why I’m such an adrenaline junkie, or caffeine addict. If you like Jason Statham, I am Crank !! (Good film if you haven’t watched it)

Crank – innovative ways to get your heart going !

I’ve decided that clearly I may be destined to live to 110 seeing as I’m carefully saving on heart over usage. Ironically I popped to see my amazing neighbour Tom who at 83 still runs EVERY day. He has the same issue as me, a very low heart beat that has caused him no problems until he reached 82 when finally he occasionally felt dizzy and blacked out once. So at 83 he’s had a pacemaker as his laid back heart just couldn’t keep his blood pressure up. Of course, he is back running.

Oh well, guess I’ve got that to look forward to then? Right now I hope it will be perfect for VLM 2015, a heart that at a steady running pace, just notches up a gear to the BPM of a normal person. Awesome.

It’s a runners heart, it had to be.