Category: Running

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Activities Cancer Cole Family & Friends Health Running Ryan

Ready, Set, GO!

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I never thought I would be writing that I had fun preparing for the Komen Denver Race for the Cure.  I have never liked running- it was always my last choice for exercise.  I wrote previously why I decided to sign up to run my first ever race, and why I chose the Race for the Cure. 

On Thursday evening, following the advice of my triathlete friend, Sonja, I ran the last full 5k (3.2 miles) before the actual race on Sunday.  It was cold and windy, and I was dreading doing the run.  I wanted to just stay home and stay warm.   I bundled the boys up and we went to our trusty bike path / playground. They were immediately occupied by checking out all the debris that had been trapped by the tennis court fence, so I took off running. 

It was one of the best exercise sessions I have ever had.  I felt everything come together.  The last few times I have ran, I have gotten a cramp in my side almost the moment I started running.  I really concentrated on breathing, and there was no cramp.  Everything was in sync- my breathing, pacing, and body.  I can’t recall ever feeling like that before when running.  I finished the distance and felt like I could have kept going.  I knew I had run faster than normal and when I checked my time it had been 38 minutes- a personal best.  

While I was running, I was enjoying the moment and the feeling of everything coming together.  I knew I had done the work, and now it was time to just let it be.  I realized I was at a point that I didn’t think possible just two months ago while I was suffering from hypothyroidsm, recovering from thyroid cancer and surgery.  This is what I wrote on my blog on August 1: 

Today I had an exceptionally hard day- I just had no energy, and I mean none.  Sitting in a chair was making me tired. …I literally have to get through the days, hour by hour, because waking up and facing a whole day in its entirety is too overwhelming. I honestly don’t know how I am going to make it hour to hour, let alone an entire day. 

Reading that seems like it was a lifetime ago, and I am beyond happy that I am healthy enough again to meet this goal.  I feel at this point I have done everything I could have done to prepare, and some of Sonja’s pre-race advice was: “the training is done and the race is the reward, it’s the celebration. It’s your chance to thank your body for persevering through this last year.” 

To all my family, friends, and the boys’ family, thank you once more for helping me beat cancer.  I couldn’t have done it without all of you.  

Ryan and Cole were wonderful while I was running, and were great coaches!  They won’t be at the race, but I hope to have lots of pictures of it to share with them.  They told me several times that I must be feeling better since I was running so fast!  I am thrilled after they saw me so sick over the summer, they were able to see that illness doesn’t have to define you, and you can come back stronger than before. 

So on Sunday morning, I am going to put time and finishing out of my mind. I am going to enjoy the race, and celebrate the moment.  I beat cancer!  There isn’t anything left to say except ready, set, GO!

(Thanks to J., for the blog post title)

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Activities Cancer Cole Family & Friends Me Mothering Running Ryan

Preparing for the Race for the Cure

I have never “trained” for a race, and I hesitate to even use that word. Training sounds serious.  I like the word “preparing” better. 

Last week I was able to start preparing for the Race for the Cure, not at a gym, but at a local playground.  Now you see why I don’t really consider myself “training.” I don’t think serious runners train at a playground. Since I am not a serious runner, but a mom, who also has to watch two little boys most of the time,  while I prepare for the race, the playground is working out for us. 

The first time we went to the playground, the boys rode their scooters.  From our house, it was probably just under a mile.  I discovered there were two bike paths at the park.  The first one was probably not more than half a mile around. The boys did great following me on their scooters as I ran.  

I liked the path, but after four times around, (with breaks), the boys were getting tired, so I decided to take them up to the playground above this first path.  There is a much smaller path I could run on, while the boys played at the playground.  Here it is: (can you hear Eye of the Tiger playing right now?)

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I am guessing this path is probably not more than a quarter mile around.  Since I am not a serious runner and am not training, I don’t have any fancy GPS running watches, or anything like that.  The best feature of this path was the boys were occupied on the playground (they are on the red climbing thing):

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I ran around this path about seven times.  The boys were exhausted by the time we got home- they still had to ride their scooters home. 

On Thursday evening, I figured out that if we drove to the park, the boys could play much longer, and wouldn’t be so tired, which would mean more running time for me!  It worked really well.  They started getting really into it, and would stop playing every time I ran by the playground.  They would stand there, and hold out their hands for me to high five them.  Ryan ran around with me on the path a few times.  I told them I would get them some whistles, so they could be proper coaches. 

I followed the advice Sonja had given me and didn’t try to run fast at all.  I had a lot more energy, and I didn’t get tired and have to walk any of the path.  I ended up running 20 laps.  I ran for thirty-five minutes.  I wasn’t sure how close I was getting to 3 miles, I figured I was at least in the ball-park.

On Friday night, the boys and I went to my dad’s house in Denver to spend the night.  While they were roasting marshmallows, I went on a run.  My dad told me where my sister used to live from his house, was 1.2 miles.  If  I could run there and back, I would be just under 2.5 miles. 

