Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.
-Mark Twain

Scot's Story, April 2007

In the summer of 2004 I decided to do something about my weight, which was 210 pounds on 5’10” frame. I had previously attended a Healthy Utah testing session where I found my Body Mass Index (BMI) was over the ideal and my blood pressure was a little high.

I began running during my lunch hour and after work. It was quite difficult and painful. I set a new goal each week to run to a certain point without stopping.

I experienced some improvement, but my performance soon leveled off. After several months, I started feeling worse. My hear, lungs and arms especially hurt. After a particularly painful run after work and an excruciating headache, I stopped at a Smith’s pharmacy to check my blood pressure. It measured 225/170. For those of you who aren’t aware of blood pressure levels – that is through the roof. Upon arriving home I called my doctor’s office. The nurse made a work-in appointment for the next morning and implored me to go to the ER.

I skipped the ER and went to the appointment the next morning where I underwent a heart treadmill test that measures the efficiency of the heart under stress. After only two phases of a four-part test on the treadmill, the nurse had me get off the machine and told me to sit quietly. I heard muffled voices outside my exam room and saw some grim looking faces looking my way. Soon I was told that I may have a serious heart condition and I was referred to a heart specialist.

The specialist performed some other exams one of which included an exam using contrast fluid and video of my heart. It was found that all of my arteries were clear and my heart had an anomaly: four arteries supply blood to my heart! It’s normal to have three arteries. It was concluded that my poor cardiovascular condition was due to high blood pressure and was prescribed medication to bring the pressure down.

With my blood pressure suppressed to normal levels, I soon restarted my fitness goals and found that it was extremely difficult to exert myself without extreme heart, lung, and extremity pain. I made an appointment with my cardiologist. He told me that my body wasn’t used to operating on the “normal” blood pressure, but I have a heart like a nuclear engine that’s build like a brick house. He further said that exercise was the best thing to do – no matter how badly it hurt, I was to push through the pain. The next few months were extremely difficult and painful. I loathed working-out for the pain was excruciating. Slowly, week-by-week, the pain became less and less. I bought a home blood pressure monitor to check my blood pressure and continued to take my blood pressure medication as prescribed.

After exercising for over a year it became difficult to stay focused and keep exercising on a regular basis. I needed a goal to work toward, something to keep me motivated.

In the fall of 2005, I decided to train for the 2006 St. George Triathlon (sprint distance) to keep me focused on my goals. I was able to recruit two of my fellow workers to train with me. We got a membership to a fitness center near our office, I was able to obtain a workout schedule from an internet site, and we went to work. The camaraderie and encouragement took our motivation and workouts to new levels. In addition to swimming, biking, and running at the gym, we organized some outside workouts which included our first open swim at Blue Lake near Wendover, NV.

Finally, the weekend of the Triathlon arrived. Did I feel ready? No. I knew that I had trained and that I could swim a half of a mile, ride a bicycle for 15 miles, and then run for three, but I had never done it all in one morning. I did it though. In spite of my self-doubt and fear. I pushed ahead for I trained for this three-hour stretch for almost two years. The final quarter mile was exhilarating. When I saw the finish line I put aside my fatigue, my aching heart and lungs (yes, they still hurt when I push them hard), and broke into a full sprint. I had done it. It was difficult, but I knew my fitness was better than many who are much younger than me. I placed in the upper third of my division and the upper half of the race overall.

This year (2007), I’m going to run the Olympic distance at the St. George Triathlon. That will be a mile swim in the cold reservoir, 25 miles on a bike, and six miles in the hot Southern Utah desert. Do I feel ready? No. But I will be much more ready when May comes. Hmmm, maybe I could run another triathlon in the summer somewhere?

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