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Do You Worry About Your Heart?

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Do You Worry About Your Heart?

Old 11-05-19, 02:12 PM
  #126  
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
Do you use a HRM? What's happening there when you lose power? HR goes way down, skyrockets, stays the same as when you had good power? I know that when I lose power, I need to eat, preferably about 100 cal. of very fast carbs, like a gel or Shot Blok - even if I don't feel hungry. Have you tried that? My power drop is accompanied by a HR drop.

Edit: I meant to write 100 calories, corrected that.
Yes, I use a HR monitor. Doesn't everyone? (eyes rolling) Power drops way down. In fact, don't have much power. Eating does not help much. I go from around 18mph to 14mph. I struggle to keep it over 14mph. Yes, my HR goes down and there is not much to get it back up. I have noticed that this happens more often when it is hot. I don't ride mid day, but if it is hot in the morning, or getting hot then this usually puts me to sleep on the bike. Hydration? That could also be a key but basically I've found that as I age, the heat is far more my enemy than anything else. Note, I live in a hot climate where the average temp in the summer is 90+ so there is no avoiding riding in the heat. This is why we try and get out on the road by 8:00.

FWIW, I do plenty of gels and shot bloks too. Just seems like my power goes to nothing.

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Old 11-05-19, 08:30 PM
  #127  
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Originally Posted by rutan74
Yes, I use a HR monitor. Doesn't everyone? (eyes rolling) Power drops way down. In fact, don't have much power. Eating does not help much. I go from around 18mph to 14mph. I struggle to keep it over 14mph. Yes, my HR goes down and there is not much to get it back up. I have noticed that this happens more often when it is hot. I don't ride mid day, but if it is hot in the morning, or getting hot then this usually puts me to sleep on the bike. Hydration? That could also be a key but basically I've found that as I age, the heat is far more my enemy than anything else. Note, I live in a hot climate where the average temp in the summer is 90+ so there is no avoiding riding in the heat. This is why we try and get out on the road by 8:00.

FWIW, I do plenty of gels and shot bloks too. Just seems like my power goes to nothing.

john
About how many hours/feet of elevation gain when this starts to happen? It'll happen to anyone when they're exhausted from riding beyond their recent efforts. It's not a bonk, just pooped. If that's the case, the fix is more hours and specifically more feet of climb per week, gradually increasing for a couple months. I had that happen to me this past Sunday. I was just pooped from a lot of short, very steep hills, plus a couple long climbs. I normally cruise 18-20, but I had to keep it down to 15 or I'd cramp major leg muscles. We're gradually working it back up after a period of being too busy to ride or work out much. Starting to train for next summer.
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Old 11-06-19, 05:06 PM
  #128  
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I worry about my lungs.

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Old 11-07-19, 06:58 PM
  #129  
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I only worry about my heart when I take a long break from cycling every now and then.
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Old 11-08-19, 10:17 AM
  #130  
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
About how many hours/feet of elevation gain when this starts to happen? It'll happen to anyone when they're exhausted from riding beyond their recent efforts. It's not a bonk, just pooped. If that's the case, the fix is more hours and specifically more feet of climb per week, gradually increasing for a couple months. I had that happen to me this past Sunday. I was just pooped from a lot of short, very steep hills, plus a couple long climbs. I normally cruise 18-20, but I had to keep it down to 15 or I'd cramp major leg muscles. We're gradually working it back up after a period of being too busy to ride or work out much. Starting to train for next summer.
It's not that. I was averaging about 100 miles per week and then on our Sunday morning ride, about 15 miles in, I would flame out. We usually do 25-30 on Sunday mornings. Not much climbing either. Maybe 1,000-1,500 feet. So, it is not that. I really think it is a combo of heat and age but as I have said, I'd like to know for sure.

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Old 11-08-19, 11:59 AM
  #131  
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Originally Posted by rutan74
It's not that. I was averaging about 100 miles per week and then on our Sunday morning ride, about 15 miles in, I would flame out. We usually do 25-30 on Sunday mornings. Not much climbing either. Maybe 1,000-1,500 feet. So, it is not that. I really think it is a combo of heat and age but as I have said, I'd like to know for sure.

john
Something odd is going on then. Heat raises HR pretty drastically. Never drops it. Besides, you live there. You're acclimated. I'm going to guess it's something hormonal, probably related to age, like you say, but also probably fixable with supplements. I'd see a doc, get a complete blood workup including hormones. You're blowing through whatever it is in the first hour.
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Old 11-10-19, 02:08 AM
  #132  
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I just don't allow anyone to dictate my pace. When going on group rides, I'm "drop" conscious. If the group isn't used to slower pacers (I'm at 14-15 mph), then I don't ride with that group. I also check the terrain of the ride. If it has hefty climbs on the ride, I decline. I'll do climbs, but at my own leisure and pace, not with a group that will be impaired by my inability to keep up. Climbing is my real downfall due to the cardio rates involved. And if they are pacing at >15, forget it.

