So I am currently sitting in a chair receiving my last herceptin treatment. I hope I didn't insult the wonderful nurses by telling them I really hoped I never saw them again (at least in this setting)! I am happy to have the procedures over, but it also makes you nervous as now you know it's up to your body to keep you healthy, and obviously my body hasn't been very successful doing that.
Now I am on to other things. Lauren's baby is going to arrive at any time. I am going to go down to Maryland to help out when he comes. Tommy will be my partner-in-crime as we explore the zoo and other places. We will have so much fun together. From there, Bob and I are going to continue heading south to check out Charleston and Savannah. We will also stop and see his brother in Aiken, SC and head over the border to Washington, GA--the site of my first teaching job in 1979. It was a very old and beautiful town, but still so very segregated back then. I'm interested to see how it has changed. We just like to wander while on vacation--no real specific destinations/timeline. We always have fun!
I continue to run--am back to my routine schedule of about 10 miles 5-6 days a week. I also cycle as often as possible. We've had more rain in the last couple weeks then anything, but hopefully summer will soon kick in.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Marathon Pictures
The first is a shot of the starting line with an insert of me finishing. This was from official pictures of the race. The second is mine and my parents' back with the shirts we wore on race day (you can see a little of Bob's arm). My skin was so pale then. Now it is leathery and peeling from the sunburn I got during the run.
I was back running easy yesterday and today. I can tell I'm not fully recovered, but my legs don't hurt at all; they are just heavy. The Susan G. Komen race is this weekend. Bob and I are volunteering at it, not running. I plan to take a (long) break from racing, seeing as I can't run hard anyway. Last herceptin is next week; then my heart can start to get stronger.
Billy is doing good work these days. He's working in a lab that is researching ways to stop prostate cancer from metastisizing into the bone. I don't pretend to understand, but he's been doing something to a gene that has been found to quickly metastisize. It is nice to see him doing meaningful work, no matter how small a role he is playing in the research.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
I finished...
and I qualified for the Boston Marathon. But I am definitely not running it. I did the first half (13.1) in 1:54+ and the second half in about 2:01, so I finished in 3:55.15--6th in age (I have to find out how many were in my age group, but I'm guessing a hundred or more). I'm very satisfied with my time. I need to retire from marathoning while I'm ahead--all four have been under 4 hours. Around mile 22 though, I was remembering why I hadn't done one in 10 years--it's really not fun at that point!
The day dawned cloudy and 60s, which is what it's been since we got here. Naturally, before we hit the halfway mark, the sun burned brightly. That is the one weather type that Bob cannot handle. He gets dehydrated so quickly, and that did him in today. I also have to take some blame, because I went out a little faster then what we'd planned (9 minute miles). It's really hard when your adrenaline is going and there are lots of racers to pass.
Weather doesn't really bother me, except for the sunburn I got. The bands early on were great early on; I can't say I paid much attention during the last 5-6 miles. There were lots of cheerleaders too and twice there were groups of men in drag. I couldn't tell if they were the same or a different group. I tried to watch as much as possible, but that's not my strong point when running.
What I did love is that I wore all pink, so I really stood out. I ran, for the first time, in a skirt--and I loved it. It was so comfortable and no chafing. I also had my name on my arms and people called out with my name or referenced the pink. I also had a lot of people come up to me with heartfelt words (because of the shirt I was wearing). They really helped drive me to the finish. One young man who could read English, but not speak it, passed me at about the 22nd mile and said some word to me--I have no idea what--but the tone of his voice was so sincere. I saw him at the end and he said a few more words and then hugged me. It was really touching! I could just tell by his tone and gestures that he was a really good person.
The finish was quite emotional as I thought about it being just about a year to the day that I started chemo. Even though the marathon hurt more, it was many times better!
When I get one, I will post a picture. I have to say, I'm glad this is over. My new goal is to just run for fun!
The day dawned cloudy and 60s, which is what it's been since we got here. Naturally, before we hit the halfway mark, the sun burned brightly. That is the one weather type that Bob cannot handle. He gets dehydrated so quickly, and that did him in today. I also have to take some blame, because I went out a little faster then what we'd planned (9 minute miles). It's really hard when your adrenaline is going and there are lots of racers to pass.
Weather doesn't really bother me, except for the sunburn I got. The bands early on were great early on; I can't say I paid much attention during the last 5-6 miles. There were lots of cheerleaders too and twice there were groups of men in drag. I couldn't tell if they were the same or a different group. I tried to watch as much as possible, but that's not my strong point when running.
