Am I going to have a heart attack my next paddle?

[TallDude]

Recently, two friends of mine, in their early 50's had heart attacks and died. So today on my distance paddle, about a mile off shore, I started thinking what if I had a heart attack way out here? I could see a fishing boat about a half mile from me, but would anyone know where I was? I should probably start bringing my phone again. People always ask me, "aren't you afraid of sharks way out there"? No, I think about work, and heart attacks, and that kind of stuff... I mean I healthy, but I'm I really? I did forget my Ipod. Maybe listening to some 50 Cent should keep me from thinking about dying......You think?

[PonoBill]

One of the benefits of racing cars is the requirement for a yearly physical--it's probably saved more racers than any safety gear. We have to have a stress test, either the relatively simple treadmill EKG or the more complex one with a cat scan (or maybe it's an MRI--I don't remember).

There's no guarantees, it can still happen, but a good physical and a stress test might ease your mind--or point out that you're not up for this stuff. Taking an iPhone in a Lifeproof case is a good idea, and it's practical--I listen to music without headphones by sticking it in a pouch up high on my camelback--works great. I run MotionX to track my run and give me pacing. Ms. MotionX has a nice voice too. And it's there in an emergency. Put your emergency numbers on autodial and/or just make sure Siri knows what you mean when you say "call 911"

[headmount]

Join the club.  I had an A-fib while I was out in paddling off our north shore in '07.  Stayed on top of the board and sailed down the coast using my blade like a sail.  Scared the crap out of me.  Not an MI but I think about having that shit all the time... not so much when I'm out there but every time someone offers me some clog food and I think about how it will feel when I'm out there... dying. 

Wore a heart rate monitor for awhile and took it off because it was always beeping because of a too high heart rate.  Bugged me.  I still push but when I feel weak I back off quick.  Did that yesterday.

Just keep in mind this line from Butch and Sundance when they're contemplating jumping off the cliff  into a river.  Sundance says he can't swim and Butch says, "hell the fall alone will kill you."

If you're over 50, what else are you going to do?  Play bingo?  Yes your friends will drop off and eventually you will too.  One of my pals died of a MI this last winter paddling an OC-1 on a blazing day.  Stoked right up till the end. 

Eat right and you'll be OK for a few more years and look at it this way, if Pono can live, anyone can.  He's the most beat up guy I know.

[Dwight (DW)]

I was worried about the same thing. Turning 58 soon. Family history of heart attacks. My action sports buddies who are doctors, all have gone for stress tests. They are all younger than me!

If it's good enough for them, I want one too.

I went to my GP doc and asked for one. When I showed up for the test at the heart docs office, I found out my GP had written on the order I was having fainting spells. I did tell him I got light headed a few times downwinding. I guess the fainting spells story is how they get HMOs' to pay for it.

[PonoBill]

A heart rate monitor is a pretty good idea. You really don't want to stay outside the max level. Doesn't matter much for me, I have to work like a lunatic or hold my breath to hit 135, but I HAVE managed to hit 145 on a hard downwinder. Probably got up there on the Rogue River race--a toughie. The sport doc I spoke with recently said it's important to get variations in your heart rate. I didn't understand the explanation, but he indicated it was healthier for your heart to see swings in heart rate while you exercise.

[hbsteve]

I looked for an auto dial app. for iPhones.  I didn't find one that had even been rated.
What method are you using to set this up.
I have two emergency numbers I use depending on where I paddle.  I set it up so when I hit the phone button, the next screen is the correct #.  Auto dialing would save a step.  Or like yesterday, I forgot to set it up before I started, so having it always ready would be helpful.

[SlatchJim]

Reaching into my bag of quotes...
"Every man dies, not every man really lives" - William Ross Wallace

I'd be worried more about dying from inactivity.  Surf with friends.  Crowds are not always a negative. 

[Surfer44]

Hell, I guess I have to chip in also. I'm 67, windsurfer, paddleboarder,  EX-kiteboarder, tournament water skier, amateur body builder ( 2nd in US, Worlds and  Universe 1997), PADI & SSI Scuba Instructor.
   Last September , in a restraunt, I had a near faint incident and decided to have my heart checked. They found both carotid arteries clean but a blockage in my heart and put in a stent. I watch my diet and exercise a lot, and I wonder " how could this have been prevented."
 Basically, the Dr. told me "s$%ht happens".
I'm now on Plavix, Toporol and  Lipitor daily. I do wear a leash and a life jacket now, so when they find my board, i'll be with it and not on the bottom. You can see by my signature how I feel.

