excessive endurance exercise and cardio effects

kieranb

Hi,

I haven't seen this mentioned here ( I did a search for some key words and nothing came up so apologies if it has been discussed already), I came across it on a marathon swimming website and it seems to have mainly been discussed in the running world but has implications for cycling as well?

See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677079

or http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/qa-potential-adverse-effects-endurance-exercise-authors

Not sure what to make of it or if I should change my routine. Just thought I would let others know if they haven't seen already.

forward_loop

Not sure how "different" this research is - but in medical circles there is a condition know as "athletes heart".

one of my buddies is affected by this - but his left side aswell as the more flexible right ! - not a professional but someone who has trained reasonably regularly for the last 10 years or so. he's off the bike for a number of months while the cardiologists look at the paramaters that they will impose on any future training (max HR etc)

kieranb

I think this is meant to be slightly different, isn't one an enlarged heart and the other is damage to the muscle tissue by micro tears etc from the exercise over a prolonged time period building up to a hardening of the heart tissue etc?

Wallywonga

Last year I did the Etape Du Tour Act II in the Pyrenees. I completed the ride in 8:53 and placed 703rd. A pretty respectable effort I thought for a first attempt!

On the last mountain I experienced a little chest pain, very brief and acute but plodded on to the finish.

On return home I went to the docs and they performed an ECG, they diagnosed an Athletes heart and said that provided I felt fine to put it down to the strain of the event and get back into my riding again gradually.

A few weeks after that, everytime I rode, my heart rate was about 20 - 30bpm above its normal range. I gave it a few days and thought maybe it was a virus. After 10 days I went back to the docs who referred me to a specialist cardiologist who warned of this very problem. As the article suggests, most people's heart fixes itself within a week, for others repeated exposure to events like this can cause irreperable damage. After weeks and weeks of testing and wearing various monitors they were able to exclude the above, then with rest and some months later I am back on the bike and going as well as I have ever done.

It has certainly made me wary of doing events such as this again. As much as I enjoyed it, if for what ever reason my body does not cope well to that level exertion then I would not wish to jeopordise my health or future participation in racing.

The cardiologist sighted some pretty nasty instances of athletes who regularly competed in these events who have ended up having pace makers fitted and pretty severly damaged hearts. It is relatively rare but goes to show that whilst all seems ok, beneath the surface more sinsiter changes can be taking place.

bernithebiker

Wallywonga wrote:

Last year I did the Etape Du Tour Act II in the Pyrenees. I completed the ride in 8:53 and placed 703rd. A pretty respectable effort I thought for a first attempt!

Pretty good! Were you cold?!

Wallywonga

Coming down the Tourmelet was probably the coldest and most unpleasant experience on a bike that I have ever known!

Did you ride it?

bernithebiker

Wallywonga wrote:

Coming down the Tourmelet was probably the coldest and most unpleasant experience on a bike that I have ever known!

Did you ride it?

Yep, I was there, a bit ahead of you, not much. Very nearly called it a day coming off the Tourmalet, all I had was a super thin wind shell that was soaked through. Poor visibility coming down, cows and mud on the road, and very poor braking from my carbon tubs - I came down like a right granny. Shaking like a leaf.

I had an early start number so if I'd stopped it'd have been quite a wait for the buses - that's probably all that kept me going.

Still, quite an epic, and I'm in for Annecy!