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My usual 5km while staying in Melbourne passes along
some of the leafy Malvern streets.
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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.
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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?
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Looking across John Landy Oval in Malvern's
Central Park.
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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.
