2013 Running Thread

I am starting chemo shortly.  Just when I get back to running I need to do the chemo.  

FairyDogMother - What do you think caused your weight gain with the chemo?  I really want to avoid it.  I know it is a SE of Cytoxan, Taxotere but 30 lbs. seems like a lot for an active person.  

I really hope to keep moving.  I hope to keep running.  I have a trail near my home to run on and avoid being around germy people.  When the weather is bad I will still hit the gym.  I just won't touch anything.  That's my plan but if anyone has advice I'd appreciate it.

I am petite - 4'11".  Every extra pound weighs me down.  Any advice for managing weight during chemo?

FairyDogMother, you most definitely are a warrior!  I am astonished that on a day when you're feeling so sick, you will still work out.  Bravo to you for running and eating well and losing 30 lbs.  That's health in the bank, I'm sure, not just in minimizing your cancer but in getting back to running and feeling good once you're able.  I bet the steroids do have a lot to do with your weight gain, because on 1300 calories a day, nobody should be gaining.  All the detail you've given is going to be really helpful to anyone who reads it.

Warrier Woman -- I gained about 7 pounds while doing 4 rounds of TC chemo but its coming back off now that I'm done. I blame the weight gain on lack of activity due to exhaustion, the steroids, and the fact that I had less nausea when I had food in my stomach. My nurse told me that it is common for people to gain weight on chemo, and that they would prefer that to having their patients lose weight.  For the most part, I tried to do what I could each day and to eat what I needed to eat without worrying about my weight, but that isn't always easy!  Good luck with chemo! I didn't find it to be as bad as I thought it would be!

Helppppp!  I just came across a thread titled:  Beware: Athletes who choose reconstruction may regret it.  The discussion is focused on the inability to return to previous levels of athletic ability after reconstruction using tissue expanders because of the changes to the pectoral muscles.  As a runner and moderate weight lifter this really frightened me.  If there is anyone here who has had the same surgery and has resumed their physical activity without impairment please post.  I need the reassurance.  I am hoping the complications are more the exception than the rule.  

FairyDogMother - I start chemo next week and it is flu season.  I plan to live in a bubble.  Get well!

RunFree - That is what I'm hoping.  People who are doing well don't read or post on certain threads.  

Sweet&Special - I appreciate your story.  Thank you!

Warrior Woman-

I read at some point that after reconstruction the best type of lifting is with light weights and more repetitions.  That made sense to me.  Realistically so much of what we do in life (putting grocery bags in the car, etc.) involves chest muscles.  So clearly some activity is fine.  Heavy weights just make me concerned about putting too much stress on everything involved in the reconstruction, including the ribs.

My 2 cents!

corpor

Hi all,

I haven't been on BCO in a while so I just speed-read lots of posts and can't remember exactly who posed what issue. 

Weight gain during chemo: I'm thin and I struggled to maintain my weight through chemo. I ended up taking half the recommended dose of steroids before taxol: I was told to take five pills 12 hours before taxol, and five more six hours before; I accidentally-on-purpose slept through the second five and then decided it was too late to take them. I fessed up to my medical oncologist, who said since I had no adverse effects I could do the half-dose the rest of the time, and I did. Moral: ask your medical oncologist to let you try a lower dose of steroids??

Reconstruction: I did a lot of research, including meeting with a plastic surgeon and posting a query on BCO on a thread for women who opted against reconstruction. Their responses bolstered me in my decision not to get a tissue expander when I got my mastectomy (October 2013). Every woman's decision is her own and I strongly encourage you to do research before assuming reconstruction is the way to go -- there is a lot of tacit pressure to do it, but when you really examine the trade-offs, for some of us it's not worth it, especially if we're small-breasted to begin with, and appreciate our bodies for their function (I love to run and feel strong and powerful!).

I wrote a blog post with more thoughts and info on this dilemma:

http://alaskamamaruns.blogspot.com/2013/09/breasts...

Running: Ugh! Letrozole is killing me. Walking and/or running just about daily. Eked out four miles on the treadmill yesterday in 44 minutes, but it was hard. I feel like a 90-year-old in the body of a 42-year old! Anyone have advice for Letrozole side effects, other than keep pushing through exercise? I'm going to eat the leftover L-Glutamine from taxol and see if that helps make me feel less achy.

