racing after AVR

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kevin young

Hi I'm new to the forum and was referred to the active lifestyle thread in regards to one of my questions.

I'm having my AVR this Friday 6/29.

I have been competing in triathlons for the last 10 years up to and including 6 ironman. I have also done a few marathons and various other road races.

I would like to return to the sport of triathlon and possibly even Ironman. Anybody else ever do an IM after valve replacement? What difference in your performance did you notice post-op. Were there parameters put on your max and avg heart rate by your docs? How long before you were able to start training again and how long until you can start racing again?

I'm setting my bike back up on my trainer today so that I can start training asap.:D

Thanks

Kevin
 
I had my valve replaced in 1991. I ran more miles and road races in the 15 years after the replacement than the 15 years before. My times slowed more because I got old and fat than anything else, but I did become more cautious. I never found anything I couldn't do. There was a lot I just wouldn't do.

There was no site like this to go to 16 years ago and no one else with similar experiences to ask. As far as I knew, I was the first person ever to continue running and racing after AVR which I knew was probably not really the case. I did search for others but never found them. So I slowed my training and racing intentionally and used myself as an experiment of one. If I could continue, I thought, I could let others who followed me know it was OK. And I did write about it extensively in the local RRC news magazine and on internet email groups. Some of the things I wrote about it as far back as 1991 are still on my home page. (http://home.nycap.rr.com/sumorunner/html/valve-info.html)
 
Biking after AVR

Biking after AVR

kevin young said:
Were there parameters put on your max and avg heart rate by your docs? How long before you were able to start training again and how long until you can start racing again?

I'm setting my bike back up on my trainer today so that I can start training asap.:D

Thanks

Kevin
Click to expand...

Kevin

While I am a biker, not a runner, I thought I'd share my experiences anyway.

I had AVR/aneurysm repair on May 15. Discharged May 22. I had an On-X vavle implanted.

I started stationary riding about 3 weeks after discharge. The cardiologist suggested keeping my HR < 110 during training. I am on Metoprolol to keep HR under control. The cardiologist scheduled a stress test which I had today, and everything looked great. (Of course, I am now TOTALLY out of shape since I have done no real exercise since April when we scheduled the surgery.)

Everything looked good on the stress test. Because of the Metoprolol, I could not get my HR above 128. If you are going to be on a beta blocker like Metoprolol, it will keep your HR low. I don't really know what this will do as far as athletic performance goes. Seems to me it could lower your performance, as a low HR could limit how much oxygen gets to muscles.

4 weeks after discharge the surgeon suggested one more week of stationary riding before I head back out on the road and begin training for a 2 day charity bike ride in August. That is purely to give my sternum a little more time to heal. He had no problem at all with me riding as far as heart function was concerned.

So I plan to start serious riding again on July 1, which is a bit more than 5 weeks after discharge.

Of course, YMMV. Everyone has their own recovery scenario. Mine was exceptionally easy compared to some folks. It would seem that the younger you are and the better shape you are in before surgery, the easier your recovery will be.

Good luck and happy IM-ing

Fast Eddie
 
> If you are going to be on a beta blocker like Metoprolol, it will keep your HR low.

It kept mine lower than before, but not that low. I'm still able to get it over 155 whereas I should be able to go up to about 175 at my age. 20 bpm makes a big difference though. For a long time I used to skip taking the beta blocker the day before a race so I'd be able to drive the HR higher. I haven't done that in a long time though. Hmmm, now that I think of it there's a 4 miler in Saratoga on July 4th. Maybe I'll try it again.
 
Hr

Hr

Fast Eddie speaks the truth...the drugs post op may be your limiting factor for awhile. I just took my last Toprol XL last Thursday after weaning off it for weeks. I am starting to up my HR during my run. There are some great posts here on recovery, taking a year to recover and a year to get totally back in shape, etc. I would try and find a cardio who supports your athletic endeavors, as I was able to. As only a marathoner, you tri guys are my heroes!
 
Triathalon after ARV

Triathalon after ARV

I'll echo what others have said regarding resuming the physical activities you enjoy...essentially, you can work yourself back into those activities after AVR.

The training and medication elements are important. Like many of us you will find that the surgery and less activity immediately after surgery will leave you out of shape. Your cardiologist and perhaps your surgeon may have specific target zones for your heart rate during exercise following the surgery.

My cardiologist expected me to keep my heart rate between 120 and 130 while exercising for the first nine weeks post-op. After five weeks of cardiac rehab it became a lot of work to get my heart rate that high.

Training after AVR is really a lot like training before AVR. One must set reasonable, reachable goals, develop a training schedule that takes into account physical condition, engage in the training program, and adjust the schedule as training progresses.

