First ride on Infinito for the 2011 season, April 9th
Sometimes you encounter a hill that is just too steep to climb.
You drop down to your lowest gear, but you still can’t catch your breath. You stand up on the pedals, but the burn is too intense. Reluctantly, you dismount and admit defeat. You walk your bike to the summit and you live to climb another day.
That pretty much sums up the heart attack I experienced in August of 2009. I didn’t recognize what I was up against. I tried to push through it. I tried to outlast it. I couldn’t conquer it on my own. I gave up, sought help, and lived to ride another day.
To say that cycling saved my life is almost as cliché as saying my wife ran off with a guy she met on the Internet. But it did (and she did, for that matter, but that’s a story for another time). Had it not been for the conditioning my heart received from nine years of bicycling, it may not have been strong enough to survive a 14-hour myocardial infarction that resulted in three separate blockages. Without cycling in my life, I may not have recovered as well or developed the discipline necessary to achieve my best health ever.
My name is Brent Cohrs and I am a bicycling advocate and heart attack survivor. This blog is about bicycling, eating healthy, and everything else I learned in my fight against heart disease.
Feel free to contact me anytime and let me know what you think.
Man you look like a million bucks in the new kit versus the RAGBRAI ’08 days.
Enjoy!
Thanks! It’s just a better looking kit or maybe the Power Thirst…
I am so glad I found your blog! I am a comrade in arms….cyclist …heart attack 5- 30- 11..just getting back on the bike trying to regain form. The last thing I ever thought that would happen to me would be this. It has humbled me and changed the way I live. I feel much better after reading your blog and appreciate your story and insight. Don’t stop you are providing a valuable service which may well save lives…Thank You!
Glad I could help you out!
Yesterday was the two year anniversary of my heart attack. I posted about it on my other blog (www.chicagonow.com/easy_as_riding_a_bike). I plan on posting about the anniversary here in another day or two.
I hope your recovery is going ok. The best thing I did was use my insurance to go to cardiac rehab therapy. I didn’t need anyone to teach me how to exercise, I just wanted someone there to monitor me while I progressively regained my strength and pushed myself to my limits. It’s well worth the time investment, just for the peace of mind.
If you need any healthy eating tips, let me know. I completely rethought my relationship with food and lost 35 pounds in a matter of six to nine months and kept it all off since.
Feel free to contact me through email (should be on the about page) or through here.
Hi Brent,
Your story is unbelievable! My little tiny heart superhero has had 3 open-heart surgeries and I dream for him to one day be the healthy, amazing athlete that you are! Please email or call when you can, we are in the Chicago area and would love to reach you:-).
Most Sincerely,
Francie