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Old 11-10-19, 03:31 AM
  #133  
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Originally Posted by UKFan4Sure
I just don't allow anyone to dictate my pace. When going on group rides, I'm "drop" conscious. If the group isn't used to slower pacers (I'm at 14-15 mph), then I don't ride with that group. I also check the terrain of the ride. If it has hefty climbs on the ride, I decline. I'll do climbs, but at my own leisure and pace, not with a group that will be impaired by my inability to keep up. Climbing is my real downfall due to the cardio rates involved. And if they are pacing at >15, forget it.
I like this a lot. I was climbing up Cornell and Thompson Roads here in the Northwest part of town early yesterday morning all by my lonesome. It's a pretty good little climb from down by the river where I live, for me. But it was really quite pleasant because there was zero traffic pre-dawn and it was dry and because I wasn't trying to kill it. My goal was to make it to the top with out stopping or dying. I accomplished both.

At my stage of life (55), I'm no cannon and it just kind of ruins the vibe for me when I feel pressured, as noted by @UKFan4Sure (BTW, was married to a UK grad/fanatic for years--she turned out not to be very nice, but I still like her team). I had a heart rate monitor when I was running a bunch of marathons, but no idea where it is now and presently do not use one. Reconsidering that, though. What I would really like is an AICD in case I go in to vtach or vfib suddenly. I don't worry so much about an MI, because I would pay close attention to any chest pain. I was on Adderall for a long time as an adult. I had a stressful job. Had super-bad chest pain one day and went through the whole heart workup thing , including stress test. Everything but a cath. Doc said the fact that I could go out and run a marathon no problem was a better stress test than his. Anyway, everything was normal. Pain was an Adderall side effect. We stopped it anyway and put me on Provigil, the greatest medication ever invented for me. So, it's all good. I digress.

So, I worry less about a heart attack now. But in an electrical emergency, there is no warning. If some enterprising cardiac company could come up with an overall relatively noninvasive internal cardiac defibrillator that wasn't $15K, I would buy one today. It would give me a lot of peace of mind, because where I ride, in the middle of nowhere often, if I go into unstable vtach or vfib--it is over. By the time EMS gets to me to shock me, the party will be officially over and I will have gone to the big BMC in the sky. Oh well, bpcyclist died doing what he loved...

I like riding alone because, some days I'm amped and I want to fly or go far, and others , I just sorta want to cruise maybe for only an hour. Get a little workout, get outside, get some air, get to be on the bike briefly. I can do whatever feels best on that day, without having to worry about it. I consider this philosophy at my age to be partly about heart health. Do not inappropriately push. Listen to your body. I ride for the exercise/cardio benefit, for fun, for the physical outdoor beauty we get to enjoy here, and because I am a bike geek. I just think bikes are cool. I love bikes. But I would prefer not to die on mine.

So anyway, I made it up to Skyline and back and had fun and managed not to get hit by one of the way-too-many vehicles on Skyline that I would estimate were mostly going in the 47-55 mph range on a viciously serpentine road with a mostly 30-35 mph post. They all fortunately gave me a wide berth (there is zero shoulder on Skyline), but what happens when someone going 60 is inattentive and gives me, like 18 inches? Maybe a truck with an oversized right-side mirror? Not happy about that and if there had been 30 of us riding together, I cringe to think what could have happened. It wasn't my heart on my mind for most of that ride, it was my brain and skeletal system and my liver and spleen, and... Can you say "helicopter?"

But I got lucky on that day. No heart crisis and no LifeFlight. Finally, I do keep track of my stats and when I got back and cooled down I noted that my avg. speed for the ride was a little less than 14 mph. I'm fine with that. About 1800 ft. total elevation gain (only about 1000 ft. or so comes all at once, though) for how I rode it. Road should've been repaved 800 times since last winter. What a flail. Constantly evading imminent pavement disaster. It wasn't 60 miles on smooth flats. But I got a good workout and I am here typing this . Heart rate--48 bpm, normal sinus rhythm. . Success. So far.
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Old 11-10-19, 05:53 AM
  #134  
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This -
Originally Posted by John E
To answer the OP's question directly and succinctly, "No." I worry far more about being hit by some clown yakking or texting on the cellphone. I do not have any consistent family history of heart problems. Yes, I do know that people who live right, eat right, and exercise right are still known to have heart attacks, but many of them do have a genetic predisposition. We do the best with the hand we are dealt.
I'm now aged 64; my Dad died at 60 of a stroke, and all of his brothers died of coronary issues. The genetic deck is stacked against me so I figure to just keep doing what I enjoy until I fall over.

