Subject: RE: Brand Spanking new heart valve..Think it might have some carbon in it Got my mechanical aortic valve back in December 2000, at age 47. Prior to my operation I was an avid weight lifter and occasional jogger, who had never seriously considered doing a triathlon. Post-op my cardiologist asked me to limit my weight lifting, but told me I could do as much aerobic training as I could handle, provided I wore a HRM and spent most of my time in Z2 & Z3. Although I was "functional" with in about 3-4 months, it took me 9-12 months to feel fully recovered. All my aerobic exercise finally led me to do my first triathlon in Feb 2004, just over three years after my open heart surgery. I don't have any way to compare pre-op and post-op performance, since I didn't do anything before. I can say that that I have had no cardiac issues since my surgery. In fact, my resting HR has dropped from 72 bpm to 41 bpm since I got rid of my old leaky valve. My biggest concern/limiter more and more seems to be my age (60) and dealing with increased recovery times, and some chronic over-use aches & pains. Good luck with your comeback. Mark |