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His Body Spoke. Paul Listened...

Created: Thursday, 16 February 2017 10:59

Last Updated: Saturday, 18 February 2017 18:14

Saturday, 18 February 2017 05:10

ED. Hey, do you know Paul Rockwood? If you don't he's an awesome guy with a great family. He's made some tough choices recently. Check out this important and inspiring Facebook post:

It's with a heavy (overworked) heart that I am making a decision to retire sooner than later from competing in the endurance sports that have consumed me over the last 7 years. The main reason for this is due to recent sensations in my heart that I can describe as "flutters" and "downshifts" sometimes when I relax at the end of the day. It's a scary feeling and led me to research what was happening with the most important muscle in my body. To summarize what I've learned from studies involving the long-term affects that extreme endurance training and racing has on the heart, there are structural changes and damage occurring in the heart due to the extreme demands and stress it is put through during the many long runs, bikerides, and swims. My mind decides what my body will do, and the heart has no choice but to try and keep up. In order to keep up more efficiently the heart...

changes its structure and incurs damage. So the "too much of a good thing" saying is wide awake in this matter as there is an ideal amount and type of exercise to maximize health and longevity. Too little and you get no benefits and have high risks, while too much can be damaging to not only the heart but also the rest of the body. Finding a healthy balance just like eating habits and many other things in life is the key.

Over the last few years my love for the long training sessions and pushing my body to the limit has steadily been declining. Finding the time and motivation to do the amount of training required to perform at the level I've wanted to is hard, but the feeling of being fatigued and missing out on family time during and after the longer stuff has been taking the enjoyment out of it even more. 5 hour bike rides on a Sunday morning at the cabin instead of having coffee on the deck with my dad and playing with the family might be easier for some to justify missing out on, but for me at this point is not. I'll mention here that my Dad suffered a heart attack and nearly died several years ago. The doctor told us he had an enlarged heart which caused the plaque build up over time. He was a very good athlete in high school and college and ran a lot of miles throughout his life. A couple years after his heart attack a checkup revealed two more blockages that required open heart bypass surgery to prevent another heart attack. He is now dealing with bad knee joints from the many miles running pavement.

The progression to get faster in Marathon and Ironman Triathlon and to do new races that are even longer and crazier is clear to me now as a deceitful unhealthy addiction. Last month my wife and I finished the Tuscobia Winter Ultra together, biking the 80 miles on our fat bikes loaded with mandatory cold weather survival gear. It took us 18 hours and was well below 0 degrees with and without windchill for almost the entire time. Shortly after that I was pondering doing that race next winter on foot while pulling a gear sled by a harness, and then to wanting to do other, longer, races like that. I know I COULD continue on and do more of these kinds of things year after year, but as the science stares me in the face and is magnified by the symptoms I'm feeling as my heart adapts to the life I have given it... it just isn't worth it, so this decision is labeled as an investment in my long-term health and overall quality of life for myself and my family. The endurance racing at an elite level has been fun and was a big part of my life for the past 7 years, but the desire to improve myself overall in the right ways through life experiences will continue to guide me.

There is no doubt that I'll still swim, bike and run weekly, just not near the amount that I have been in recent years. It will be more enjoyable efforts and distances. Training each day in ways that will make life activities easier and more enjoyable now holds precedent over unnecessy long distance racing. My wife and I own a gym and focus on creating and maintaining functional fitness that will benefit a person so that everyday life activities are easier and more enjoyable. Being strong and healthy as a result of quality exercise and nutrition is what we promote, and I'm now realizing that I haven't been doing that to my full potential. Treating my body like a race car with no care but a nearing finish line instead of the pickup truck with a topper and a carseat that it needs to be. Strength and flexibility are something i have cut short of where they need to be, and I look forward to more time, energy, and resources to enjoy doing things that haven't had enough up until now. Learning to play guitar, taking my family camping somewhere new on weekends instead of doing the same old races, and an overall increased sense of freedom from the self-imposed shackles that I put on myself to improve in endurance racing. There is not an ounce of regret in me for having engaged in all of the time training and doing races. I met my wife at

the starting line of Grandma's Marathon, and carried her engagement ring in my hand for the entire run at Ironman Wisconsin to propose coming down the finish chute. You learn a lot about who you are, who you were, and who you want to be during a long ride, run, or race. I'll finish by saying that we are all on a unique path in life and listening to your gut instinct can guide you towards what truly makes you happy and healthy.

Here's a video that explains pretty thoroughly.
https://youtu.be/9g8eEYwtfS