Blood Pressure Fluctuations in Older Athletes: A Personal Case Study

Question
I'm 67 and considered in excellent health. I've been an avid runner for over 18 years and have run 15 marathons. My resting heart rate is about 44bpm. I have an annual cardio checkup, EKG, echo, etc and all is fine. Cholesterol numbers good. I do however take Avapro 300mg for blood pressure. My systolic fluctuates a lot. I tend to obsess about it although my Primary care physician doesn't seem concerned. ... Says systolic fluctuates in all people. My systolic at first reading without rest might be in the 150s and three minutes later it drops into the 130s and often lower. My diastolic is almost always in the 60s and sometimes might be 58. I have read a lot about pulse pressure and with a reading for example of 130/60 sometimes concerns me. However I have also read that in endurance athletes it is not uncommon to see that and it's not uncommon to have a low diastolic.....mainly due
To running and low resting HR. Hard to know what to believe when so much info is available. My pcp says to keep running and not to worry. He says the Avapro is doing its job. What do you think? I appreciate your time

Answer
Dear Don,

Thank you for writing in. There are several different classes of blood pressure medications that work differently in the body in order to lower the blood pressure. Because your heart rate is already well within the normal limits, Avapro is a good choice for you. Blood pressure readings change moment to moment. Provided you feel well, your blood pressure is fine.