September 16, 2012

Question:  Should someone with Stage IV Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma be training for a half marathon?  

Answer:  HELL YEH!  

I’m continuing to feel better than well, and keeping right on track with the schedule set forth by Coach James and Team In Training (TNT).  There’s definitely a method to the madness when it comes to this half marathon prep, and I’m slowing figuring it out.  The most difficult workouts are the Saturday sessions, where the entire San Diego Team in Training Winter Marathon Season Team gets together for a mass training session.  Sundays are for cross training, to recover a bit from Saturday.  Mondays are a medium workout, Tuesdays are an off day (yay!), Wednesdays are an easy workout, Thursdays are medium, Fridays are an off day (yay, again!) to rest up before the Saturday long workout.  

Now, I must admit that after Saturday’s sessions, I am just a bucket of shit.  By the time I get home, I’m exhausted, tired, worn out, and pooped.  And we’re only at the beginning of the training season!  We’ve still got 17 Saturday sessions to go before the half marathon in January!  Geez – I’m not THAT out of shape am I?  Or is this the lymphoma talking?  Hard to say for sure, but I’m beginning to figure out that I just shouldn’t schedule anything for the rest of the day on Saturdays.  Weenie.
 

She looks a little too enthusiastic about her
new training jersey.....

Pre-walk/run stretching.
 

 

Post-walk/run pretzel imitation.

 

Feels so good to S-T-R-E-T-C-H.....

 

Following yesterday’s session, Roadrunner Sports presented a great shoe clinic for TNT, after which a lot of us took advantage of ShoeDog, Roadrunner’s fabulous (and free) multi-dimensional analysis of gait, arch type, running style, etc.  They can then narrow down the hundreds of brands and styles of shoes and recommend the best ones for your particular style.

 

My baby gazelle getting ready to do ShoeDog.....

 

.....and her mysteriously bloodied toes once she removed her sock.  WTH?

 

 

Someone is taking this ShoeDog thing WAY too seriously.
 

 

Video analysis of my running gait.  My ankles
collapse when I come down.  Apparently that's what happens when
your ankles absorb 3-4 times your body weight while running!  Yikes!

 

Even though I just bought a new pair of shoes not too long ago, and they were pretty much fine, they tended to crowd my outside toes because the front of the shoe was too narrow.  After trying on different pairs yesterday, I finally stepped into a pair of Brooks Glycerin (one of the recommendations by ShoeDog) and finally had enough room to spread my little piggies!  It’s amazing what a difference a wider “toe box” makes!

 

Beautiful brand-new turquoise Brooks, outfitted with my brand-new
Amphipod, a little duffle bag that attaches to my shoe to hold my keys.
Dorky?  YES!  But uber-functional!

 

Wait a minute – wasn’t this supposed to be a blog about this cancer thing?  How did it become a blog about training for a half marathon?!!?  

 

It’s not.  

 

It’s still a blog about my daily skirmish with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  Taking on the half marathon is a huge part of me saying a continual and ebullient FUCK YOU! to cancer.  Because as long as I can keep to the workout schedule, enjoy my awesome Team TPA teammates during our regular dinner meetings, and complete the Saturday training sessions, the power stays with ME, not this cancer thing.  

 

Never give in.  Never give up.