Warfarin?

My usual 5km while staying in Melbourne passes along
some of the leafy Malvern streets.

After six days of running about 5km a day, following two months of no running, I'm about where I expected to be in terms of cardio-vascular fitness.  My diagnosis of Deep Vein Thombosis, Pulmonary Embolism and Atrial Flutter at the start of January, had me worrying whether I would ever run again.  It was a scary time.  Now that my heart is back in sinus rhythm and I'm taking Warfarin to minimise the risk of further blood clots, running is again part of my life.

I have resumed running after injuries many times in 45 years, and generally know what to expect.  There will be two weeks, or longer if I have added a few kilograms, of feeling like a fish out of water.  After that, I will begin to feel like a runner again.  Then, the return to full fitness is generally a function of how long I had been unable to run.

The run passes by the John Landy Oval
(see post here).  

I'm mid-way through the initial couple of weeks and there's no problem with my cardio-vascular system.  I'm breathing easily and my heart rate seems to be behaving itself.  What is bothering me, is how stiff and sore my legs are.  Every morning, I feel like all my joints and muscles need lubrication as I set off.  I'm surprised I don't hear squeaking!  It's worse than I expected, and I have been tempted to blame it on the Warfarin I am taking.  If my blood is slow to coagulate, maybe the inflammation that must be occurring in my ageing and cartilage-poor joints is slower to repair and then dissipate?  Maybe there is some other side-effect?

Looking across John Landy Oval in Malvern's
Central Park.

I have searched high and low on the internet for information about the effects of Warfarin on runners, but instead of finding clues to explain my aches and pains, I have found stories of endurance athletes successfully returning to serious competition while continuing to take Warfarin.  Seems like I will have to accept the ageing process is the main culprit.

Just another 5km this morning at an easy pace, with no problems apart from the above-mentioned stiffness and soreness.