[balance_fit]

... I started thinking what if I had a heart attack way out here?

If you have a hearrt attack out there, you will either die or become severely impaired to be able to self rescue yourself.
Sorry to be so crude !
If you're having symptoms, have family history, age, etc., go get checked.
It's more probable one may die on a car accident than exercising, but a mile offshore, alone, without communication,...hmmm...
Be well

[teamalty]

  I know we all have different goals: racing, touring, surfing or whatever, but thinking I would have an heart attack on a training or racing paddle is never a concern for me. Funny, sometimes, very few, I take the mp3, but most of the time it's the focus on the day's paddle. Sure, there are the rest-day paddles, the OMG-why-am-I-out-here paddles, the normal steady-hard and/or interval paddles, but I've never thought about an heart-attack paddle.

  I don't think I will now either, and being 69 years old and racing at least two races a month and training an average of 70 miles a week, I think my focus should be elsewhere--smile. However, after thinking about the post, not wanting to say anything, I've decided that if the 'thumper' dumps me, so be it--I'm doing what I love, and love doing it. I will never bring a cell-phone on a paddle, and the times I use the mp3, I can only take it for a short while. Oh, yeah, and I've been to a Doctor one time since 2001. I guess what I'm trying to say is that when you're out paddling, enjoy ever minute because it could be your last.

  I train with the gps/HR monitor, and my average HR during most races is 147 bpm. I did have a 153 HR average in a five miler this year. During most races the rate won't fluctuate more than three bpm. It might jump out to 165, then drop back into the 50s, finally ending up in the upper 40s. The only time my HR varies is during intervals where I'll wait for the 90 bpm before attacking the next timed run. One thing about the HR monitor, it won't lie. Again, enjoy your paddles.

[PonoBill]

The value of a cell phone is not just as a phone. It's as a incredibly compact, versatile piece of electronics. In one package I have tide charts, wind modelling for anywhere, surf reports, music, gps, pacing, hr monitor, webcams, camera, video recorder (both with geocoding) and everything else you might want in electronics.

[teamalty]

Hey, Bill not to be a smart ass, but do you have your cell-phone mounted on your board for instant feedback. NOT. If you want your phone, take it. It's just not for everyone. And while I check the report after the paddle or race, the instant feedback during the paddle is more important to me.

[PonoBill]

I have it mounted on my shoulder. I'd guess you've never used motion-X. As you paddle along, listening to your music, every time interval you choose this nice lady turns the music down and says " You've been traveling for xx minutes, you have covered xx miles, your current speed is xx miles per hour, then she turns the music back up.

Great motivation to pick it up if you're going slower than you thought.

If what you're doing is casual and relaxed you might pull the phone out and shoot some pictures along your route. You just touch the camera icon in motionx, shoot the photos. When you upload the track the geocoded photos go along with it. Post the track via email or automatically to a social site and the pictures are tagged by location. Click the tags on the map track and the photos appear.

If the song you're listening to sucks you don't have to claw the phone out of the pocket, you can hold down the button (which I can feel through the pocket) for a couple of seconds and tell Siri to jump to the next song, or tell her what song you want to listen to.

I'm looking for a heartrate app that is compatible with Motionx that will tell me my heart rate every so often. Adding a sensor is easy, any bluetooth

Like I said, it's not about it being a phone.

[swordfish1227]

Runkeeper will do most of the same things and has the ability to pair with a heart rate monitor. Just an FYI. I like runkeeper, I need to get some waterproof headphones so I can hear it better. I find I get into a much better workout zone with some music.


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[teamalty]

Bill, have your talking phone, or whatever, but we have enough excess outside noise all day long, so I sure as heck don't want any on my paddles. I can see my HR and speed, and time, with only the noise of the paddle through the water. But if the noise keeps you from thinking about an heart attack, or it helps you on a paddle, go for it. And I'll never stop especially for a camera shot. I think we've beat this horse enough. Paddle on.