What I did love is that I wore all pink, so I really stood out. I ran, for the first time, in a skirt--and I loved it. It was so comfortable and no chafing. I also had my name on my arms and people called out with my name or referenced the pink. I also had a lot of people come up to me with heartfelt words (because of the shirt I was wearing). They really helped drive me to the finish. One young man who could read English, but not speak it, passed me at about the 22nd mile and said some word to me--I have no idea what--but the tone of his voice was so sincere. I saw him at the end and he said a few more words and then hugged me. It was really touching! I could just tell by his tone and gestures that he was a really good person.
The finish was quite emotional as I thought about it being just about a year to the day that I started chemo. Even though the marathon hurt more, it was many times better!
When I get one, I will post a picture. I have to say, I'm glad this is over. My new goal is to just run for fun!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
And off we go...
We're leaving for San Diego bright and early tomorrow morning. This is when all my neuroses kick in! Have I trained enough? too much? have I tapered enough? am I still in good enough shape? will my heart hold up? (I guess that's my biggest worry.)
How will my pace be? I know there will be 25,000 runners, so it will be hard to get any speed and it will mean an even slower time then I could run. That makes me crazy, but I have to remember I am out there to enjoy myself and finish--I need to be happy I can finish, even if it's a 4 1/2 hour marathon. My big mistake was looking up the Boston Marathon qualifying time--4:05. I know I could make it if there wasn't such a crowd. Why do I care though; I have no intention of running Boston again. I'm supposed to run very easy and keep my heart rate down, but I know people expect more--but why do I care? (See, I have a lot of neuroses at this point!!!)
It could be worse--I could have unplugged the computer before the end of the MCAT test! Now that is stress! Billy is so much more calm then me (and just about anyone I know!).
It could be worse--the umpire just robbed the Tiger pitcher of a perfect game. Unbelievable!
None of my kids will be there, but mom, dad, and a couple of my sisters will be there. I got a nice goody bag from Roswell Park Cancer Institute with shirts for Bob and me and 4 shirts for spectators, plus signs and a couple noise makers--they better use those early; after 20 miles I am focused on just finishing and don't want talking and noise. The closest thing I can liken the last few miles of a marathon is childbirth--only because after my first marathon, I told someone I hadn't felt that bad since childbirth. Independently, Bob said he hadn't seen me so cranky since childbirth--so I guess that's the closest analogy. We'll see what happens here.
Keep me in mind on Sunday. The race starts at 6:15 a.m. pacific time (9:15 eastern). I don't expect to get over the starting line until 7:00 or so. We're in corrals based on our estimated finish time, so I'm way back. If I'm not done by noon (3:00 p.m. eastern time), I'm guessing there was trouble.
My biggest and most important triumph has already happened--I raised $6400 for my doctor's research, which she has already started. It's important research and will improve the quality of life for many women.
How will my pace be? I know there will be 25,000 runners, so it will be hard to get any speed and it will mean an even slower time then I could run. That makes me crazy, but I have to remember I am out there to enjoy myself and finish--I need to be happy I can finish, even if it's a 4 1/2 hour marathon. My big mistake was looking up the Boston Marathon qualifying time--4:05. I know I could make it if there wasn't such a crowd. Why do I care though; I have no intention of running Boston again. I'm supposed to run very easy and keep my heart rate down, but I know people expect more--but why do I care? (See, I have a lot of neuroses at this point!!!)
It could be worse--I could have unplugged the computer before the end of the MCAT test! Now that is stress! Billy is so much more calm then me (and just about anyone I know!).
It could be worse--the umpire just robbed the Tiger pitcher of a perfect game. Unbelievable!
None of my kids will be there, but mom, dad, and a couple of my sisters will be there. I got a nice goody bag from Roswell Park Cancer Institute with shirts for Bob and me and 4 shirts for spectators, plus signs and a couple noise makers--they better use those early; after 20 miles I am focused on just finishing and don't want talking and noise. The closest thing I can liken the last few miles of a marathon is childbirth--only because after my first marathon, I told someone I hadn't felt that bad since childbirth. Independently, Bob said he hadn't seen me so cranky since childbirth--so I guess that's the closest analogy. We'll see what happens here.
Keep me in mind on Sunday. The race starts at 6:15 a.m. pacific time (9:15 eastern). I don't expect to get over the starting line until 7:00 or so. We're in corrals based on our estimated finish time, so I'm way back. If I'm not done by noon (3:00 p.m. eastern time), I'm guessing there was trouble.
My biggest and most important triumph has already happened--I raised $6400 for my doctor's research, which she has already started. It's important research and will improve the quality of life for many women.
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