So, I've been running for a week now. Impressive, I know. :)
I am following the advice of my "exercise dude", Kyle. Kyle works with my cardiologist and his role has been HUGE in my recovery from POTS. I give him so much credit because he has been nothing but encouraging to me. He is extremely knowledgeable about POTS and I respect his advice.
At my last check-up a few months ago, I mentioned to Kyle that I may be interested in running.
Now, Kyle knows me from my sickest days with POTS and remembered the time I told him I would never be interested in becoming a runner. He never pressured me to run at all. He never even suggested it. Just want to make that clear.
We just happened to be talking and I asked him about a big gold ring he was wearing--it reminded me of a Super Bowl ring. He told me the story of how he made the U.S. Olympic team and earned that ring. No joke. I knew he was a runner, but I didn't know he was a former Olympian!
Well, needless to say when I told him I was interested in beginning running, his face did this.... :D
Kyle's advice to me was to begin by walking 4 minutes and then running at a sloooow pace for a minute or less. Rinse and repeat as many times as I could for the duration of 30 minutes without wearing myself out and by closely watching my heart rate monitor. He made it clear that even if I could only run 5-10 seconds at a time before feeling fatigued, that was a great place to start.
That's what I've done. And I feel great!
I alternate my exercise by doing cardio 3 days a week, with strength training in between those days. So, a total of 6 days of exercise most weeks. I find I need a day off. In the past, if I tried to exercise all 7 days of the week, I would become fatigued and end up missing several days at a time before I could resume. I'd rather take off 1 day than miss several.
During my first attempt at running, I only made it about 1 minute and was only able to do it twice. I knew during that second try I was becoming very tired and my feet felt heavy. Forgot to turn my heart rate monitor on. Doh!
During my second attempt at running, I ran nearly 1/4 mile total. Again, I could only manage two running bursts, but felt a lot better when I was done. HR peaked at 177.
By the end of the week, I ran 1/4 mile. My last run had my heart rate over 180, so I didn't push myself. I think if I had initiated more runs I would have collapsed afterward. As it was, I still felt really good and felt a good boost in energy for the rest of the evening.
I am pleased to still be alive!
~Amanda
I am following the advice of my "exercise dude", Kyle. Kyle works with my cardiologist and his role has been HUGE in my recovery from POTS. I give him so much credit because he has been nothing but encouraging to me. He is extremely knowledgeable about POTS and I respect his advice.
At my last check-up a few months ago, I mentioned to Kyle that I may be interested in running.
Now, Kyle knows me from my sickest days with POTS and remembered the time I told him I would never be interested in becoming a runner. He never pressured me to run at all. He never even suggested it. Just want to make that clear.
We just happened to be talking and I asked him about a big gold ring he was wearing--it reminded me of a Super Bowl ring. He told me the story of how he made the U.S. Olympic team and earned that ring. No joke. I knew he was a runner, but I didn't know he was a former Olympian!
Well, needless to say when I told him I was interested in beginning running, his face did this.... :D
Kyle's advice to me was to begin by walking 4 minutes and then running at a sloooow pace for a minute or less. Rinse and repeat as many times as I could for the duration of 30 minutes without wearing myself out and by closely watching my heart rate monitor. He made it clear that even if I could only run 5-10 seconds at a time before feeling fatigued, that was a great place to start.
That's what I've done. And I feel great!
I alternate my exercise by doing cardio 3 days a week, with strength training in between those days. So, a total of 6 days of exercise most weeks. I find I need a day off. In the past, if I tried to exercise all 7 days of the week, I would become fatigued and end up missing several days at a time before I could resume. I'd rather take off 1 day than miss several.
During my first attempt at running, I only made it about 1 minute and was only able to do it twice. I knew during that second try I was becoming very tired and my feet felt heavy. Forgot to turn my heart rate monitor on. Doh!
During my second attempt at running, I ran nearly 1/4 mile total. Again, I could only manage two running bursts, but felt a lot better when I was done. HR peaked at 177.
By the end of the week, I ran 1/4 mile. My last run had my heart rate over 180, so I didn't push myself. I think if I had initiated more runs I would have collapsed afterward. As it was, I still felt really good and felt a good boost in energy for the rest of the evening.
I am pleased to still be alive!
~Amanda
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