Is a marathon good for your heart?

phaedrus

A somewhat interesting study on the impact of endurance training / marathon running on heart health.

http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/...mporarily/

 

Coach Patrick

Is anyone surprised? I got another warning from the nurse yesterday that my HR during intake procedure was "strangely" low. What, 32bpms at 10am is bad?

mgraffeo

Too funny. I had an EKG a week ago, and afterwards, the NP came over and told me "Everything is fine, it's just that your heart rate was so low that the tech didn't know what the readings meant."

I said "thanks", and then thought to myself "wow, I had no idea the tech was worried about anything!"

Dave Campbell

Fall of 07, I was undergoing a pre-employment physical. laying on the table with EKG leads hooked up. The tech starts taking her fist and hitting the monitor. Then with a disgusted sigh comes over, re-attaches the leads. I ask her whats wrong and she says they sometimes get strange waves from the display if a lead is not making good contact and sometimes the display is wierd. Then she removes all the leads and hooks up a new monitor with new leads. Then she looks at me and ask me if I'm feeling OK? I say yea sure whats up? She went to get the Dr. The Dr. comes in looks at the display and ask me if I exercised reguarly. I answer if swimming 6 miles, riding 200+ miles, running 25 miles/week is reguarly, then yes. Her jaw drops and she proclaims, he's OK, you can conclude that test. So, I was way too curious at this point, and had to know what they saw of concern. Dr. says I have a very large left ventricle which is normal for endurance athletes, but a concern for a couch potato.  I can't sleep lying on my left side because I can feel my heart beating against my ribs and it freaks me out.



Don't be too consumed with the low Hr's though. I've got 2 training buddies who were proud of their low Hr's until they had to have pacemakers put in.

A third, who after finishing multiple IM's, marathons, double centuries, etc. had 6 bypasses done 4 days after a great 1/2 mary finish.  Had 3 90+% blockages, 2 85%'s, and one 80%.  Did a 1/2IM pr 4 months later and a full 9 months later.  Dr told him he had the strongest heart he had ever worked on.  Bad genetics for colesterol.  He did set off the alarms several times a day while in Intensive Cardiac unit due to his low resting HR.  Kept them on their toes.

So, even though we train and hope for health, it isn't a direct coorelation I don't think.  His Dr told him just because you are fit doesn't neccessarily mean you are healthy.

 

Brian Quarton [OLD]

You are more likely to die during a run, but because you run you are less likely to die than someone who doesn't run at all.