It has been a while since my last entry. Watching the Boston Marathon today has inspired me to get back into training and post on the FRB. I began a significant cutback in running last fall due to troubling symptoms that kept getting worse (low energy, falling heart rate, exercise intolerance, dizziness, heart palpitations, etc). These have been on and off issues since 2010, but last year was the worst. Went back to the Cardiologist for my third time and was diagnosed with a parasympathetic form of overtraining. Structurally my heart is normal (no blockages or leaky valves). Just a severe case of overtraining in his opinion, that if not stopped could cause more permanent damage. Only solution was to drastically lower training and rest. Doc is not sure if I'll bounce back since it's a very individual matter and recovery time varies. Not what one wants to hear, but I count my blessings regardless. So just been jogging about 18 miles per week and eating like a champ (see bodyweight below) for the past 6 months. I would like to rebuild my base again, but really not sure what will happen or how my body will react. God willing, the plan is to 1) keep my running low key, 2) avoid the mistakes made before, and 3) have fun in the process. No other plans at this point. |