Fitness Forum - Running with severe hbp

wannarun wrote:

Hi there -- (forgive the long post)

I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with severe hypertension (190/110). My doctor put me on Norvasc right away (calcium blocker?), and it's improved to something like 156/78. I'm an active person who does regular aerobic exercise, but my Doctor has asked me to stop that until he sees me again in 3 weeks.

The problem is, I DESPERATELY want to run my favorite 10K race just 2 weeks later. Even if he gives me the ok to start running again, I can't train for a 10K in 2 weeks. Before the diagnosis, I was running for 30 minutes, planning to gradually amp up before the race (which I've done many times before).

I am not a fast runner, so it's not intensive training that' s needed. I just need to get to where I can run for 65 minutes at a not-very-fast pace (usually between a 10-11 minute mile).

So I am tempted to "cheat." I've been walking for an hour with no problems. What if I started gradually adding in 10-minute jogging spurts? I'd start with just one, then gradually add, but never running more than 10 minutes at at stretch.

I do plan to discuss this with my doctor, but I thought I'd get some other opinions first. How dangerous do you think this is? What would the risks be?

I am otherwise very fit and healthy, 43 years old, not overweight. (Echocardiogram came back ok - slight thickening of aortic valve, caused by the high blood pressure, but no other damage. Renal artery ultrasound normal. Doctor is checking for cortisol. Cholesterol is ok).

Thank you for any insights you can offer!

Do you have any idea why your BP has been measured so high? Is it possible that you simply overreact when they are measuring it at the doctor's office? Before jumping to the drugs, I would get myself a quality BP cuff and learn to measure it correctly at home, when you are relaxed and comfortable. That is the only way to verify that your BP truly runs this high on a regular basis, and is not simply spiking. If you can verify yourself that your BP is truly always high, then is there some obvious reason: excess wt.? Diet? My own BP has been measured sky high at the doctor's office for many years, but at home, it hums along at 100/55 most of the time. I have never taken BP drugs, and I'm still here and active. I had an MD suggest drugs to me 25 years ago. He said if I didn't start with them, I could have a heart attack during the next ten years. Many doctors, surprisingly, don't understand that some patients just have BP spikes at times, and that these are not indicative of what it usually runs during the other times in a person's life.