Thank you all for this great community!

Hello from the World!

I did the 10K today, and wow! I think the best 10K time I ever had was 78 minutes, and I did it today in 76. Not that it was fast, but personal best, I'll take it! 

It was a nice course and well organized (but no powerade on the 10K- good to know for next time). At the 5 mile point, I really did not want that last loop around the Epcot resort lake :-) but that was just mental and I finished strong.

I feel fine for tomorrow's half (we will see tomorrow if my impression is valid!) I was consciously not pushing myself at all at any point today, and was surprised to see my mile-to-mile pace tracking so well. My heart rate was up to 187 at the peak, which is crazy for my age, but I did not go into v-fib, so it must be okay!

This last-minute training binge and trying to impress the shiny new Garmin was good for me!

I also had some really intense massage on my abs last week and it's really breaking up that DIEP scar tissue. It hurts so much that I would never do it that thoroughly on my own, but I can tolerate it if the massage therapist does it. I had physio right after and the difference was obvious, and I think it helped the running.

Am stuffed with pasta and cupcakes and just counting down to bedtime and the 3am alarm. 

Corpor - When I run I pretend the TEs are my sports bra.  We have the same TE discomforts.  

goldlining--Awesome Job on the 10K!

goldlining - whoo hoo on the PR! That's great. Hope you have/had a great half today. Are you doing the Dopey Challenge by any chance? 

I managed to get my four scheduled runs in this week. I'm pretty happy about that since it meant going out in really cold weather. Hopefully the warm spell we are having today and tomorrow will melt the ice around the neighbourhood!

WOOT GOLD!!!! GO GIRL. Cannot wait for the Half report.

xoxoxo

Piper

I have to say I am SOOOOO glad I am not doing the full marathon tomorrow! Those people (groovygirls??) are INSANE! I did not do the 5k (the medal is rubber and didn't justify another $250 worth of hotel) so not eligible for Dopey, and in any case, I don't have a full marathon in me so no Goofy either. But the 10K/Half combination does have a bonus medal at Disneyland so when that registration opens up on the 28th, I think I'll book both of them for Labour Day weekend and so I will get the coast to coast bonus medal and the 10k/half bonus medal along with the two event medals. Bring the bling!

My pace for the Half was the SAME as my 10K pace! No detriment from the 10K. Actually, my moving pace was better, but my tummy demanded a potty stop in Tomorrowland, and it took 3 minutes and 30 seconds, most of which was wrestling the damned sweaty compression tights off and back on. It is like wrangling a boa constrictor!

It was humid and the temp worked up to 82F or so (not at 04:00 when I left the hotel, but even then it was warm enough to wear a tank top and no wrap over it), and the threatened sprinkles did not come to pass.

After the potty stop, I had some difficulty getting my pace back to what it was before that, and went from 12 to 12:30 / mile to 13 to 13:30 / mile. Mentally it was challenging about 9-10 miles in, when I started doing the math and thinking if I'd pushed more at 5 miles, I could PR that too.

Even so, despite training that consisted of about 5 40-minute treadmill stints, all in the last month, I improved 2 minutes from November (5'30 if you count the bathroom break, which I did not have to do in November). For comparison, if you subtract the 3'30, it would be within 2 minutes of my pre-BC PR. I don't know what it was that I ate. I tried so hard to avoid allergens. I even asked the "chef" what was in the marinara sauce after a bad reaction to spaghetti at Disneyland. One of my colleagues thinks it's GM ingredients using fish DNA, so being allergic to fish makes me react adversely to these vegetables. I don't know, but it's unpleasant. 

I've left that resort and moved over to SeaWorld area for business and will play it by ear whether I go to a park tomorrow. I have NO injuries (ligaments and such), just stiff thighs. I have to tell myself not to look at those young, fast-looking people and feel inadequate, because at 10 miles, they're all standing stretching on a lamp post and I'm cruising past alternating running and walking. There were 10,000 people who beat me, but I beat the other 10,000!