I need to acknowledge what happened to my dear, dear friend Sarah (SHU) the other day! For anyone who doesn’t know yet (she posted about it here, so I know it’s okay to share), she ran a half marathon on Sunday (in her very healthy, 44-year-old, 50+ mpw runner body) and went into Ventricular Tachycardia (aka VTach) at the end, with heart rates over 250. For anyone who doesn’t know what that is, it is a FATAL (if untreated immediately) cardiac arrhythmia. (I think Sarah downplayed it all a little bit in her post, likely to not freak everyone out, but just know this was very, very serious!!)
She had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital and emergently shocked/ cardioverted to restore her heart to a normal rhythm, and is still in the hospital trying to figure out WHAT THE HECK. (She has no known cardiac issues.) This arrhythmia should never just normally appear under regular circumstances, even with exertion.
I will say, I about had my own heart attack when I got the text (which was actually from Josh, on Sarah’s phone, and then I almost dropped my phone trying to frantically hit the “call” button.)
I had been tracking her race online and was worried when I saw a sudden big slowdown at the end (but she somehow still finished the race!). I had texted her right away and asked, Hey, everything ok? Why that big slow down at the end? When I didn’t hear back, I was even more worried, but thought maybe she had rolled an ankle or something? Or just didn’t have her phone. A half marathon is nothing for her with her regular mileage.
Anyway, the whole thing is really scary, and thank goodness she was able to get urgent medical attention. Just goes to show you, I guess. You just never know what a day will bring.
I know SHU is passionate about trying to take life by the horns and really LIVE it, you know, and this is an excellent, albeit terrifying, reminder as to why we all need to do this! Life is short, guys. And very unpredictable.
I am just so grateful that she’s alive and doing okay right now. I cannot fathom if the outcome had been different!!! 😭😭😭
But I am also completely heartbroken for her, if it turns out that she can’t run anymore as a result of this. Running is such a huge part of her life and a huge passion. Sigh. I know she’ll be okay either way though, and would find other avenues to turn her passions to. 💗
It is an interesting thought experiment, to think about if you could no longer do something that brings you joy, and what those things are.
For me, it would be strength training. I would be really, really sad if I were told I could never pick up another weight again. I’ve had a dabble in this issue already, with my chronic back problems limiting me and causing lots of pain. So far, I have still been able to lift, but I do now alter what exercises I do, and I also frequently worry that eventually my back may not tolerate a lot of things. 😢
I’m especially worried how my back will affect our travels. Standing for long periods (or walking slowly, like in a museum) kills my back. I am so worried that I’m going to have big issues on our upcoming London trip, not to mention countless trips I want to take over the next 40 years, hopefully!! So far PT seems to be doing exactly…. nothing. 😩
Oh, and I also would be so terribly sad if I could somehow never go for a walk again. I have grown to really love walking!
I have no appropriate photos to accompany this post, so here is one of Charlie, who certainly has the whole “live your best life” thing figured out. 😆
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for emergency response people who respond instantly and know what to do.
GRATEFUL KAE 
If you had asked me to pick one person that I met in February and predict whether that person would have a cardiac event a few weeks later, it would not have been SHU, that’s for sure. By the way, I think the name “the SHU box” is so cute, so even though I called her “Sarah” in person, she is “SHU” in my heart.
I had to give up running, but under very different circumstances. I was very much not a BQ marathoner. Life after running is good, but it is different. What you said that if I couldn’t walk it would be the saddest thing. I can walk for miles but it hurts my back to stand still – something that I have ironically learned from my standing desk. I don’t know why it hurts, I just know that it does, so I have chosen to ignore the “sitting is the new smoking” thing.
Ending with a picture of Charlie is always the right way to end a post! Doggo says to tell him hi.
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I mean…we KNOW life can change in an instant, but somehow it still feels like that will never actually happen. And then, tragically, it does. I’m so glad this story has a happy ending and I’m so glad she was able to get access to medical care quickly (and knew to advocate for herself).
Charlie is TOO CUTE.
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Oh Kae, Im not even close to Sarah like you, but I’m such a loyal reader/listener that even my husband knows of her! I was actually shaking when I read her post and google told me how serious VTach was. So grateful the medical tent was right there and she’s ok. 100% a stark reminder that life can change in an instant. If I couldn’t walk (long distances, through nature trails etc) I would be devastated as that is my favourite type of exercise especially for my mental health. Sorry to hear about your back- back pain is very frustrating. And Charlie is such a cutie he improves every post 🥰
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I think I can say this affected me so much as a fellow friend and runner. yesterday when I was running the idea that this could happen to anyone at any moment is so frightening. I wonder if I should also get checked or run less. then I thought about the plane crashes. they happen, it’s really tragic and beyond our control, but still we need to travel and have the peace of mind that this is still rare events. I wouldn’t be travel or run if I don’t keep reminding that.
what I know is that even without running, Sarah will be this strong and passionate woman to live her life to the fullest. She’ll find a new venue for her energy and mental therapy. It won’t be easy but I am confident she’ll find it. I am still hoping they find the cause and she’s okay to run still.
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I only recently started reading Sarah’s blog and I was very shocked to see this! What a terribly upsetting thing. It’s so hard to give up something you love, something that is a big part of your life. I hope that she will be okay.
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Aww thank you all and thank you Kae for this beautiful post!!! Hoping for the best, one day at a time I guess!!
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Yes, this is a very scary and sobering reminder of how life can change in an instant. I too have been thinking about Sarah all the time, and what if the outcome had been different… but luckily she’s okay. I know she’s still in the hospital waiting to get more answers. Anyway- we all need to take a step back from the worries of life and appreciate how precious and fragile it really is!
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Yikes! This is exactly why I am traveling now, instead of once I am 60 or whatever. Life is short and you never know what will happen in the future, so the time to live life is NOW! I hope that she gets some answers and can still do some active things, as that would be a hard pill to swallow to not be able to get outside and be active! Woof. I feel for her and hope that things turn around soon. Also, regarding your back, I have the same issue if I stand too much, like in a museum, so have to do shorter stints.
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I’m so glad you let me know what was happening with Sarah on Sunday. She’s been on my mind and in my prayers I think situations like this are even worse for someone who works in healthcare because you understand, what is happening far better than a non-medical person can! I had a really bad blood clot at 32 weeks when I was pregnant with Paul I knew it was bad, but my mom and sister who are both nurses understood the potential ramifications much better than I did so they were in a total panic and were kind of playing worst case scenarios in their mind.
Situations like this are a reminder that life is precious, and we need to make the most of it. I am somewhat limited and what I can do because of my RA diagnosis, but that’s nothing in comparison to what Sarah might be prevented from doing so I don’t even want to draw a comparison! But I can relate on a much smaller scale. So I have really reframed my comments and thinking around exercise and think of it more as ‘I get to run’ or ‘I get to strength train’.
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I was so shocked to hear about Sarah’s incident. So very scary and I am so glad she got medical attention right away.How the heck does that happen to someone so physically fit all of a sudden? It’s truly hard to grasp. I am so glad she’s ok!
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