2011 Running Thread

You rock Mightymon!  Awesome!  I am hoping/planning to run my first half in May. (Oklahoma Memorial Marathon) I have a lot of work to do since losing it all last year since "I" was not able to run through chemo like some of you. ;-) Started with a few 3 miles runs here early in the year and hoping to add weekly mileage so I don't kill myself.

Charley

Happy to find the new thread.  I'm still fighting the myopathy so the running is happening in short bursts still, but, it sure feels good

Hi everyone, you guys are such an inspiration!  I had to have knee surgery and can no longer run, but I miss it!  I am however, interested in doing all I can to stay healthy during my chemos.  Mightymon you are amazing--I had 16 nodes removed, four affected only two had cancer.  I did the recommended arm exercises and walked some almost everyday following surgery.  But, last Monday I was aspirated; my breast had almost doubled in size.

Has anyone here had any swelling/liquid increases in the breast following exercise?  I've read on these threads that following aspiration the arm cannot be exercised for about a month.  My dr's haven't said much beyond how everyone reacts differently.  Had round 1 of FEC yesterday which I followed with a 2 mile walk--nothing to crow about really in this crowd but I'm thankful that my knee lets me do that much  I'd appreciate any feedback because I want to increase my fitness routine but not in a hurry to repeat aspiration! 

Keep doing what you do guys--this is one of the first threads I read following diagnosis and I can't tell you what it did for reducing my stress level.  There is health and fitness through this; you guys show the rest of us that life doesn't have to crawl to a stop by any means!  God bless you and keep you strong--good luck on your marathon training!

i don't run far and i don't run fast but you can hear my heavy breathing at the back of the pack! Might manage another 10k this year, if all goes well. Or will maybe sign up for a 5k and decide to run it all....

I did it!  Finished my first 1/2 marathon on Saturday!  I was slow (3:12), but hey I am in the middle of chemo!  I am hooked now. 

Breast cancer can't stop us!

You guys that are running through chemo are awesome! If you guys can run thru chemo surely I can run a half a year later!

Cheers and congrats,

Charley

Hi, all!  So nice to have a place to find other runners going through this bc craziness!

Mightymon, you're amazing!  Do I understand you intend to do a marathon a month after finishing chemo?!

Sunflower, congrats on your half!

Lewing, I LOVE doing the "run-to-explore-the-city thing" when I travel!!  Denver would be such a fun city to run!

I started chemo (Taxol + Herceptin weekly x 12 weeks) about 10 days ago.  Just before that, I had been off running for most of the previous 3-4 months, what with a tibial stress fracture and 3 bc surgeries, including mastectomy on December 1.  I resumed running right after the new year, and I'm so thrilled to be back!  I'm taking the pace really slowly.  I did 8 miles this past Saturday, and that will be the longest run since before my mastectomy.  I'm planning to run a half-marathon next weekend -- even if I have to walk half of it!

Happy running, everyone!

Shelby - That is just the way I started! Before you know it, you will be running a 5k without stopping.

Linda - Each workout (there are 3 levels to chose from) has 3 components - Strength,(3 minutes) Cardio (2 minutes) and Abs (1 minute) which are repeated in 3 intervals. The whole workout is only a little over 20 minutes long. The abs consist of crunchs, double crunchs, planks, side planks, sit ups, superman, pushups ... alot of variety. Hopefully it will keep me interested enough to do it on all of my "off" days.

Charley, your workout sounds like what I need, too! At the moment I'm a little leery of too much upper body work because I have a tissue expander. I'm trying to squeeze in some yoga videos when I can but I should look at your Jilllian Michaels workout down the road.



Linda, I'll be interested to hear what race you pick. I have a bunch of friends doing the Flying Pig in Cincinnati May 1. I won't be able to join rhem, though; I hope to be recovering from exchange surgery by that time.

