Well, I'm going to give it a try. I'm participating in the Chicago Marathon on October 7, 2012. That's 26.2 miles - the full marathon. They don't offer a half marathon distance.
My plan is to run slowly until the group spreads out a bit. Then I'll start alternating running with walking. I'll run 3 minutes and then walk 1 minute and continue that process for as long as possible, hopefully until mile 17 or 18. Then I'll just hang on by running as much as necessary to try to stay under a 15 minute mile. I have to finish in 6 hours and 30 minutes or they will pull me off the course. I'm hoping to come in at 6 hours so I stay sufficiently ahead of the truck, but it's possible I'll be picked up and have to post a "did not finish".
As of today, I give myself a 60% chance of finishing within legal time requirements. At various times throughout training, I figured my chances were below 50%, so I'm feeling a bit more confident.
I've had several injury issues throughout my training. The biggest problem was a Piriformis muscle in my hip/buttox area. Also, several surrounding hip muscles were impacted. Because of this, I ran very little in June and July (key months for building base mileage for the October marathon). I finally saw a sports medicine doctor, had physical therapy, and got medical massage. After about 8 weeks, I was able to put in longer miles without the Periformis issue. I had to ramp up mileage pretty quickly after that sideline and so I'm not as well prepared as I had planned to be by now.
My fastest half marathon is 2 hours and 25 minutes; about an 11 minute mile. I hope to run 13-15 minute miles for the full marathon.
Track My Progress
If I set it up correctly, my twitter account will be auto-updated while I'm running on Sunday morning. Updates should occur as I cross the 10K (6.2 miles), halfway (13.1 miles) and 30K (18.64 miles) checkpoints, as well as the finish line. My twitter feed is on the right side of my blog, so you can check it even if you don't have a twitter account or you don't follow me on Twitter. Ken will also get text messages at those intervals.
Wish me luck! If all the stars align, I will be able to put that 26.2 magnet on my car. What an accomplishment that would/will be!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Race for the Cure and marathon training
Val (age 14) and I ran the Race for the Cure 5Kyesterday. The weather was beautiful, though a little warm for the run. I didn't get a personal record (PR) but did well at 30:54 for the 3.1 miles. I was the 14th survivor to pass the finish line. Placing 14th sounds impressive when you consider there were 40,000+ participants. However, I feel compelled to reveal that only 29 survivors were in the first wave of the run which is reserved for participants who pay an extra $5 for a timing chip. So I was 14th out of 29. Still . . . it's something to hang my pink visor on.
The best part of the race was the Facebook status my daughter posted along with a picture of us in front of the survivor trolly:
Jason and Ken were at a baseball tournament during the race. Val and I rushed home and were able to catch the second of Jason's three baseball games on Saturday. Jason pitched that game, which was unusual since he usually plays third, first, or catcher. He did very well pitching the first 3 or 4 innings and then switched places with the catcher. His team won. Overall in the tournament they won 4 games and lost 1. Jason's team (Eastside Irish 11U) was pretty happy with that record this early in their season.
As for my sports, softball has just started, though Ken and I are not able to play every week due to our kids' schedules. I played on Friday, though and our game ended in a tie. Ken and I are not playing volleyball again until the fall.
My running has been slowing ramping up over the past few months. I finally took the plunge and signed up for a full marathon. In early October, I hope to be trained and ready to do the full 26.2 miles. Currently, I'm running about 3 times per week, with two "short" runs (5-6 miles) and one long run on the weekend. I'm up to 10 miles now in the long run. To avoid injury, I'm increasing the long run by just 1 mile every two weeks.
Lymphedema is still causing my left hand to be slightly bigger than my right, though it's usually not very noticeable. My left hand swells a bit more when I run in warm weather or when I do lots of work with my hands. I wore the compression glove today for my 10 mile run, but I didn't wear it for the Race for the Cure since it was predicted to be about 60 degrees F when the race started.
The best part of the race was the Facebook status my daughter posted along with a picture of us in front of the survivor trolly:
It means a lot that Val participated in this run to show her support for me. Although she is an excellent athlete, she does not run regularly; nor does she enjoy it. Competitive swimming is her primary sport. She's also great at softball and volleyball but recently announced she will focus on just swimming and marching band in high school.
Jason and Ken were at a baseball tournament during the race. Val and I rushed home and were able to catch the second of Jason's three baseball games on Saturday. Jason pitched that game, which was unusual since he usually plays third, first, or catcher. He did very well pitching the first 3 or 4 innings and then switched places with the catcher. His team won. Overall in the tournament they won 4 games and lost 1. Jason's team (Eastside Irish 11U) was pretty happy with that record this early in their season.
As for my sports, softball has just started, though Ken and I are not able to play every week due to our kids' schedules. I played on Friday, though and our game ended in a tie. Ken and I are not playing volleyball again until the fall.
