Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 64-year-old male who is a lifelong endurance athlete. For the past 15 years, my primary activities are cycling and swimming. I work out around 10 hours a week now, so it's nothing really excessive. But I always push myself to the edge of what's a comfortable pace.

My lifelong cardio exercise enthusiasm has resulted in my pulse being low. My resting pulse is 47-48 bpm, and at times, it will go even lower. Normally this is a sign of good health, but now that I'm older, I wonder if this is too much of a good thing. My blood pressure is not especially low (136/76 mm Hg), and I am in otherwise very good health. Is a low pulse a concern now that I'm a senior citizen?

— B.L.

Dear B.L.: You are exactly right that a slow heart rate in an athlete is normally the sign of

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