I ran all throughout middle, high school, college, and continued running off and on post-college. fast forward to my early 30s and I went into a-fib and had to spend 3 days in the hospital before my heart spontaneously went back into a normal rhythm (I have been in a normal heart rhythm for about a year now). for those not in the medical field or too lazy to google, a-fib is a serious heart arrhythmia that is very uncommon in the younger-aged population.
my cardiologist told me a lot of aerobic athletes develop heart arrhythmias and other heart complications later in life. we all have heard the story of the older former running stud having a heart attack at a young age, needing a pace maker, having heart failure, etc. my cardiologist did not have an answer for why I went into a-fib at such a young age but suspected it may be associated with my history of running. he recommended that I run no more than 3 days per week. yes, my cardiologist told me to get less exercise.
I have done some brief google searching on the subject matter and read that the lower resting HRs of aerobic athletes that most people associate as a sign of fitness and health may actually not be a good thing and may be the reason for heart complications that develop later in life. the lower HR is because the heart is 'rewired' as a result of aerobic training, but this 'rewiring' is not necessarily a good adaptation.
now my question: has anybody ever considered their health and future as a life-long runner? does anybody care? as somebody who had to deal with the scare of a-fib at a young age, I definitely am considering my future with running and exercise.