from the PacMasters Update Email
Ross Shoemaker, RIP
1942-2007
Ross Shoemaker died suddenly at the Senior Games following one of his swims. Ross had collapsed on the deck, and was not able to be revived. It is a terrible loss - Ross was a longtime member of the San Mateo Marlins, a warm and supportive man, and a devoted swimmer with an encouraging word for everyone.
Ross coached at Chabot Junior College for many years. Services are pending.
I don't think I need to point out the frequncy with which these unfortunate events have been occuring recently. Should active swimmers be getting stress echos or something as they get older? Are simple BP and lipid screens simply not enough?
After Jim Fixx's death, there were a lot of "see what it did for him" comments--but Fixx had a congenital heart problem that had he not been a runner might have taken him sooner.
Jim Fixx had coronary artery disease (determined at autopsy). He did adopt a healthy lifestsyle which likely prolonged his life, especially in light of his family history. Unfortunately, he did not have the benefit of statin therapy.
I think this is what we really have to focus on. Risk assessments can give us an estimate of what our risk is, but predicting an event is still impossible. Some of us will still want to compete, even with an intermediate risk of CAD.
Risk assessments help identify individuals who should be treated more aggressively and followed more closely. This is referred to as primary prevention (preventing that first cardiac event).
Kenneth Cooper wrote a book about the demise of Jim Fixx. Fixx had occasional chest pains and other symptoms that should have led him to do a stress test which would have indicated coronary problems which would have led to an angiogram which would have led to a balloon (no stents then) procedure or a by-pass surgical procedure. The question here is if the afore mentioned persons had any previous complaints. We might not know the answer. Sometimes, the first time there is a noticeable heart attack it is fatal. Fixx had 80 to 90% blockage of all of his coronary arteries. When he had his fatal heart attack he was doing an easy run, jogging away before a conference. This casualty at the marathon swim would not be the case where the victim was swimming all out, as he was experienced and would have been swimming at a level to maintain for hours his effort. I wouldn't put too much hope in defibrillation. That procedure is very specific and does not apply to most cardiac arrests. "Take us gently into that still night...." billy fanstone
I wouldn't put too much hope in defibrillation. That procedure is very specific and does not apply to most cardiac arrests.
Actually prompt defibrillation is the key to survival in out of hospital cardiac arrests, most of which are due to ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation.
I pondered this overnight and also chatted it up (albeit in 15-20 second intervals) this morning at practice.
So, if I swim 10 X 100 on 2:00, which is a super cruise, I'm getting the same benefit as a harder 10 X 100 on 1:10? Please help me understand. It would seem to me that if I'm working harder that I would get more benefit but maybe that's not the case.
I think this is one of those cases where more isn't necessarily better. The studies indicate that the cardiovascular benefit (by which I mean lowering your risk of heart attack) is achieved through moderate exercise. I am not aware of any data demonstrating more of a benefit with strenuous exercise.
Are you really doing 10 x 100 on 1:10?
Well, how do you know? You drop 20 pounds you might be a lot faster. You may be fat and fast but you could be less fat and faster. Lugging around a bunch of extra weight also impacts endurance and stroke mechanics, in my opinion.
20lbs?!?!? thanks haha
In seriousness I agree, a slightly sleeker me might go faster but the weight loss process would probably be too taxing on me to the point that I'd weaken myself. Maybe another 5lbs is good, but I doubt without me being a FT athlete we will not be seeing my 6 pack.
I read the other day that if you do as little as 15 minutes of high intensity activity a week, you can boost your metabolism, burn more calories and increase fitness. You can obviously burn more calories if you work harder. So, while there be no incremental cardio benefit from increasing the intensity of the workout, there are other benefits. I do some moderate stuff, but I'd lose my mind with boredom if that's all I did. I guess the downside of upping the intensity is that you are more injury prone.
3 herniating degenerative discs, bum knee, tend to think most intense aerobic activities are too risky...
..toying with doing some water treading though
"Do not go gentle into that good night" is about swimming even when old. I did a play on the words, from memory. Some people want to "go gentle into that good night", others might swim into it. Our own famous brazilian Maria Lenk, world record holder in the upper ages, died about a month ago after a swim. She was 92 years old and the autopsy showed a massive aortic aneurysm. Not caused by swimming, but by her age maybe? Lots of controversy over her swimming at 92 in the local press. Her training was 1,500 meters per day. She was planning on swimming 1,500 free at a meet, just a couple of weeks ago, in Brasilia. billy fanstone
