Any distance athletes out there?

Hi,

I got my pacemaker implant last year and I'm curious to know if there are other people out there with an implant that run marathons and compete in Ironmans.

It would be interesting to compare training notes...

Martine

4 Comments

Cardiac Athletes?

by johng - 2007-06-07 07:06:34

Martine,
this web-site is great for information and support, but there are web-sites for people with more specific interests.
I'm not sure about the correct protocols on web-sites, so if this is acceptable, I would recommend you try the site: www.cardiacathletes.org.
The forum is a goldmine of athletic information.
Johng

running

by randrews - 2007-06-07 09:06:43

Hi Martine,
There are lots of athletes here. From runners to weight lifters to fencers etc. I was preparing for my first marathon, had done my 20 mile run, when I had to have a pacemaker put in with less than a month to race day. That was 2.5 months ago. I'm slowly getting back into it. I had one issue with my pm. The upper limit was set at 130 bpm and I was skipping beats as it tried to bring my bpm back down. But they raised the bpm's to 160 and now its all ok when I run.
I am amazed though at how quickly my body got out of shape. My calves ache, my knees are sore blah, blah blah.
The other issue I deal with now is that I wan to carry a cell phone, ID and wish I had a partner to run with more often. I like to go out on the trails and i'm worried about something happening.
I would like to consider an ultra someday but I'm not sure if that is practical anymore.
John, that website looks great! thank you,
Take care,
Rusty

re: running

by ridera - 2007-06-17 03:06:15

You didn't say why you had to have the PM; but, assuming it was because of exercise intolerance AND your heart's plumbing is good, here are some thoughts based on my experience.

It is very difficult to find a cardio or EP that knows much about PMs for endurance athletes. They very rarely see any.

You didn't mention your age, but, unless you are about 140 years old or have an special medical condition, the 130bpm is ridiculous. Incidentally, that is the factory default setting for one mfgr's PM. It is for a 70 year old sedentary man with a serious heart condition.

The 160bpm is only correct if you are about 70. The best formula is HRmax = 205.8 − (0.685 * age) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate#Maximum_heart_rate

The PM setting for rest should be close to, my EP set mine 3bpm above, your resting HR before the implant. If you were, and are, a serious runner, then you should expect it to be less than about 50bpm. Many cardios and EPs think anything less than 60 or 70bpm is a serious heart condition, bradycardia, and and something should be done about it, which is nonsense.

Just to give you a sense of what you can expect: I had my implant last Sept. Since then, I've run 12 races [5Ks, 8Ks, 10Ks, and 10 milers], and train about 35-40 miles per week. Just finished a 14 mile training run this morning, ran a 5k race yesterday.

About your skipping beats and your PM trying to bring your HR down. I don't think any PM's reduce the HR, they only can increase it. You might want to inquire about this with your Doc.

I'd highly recommend that you contact your PM's mfgr and ask to speak with a specialist about your PM your particular circumstances and the fact you are an athlete. I found Metronic to be very helpful in working with my EP with the best settings for me.

distance runner also

by gevans - 2007-12-11 07:12:58

I've been a long distance runner since 1962. Did ultras and triathlons from mid 70's through early '90's. Met my wife at the Boston Marathon in '79, married at a race, ran with eldest child in prototype of current "babyjoggers" from 10k's through marathon distance. Retired from competition after Columbus Marathon in '04, but now that I have a pacemaker I'm hoping to run ultra's again (since the pace is not as rigorous...and I miss it immensely).

Gary

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