Let's Reconsider
This week I hoped to ramp up my training and really move it to a next level, but I think I may have to scale back. Yesterday I had another discouraging experience while running. I had swam 45 minutes in the morning, which is shorter than the full 60 minutes I normally do. I did the shorter swim specifically because I wanted to leave some energy for a run in the PM.
After tucking in my daughter, I went over to the gym around 9:30pm. I don't like to run outside at night for safety reasons so I figured I would do some intervals on a treadmill. I set the treadmill for a heart rate interval with a max heart rate of 165 bpm. That is about 93% of max for me, and a good level for a hard interval. The max speed was set 7 mph (real speed is actually around 6.2). The warmup was ok, but the first interval was rough. My legs got tired faster than my heart could accelerate, but it is supposed to be hard. I just pushed for it. The speed was not enough to get the heart rate up pasted 160, so the incline bumped up to 3 percent. My heart rate finally got up to 165, but then the treadmill really took its time to slow down. I felt like I just could not take it anymore and was having a hard time breathing so I manually slowed down to a walking pace. When my heart rate recovered to 120, I went for my second interval, but every time my heart rate started to increase, I could feel this pressure in my chest and had a hard time breathing. I struggled for about another ten minutes and then called it quits.
Readers of this blog know this has happened before, and actually have a pending referral to a cardiologist about a prior incident. This is very discouraging, because I have only just started to ramp it up this week. Now it looks like I am going to have to take it easy.
This morning I went for an early spin class. I kept my heart rate mostly under 145. I wanted to do a brick, so I figured I would spin for 45 minutes and then run for 45 minutes. The spinning was fine other than the fact that I forgot to bring a water bottle and was dying of thirst. But I did not have any chest pains or anything. After 45 minutes I made a quick transition to a treadmill for the run. I did an easy 4.6 mph at around 140 - 146 bpm. After about ten minutes I started to feel some pressure so I backed it off. After another ten minutes I felt more pressure and backed off further. I was then going about 3.9 mph and had my heart rate at 130. After 5 more minutes I could start to feel more pressure in my chest and I just threw in the towel.
There very well could be something seriously wrong with me, but I suspect that it is just my body saying it is overtaxed. I had a long bike ride on Sunday, but did not really eat the calories needed to replace the energy stores. Then on Monday, I also had a significant calorie deficit and did not drink enough water. Sometimes, my office runs out of bottled water and I am too busy to run down to the convenience store to get more so I just do not drink enough. That is a bad mistake. I probably should have eaten something last night so I would have more energy reserves for this morning.
So today, I am going to pig out a little and give my body a break from all the calorie deficits and am going to make sure I drink at least 64 oz. of water.
After tucking in my daughter, I went over to the gym around 9:30pm. I don't like to run outside at night for safety reasons so I figured I would do some intervals on a treadmill. I set the treadmill for a heart rate interval with a max heart rate of 165 bpm. That is about 93% of max for me, and a good level for a hard interval. The max speed was set 7 mph (real speed is actually around 6.2). The warmup was ok, but the first interval was rough. My legs got tired faster than my heart could accelerate, but it is supposed to be hard. I just pushed for it. The speed was not enough to get the heart rate up pasted 160, so the incline bumped up to 3 percent. My heart rate finally got up to 165, but then the treadmill really took its time to slow down. I felt like I just could not take it anymore and was having a hard time breathing so I manually slowed down to a walking pace. When my heart rate recovered to 120, I went for my second interval, but every time my heart rate started to increase, I could feel this pressure in my chest and had a hard time breathing. I struggled for about another ten minutes and then called it quits.
Readers of this blog know this has happened before, and actually have a pending referral to a cardiologist about a prior incident. This is very discouraging, because I have only just started to ramp it up this week. Now it looks like I am going to have to take it easy.
This morning I went for an early spin class. I kept my heart rate mostly under 145. I wanted to do a brick, so I figured I would spin for 45 minutes and then run for 45 minutes. The spinning was fine other than the fact that I forgot to bring a water bottle and was dying of thirst. But I did not have any chest pains or anything. After 45 minutes I made a quick transition to a treadmill for the run. I did an easy 4.6 mph at around 140 - 146 bpm. After about ten minutes I started to feel some pressure so I backed it off. After another ten minutes I felt more pressure and backed off further. I was then going about 3.9 mph and had my heart rate at 130. After 5 more minutes I could start to feel more pressure in my chest and I just threw in the towel.
There very well could be something seriously wrong with me, but I suspect that it is just my body saying it is overtaxed. I had a long bike ride on Sunday, but did not really eat the calories needed to replace the energy stores. Then on Monday, I also had a significant calorie deficit and did not drink enough water. Sometimes, my office runs out of bottled water and I am too busy to run down to the convenience store to get more so I just do not drink enough. That is a bad mistake. I probably should have eaten something last night so I would have more energy reserves for this morning.
So today, I am going to pig out a little and give my body a break from all the calorie deficits and am going to make sure I drink at least 64 oz. of water.
posted by Anonymous at 10:14 AM
2 Comments:
Paul, don't mess with chest pain. Get to that cardiologist as a priority.
Thanks Dan. I'm working on it. My HMO doesn't want to refer me to a doctor outside of my medical group, but my medical group doesn't have a cardiologist. This whole incident has given me a renewed energy in following up about it. I have been on the phone with them every day this week so far and still nothing. To anyone who reads this. A word of advice: Avoid UniversalCare HMO!
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