Over the last couple of years, my doctor has been concerned about my low heart rate. Well, I run, of course, so what's the big deal? Yes, I'm no seasoned athlete; not at elite runner, is that a problem?
I wore a Holter monitor a couple of years ago. Nothing really came of it. This year I did a an echocardiogram - that was interesting seeing my heart on a computer screen, the valves and ventricles looking like some kind of seaweed plant! Results: mitral regurgitation. What?
I have some leaky valves. Not terribly uncommon, but it does mean I now have a cardiologist. According to Dr. Kovoch, it is very minor and nothing to worry about at this time. It's probably something I was born with (yay genetics) and thickening of the valve tissue is common as we age. He even asked if I did Orange Threory because he knew of a lot of runners who are hooked on it - I guess that is a recommendation? He does want to know if I have frequent problems with being light headed, dizzy, passing out and fatigue; then we might have a problem. Other than that, an echo & follow-up with him in about a year. So I'm good to go.
I will probably take things a bit easier on my runs - stick with 'five and dimes' in my races - and continue to be obsessed with my heart rate. Getting older kinda sucks, but we don't have to give in to it - right?
