2013 Running Thread
Comments
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I envy you guys having groups to run with. It's just not practical to run with hearing aid on (it's held on by a magnet only, and would fall off or get all full of moisture) and it is literally dead silent without it. I think that's partly why I don't train as much as I ought to. No music for distraction, no conversation, no coaching. The run events are fine, because there's 15,000 people to watch, and Sundays part of the year for football. But I bought a Garmin 620 today to play with and hopefully get some motivation to step it up. The store had a sale of variable percentage based on a scratch-off card and after I selected the watch, I scratched the card and it was 25%! Big win for me there! I so much want to go out and get a run to upload, but it's cold and dark and icy and I think I should wait until tomorrow and just go to the treadmill. Better safe than sorry.
Also today, physio and acupuncture. Physio weekly instead of alternate weeks is making quite a difference. I don't lose as much ground and she is able to work on new things each time instead of fixing the same thing over and over, and I'm improving my strength in some things she's making me do. You'd like to think I'd be farther ahead by now, but getting there is the main thing.
Happy new year to everyone!
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Goldlining, I wondered whether you ran with a hearing aid or just with quiet. How very difficult. Do you suppose with the aging Baby Boom someone will think to make a sport-ready hearing device? There's my million-dollar idea for the day. That's great you got a huge discount on the Garmin and are having such a good run with your physio.
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Hi Everyone -
Advice appreciated.... Prior to my BMX a month ago I ran 5 miles a day. For the past month I either sat on my butt or walked on an incline for an hour. My surgeon told me that beginning today I can start running again - with or without a bra depending on my comfort. My plan is to go out on the trail, start walking, break into a short run, see how I feel and do a walk / run of some sort. I'm frankly surprised that she said to get started so soon but my body is eager to get going. Any advice?
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Warrior, sounds like you're doing it right. I did the same thing. Walk a little, run a little, walk to that telephone pole, run to the next one, etc. etc. until soon you will be running more than walking. Listen to your body, rest when needed and you'll be back to your former fitness level in no time. Good luck!
Happy Old Year's Night, everyone! Stay safe and sane.
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Lulu - Thanks. That is what I am hoping for.
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Warrior_Woman, I took one gingerly step at 5.5 weeks and it felt jiggly and sensitive so I stopped, but at 6 weeks, I was in a 5K event, intending to walk and when the confetti and fireworks and Tinker Bell stuff went off, I started to trot, and actually ran the first 3K before starting to alternate walking, and I did more the next day. Those hour - 90 minute incline treadmill things paid off after all. Just go by how it feels. It will come back!
Runfree16, I imagine that there are sport-compatible hearing aids now, although mine is a cochlear implant, not a sound-based device in the ear. They do make newer sound processors water resistant, but my exterior hardware is limited by the compatibility with the 13 year old electrode inside my inner ear. However, having worn a conventional hearing aid with an earmold in the past, I cannot imagine how much MORE sweaty and irritating that would be with physical exertion. What I need is a deaf running club but the deaf population tends to live farther out in the suburbs where it's cheaper than downtown :-(
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goldlining - I expected to wait until 6 weeks but my PS said I am good to go. This should be interesting.
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Guess what? I cannot believe it. First run: DISTANCE 5.79mi, DURATION 1:10:46, AVG PACE 12:13. Making a come back!
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YAY, Warrior!!
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Yay! I am so happy. Thanks Lulu!
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So proud of you, warrior! You rock!
I took my new Garmin to the dreadmill and found that I didn't give in to walking as much as I might have -- didn't want to disappoint it! :-D
Very best new year's to everyone, and a better 2014!
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Way to go WW! What a shot in the arm for you - now you know you can still do it....YAY!!!
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Yeah Warrior Woman!!! That is fabulous news! I'm so happy for you. What a way to exit this crappy year and begin a new one!
Gracers
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Beautiful way to start the day. Out for an 8 mile run with my running partner at 7:00 AM - temp in the teens but no wind. About 1/2 mile from the zoo we could hear howling. Running by the zoo we looked in and saw a gorgeous pack of beautiful wolves, noses in the air howling a chorus. They were so beautiful. I'm not a fan of zoos because I don't like seeing the wild animals caged but their song was amazing. I'm wondering why, though. It was past dawn, the sun was up . . . there is a big snowstorm predicted to come in tomorrow, maybe they were sensing that?
Happy, healthy 2014 to all.
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Thank you for that beautiful image LuvLuLu! What a lucky experience!