My running has been slowing ramping up over the past few months. I finally took the plunge and signed up for a full marathon. In early October, I hope to be trained and ready to do the full 26.2 miles. Currently, I'm running about 3 times per week, with two "short" runs (5-6 miles) and one long run on the weekend. I'm up to 10 miles now in the long run. To avoid injury, I'm increasing the long run by just 1 mile every two weeks.
Lymphedema is still causing my left hand to be slightly bigger than my right, though it's usually not very noticeable. My left hand swells a bit more when I run in warm weather or when I do lots of work with my hands. I wore the compression glove today for my 10 mile run, but I didn't wear it for the Race for the Cure since it was predicted to be about 60 degrees F when the race started.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Article by David Haas re: exercise vs cancer
Fighting The Cancer Battle With Physical Fitness
Coping with cancer symptoms, and the side effects of cancer treatment, creates tremendous stress for cancer patients and their families and caregivers. Physical fitness provides amazing benefits for everyone affected by cancer.
But cancer patients, the men and women doing firsthand battle with an ugly disease, can benefit most from a fitness program. Whether they were just diagnosed with cancer, going through cancer treatment, or currently in remission, cancer patients should consider exercise in their treatment and recovery programs.
Years ago, most cancer patients were encouraged to rest and to limit their physical activities. This is still good medical advice, if physical movement causes pain, a rapid heart rate, or breathing difficulties. But research indicates that exercise is safe for most cancer patients. In fact, it can improve physical functioning, speed the recovery process, and generally perk up life.
Exercise Supports Cancer Patients In Many Ways
According to the American Cancer Society, exercise supports cancer treatment in numerous ways Regular exercise improves a cancer patient’s physical abilities and makes them less dependent on others. Physical fitness builds muscle, improves blood flow, builds stronger bones, and lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Exercise helps cancer patients deal with the side effects of radiation, chemotherapy, and other cancer treatments. It lessens nausea and fatigue, improves appetite, and lowers the risk of depression and anxiety. Best of all, physical fitness boosts self-esteem and improves outlook, both of which are important to the recovery process.
Most Patients Can Exercise, Pending Doctor Approval
Many cancer patients wonder what kinds of exercise they can engage in, during the cancer treatment phase and into recovery. The experts recommend three main types of exercise: stretching and flexibility movements, aerobic exercise, and strength or resistance training. The best fitness program depends on numerous factors, including the cancer type, cancer stage, and treatment plan.
For example, weight lifting is not recommended for breast cancer patients, particularly after breast cancer surgery. And vigorous aerobic activity is impossible for asbestos cancer patients, who should talk to their mesothelioma doctor about exercise during treatment.
Most cancer patients can start a fitness program immediately after diagnosis, even if they were not active before. In fact, patients who were sedentary before cancer will derive tremendous benefits from exercise during cancer treatment and recovery. Doctor approval is important with any fitness program, and patients should start slowly and increase their workouts as their fitness level improves.
Coping with cancer symptoms, and the side effects of cancer treatment, creates tremendous stress for cancer patients and their families and caregivers. Physical fitness provides amazing benefits for everyone affected by cancer.
But cancer patients, the men and women doing firsthand battle with an ugly disease, can benefit most from a fitness program. Whether they were just diagnosed with cancer, going through cancer treatment, or currently in remission, cancer patients should consider exercise in their treatment and recovery programs.
Years ago, most cancer patients were encouraged to rest and to limit their physical activities. This is still good medical advice, if physical movement causes pain, a rapid heart rate, or breathing difficulties. But research indicates that exercise is safe for most cancer patients. In fact, it can improve physical functioning, speed the recovery process, and generally perk up life.
Exercise Supports Cancer Patients In Many Ways
According to the American Cancer Society, exercise supports cancer treatment in numerous ways Regular exercise improves a cancer patient’s physical abilities and makes them less dependent on others. Physical fitness builds muscle, improves blood flow, builds stronger bones, and lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Exercise helps cancer patients deal with the side effects of radiation, chemotherapy, and other cancer treatments. It lessens nausea and fatigue, improves appetite, and lowers the risk of depression and anxiety. Best of all, physical fitness boosts self-esteem and improves outlook, both of which are important to the recovery process.
Most Patients Can Exercise, Pending Doctor Approval
Many cancer patients wonder what kinds of exercise they can engage in, during the cancer treatment phase and into recovery. The experts recommend three main types of exercise: stretching and flexibility movements, aerobic exercise, and strength or resistance training. The best fitness program depends on numerous factors, including the cancer type, cancer stage, and treatment plan.
For example, weight lifting is not recommended for breast cancer patients, particularly after breast cancer surgery. And vigorous aerobic activity is impossible for asbestos cancer patients, who should talk to their mesothelioma doctor about exercise during treatment.
Most cancer patients can start a fitness program immediately after diagnosis, even if they were not active before. In fact, patients who were sedentary before cancer will derive tremendous benefits from exercise during cancer treatment and recovery. Doctor approval is important with any fitness program, and patients should start slowly and increase their workouts as their fitness level improves.
Article by Davis Haas, http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog, twitter at @CancerAlliance
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