And about this -
Originally Posted by Outnumbered
I only worry about my heart when I take a long break from cycling every now and then.
Cycling is my primary form of exercise. If I take even a few days off I can sense changes in my body. The first thing that happens is I sleep less well. After that my legs begin to lose tone, and it become harder to navigate steps and stairs.

And about this one -
Originally Posted by UKFan4Sure
I just don't allow anyone to dictate my pace. When going on group rides, I'm "drop" conscious. If the group isn't used to slower pacers (I'm at 14-15 mph), then I don't ride with that group. I also check the terrain of the ride. If it has hefty climbs on the ride, I decline. I'll do climbs, but at my own leisure and pace, not with a group that will be impaired by my inability to keep up. Climbing is my real downfall due to the cardio rates involved. And if they are pacing at >15, forget it.
On two different occasions while on group rides I've had negative experiences with people who seem to resent my pace. They want to go fast, and pressure everyone else to go fast. It's an ego thing and they are apparently blind to it. So, I ride with my wife, or with a few close friends who enjoy a leisurely pace and the conversation that can go with it.

I am becoming interested in a heart-rage monitor, not because I'm obsessed on the health of my heart, but out of curiosity about the data to be seen in terms of cycling on differing grades and surfaces.
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Old 11-11-19, 02:08 PM
  #135  
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Anybody got any Diastolic h.r. stories? Just found out there's a thing as Pulse pressure which ideally should be around 40, the difference between Systolic and Diastolic pressures. on a normal (shrug) 30yo, say.
Looks like my Diastolic is way too low . . it's usually around 60, but was 40 this morning. I'd had Cetirizine for hayfever/rhinitis and it may have caused this . . .
Now, please don't panic, guys; I'm pretty sure it's nothing a decent cup o' coffee can't fix . . .
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Old 11-11-19, 07:06 PM
  #136  
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Im 81, ride about 25 miles every other day. My blood pressure runs right at 122 over 67. My resting heart rate is about 60. Why should I worry? Worry is useless and only give you ulcers.
Good idea if you worry about your heart if you don't ride or never have exertion.

Worry about pulmonary embolism if you have a desk job and don't ride a couple days a week.
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Old 11-12-19, 01:04 AM
  #137  
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Originally Posted by Pouhana
Good idea if you worry about your heart if you don't ride or never have exertion.

Worry about pulmonary embolism if you have a desk job and don't ride a couple days a week.
Or do a lot of long-haul flights like the new 20-hour New York-Sydney trip. Hope I'm in Business Class.
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Old 11-12-19, 09:12 AM
  #138  
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Originally Posted by BookFinder

On two different occasions while on group rides I've had negative experiences with people who seem to resent my pace. They want to go fast, and pressure everyone else to go fast. It's an ego thing and they are apparently blind to it. So, I ride with my wife, or with a few close friends who enjoy a leisurely pace and the conversation that can go with it.
I don't think it's an ego thing, at least not at the heart of it. I do about 100 group rides per year, 1000 group rides in 10 years. I started with this club in 1989 when I was 35. People age out and younger people come in. If the ride isn't organized with specific rules what happens is whoever is feeling good will go to the front and hammer. Those who can keep up, suck wheel, or trade pulls will dictate the pace. People like me get dropped. It's not personal, it's the nature of fast group rides.
I am friends with some of the fastest people out there. They wait for me most of the time (eventually). Nobody "resents" my pace. If they do, they can go off by themselves or speak up.
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Old 11-12-19, 10:28 AM
  #139  
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Originally Posted by big john
I don't think it's an ego thing, at least not at the heart of it. I do about 100 group rides per year, 1000 group rides in 10 years. I started with this club in 1989 when I was 35. People age out and younger people come in. If the ride isn't organized with specific rules what happens is whoever is feeling good will go to the front and hammer. Those who can keep up, suck wheel, or trade pulls will dictate the pace. People like me get dropped. It's not personal, it's the nature of fast group rides.
I am friends with some of the fastest people out there. They wait for me most of the time (eventually). Nobody "resents" my pace. If they do, they can go off by themselves or speak up.
Yea, me too. I don't think it's so much ego as it is that people ride at a pace that they are most comfortable with ... dictated by the combination of their ability and desire to ride hard.

