Running during Radiation

Awww.  No one is reading this thread anymore.  Well, in case anyone is, I just wanted to report that I have one boost left and I'm done.  And I ran the 4.74 mile Manchester Road Race yesterday!  My time wasn't that good, but I ran it and I feel that is an accomplishment despite the time.  Plus, I think my time would have been a little better, but I was running with my daughter and she was having breathing problems I can't get the doctors to help her with.  It's a shame because she could probably be a really good runner.  They said she doesn't have exercise induced asthma, but gave her some albuterol anyway.  It doesn't seem to help.  When she gets breathing hard, she can't seem to exhale all her air and she ends up hyperventilating (or something).  It's so sad to hear her struggling to breathe when she runs.  But she wanted to finish so she pressed on. 

Hope everyone is doing well with their running and has recovered from rads.

Hi Lori,

I hope you have recovered from rads and have been able to run more lately.  My skin has done very well.  No splitting or oozing - just sunburned-looking and a little itchy.  I have one more boost left and I lost one of my 3 stickers the other day in the shower after the race.  The marking is still partly there - I hope it doesn't wash off completely.  I was afraid that I would lose them - I sweat a lot when I run.  I think the tech said that she'd be okay with just the other two if it did come off.  I should have insisted that they give me new stickers when I was there Wednesday. 

My daughter is almost 16.  I had high hopes for her to do well with running, but between her breathing problems and her knee problems, I don't think it's going to happen.  Plus, being a stubborn teenager, she doesn't do her exercises and stretches for her knees until the day before she wants to starting running again - duh - so she doesn't know how much benefit they can be to her.  The breathing is particularly frustrating - especially with my lack of ability to get a doctor to take an interest.  I hate it when they suggest one thing, it doesn't do anything, and then they don't bother to try to help anymore.  I took her for an exercise-induced asthma test a couple years ago. She was in pretty good running condition at the time so she did very well on the test- too well - which I was afraid would happen.  The tech said she'd never had anyone finish the test before.  I'm like - yeah, no kidding - I told the nurse practitioner I didn't think this was the right test for her.  The test didn't push her hard enough to induce symptoms obvious enough for them to diagnose her.  She did have symptoms though, but I think they were so mild, they though she just wasn't doing it right.  The tech told her to breathe out into the tube after she had been on the treadmill for a while.  She couldn't breathe out very well and the tech told her to breathe out all the way, thinking she just wasn't doing it right as opposed to her not being able to do it.  Yeah, that's her problem - hello?  Anyway - so now I have to go back once again to try to get someone in that office to figure out what her problem could be and what she might be able to do about it.  There is one doctor who has been rated a "Top Doc" in recent years in that practice.  I think I will try to get her in to see him about this.  She doesn't do herself any favors by not bothering to keep running year-round to stay in shape so that maybe she won't get out of breath and hyperventilate so easily.  It's frustrating.  And it was a bummer that I couldn't find out how well I could do because I was afraid to leave her behind.  

So how have you been doing with your running?

GryffinSong - It feels so great to get that strength back, doesn't it?  It felt so weird to get so worn out so quickly during chemo.  I've heard of women having trouble with their feet the way you did.  I'm glad to hear it is getting better.  I really like to challenge myself with running - and to feel as though I really worked my body.  You must have a lot of fun having your dogs for company.

Did anyone have bra/skin discomfort problems running during radiation?

This forum is great, i have a question, the answer is aready here! Thank you and i hope you are all feeling much better now than when the thread was active.

Im hoping to do a 10k run in early may, im reasonably fit but new to this running lark  Ten weeks was supposed to be adequate preparation.. except that for me it included surgery (Mx + nodes) and now rads...  i will be one week after last rad when i'm meant to be running, and the whole skin thing and what to wear has been my biggest worry, well i can't very well run in my birthday suit! Thanks for the tips for avoiding trouble, i'm one of those people who freckels, burns and peels.

Funny enough my onc is a runner, when i asked was it okay to be thinking about doing this run, he just said, Well don't expect to do a very fast time! But you are right, the psychological aspect is very important, it's not about cancer or my job or my family or anything else, just me getting my body working again. And a reason to get up and get out every day

I have cycled throughout chemo and even did a cycling event about three weeks ago.  So it can be done.  Slower than slow, but who cares!

I will do the same throughout radiation and plan to do the 70 mile LiveStrong course just ten days after rads end.  My radiation oncologist said he would fix me up if I was sore and tender.

I would not have been strong enough during AC though to have done a cycling event (although I did so some "social pace" rides).  But I was strong enough with Taxol to do the shortened version of the Chilly Hilly.

I expect to be throughly "back in the saddle" by mid summer. - Claire

This thread has been quiet for a long time but I'm hoping to bring it back.  I'm an avid walker, not a runner but I've completed 4 - 1/2 marathons this year.  I will be starting rads next week on June 7 and I'm registered for 1/2 marathons on June 19 and June 25.  I'm hoping my skin will be happy enough so I can still participate.  I'm not expecting a PR, I just hope to start and finish.  My friend and I may enter another 1/2 this Saturday so I can get it in before my treatment begins. 

Lots of good advice above regarding creams, etc.  I'd love to hear more.

thanks!!