I look forward to seeing your post after you complete your first post-op IMT event. Good luck!

-Philip
 
Thanks for all of the great info. I'm sure like most of you I am a very goal oriented person so it gives me relief to hear your stories and know that I can get back to an active lifestyle.

Actually this challenge is giving me extra motivation.

Thanks again.

:D
 
I'll just add my 2 cents here too. I'm now almost 9 months post-op. I'm not on any medications except Crestor for my cholesterol levels. My cardiologist did not put any limits on me. I'm more of a marathon runner than triathlete, even tho I did an IRONMAN a long time ago. However I still swim, usually 2000 meters a couple times a week and my bike is on a trainer in my garage. I started walking in the hospital and stopped only when I go back to running. Since my surgery I have completed two 5Ks (the first was 6 weeks and 2 days post-surgery), one 10K and two 1/2 marathons. My times are definitely slower than before surgery but I am getting some of my speed back. I tend to be more conservative now and tire faster than before. Follow the advice on the other posts and listen to your docs and your body.
BTW and FWIW, I'm 69, been running for 28+ years, have done 50 marathons. My most recent 1/2 pace was 9:55. Just be patient and take the time to heal.
Good luck on Friday and keep us posted.
 
Was primarily a weightlifter before my AVR. Started doing more aerobic stuff post-op which led to my first sprint triathlon four years after my surgery. I'm not very fast, but seem to make it to the finish. My PR for a sprint tri is only1:30:00. The run is my weakest event by far.

Had my lactic threshold tested a couple of years ago (159 bpm). My cardiologist has me minimize my high-intensity, high HR training. Most of the time I plod along in zone 2, which for me is 127-140 bpm on the bike and 134-143 bpm running.

Not sure if it's my age (54) or AVR-related (or both), but I have to be careful these days) about giving myself adequate recovery time between hard workouts.

Good luck,
Mark
 
Kevin: Send an email to Dave Stakel he is doing Lake Placcid this month and has hopes to go to Kona. He is pre surgery,but a good contact. Bill Cobit is our resident Iron Man post surgery finisher. I am just a lowly Duathlete trying to learn how to swim and get the heck off my Toprol! (post surgery and not dead yet!)
LLJ
 
I want to thank everyone for the postings here. I have been doing triathlons for 6 years and want to get back to doing them and have been very concerned about it. All these stories are inspiring and just reaffirming me.

Being only 4 weeks post op, I start cardio rehab next week. I am already feeling better (physically atleast), and HR variability is returning (which is so comforting).

I tried riding my trainer 2 weeks post op, and while it felt fine and I was happy back on my back, my surgeon was less than happy about it (I never got my HR higher than what I did walking around, but he was worried about my sternum; understandably). Now though.... I think my bike is going on my trainer today and my daily workout will include a walk and a "ride".
 
Oh yeah, I'll give you a Tri story. It was maybe 20 years ago and they were a new trend. This was the first time this sprint Tri was being done so the organizers were a bit, um, wet behind the ears should I say? The swim was 1500m and being done at a town pool. They got more entrants than they had anticipated so instead of starting extra waves, they said we'd have to swim cross-wise instead of the long way. It was only 25 meters across. 1500m, 25m at a time. You know how many kick turns that is? I lost count. We each needed a spotter to count them down. I did it regularly in training but not under race conditions. No lane markers cross-wise either, so one guy crossed over from my right to my left by the end. And talk about calf cramps! I could barely walk getting out of the water. By the time it came to the run, I was hobbling on wooden legs. I only had to run 5K but it felt like 10.

There, now does that make you want to rush out and do another one? Yeah? You're worse off than I thought.
 
Hi Kevin,

I just wanted to wish u luck for the surgery and wanted to tell you that I had mine on 29th May, its not even been a month and I already feel great, much healthier rather.

Cheers,
Swati
 
Thanks to all for the feed back and words of encouragement.

My ultimate goal will be to finish another Ironman triathlon. My best finish is 10:30 hours but they give you 17 hours to finish and at this point I'll take just crossing that line again!!

Talk to you all soon. AVR on 6/29.

Kevin
 
10:30? Wow! My time was 13:30, so I have at least a chance to be faster now, hehehehehe. You are one fast guy! My goal is to do another IM or two or three. While my (unrealistic) goal of ever qualifying for Kona has been lost, I would be happy to just finish another one.

Best wishes for your surgery and recovery. Hope to see you at an IM in a couple of years!
 
As a mtter of curiosity, what IMs have you guys done? I did Penticton, BC a long time ago (1987) at the age of 49. I'd love to do another but the training at my age just becomes harder and harder.
 
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