Hello, ladies! I am so glad to have found this thread and hope that many of you can share insight with me.  I have always been a great walker but also always wanted to run.  I decided in early 2010 to start training to begin running so I could run my first marathon. However, God had different plans for me because I was diagnosed with BC. 

Almost everything about my treatment has been hard but the worst of it is that I get winded easily and as I'm starting to walk again, I fear that I will never work up to running, much less running 26 miles. Last year I was going to train with a friend but she has since moved away.

I am hoping that one of you (or all of you for that matter) can either point me in the right direction to find a resource on how to train or help me out directly.  I would welcome any training schedules, things I need to know, anything a novice runner needs to learn, etc.

Thank you in advance for your input and support.

LisaSec -  I'm a "newbie" - I've only in the last couple of weeks put my toe in the water!  A friend sent me a link to an article that you might like to read...

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Running-101-Take-the-First-Step-Today.htm?cmp=17-1-9

I felt that I got permission to go SLOWLY at first!  I tend to jump into things with both feet, so it's a different approach, but it's working, and I haven't given up on it! 

Good luck, and just get out there!   

This thread means a lot to me because running has been so tightly entwined with my BC experience. I was a new runner when I got the diagnosis and running has been my constant therapist.

I never in my life ran anywhere that did not culminate in boarding a bus or arriving late for class. No endurance whatsoever, not fun, picked last for teams etc. etc. But after a hand injury that turned my life upside down, I had nothing else to do, so I started off with a 700m 20-minute "run". Following that with a bit of experimentation, I learned that pace was everything. I used a gadget to avoid going too fast, and in six months had worked up to a 10K. Quite impressed with myself at 50+, I set my sights on the Disney Princess Half Marathon 2010 as the culmination of this turnaround of my sedentary ways.

Literally as I was packing my suitcase for the trip, my husband nonchalantly mentioned the hospital wanted me back to "redo" my mammogram the next week. As you all know, that would be the mag views appointment at the top of this slippery slope we come to know so well.

I managed to put the ominous recall to the back of my mind and focus on the run, had a spectacular experience and finished upright and smiling (fast, pfft. No, 2:43, but who cares?) Even the IT band injury couldn't tarnish my tiara medal.

When I got home, I had the mag views (look! tiny specks!) and in April, the stereo biopsy (probably DCIS!) Had it been invasive, I like to think that I would have acted immediately but I was so stressed out from work at that point, and I wanted to spend the summer getting fitter for anaesthesia and recovery, and reclaim a bit of a sense of control. Candidly, though, I also was keen to do the Disneyland Half Marathon at Labour Day, earn the coast to coast bonus medal! The surgeon said there's no rush and October would be fine. The DLHM was such an emotional experience and I crossed the finish line in tears. I think the drive to "survive and prevail" meant more than just running 13.1.

I submitted for the lumpectomy only to find the DCIS was extensive with negligible margins, and I asked for a mastectomy in December where there was additional DCIS found. I'm 6 weeks out from that now, and I started with a 60 minute walk at 3 weeks, as soon as the incision was healed. Immediately my physical aches and pains reduced! I have worked up to generally alternating 2.5 minute walk, 2.5 minute run, a couple of times a week for an hour each time. I've started to work in some inclines, and will also try more continuous running, but I'm not really focused on performance. I'm still in the "prevailing" frame of mind. It takes my mind off the past threat and the decisions still lying ahead.

I'll be at the finish line of the Princess Half Marathon 2011 on Feb 27, no matter how long it takes me. 

Running has been the #1 best thing I have done to survive this unnerving experience, possibly for the physical benefit but absolutely for how it focuses my head and gives me back a sense of controlling something physical. I'm so grateful for it.

I hope you all get what you're looking for in running for 2011.

Goldlining - I have used one both  before and after my mastectomies.  I have implants so there is virtually no difference with the before and after effect. Are you concerned the scar might work as a barrier to the monitor or that it will not stay in place? (Assuming single mastectmy with no reconsitruction ...)