Originally Posted by
Richard Cranium
You're in the "wishful tinkling" stage of aging. The bottom line - your heart has become older and is signaling its stress by failing to keep rhythm during efforts.
My heart lost rhythm several years after having a valve replaced. I "babied" my heart for several years and avoided any additional treatment other than beta blockers.
Inevitably - I slipped into full blown constant AFIB last spring, I had a Maze procedure done and I am back in normal rhythm - but this isn't a cure - its just a chance for a failing heart not to beat itself up as quickly.
Like yourself - I wanted to ride long and hard - but eventually reality sets in and wishful thinking subsides.
I agree that there is likely a great deal of wishful thinking. But I still feel this is possibly more of a post COVID symptom than the beginning of the end. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was training for my first full in five years with two 17 year old kids. We were running a manageable pace but after COVID I could no longer keep with them. Since then I also dropped from the mentoring program that I'd been with for 15 seasons that trains with at risk youth for a half marathon. I was able to drop my full registration to the half for 5 bucks and I've continued to train for it. Three weeks ago I had to stop and let my heart slow down about every mile. By the time I had to bail on the full, I was up to two miles before I had to do that. Saturday I ran 6 miles with no real issues at about a 30 sec/mile improvement over what I was doing with the kids. When I ran my first half marathon, there was a lady with a shirt that said there will be a day I can't do this, but today is not that day. I guess November 20th may be that day for a full, but I'm determined to not let it be that day for a half. Of course when my Dr. gives me the results of my Holter monitor I may have to rethink that. But for now I'm keeping positive.
And not riding hard is not a problem. I've been at peace slowing my rides down or not riding as many hills.