This week, training took a backseat. Snow was falling, and while it might look picturesque, the memory of an epic face-plant on black ice years ago made the decision to stay indoors an easy one. That icy encounter taught me an important lesson: there’s bravery in knowing when to step back. So instead of braving the elements, I curled up with Emily Chappell’s Where There’s a Will: Hope, Grief and Endurance in a Cycle Race Across a Continent.
For those unfamiliar, Emily Chappell is a former winner of the 2016 Transcontinental Race (TCR) — one of the most grueling ultra-endurance cycling events out there. If anyone knows the tolls of pushing one’s physical and mental limits, it’s her. I haven’t finished the book yet (don’t worry there’s no spoilers here), but her recounting of scratching on her first-ever TCR attempt due to a stabbing pain in her left side hit home.
As I read, my thoughts drifted to my experiences working in the ICU, and one particular patient came to mind: a petite, almost 80-year-old lady admitted for something called “broken heart syndrome.”
What made her stand out? She had a fresh tattoo of her beloved cat. When I asked her about it, she told me her cat had passed away recently, and the tattoo was her way of keeping her companion close. The immense stress flooded her body with catecholamines (stress hormones), leading to heart failure. Tragically, the distress of losing her companion had not only broken her heart metaphorically but also literally.
This condition, also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, gets its name from a Japanese octopus trap whose shape resembles the heart’s appearance on ultrasound during an episode: the lower part balloons out and fails to contract properly. While it’s often triggered by emotional stress—grieving a spouse, a beloved pet, or even a move to a retirement home—it can also result from intense physical stress.
Which brings me back to cycling. Ultra-endurance events push the human body to extremes. Minimal sleep and relentless exertion create a cocktail of challenges for your heart. Could ultra-cycling, with its marathon hours and almost constant high catecholamine levels, lead to something like broken heart syndrome? While rare, it’s certainly possible.
Emily’s decision to seek medical attention for her left-sided chest pain was undoubtedly the right one, and as I said before, it takes bravery to know when to step back. If you’re ever on the bike and notice symptoms like chest pain, severe breathlessness, swollen legs, poor circulation, don’t ignore them. Do the brave thing: stop, find a doctor and get it checked out.
For now though, I’ll cozy up on my couch with some chocolate and a steaming cup of tea, embarking on a different kind of journey—one through the pages of Emily Chappell’s book and the reflections it inspires.
Stay safe, keep your heart intact (both metaphorically and literally), and I’ll see you next time when the snow is gone!