Back to Work

I’m pleased to report that I have now started back to work following my recent Heart Attack. Recovery has been progressing well, if a little slower than I would like, but that’s just me being impatient. I’ve been continuing with the cardiac rehab classes, even if they weren’t quite what I was expecting. I have been pushing myslef a little harder in these as well. However, I’ve actually been doing more intense and longer exercise sessions on my own outside of the rehab classes. These include progressing with my walk/run sessions, some easy turbo trainer sessions and since my Exercise Stress Test I have even been in the pool for some short swim sessions. I haven’t been in the sea yet but that will come.

Swimming

Swimming has been confined to the pool so far. It’s safer than the sea in so many respects. For a start there’s no cold water to contend with nor waves, currents and changing conditions. Visibility isn’t an issue and I can just stop at the end of the pool whenever I want. There’s also a lifeguard on the pool side the whole time. Most of them know me pretty well too so know what I’ve been through and are therefore probably keeping a close eye on me. There’s also a defibrilator close by and hopefully an ambulance too! In fact, there’s usually one or two other people in the pool that I know as well. I’ve discovered that they have been watching me like a hawk too ‘just in case’! All very reassuring and nice to know.

There’s also no sharks such as this Porbeagle Shark filmed here at Ynyslas this week!

So far I’ve been taking it easy with short, slow swims without too much effort. There was some trepidation to start with but so far it has all been going ‘swimmingly’.

Cycling

Cycling has also been confined to the indoors in the form of relatively easy Turbo Trainer Workouts.

As usual I’ve been using TrainerRoad for these. I’m not following a set plan at the moment as they (understandably) don’t have plans suitable for recovering cardiac patients! Instead I have been using the ‘Train Now’ feature of TrainerRoad to choose a workout. I’ve been setting the time available to 30-45 minutes and have for the most part been picking the lowest intensity ‘endurance’ option from the workouts. As you would expect these have all been sub-threshold fairly steady state rides.

I did pick the next intensity level (‘Attacking’) last week but on a short 30 minute workout. This was ‘Sleeping Beauty -5″ which was my first interval based ride since my heart attack. It consisted of 3 sets of 4×30/30’s with 30 seconds at 115% FTP followed by 30 second recoveries. A relatively easy workout, especially as I have reduced my FTP signficantly so as to ensure I’m not working at too high an intensity. I don’t feel ready to do a proper Ramp Test yet to ascertain my actual FTP these days so I’m just having to go by feel and by assuming that it’s pretty low!

Running

My running sessions have consisted of run / walk intervals with the run portions getting ever longer. I did try a full 5km run last week without any ‘walky bits’ at all. I made it without too much trouble even if my time at 25:47 wasn’t great. I guess the pace isn’t important at the moment. Just getting through it safely and without any pain is the main objective.

Back to Work

My back to work schedule may well mess with the ‘training’ and exercise a little. I’m only working on campus for two ½ days a week at the moment so as to ease back into it, but that does seem to take more out of me that I would have thought. I don’t understand why really as it’s not particularly strenuous or taxing work. However, after just ½ a day of it I was pretty tired in the evening and did have more chest pain than other recent evenings. I guess I’ll have to cut back on the exercise a little as I adjust to being back at work so as not to overdo it.

Tags: Heart AttackTraining