128 bpm

June 12, 2017

Hi, Tracy.
I'm back from my travels to the Banff-Canmore area of Alberta, Canada. Magnificent scenery.  As I said in the prior blog, when I was there I found myself exhausted with minor hikes, and then realized it was because the elevation there was about 5,000 feet higher than Seattle. Makes a difference. At the same time, however, my heartbeat at rest was as low as 46 beats per minute. That was a surprise.

Yesterday morning it was 48 bpm. I would have expected it to be lower than the Canmore rate, because I was at about 400 feet above sea level. But I'll settle for 48 bpm, because that still puts me in the top 3 percentile.

A new metric

A bit ago I walked to the waterfront and then came back uphill. My heart rate got to 128 bpm and I had to stop for breath. This is a new metric to keep track of, because it marks a new boundary. When I was in hiking shape I could trudge along with at least 20 pounds on my back and my speed limit was sometimes as high as 148 bmp -- and sometimes in the upper 150s. So the fact that 128 bpm is now my new speed limit shows how far I have to go to full recovery.

Love,
Dad