We ride with some seriously fast people, and they either wait for us at the top of the climb, or just go off and do their own thing. The slower people just give most of us a chance to rest, grab some food or catch up. It's all good.
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Old 11-12-19, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by big john
I don't think it's an ego thing, at least not at the heart of it. I do about 100 group rides per year, 1000 group rides in 10 years. I started with this club in 1989 when I was 35. People age out and younger people come in. If the ride isn't organized with specific rules what happens is whoever is feeling good will go to the front and hammer. Those who can keep up, suck wheel, or trade pulls will dictate the pace. People like me get dropped. It's not personal, it's the nature of fast group rides.
I am friends with some of the fastest people out there. They wait for me most of the time (eventually). Nobody "resents" my pace. If they do, they can go off by themselves or speak up.
Originally Posted by Biker395
Yea, me too. I don't think it's so much ego as it is that people ride at a pace that they are most comfortable with ... dictated by the combination of their ability and desire to ride hard.

We ride with some seriously fast people, and they either wait for us at the top of the climb, or just go off and do their own thing. The slower people just give most of us a chance to rest, grab some food or catch up. It's all good.
I can certainly accept both of your viewpoints, but knowing the crowd where I am, some of it is ego. In fact, I once heard one of the most competitive of local riders comment "I enjoy seeing the other guy hurting." I used the word ego; perhaps there is another (and psychological) word for that attitude?

Either way, I'm good with my leisurely pace that relieves stress instead of causing dissension - for me or anyone else.

And having long ago made peace with my mortality, I acknowledge that while anyone can potentially overdo it, I don't shape my riding around anxiety over my heart.
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Old 11-12-19, 05:16 PM
  #141  
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Originally Posted by BookFinder
In fact, I once heard one of the most competitive of local riders comment "I enjoy seeing the other guy hurting." I used the word ego; perhaps there is another (and psychological) word for that attitude?.
We've all met people like that. It doesn't bother me, if a fast rider wants to see me suffer, he's going to have to slow down.

Group ride are not for everyone. In fact, whenever there is a poll on this forum I am shocked at how many people say they always ride alone.
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Old 11-13-19, 10:34 AM
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Originally Posted by big john
We've all met people like that. It doesn't bother me, if a fast rider wants to see me suffer, he's going to have to slow down.

Group ride are not for everyone. In fact, whenever there is a poll on this forum I am shocked at how many people say they always ride alone.


I think this is all a matter of context. There are "group rides" like the local "Doctor's Ride," in which the unstated goal is to drop everyone you can and be the first to the top (not my cup of tea) and group rides where everyone rides at their own pace and there are frequent regroup points.

I'm also surprised at the number of folks that actually prefer to ride alone. I'm not a fan. Maybe its because 1/2 of my riding is commuting, and I am always alone for that.
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Old 11-13-19, 10:38 AM
  #143  
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Originally Posted by Biker395


I think this is all a matter of context. There are "group rides" like the local "Doctor's Ride," in which the unstated goal is to drop everyone you can and be the first to the top (not my cup of tea) and group rides where everyone rides at their own pace and there are frequent regroup points.

I'm also surprised at the number of folks that actually prefer to ride alone. I'm not a fan. Maybe its because 1/2 of my riding is commuting, and I am always alone for that.
Interesting. I never do group rides, though I probably should give them a try again. I am not an antisocial person. But I really enjoy riding alone. It's peaceful and relaxing and even when I am pushing myself, which I often do, it is just for me. Nobody else. And I kind of like that.
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Old 11-13-19, 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by bpcyclist
Interesting. I never do group rides, though I probably should give them a try again. I am not an antisocial person. But I really enjoy riding alone. It's peaceful and relaxing and even when I am pushing myself, which I often do, it is just for me. Nobody else. And I kind of like that.
Interesting, isn't it? Like our old pastor used to say (after a birthday party for his small child):

"Chuck E. Cheese is living proof that one person's heaven can be another person's hell. "
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Old 11-13-19, 01:36 PM
  #145  
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People like what they like. I enjoy going on the River Ride, which is our version of the Saturday Morning World Championship. I've been going on it since '04 when I first got into road riding. Follows the same route every week: there's a neutral rollout from a shop in Midtown, once it gets out to the Garden Highway it's on. There's a sprint at the county line, a regroup, and we bomb along county roads till the final sprint, and then a neutral roll back into town. But it's a different ride every time. Could be an easy spin or a death march, depending on the wind, who shows up, and everybody's fitness (but especially your own).

