Corinne Ellison

Funny how sometimes I can completely forget about my fixed heart defect and continue life as if nothing happened! Instead on focusing on every twinge and missed beat, I am now so busy with work and life in general that I often forget about my operation. Then I get a little reminder. Something to make me remember and consider myself extremely lucky.

My recent reminder was during take-off of my first flight since my heart surgery. Over the weekend, I went to Germany to see family and I hadn’t considered the travel nor had any nerves. Once on the plane, I began to feel a little scared and looked to my partner for support. ‘Will I be ok?’ I asked him nervously. Bearing in mind I was clear to fly after 6 weeks, I had nothing to worry about. Stories about the ‘patch’ coming dislodged at attitude filled my mind and I felt very worried. All was fine and I didn’t get so much as a tiny palpitation!

Over the coming months I expect to have occasional moments of anxiety about my fixed heart, especially as I slowly increase my training and push myself further. I believe a little worry is healthy and allows you to gain perspective. I certainly had my feet firmly on the ground whilst taking off in a plane!

Heart surgery has given me time to reflect on many aspects of my life, including career aspirations, life ambitions and what makes me happy. Maybe as a result of my pondering, we have recently sold our company to focus on an exciting new business. I have also applied to start a diploma in coaching. My ambition (other than completing Ironman Florida) is to help others achieve their dreams. I also feel very privileged to be asked to be part of the IronHeart Racing Team. Check out the amazing website for inspiration overload!

To start with this week,  a link to someone who has inspired me on my own journey to Ironman – Kyle Garlet.

Kyle Garlet – Heart Transplant to Ironman Hawaii

As Kyle puts it, anything is possible! This week, and for the last few weeks since I began training again, I  have had such incredible support from the Twitter community. From Kona athletes, age groupers and local women runners and triathletes, I had received the most lovely comments, all of which have spurred me on. I have been constantly reminded that my recovery has been quick and successful as I was back running after 12 weeks. Now, 16 weeks post my surgery, I am feeling great and excited about the future.

Reading and watching stories about the Ironman championships in Kona at the weekend, should be enough to motivate even the biggest coach potato! Or is it just me, with my obsession with all things triathlon and the magic of the race? The most heart wrenching stories emerge from race reports and sheer human effort is apparent in all cases. This week, I have shared my experience with someone who is about to go through similar heart surgery. I hope he has found it useful to chat about fears, expectations and returning to Ironman training. Remember, (my motto of the month) – anything is possible!

On Twitter, I set myself a October wish – to complete 6 miles in 60 minutes. So far, I’m not there with reducing my min/miles although I’m seeing an improvement on each run. Persistence and patience are required! I am so excited to observe my potential speed increase over the next few months and surpass any of my previous records.

Scar news: I have no red areas now and all seems healed. Soon, it will be a fine white line and much less obvious. I get a couple of stares but no more than the usual male ‘boob glance’!!

Thanks for reading!

Had a rather frustrating week, which is to be expected at this stage of my recovery. Two steps forward, one back at the moment! After the excitement of getting back in the pool and back on the bike, my chest has continued to ache during and after exercise. After 10 lengths of the pool, I had to get out. After a 14 mile bike, I was in pain for 2 days afterwards. Even after a gentle 3 mile run, my sternum bone is very uncomfortable. I guess my body is trying to tell me something! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a moaning minnie – I am extremely grateful that I am back training again. I just got a little carried away and I have learnt my lesson!

Referring back to my heart surgery ‘manual’, I read that if an exercise causes pain or discomfort then I should stop for 2 weeks before re-trying. This made me smile, I thought exercise was always meant to cause pain and discomfort! The difficulty I have when applying these principles to my condition is that I am 30-40 years younger than most heart patients. My previous level of fitness is allowing me to return to higher levels of exercise than is routinely expected. As a result of this (and after discussion with my hospital consultant), I have decided to take the lead from my body day by day. For the last few weeks I have been training every other day. If I need extra days of rest, I’ll take them. Sound sensible?? Pre-heart surgery me finds it hard to stay put and out of the fresh air.

As I mentioned on my previous post, I have recently been speaking to athletes planning their trip to the world Ironman championships in Kona next month. I am fascinated by what goes into training for this event. Having such an exciting long term goal as finishing a long distance triathlon outweighs any of my short term aim niggles.

Lessons I have learnt this week:

• Don’t run on an empty stomach (if like me, it makes you dizzy and sick!).
• Don’t push too hard too early on in recovery from major surgery.
• Listen to your body and let it dictate the length or intensity of a training session.

Of course, there are plenty of occasions when you push your body to the limit and I fully intend to get back to this level of training as soon as body says ‘OK, let’s go!’