A mountain biker died on an Auburn trail recently on a climb I really hate. I can make it up but my heart rate is always sky high. I am not sharing this to scare anyone but sharing for awareness. I am not immune to deaths in the sport I am involved in. Deaths related to heart conditions seem to be common in the world of running. It was always more frightening and tragic when it happened to a fairly young, athletic person, usually during a race. I feel very grateful that I have had 2 EKGs and a heart stress test that showed I had a very healthy heart. If you want to read about how healthy see my previous post about running topless in a lab.
I personally think the cost of an EKG is worth it. There is no limit to know I am at low risk for dropping dead during a high heart rate activity. It makes me feel very selfish when I push my limits to the max. I chose to be a mom so I choose to be here for my son. If this means I monitor my heart rate zone and take a break when I need to, so be it. However that is probably just the mom guilt that seems to be built into creating and birthing another human. You automatically feel guilty about pretty much everything you do or don’t do.
My condolences to the wife of this mountain biker. If she needs a support group to ride with as she grieves, we are here for her.
http://reviews.mtbr.com/a-death-on-the-http://reviews.mtbr.com/a-death-on-the-trail
Stay healthy everyone! -Jeni