Before I had my daughter, Emily, I was a pretty avid runner – in fact, I was training up to a full marathon when I learned I was pregnant. I was so confused when my mileage went from 17 miles, to 10 miles, to barely scraping by with 2 miles. Turns out, pregnancy will zap your extra energy like that!
She has a pretty crazy ultrasound face, if you ask me.
So after she was born, of course we were extremely sleep deprived – as are most new parents. Add in the facts that she had a wide range of food intolerances/allergies, acid reflux and only slept 45 minutes at a time, on average – well it was stressful to say the least. Other stress factors were playing out in our lives too – the aforementioned disaster rehab, struggling in our marriage, trying to make it through postpartum depression (both of us), and our careers were all adding up to be too much.
It took about 4-5 months before we had things under control and started to get enough rest to be able to focus on our own personal lives again. I started to try to pick up running again, but it was different. I was so slow.. my miles and speed weren’t coming back like they used to before I had her. I had trouble running more than a half a mile sometimes, when I was able to go three before! I kept thinking I was just being lazy in my running now that I had so much going on. Maybe my diet? Maybe I should stop drinking wine? (Ha!)
My family all pitched in to buy me the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music as a birthday present – by far my favorite Garmin watch so far. It had something I had not really used before – a built in heart rate monitor. I noticed that, when I was trying to go for an “easy” run, within .25 miles my heart would shoot to above 200 in some cases. I had some other significant worrying symptoms during this time, including chest pain, heart palpitations, dizzy spells, felt flush, and felt a tightness in my chest that is different than being short of breath. Some of those symptoms I had always just written off as stress or anxiety – the heart palpitations, tight chest, etc. It seems that you can explain away anything, right?
I ended up being referred to a cardiologist, who put me through a huge variety of tests – treadmill stress test, echocardiogram, bubble study, CTA with contrast, and a 7 day holter monitor. He didn’t pick up on much at all, so he basically shrugged and told me he couldn’t help me. I wasn’t satisfied with that answer, since I was still really struggling. I would have good runs, but the very next day I would not be able to make it past .25 mile without having to walk because my heart was racing at 190+ bpm. This was not my normal!
I ended up requesting a second opinion from another practice and they put me on a 30 day holter monitor. Thank goodness, because it finally picked up on something. When I rest, my heart rate will drop down to below 30 in some cases, even while awake. When I ask it to do work, on the other hand, it overcompensates and shoots up to ridiculous levels. The communication pathway between my heart and my brain is not normal, basically. The diagnosis was Sick Sinus Syndrome. Luckily, I have not had to have a pacemaker installed (implanted?) yet – they have just started me on medication therapy.
Wouldn’t you know one week after starting treatment, I was able to run 3 miles in under 30 minutes regularly with my heart rate staying below 180? It was a miracle!
I know there are probably a million factors that play into why someone’s electrical signals would get all messed up, but I do often think about the impacts of stress on your health. Since that time, I have left my post as president of the running club and have started transitioning out of my job. I have turned my focus inward to improving my relationship with my family and pursuing my dreams of travel and financial freedom. I went off of the medication for a short time and, while my heart rate wiggled around still, I didn’t have the other scary symptoms.
I have come away from that experience with a few key takeaways:
- Trust your gut – if I would have listened to the first cardiologist, I would have left feeling crazy and lost a part of my life that is hugely important to me (running).
- Don’t be ashamed of going slow – you are a runner, I am a runner, the sub 3:00 marathoner is a runner. We all face different challenges and what is important is that you are out there, doing something!
- Money is not always the most important thing – when you think you might actually die of a heart attack while struggling through chest pain and palpitations two miles from home, things look a little different. Maybe that high paying job isn’t everything. Maybe it’s time you took a good look at where you are compared to where you thought you would be.
- Keep trying – don’t let bumps in the road deter you from what you love. Turn those bumps into lessons and keep learning.
Have you wanted to escape the stress of your career? What steps have you taken?
Do you have an inspiring running story you would like to share?
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