Goldlining, thanks for the explanation. Maybe there's a deaf running club you could drive to once in a while? My issues are certainly different, but I'm thinking about driving to some farther away clubs when the weather improves because I really need more companionship. And I would love to do speed work on a track, which would mean a drive of 25-50 minutes, depending on where I go. Could be worth it.
Here's to a great year of running and good health!
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Happy New Year everyone. After going for my first post surgery run yesterday I paid careful attention to how my body felt to make certain I didn't overdo it or cause injury. Turns out my boobs feel fine but my legs muscles are now tight. LOL! I think I'll make it a short run today and take the dogs for a long pack walk. We're getting snow tomorrow and I may be stuck inside. Thanks for cheering me on. It looks like another good day to get out there, Ladies!
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Is anyone going to set up a 2014 Running Thread? Whoever sets up the thread needs to maintain the header post of upcoming runs (and I don't think I have the reliability factor to volunteer!)
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Happy New Year!
I am happy to have found this thread as I am hoping to put my 2013 breast cancer experience behind me and return to running in 2014!!
My story is that I have been in a great running group for the past three years. In 2012 I ran my first marathon, Grandma's Marathon, here in Duluth. In the spring of 2013, I was training for Grandma's, and was three weeks from the race when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. With great encouragement from my friends, my running group buddies, and my doctors, I went ahead and ran the marathon despite very little running in between the diagnosis and the race, primarily due to a pneumothorax (punctured lung) the radiologist game me during my biopsy! Nice! Well... I ran a PR of 4:04 and felt incredibly joyful and thankful the whole race that I was able to run it.
I ran a few times between my mastectomy and chemo and into the first session of chemo, but did not have the energy after that to continue running, even though I was often able to go for walks.
On December 11, I had another surgery to remove my axillary lymph nodes, due to a micro-metastasis that was found in my sentinel node after the mastectomy surgery. The recovery from this surgery has been worse than the mastectomy - - swelling in my armpit, arm pain, and tiredness, so I have gotten no exercise this month.
Now I am looking towards 2014 and want your advice as to what I can expect for running in the new year.
When do you think it would be safe to start running again after the ALND?
Could I potentially run a half marathon in June, or would it be better to aim for a 5K or 10K?
Have any of you followed a return-to-running training plan that you could share?
What about strength training or specific exercises for my arm? My surgeon didn't recommend any.
I miss the joy and freedom of running, and I miss my running group, but I don't want to over-do it, so any advice and support you can provide would be great! I'm happy to find other runners on the journey through or past breast cancer!
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Welcome runningfrom! Sorry you have to be here, but this IS the happiest thread on BCO. You're definitely in the right place.
The thread has many stories of getting back to running when medical advisors just don't get why. There is a lot of fear that people are too worn out by treatments to run, but they don't realize that running is a treatment. Do not have speed expectations of yourself - the speed will come - but most people have posted both good results and pride from doing a run or walk or run+walk. The key is just to ensure it is not hurting or being too tired or feeling bad. This is not the time to do the "just one more lamp post" mind-game. Cut yourself the slack. That said, I did a half 6 weeks post DIEP when I had barely (literally 24 hours earlier) got my posture vertical again. I wasn't any kind of fast - ran much of the first 5K but walked most of the rest, and the medal meant a LOT to me. Given that endurance will probably come back before speed, you might prefer to stick with the June half. People will be impressed if you just DO a half, regardless of the speed, but a 35 or 40 minute 5K won't knock many people over. :-)
The other thing we talk a lot about is physio. My own physio says surgeons generally just don't advise patients to go for physio. I am 2 years post DIEP, and I still have work to do. It's like peeling layers - when I finally get something fixed, it reveals something else. For instance, my DIEP caused strain in my neck and shoulders. It makes sense when you think about it: less front length in the lower abdomen, prolonged leaning forward, trying to keep eyes up, head is heavy, pulls on back of neck... Don't wait for the surgeon or family physician to refer you to physio - feel free to ask for a referral, and shop around for one that does sports medicine (you're a runner) not arthritis-and-car-accident rehab physio. There are a lot of breast-cancer brochures with exercises, but physios can stretch parts and get range of motion and clear stuck spots that you cannot do yourself, and they can adjust exercise prescription to your exact state at a given time. Mine also keeps me honest, which I kind of need.
Looking forward to your run reports!
