Resuming running @ age 57

Tomorrow will mark the 4 week mark since my Biotronic Cylos DR-T (dual chamber, rate responsive) was implanted. I have 2:1 AV block which resulted in "chronotropic insufficiency" which means my running performance went down the tubes because of getting winded easily. I am 57 and have only been running for 3 years.

I walked for 2 miles the day before my one week recheck and felt great. At my recheck, everything was checking out great and I was really feeling quite good. I figured that I would press my luck with my doctor and asked, "So, when can I resume running?" I expected him to say that the usual recovery is 4 - 6 weeks, so let's hold off. Instead, he paused a moment and said, "Why don't you wait another week and then you'll be good to go." So I walked for another week,and for these last two weeks, I have been walking and running for a half hour every other day. Right now, I feel that I just need to "get my legs back" and my conditioning will follow. I will be very happy to get back to my modest 9:30/mi pace, but my doctor says that I stand a very good chance of achieving a level of performance better than I ever had attained before.

I am well aware that there are legions of 50+ year olds who run. I know this because there are usually several dozen of them in the race results listed ahead of my name! What I am curious to know is if anyone has a similar experience as mine, i.e, you are over 50, you took up running later in life, and then received a pacemaker. I am amazed at how well things have gone for me and would be interested to hear other stories from more "experienced" runners. Will I have setbacks, or is my pm really the miracle cure that it seems to be?

4 Comments

miracle cure

by Tracey_E - 2008-12-11 09:12:22

I'm not a runner and I got my first pm in my 20's (1993) but I do workout vigorously so I'll jump in with an answer anyway! Yeah, pacemakers are pretty much a miracle cure for those of us with av blocks. Our atria beat normally, the ventricles just don't get the message to keep up. The pm fixes bridges that gap so our hearts beat virtually normally with our natural pacemaker (sa node) setting the pace. All that extra oxygen and increased circulation means a much higher level of energy as well as improved stamina. Cool, huh?

I was also doing cardio workouts well before six weeks. The six weeks is for the leads to adhere into place, so as long as your heart is otherwise healthy and you keep your arm below your shoulder, it's perfectly safe to get back to mild exercise sooner. Or not so mild :o)

The only setback you may encounter is the need to have your settings tweaked. The standard settings that they send us home with are not always adequate for someone very active. For instance, the max rate is usually set around 120 or 130. Mine is currently at 170. You'll know it needs to be higher if you are cruising along and suddenly feel winded and/or dizzy. Check your pulse and see if it's at your upper limit, if it is ask to have it turned up higher.

And you may find you do not need the rate responsive setting, that is more for people with atrial rates that don't increase with exertion which is not a problem for most of us with av blocks. Rate response means your pm increases your hr when it senses that you are moving. See how you feel when you start to really push it again. If you find your heart rate jumps up too fast or just plain feels weird, ask about having it turned off.

Exercise

by ElectricFrank - 2008-12-11 11:12:05

That was a good one with the doctor. Hope he doesn't frequent this forum!

I am 78 and would run except for a couple of disks in my back that don't like the impact. So I briskly walk and when I get a chance I drive out into the desert and hike for several miles over the hills. I 600' climb works up a good HR without the impact. I don't seem to be very limited as far as cardiovascular is concerned. My upper limit is set to 150bpm.

One question: is the rate response turned on in your pacer? Mine also has the feature, but I had it turned off very early on. With A/V block your sinus pacing is normal and responds naturally to exercise. All that is necessary if for the pacer to sense the atrial beat and pace the ventricles.

By the way, be sure and ask for a copy of the pre and post programming report at your next checkup. It is very handy for understanding how the pacer is setup.

frank

Getting Back Into It

by tuck3lin - 2008-12-12 01:12:25

I turned 50 in September and had my PM implanted four weeks ago. I did a little running when I was in my 20s, but not seriously. I have slight asthma, and always got too winded. Back then, I usually capped out at 3 miles. In retrospect, I think I was trying too hard.

Feeling the middle age paunch starting to build as I was approaching 50, I started moving more of my workout away from weights and to the treadmill, and then switched to outside running this past spring. It had been a long time, and I had forgotten how good it felt to run. Surprisingly, once I learned to pace my runs correctly, I found my endurance was a lot better than when I was younger. I did my first 5K and 10K this year (before the PM). My pace on the 5K was 10:15/mile and on the 10K was 10:45/mile. Not super fast, but good enough not to finish last, either. The treadmill is always faster, with my best averages last spring around 9:40/mile (6.4 mph). I had high school friends (both 50) who did the 10K with me at 7:55/mile and 8:20/mile. I am not in that league, and probably never will be.

I was really missing working out, so 10 days after the PM implant, I asked the doctor if it was OK to get back on the treadmill for a light work out. Like you, I was surprised when she gave me the green light. The first time back to the gym I started off with a fast walk and kept my distance to 2.5 miles. But, I always like to push myself, so the next workout, I broke into a jog and ran the distance up to 3.0 miles and averaged 5.2 mph. Hey, that felt pretty good! By the fourth workout (about 3 weeks after the implant), I ran 3.5 miles at 5.4 mph (11:06/mile) average.

I know I could have pushed it farther and faster, but I could feel a little soreness in the PM area in the evening afterward, so I thought it was a good idea to take this week off. Best to be cautious, I guess.

I will probably pick up the treadmill again on Monday and see how it goes. My challenge is to hold back and build up slowly, rather than going all out too quickly. My natural tendency is to want to push. There is a 5K (or possibly 8K) in March I would like to be in shape to do, and I would like to repeat the same 10K again in the fall. I think a reasonable goal would be 10:00/mile on the 5K and a 10:30/mile on the 10K. But, we'll see how it goes.

57 yr old runner (follow-up)

by Mayor - 2008-12-14 04:12:02

Thanks to all who commented on my first post. Six weeks ago, I knew nothing about pacemakers; now I have one and am benefiting tremendously from the experiences and knowledge of everyone on this board.

So yesterday, I headed out for a planned 3 mile run. I set my Polar watch/heart monitor so that I would alternate between running 2 minutes and walking 1 minute. Until now, I had only been inserting 3 or 4 short running intervals in a 2 mile walk, so this was going to be a real test. I had it in my mind that I would bail out of the planned run if my monitor showed that I was exceeding 85% of my maximum heart rate.Well, I had no problem with finishing the 3 miles, and I ran every 2 minute interval in its entirety. I felt comfortably tired at the end, but not exhausted. I feel like a runner again. (Well, as much like a runner as a late-starting 57 yr old can feel!)

I hope anyone who is about to receive an implant, or anyone who has one but maybe hasn't experienced the full benefit of their device, can be encouraged and made more hopeful from my experience. That said, I promise not to bore anyone anymore with my running "exploits."

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