Trying to Run Again...

Hammie28

Hello All,

I just finished treatment in June, and I'm trying to get back to running. I did not run during treatment, but was training for a half marathon when I was diagnosed. Ten months and twenty extra pounds later, I'm cancer free but in TERRIBLE shape. I'm taking an AI and suffering from joint pain. My MO says that exercise will help the join pain... but after even just a short 1 or 2 mile run, I'm so stiff within a few hours that I can hardly walk. Oh! And my old nemesis, plantar fasciitis, is back worse than ever. Also, I'm having delayed reconstruction, so I'm trying to figure out running with or without the prosthesis. It seems silly to wear it, but perhaps it is needed for better posture/balance?

I guess I'm looking for any advice or experience from others who have gotten back to running after treatment. This has proven to be much more difficult than I expected.

Gully

Hello Hammie,

I here you! I was dx over three years ago with bilateral IDC. The details of treatment are below. I was a runner when dx and was very upset that I could not continue running during chemo especially. I did ride my bike and walk but the fatigue was very difficult to overcome. I started slowing after active treatment ended running one mile, then two etc. The first year was difficult. I did have recon on both sides but it really did not affect my running at all. That being said I did have to undergo two different rounds of PT to get back my full range of motion. I kind of had to run stiff armed in the beginning. The second year I was able to train and run two half marathons without much trouble. This year I have completed several 5K &10K races and am currently training for a full marathon in October. I am on Tamoxifen for now but am planning to switch to an AI. I told them I would not do it until after the marathon...I ran an 18 miler yesterday and am currently suffering my first experience with what I think is plantar facilitis. I am in better shape now than when dx mostly due to a better diet.

I guess my advice is to try to be kind to yourself and your body. Pick small achievable goals and you will get there. You have been through alot over the past year both physically and mentally and your body is not the same. Give yourself permission to rest when you are feeling tired. I have a shirt that says "I run to burn off the crazy" So I understand how hard it is to go from being fit to not...Sometimes I think its harder on fitness buffs to deal with the idea that this body that you have taken care of with exercise has somehow betrayed you...At least that is how I felt. I literally use running to calm myself...its the only way I can get truly relaxed, Most people think that is crazy but runners understand this. Good luck and hang in there you will gradually get better! My MO told me to give him a year and I would get my life back. I did but it was not the same. I had to let the old me go and work on the new version. Your new self will be better than you think! Hugs

Gully

NatsFan

Just saw this thread so I may be a little late, but why not try a Couch to 5K program? Yes, I know that at one point you were much better than that, but one of the hardest things to accept is the toll that treatment takes on us. Gully is right - you need to let the old me go and start working on the new me. Think of it this way - the old you was a runner, but the new you is brand-new to running, so you need to do what newbie runners do - start slowly and work up gradually. A C25K would be a perfect way to ease into running because it guides you through the process. Local running clubs and stores often sponsor those programs, but if you want to do it on your own, there are some great C25K apps out there. They tell you when to walk, when to run, and have a whole program laid out for you. You can even run to your own music using them. I used a C25K app to get started, and found it was a great way to get back into running, safely and without injury.

Hammie28

Thank you both for the responses. I thought I would check back in just in case anyone is following along. Getting back to running has been extremely challenging. I signed up a for a 5K to raise money for my cancer center and ran it on Saturday... though running is a loose term. It took me just under 40 minutes to finish. I had to walk the hills and barely was able to run across the finish line. I was just incredibly discouraged. My family was there to support me and they were incredibly supportive but I was embarrassed that I was in such rough shape at the end. I managed extremely well through chemo and never really seemed sick... so I hated for them to see me that way. I am going to stick with it... but I feel that I have aged 20 years in the one year since my diagnosis. I can hardly walk today from the PF and the joint pain. I have signed up for a cancer wellness program at a local university. The program begins next week. I am hopeful that I will be able to put myself back together.

Nouna

hi all,

Yesterday I went for jogging for the first time two years after my treatment. I just had my reconstruction three months ago. Can someone explain to me why my fingers were all swollen and stiff. Am so scared now.

MargoChanning

Hi All - I see there haven't been recent posts on this thread but I'll give it a shot if there are any other runners out there like myself who are struggling to get back on the road. I'm in my 5th and I hope final year of AI's (have alternated between Anastrazole and Letrozole), and have had a number of temporary or permanent side effects along the way including joint pain. I am a veteran of marathons, although not since 1999, but continued running on weeekends and week days when my work schedule permitted. I have not been able to enjoy lengthy runs since treatment started, could not run at all during chemo due to shortness of breath and fevers, but started up again with walk/jog during radiation and continued that with starting aromatase inhibitors in October, 2012. I've struggled with chronic insomnia and fatigue and because my work/commute schedule has remained heavy, that has taken my time and energy the last five years. I try to get out on the weekends to jog, and have been able to do close to an hour on some weekends but that is rare. What I'm struggling with now is what seems to be some kind of ligament or tendon inflammation in my right leg that occurred after a session with light leg weights. The pain prevents me from going downstairs so I've been following the RICE prescription familiar to athletes - rest, ice, compression and elevation. But it seems very slow to heal.

I'm hoping to get back to limited walk/jogs soon; anyone else dealing with ligament or tendon injuries while on AI's and have any suggestions? I've read some research articles that point to lack of estrogen as the culprit in these types of injuries - I have to admit, until I had breast cancer I had no idea how many non-reproductive functions estrogen played a role in.

best to all