Pause

Reading the paper at the kitchen table, eating the last of breakfast. Suddenly it's ominously quiet in my head, and I feel strange - my heart has stopped and a wave of dizziness hits. Since I've had arrhythmias in the past, I know what to try -- deep breath in, exhale slowly, twice. Still feel no blood moving. Should I run for the phone and dial 911? Maybe if I stand up the leg muscles will help keep blood moving. Stand up, move around, everything returns to normal.

When this first started about 15 years ago, the doctors at HCHP did a treadmill test and pronounced it benign athletic arryhthmia. Still disconcerting, but:

Athletic heart syndrome is a heart condition that may occur in people who exercise or train for more than an hour a day, most days of the week. Athletic heart syndrome isn't necessarily bad for you -- if you're an athlete.[...]

Since athletic heart syndrome is harmless, there's no reason to treat it unless you experience regular light-headedness, chest pains, or you lose consciousness. If you really want a "normal" heart again, all you have to do is stop exercising. Soon, your heart, along with the rest of your body, will sag back into its former shape. But why not keep everything extra strong and healthy for a while? You should be proud of your athletic body, heart included.,