Training for a 5k Race after a Stroke

Heading out for a run in my first week of the training plan. What a beautiful day! January 14, 2023.

One year ago I was hit with a tear in my carotid artery that would lead to a stroke. A terrible left-side stroke that left me unable to speak, write, stand, walk, think, and move my right side.

I was so fortunate to be able to begin to walk fairly quickly afterwards. After two weeks in the Vancouver General Hospital, I was housed at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre for further recovery. The Centre has a small park directly across from it. Shortly after arrival, I began doing short walks around Braemer Park. One loop is 0.5km. Each loop was slow and hard, but I increased it a bit at a time as I built up my stamina. A friend commented a year later that I seemed very reluctant to walk onwards past the park, but that’s all that my brain could handle physically, mentally or cognitively. Having a stroke feels a bit like being born again - the world seemed very large and going around the tiny park with a cluster of beautiful old maple trees was perfect.

Braemer Park. Vancouver, BC.

I couldn’t write or spell very well at the time but I wanted to document the walks, my weight, visitors, etc. Throughout the day, I took a walk around the block every chance I could. The occupational and recreational therapists were willing to go for a walk; so were my family and friends. Each time I walked around the park throughout the day, I marked down the number using tally (counting) lines. You can’t tell by looking at it, but it took me about five minutes to carefully write out the date and longer for the names. So many scribbles, like a child beginning to write and struggling hard.

While I was at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, they worked with me to get me running on the treadmill. The physiotherapist, Ryan, worked with me to 1) “improve unilateral stability through my right leg, and 2) to increase my right step length and flight with increased toe-off and midfoot contact”. Within a few weeks, I progressed gradually up to 20 minutes with treadmill running doing 3.1–3.4mph including incline. I was able to maintain a target heart rate zone of 120–130bpm. At the time I was released from GF Strong, I had returned to running independently in the community using the RPE scale to monitor my intensity and doing approximately 3–4 km two times a week.

In January 2023, 9 months after the stroke, I came up with a training plan to do a 5k race. It is super important to have a plan as that keeps you motivated and puts structure and balance into your training. After a stroke, it is especially important as it allows you to track your progress. So much endless patience is required when in recovery — when you can see the steps you are making forward, that can truly be a lifesaver.

I started with Hal Higdon’s Novice 5 km training plan but I adapted it to work in swimming twice a week. My plan was to do the Shamrock ’n’ Run Race (5k) in Burnaby, BC, on March 12, 2023, one year exactly after the stroke. This would be my first race after the stroke. Small steps.

I now struggle with worrying about heart rate and blood pressure. When you are feeling healthy and strong and a stroke hits from nowhere, it throws you into a strange loop, unable to trust anything to do with your body. I have somewhat lost the ability to race and push myself. According to this post, after injury “it can almost manifest like inklings of post-traumatic stress, with mental and physical challenges that make those few weeks or months even tougher than the initial injury.” For this year, in this race, I’m going to take it easy.

This is how my initial plan looked:

And this is how it looked when I finished. Completed workouts are in green; red are the ones I missed:

I modified it in 4th week to replace the walks with swimming three times a week rather than twice. My thinking was that I’m walking all over the place anyways as I’m not driving (for now), so I don’t need to mark off a special day for it. And I’ve always been a walker.

I took short notes each week on what I did. They’re outlined below as a memory to myself.

Week 1: January 9–15

• RUN: Three runs this week, twice on the treadmill and once (3.2 km) on a beautiful sunny day. Speed on the treadmill was 4.5mph , an improvement from GF Strong. I much prefer running outside.
• SWIM: Tuesday: 2000m. I missed the Friday one as the master swim class has not started yet this term. I could have gone alone but did I? No, I did not.

Week 2: January 16–22

• RUN: Monday: ran 2.4 km. Wednesday: took a rest day and planned to do 3.6km the next day, but did a lot walking on Thursday (12.2k in total) for coffee with a friend so I didn’t do a run. Sunday: 3.6k run around the track while my kid has soccer practice.
• SWIM: Tuesday: 1500m swim. Friday: 2000m. First swim class this season! Skill pace test.