I get to see my friends, chit-chat on the neutral parts, and put myself in the pain cave as necessary. I get to work on different things (moving around the group, sitting in, going off the front, practicing different race scenarios, etc.), or just to gauge my fitness. Lately, I've had to use all my old dog tricks to stay attached but eventually I'll be dropped consistently and I'll go back to the B ride. I love it.
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Old 11-13-19, 04:06 PM
  #146  
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Originally Posted by caloso
I'll be dropped consistently and I'll go back to the B ride. I love it.
The last few years I have been getting dropped more and more. I lost a lot of fitness due to the job but now I'm retired. Trying to get it back is tough and I was talking to friends about changing to the B ride. The people who I want to ride with are in the A group and the B group is shrinking and sometimes there is no B group.
Another thing about being in a club for 30+ years is a lot of friends who happen to be older than I are now out of the club. It has been a huge part of my life for 30 years and I hate to think about giving it up. I know I can just show up every Saturday and Sunday and there will be a group to ride with. Getting old sucks.
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Old 11-13-19, 05:27 PM
  #147  
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Heart worries? No. On the rare occasion I ride with someone, one friend yammers through the ride except when I push him hard. He talks less but I worry about his heart if anything. He is 50 and smokes.
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Old 11-13-19, 08:30 PM
  #148  
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Originally Posted by bpcyclist
Interesting. I never do group rides, though I probably should give them a try again. I am not an antisocial person. But I really enjoy riding alone. It's peaceful and relaxing and even when I am pushing myself, which I often do, it is just for me. Nobody else. And I kind of like that.
I just started but feel the same way. I like to just be alone with my thoughts, take in the sights, it’s a great time for solitude.

Also, I’m usually pushing myself to make gains in my strength and wind so Im consistently “winding” myself during the ride and I don’t think I could really chat much.

But, I can definitely see how it would be fun and relaxing to ride with others and look forward to it in the future.

As far as worrying about my heart. I don’t use a hr monitor, it would distract me. I just don’t push too hard too long and make sure my breathing is always measured even when pushing. I’ll usually check my heart rate about 5 minutes after my ride to see if it’s coming down. And then maybe a few hours later.

I was in decent shape before I started riding just 4 months ago but I think my resting hr is already edging down a little. I was usually only doing 30-40 minutes of cardio because it was so boring at the gym but with cycling, I actually enjoy an hour or more.
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Old 11-15-19, 09:45 AM
  #149  
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Originally Posted by Biker395


I think this is all a matter of context. There are "group rides" like the local "Doctor's Ride," in which the unstated goal is to drop everyone you can and be the first to the top...
That's when it's time to break out the eBike and ruin it for them.
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Old 11-21-19, 10:21 AM
  #150  
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Do I worry about my heart? Sometimes I have concerns, like recently. Here is the history.

My first heart attack was in 2005 and the way I remember it the doc said I lost about 15% of heart capacity. A couple of stents were implanted. I became active in the gym and pool after that event. in early 2010 I had some occasional chest pain and a stress test was recommended. The treadmill was relatively easy and the results showed I was in the top 1% for my age group. Three weeks later I had a second heart attack after lifting bundles of stone from a pallet. More stents. Takeaway: a stress test is no guarantee things won’t be different the next day.

Since 2010 I have been an active cyclist averaging about 6k per year with a reasonable amount of climbing. Serial knee replacements in 2015 slowed me down for a year or so, but I bounced back fine. Since 2010 I have had occasional chest pains, but nothing too worrisome and those pains have seldom happened while riding. My resting heart rate is in the range of 45-52 and while pushing hard my heart rate is in the mid to high 150’s. Last year on sustained climbs my heart rate peaked in the low 160’s. I am 75.

This year has been different, starting with some delays riding because of a second shoulder surgery in December 2018. I have about 4500 miles this year and 200k of climbing so far, so I am a bit behind my average. After some rides I am very tired, enough that I lay down and take a nap after the ride, which is unusual for me. My average speed has dropped about 1.5-2 mph. There is one hill I climb regularly and it is my own personal “stress test”, an average 10% grade for about 1/4 mile, which I do all out. My heart rate will get into the low 150’s, but I have not had chest pains. However, my overall performance on that hill has slowly declined.

The combination of being tired after some rides, lower average speed, and decreased climbing capacity does not make me worry, but it has my attention. At my recent cardiology appointment I mentioned these issues to my doc and another stress test is scheduled in a few weeks followed by an echo cardiogram after that. Maybe It is just aging, maybe it has just been one of those years, maybe it is a change in my cardiac functioning. Time to find out.

So, before the formal stress test I am riding 4 times a week, pushing a little harder than usual, climbing a bit more, drinking less wine, focusing on sleeping better. So, while I am not worrying about my heart, I know that I can’t ignore what can be signs of a developing issue. I am also keeping the nitro FOB a bit more accessible during the next few weeks.

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