I started to run, and felt great. I had to tell myself to slow down and not run too fast.  I must have had a really good pace because I felt like I could have kept running.  I reached my sister’s old house.  I thought about going a few more blocks, so I could be really close to 3 miles, but it was getting dark, and I wasn’t in an area I was really familiar with.  I headed back to my dad’s.  I only stopped once, and it was to take this picture on the Washington St. Bridge right above I-25:

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About two blocks away from my dad’s house, I started to get tired.  But I was also excited that I had been able to go so far, and realized that I would actually be able to run the 3 miles for the race!  When I got back, I had run 2.4 miles in 35 minutes.  I figured I could do 3 miles in 45 minutes.

On Saturday, my knees and hips hurt!  Running on concrete will do that. Plus, I had been running in really, really, old tennis shoes.  I think they are at least five years old.  I decided even though I am not training, I wasn’t going to spend a fortune on new shoes, but it was time for a pair of actual running shoes.  Here is a old shoe-new shoe picture: (it shouldn’t be too hard to guess which are the old shoes 🙂 )

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Yesterday evening, the boys went to their dad’s house, so it was the first time I was able to time myself, and see how far I could run.  I had measured the distance in the car and measured 1.5 miles from my house.  I wore my new shoes, and it took me a few minutes to get used to them.  I also started feeling really sluggish as I started off.  I couldn’t really find a rhythm.  I was running faster than I wanted to, and had to force myself to slow down several times.

At 1.4 miles, everything started to click.  I reached the 1.5 mile point, and turned around to run home.  I didn’t check to see what kind of pace I was on.  At 2.5 miles, I just sped up.  I felt really good, and decided to run faster.  A car came up behind me that I had seen, and I ran off to the side of the road.  At the last second, (and I mean second) I saw this HUGE hole. I had to leap to get across it, and I just barely cleared it. 

I felt a surge of energy and ran faster until I got to my house.  I looked at the time, and even with starting off slow, having to run off to the side of the road every time a car came, and the dodging-the-hole-episode,  I was thrilled to see that I had ran the 3 miles in 41 minutes!  I was also happy that I didn’t have to stop and walk any of it.   

Race day is in 13 days, and I feel very confident where I am right now.  I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to run/walk 3 miles.  I am going to set a time goal. If I can run the entire distance, and if I can do it in under 40 minutes, then the training preparation will have paid off.

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Activities Cancer Family & Friends Health Running

Running to Defeat Cancer

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Last week I decided to do something I have never done before- I signed up to run in the Komen Denver Race for the Cure on October 4th. 

This is actually my first running race too. Running is not my first choice for exercise.  However, I have always wanted to run in a race, and after seeing my friend, Erika, had formed a team, I signed up on her team.

In March Erika was diagnosed with breast cancer, and because of a strong family history, she opted for a bilateral mastectomy.  Erika finished her last round of chemotherapy in July, and the cancer is in remission now!  Erika has two young children, and while I was recovering from my thyroid cancer surgery, Erika was reaching out to me, and was a great source of encouragement and strength. 

Another friend,Nicole, is planning on running too on Erika’s team, and we are going to run it together.  Even though my first thought was to walk the race, I decided if there was ever a time to push myself, this was it.  Cancer just flat out sucks.  It doesn’t matter what kind it is, or if you have a survival rate or a remission rate.  It is a powerful feeling to have beaten cancer, and it is a gift.  

On a personal level, engaging in an activity (even running) that can help find a cure for cancer, will be empowering- kind of like a “take that cancer!”  It is eerie how many people I know, or have heard about through friends, who have been diagnosed specifically with breast cancer this year.  Most of them are younger women- women in their thirties- with newborns, infants, and toddlers.  These women are so incredibly strong, brave, and inspiring.

Preparing myself to run in a 5k race is nothing compared to just one round of usually five chemotherapy sessions that most breast cancer patients have to endure.  I can prepare for a month, make the 7am race time start, and I am grateful I am healthy enough to do it.

It was a bit humbling to ask my world class triathlete friend,Sonja, who has ran 50 miles before, and just competed in an Ironman Competition, for tips on running 3 miles.  But Sonja has given me some great advice, she will be running in the race too, and will give me a running day pep-talk/advice on the day of the race.  The race is not timed, so my goal is to finish it and hopefully be able to run the entire course. 

I’m having some interesting experiences trying to run 3 miles while watching the boys.  There isn’t a time where someone else is available to watch them, so we are figuring it out. I’ll be writing a few updates on how this experience is going, and how the coaches, (Ryan and Cole) are helping me.  They have been great!  🙂

The Susan G. Komen race for the cure is in hundreds of cities.  You can click here to find a race in your area.  If you don’t want to run or walk, you can donate to the organization or to your local city’s chapter.  If you would like to donate to Erika’s team, please e-mail me and I will provide you with the link.

I am excited to run in this race, and to support the women I know with cancer.  If you have, or are planning to run in your area’s Race for the Cure, I’d love to hear about your experience. 

Cancer is a word, not a sentence.  ~John Diamond

Edited on 9/17/09: Thanks to Mama Bird for reminding me to share the link, in case you wanted to sponsor me, which in turn will go to Erika’s team.  Here is the link.  Thank you!