Week 3: January 23–29

• RUN: Monday: Did a nice run 3.2 km. Wednesday: the run felt good for the 4 km run but the next day I was quite tired. It was more of a brain fatigue rather than physical tiredness. Thursday: I did a long walk around the golf course with mom and we took it easy.
• SWIM: Tuesday: swim 1800m. Swimming feels good as I can work out the stroke stiffness and extend my hands and feet. I should try to go swimming each day. Friday: 2400m in swim class. We did 500m timed; my time was 8:30 which felt decent.

Week 4: January 30 — February 05

• RUN: Monday missed run 4km. Wednesday run was not great. I went on a treadmill because it was snowing and I didn’t feel like fighting it. Feels odd because I used to love running in the snow before the stroke. Still not sure about the treadmill: I have to figure out my right pace. Sunday: the run was great but it was so hard to get going.
• SWIM: Tuesday: 2000m swim with some aquasize work before to warm up. Thursday: 800m + aquasize exercise while kid has swim practice. Friday: 2100m.

Week 5: February 06–12

• RUN: This week I moved up to 4.4k. I noticed I got quite a bit slower towards the end and was a bit fried. My legs felt limp and I could feel my foot drop towards the end.
• SWIM: This week I’m going to try swimming three times a week, up from 2X. On advice from my swim coach to add some strength and mobility work, I’m going to try it in the pool with the water exercises my Recreational Therapist from GF Strong showed me. I missed swimming on Tuesday due to kids being sick.🤧 Friday: 2400m. Three rounds with “The Devil” in swim class.

Week 6: February 13–19

• RUN: Tuesday: I went to the community centre and ran on the treadmill while my kid did her tennis lesson. I still do not enjoy the treadmill at all. 3.2 km feels like forever on a treadmill while it flies by when I’m outside. Wednesday: I did a 4.6 run at night. This was my first run at night in the dark, post-stroke, as I was a bit afraid of falling or tripping over something. It felt surprisingly good. Kept my heart rate constant between 120–130bpm this week.
• SWIM: Monday: swim in a busy pool; I ended up doing strength and mobility work in the leisure pool for half of the workout. Thursday: 1500m plus strength and mobility in the pool. Friday: 2200m. Fairly complex set called over-unders; this was very good for my brain.

Week 7: February 20- 26

• RUN: This week felt quite good. Wednesday: was hard to go as I had a lot of stuff happening throughout the day but forced myself to go afterwards and it was wonderful. So glad to have a training plan to keep me focussed. Sunday: I ran for the first time post-stroke in the snow. It turns out this is a good thing as it made me focus more on my balance in the snow — all good stuff for the brain.
• SWIM: Three solid swims this week; the mileage is getting higher. Friday: 2600m including “The Ogopogo” set which I was worried about because it was the one we did on the day I had a stroke. It went well! Full circle, said my coach.

Week 8: February 27 — March 5

• RUN: The runs went really well this week. Sunday: 4.8k went really well; I wanted to continue but made myself stop at 5k.
• SWIM: Monday: A bit of a weird week as my hand got a strange bruise during swimming. Did I hit something? Thursday: 1000m only. Still worried about my hand. Friday: 1800m. Got a leg cramp in a hard set.

Week 9: March 06–12

• RUN: Two runs before the race, 3.5k and 4.2k.
• SWIM: Mon: didn’t go, feeling down. Thursday: 1200m, less than usual. Friday: 2200m.

I was quite desponded this week. It is one year since the stroke hit and it hit me hard. I felt a deep shame about the stroke: where once a bruise and a leg cramp would’ve been two minor and isolated incidents became something larger in my mind, half-convinced I’m going to die of something random again. Aphasia kicked in like a stutter, I couldn’t talk after the Friday’s swim class.

In rehab, they wondered what I would do to mark the one-year post-stroke recovery and mentioned that looking at what I have accomplished is A Good Thing to Do. However, this week, I mostly felt what I had lost, keenly.

Nevertheless ….

I know that this too shall pass and I will go on. Meditation and exercise helps, as always. I’ll be back to my usual self.

The Shamrock ’n’ Run Race (5k) is on March 12, 2023.
Stay tuned for Part 2!