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Welcome Runningfromcancer! I'm horrified about your punctured lung but wow, what a recovery! I bet you will be able to do a half in June. I'm aiming for a June half also. I want to spend half the time developing consistency and half the time on a real training plan, although I assume those will overlap in real life.
Goldlining is spot on about asking for physio/PT. A lot of us seem to have had the experience that surgeons are way too breezy about this. (Mine said, "Just use the arm normally." REALLY???) Also, if you are likely to have options where you live, try to find someone who has experience and maybe certification for treating lymphedema, and in addition to the therapy itself, get some advice from that person about upper-body training post ALND. A few pages back on this thread there was a great discussion about this and some really helpful links. The key with strength training is very, very slow progression on the treatment side, and start with little baby weights, like 1 lb.
In terms of running, I bet you will be back running with your buddies within a month or two, and that would be great medicine. I also bet one or more of those buddies would be willing to run short with you sooner than that if you're not ready to do what the whole group is doing. You've only been out of running for about 3 months and I think you will find you have some residual fitness. Please let us know how it goes!
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Good morning all,
I'd like to join this thread until a 2014 one has been started. I'm getting back into it after diagnosis and treatment and could use a little extra motivation. Here's my running history and upcoming goals:
I ran a marathon three days before finding my lump and I was in my best running shape then. I'm not fast but ran a 4:34:59 personal best on that day. My summer training plan was to try and break 2:00:00 at a half in the fall. Needless to say, diagnosis and neo-adjuvant chemo brought me to a halt. I had no energy and no motivation, not to mention the taxotere muscle aches. I had surgery and I'm back to running and building up my base.
My goals for this year are to run a 10k portion of the Around the Bay race as part of a relay team at the end of March. Then it's building up for the Dopey Challenge in January 2015. Not sure which races I'll be doing to prep for this. My biggest challenge now is to start training while not losing any of the 25 lbs I gained during chemo as I'll be starting radiation on the 13th.
Can't wait to see what everyone is up to for 2014.
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Welcome, Oncearunner! I love your user name--it is so true. That's a hard convergence, marathon PR and then lump three days later. Congrats on getting done with chemo and surgery. How long will your radiation last? I bet the 10K at the end of March will be just about right. Are you hoping not to lose weight because you needed to gain some?
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Runningfromcancer- you are awesome! I think you should ask your surgeon about the June run. It seems like a reasonable goal.
Oncearunneralwaysarunner- Thank you for sharing your goals. I drop 30 lbs this last year and while on chemo gain 15 back. I too am planning some races.
I did a 5K yesterday, slowest time 52.11, my MO told me no more 5Ks, so my husband set up a course for me to run so I wouldn’t be around people. I don’t care about the time. I figure I will get back to my good times. I realized when I was hitting the pavement Chemo is weaking my body more than I thought. I did my 3rd chemo today.
Keep on running warriors!
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Good for you, FairyDogMother--all forward steps go the same direction! How many more times will you do chemo?
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January 22, 2014 last chemo. Then surgery, then radiation, the my final surgery. I’m going to try to plan some fall 5Ks. Since I live in Oklahoma and the summer gets to 40C and lots of sun.
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So by the end of January you will be done with chemo and on to the next phase--that's coming right up! I hope it goes super easy on you. Fall sounds great for 5Ks.
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Fairydogmother, Congratulations on running the 5k and Congratulations on finishing your 3rd chemo!!
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RunFree16 - I have 6 weeks of radiation starting on January 13. The reason I can't loose any weight is because of radiation, too much weight loss (defined to me as more than 5 pounds) changes the contours of your body and therefore affects where the radiation is received. I'm so glad I asked when I went for my markings because I was planning on dropping the extra chemo weight. I gained about 25 lbs on chemo, partly due to steroids, partly due to eating what I wanted.
I think I'll be using the bike in the basement today instead of a run. It's about -40C with the windchill this morning, brrrrr.
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Thanks, that makes sense about the weight loss. I guess you get to eat what you want for longer? I had 6 weeks of radiation too (and nobody told me not to lose or gain weight!). People told me to eat lots of protein while I was going through radiation and one person told me that miso soup is also excellent.
It's not as cold here. Wind chill -12.6F, which is about -25C. Yup, treadmill day.
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Man it is cold here. -22C / -7F when I left the house this morning. Sure, it is colder other places, but this is way cold enough for me.
Treadmill was just fine this morning! Still calibrating the Garmin, but 40 minutes at 5.0 and a little 10-minute bike cool down.
Stay warm everyone!
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