My Third Run

Daily Quote:  "Every day is a new beginning.  Treat it that way.  Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be"  --Marsha Petrie Sue

Today is my third day of running and also have to start my four day work week.  I have many chores before I work at 12:00 p.m.  To save time, instead of leaving for the gym's treadmill, I decided to run out my front door and do a loop around the neighborhood.

Weather:  9:00 a.m. 79 degrees with intermittent clouds, humidity 18%, winds south at 7mph.

Course:  Loop around my home.  West on Upland Avenue, South on Jones Boulevard, East on Alta Avenue, and return home West on Upland Avenue.

Workout:  Warmup 10 minutes racewalking.  Run 1 mile at 10:04.  Cooldown, 8 minutes racewalking.
 Effort felt very easy with heart rate average 141 bpm, with a cardiac drift of 151 bpm.  No aches nor pain, but did feel a little tired after my run and if I had the time I would have had a nap.  Shoes: ASICS Del Trainer.

Tomorrow will attempt to run 1.5 miles.

My Second Run

Daily Quote: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to
getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into
small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one." --Mark Twain

Today is my second run, same mileage, but on the treadmill instead of being outside.  I'm concerned about exhaust fumes, smog, and too much sun exposure.  I'm paranoid about getting cancer again. 

Location:  24 Hour Fitness on Rainbow & Alta.

Run:  Precor Treadmill set at a 1% Grade.  Warmup: 10 minutes at 3.5 mph.  Run: 1 mile at 6.0 mph (10 minute mile) Cooldown: 10 minutes at 3.5 mph.  Average heart rate 142 bpm.  Shoes: ASICS Trainers.

I have no aches nor pain after my run, my stomach wound looks much better, and my mood is fantastic!!

I listened to "Aerosmith Classics Live II" on my CD Player that made the time on the treadmill much less boring.

I've decided to run one mile everyday this week, except Sunday will be my rest day.  Suzie has Sundays off, plus gives me time to recover from working on busy Saturday nights.

A New Beginning

Daily Quote:  "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." --St. Francis of Assisi.

Today is my new beginning, my feeding tube has been gone a week and my stomach wound is somewhat healed, I'm now ready to start my training!!  Today's run is my day of rejoicing and celebrating my cancer remission.  A special treat today, my support group "Bruce's Team" will also run at 9:00 a.m. for my celebratory run.  "Bruce's Team" has been supporting me throughout my cancer fight and were very helpful during those days when I was struggling with the radiation therapy and chemotherapy, God Bless them all.

Weather:  9:00 a.m.  Sunny, 77 degrees, humidity 18%, winds SE at 8 mph.  A little warm, wore my racing singlet and shorts.  Lathered up on suntan lotion, which is almost empty, need to put suntan lotion on the grocery list.

Course:  Out and back on US95 Bike Trail.  Noticed that the City of Las Vegas has recently painted over all the graffiti. 

Equipment:  I wore all my toys, which was totally unnecessary, all I needed was my watch, but I was in a playful mood.  Wore my Garmin 305 Forerunner, Polar Heart Rate Monitor, and my one bottle fanny pack.  Also wore my lightweight racing shoes, the ASICS Trainers. 

Run:  Warmup, 10 minutes of racewalking.  Ran one mile at 10:23 minutes.  Cooldown, 10 minutes of racewalking.  Average heart rate during the run was 161 bpm.  Average overall heart rate 142 bpm. 

Felt great and energized after my run, I'm beyond happy!!  I'm really not concerned about my speed as all my runs for the upcoming month will be done very easy as I rebuild my base.  I'm concerned about the automobile exhausts along HWY95 and wonder if I should run on the gym's treadmill instead?!?  It's so much easier to start my run from the front door.

My Cancer Treatments Are Finished!!

Daily Quote: "Moments in life that are really hard and challenging, when I look back on those, those were kind of the life-changing moments for me and usually they were followed by the biggest successes because they made me re-evaluate who I was, what I was doing, and refocus on what really matters.  I'm hoping that this is the same sort of thing.  My personality is such that I usually try to find the positive in every negative, so I'm hopeful that I can do the same again and turn a situation that wasn't pleasant to live through to my advantage.  I'm pretty confident that I'll come out of this the better for it." --Shannon Rowbury commenting about her battling back from a persistent lower-leg problem, that was actually an issue with a leg-length discrepancy.  Running Times Magazine, July/August 2011, pg 48.

I realize that my lung and tongue cancer is much more severe than Shannon's leg-length discrepancy, but her above quote reflects on my own hopes with my cancer fight, which was indeed a life-changing moment, that I'll have bigger successes because of my cancer.  Not only do I wish to improve my fitness, running, chess, but also place more emphasis on smothering my wife with love!  She had my back and gave me such strong support during my time of need.  Where would I be without her love?  I love her dearly.  I have a new lease on life and don't want to waste my second chance!

Today was my last radiation treatment!!  I have this tremendous feeling of relief and freedom.  I am so very happy!  I know my battle hasn't been won until I receive a clear PET Scan at the end of this month, which will state my cancer is in remission.  Even if my cancer is in remission, I'll still need to have regular health checkups as to assure the cancer hasn't returned and/or spread to some other part of my body.  Nevertheless, I feel positive that I'm in remission and the cancer will not return.

It's going to feel weird tomorrow not having my usual 9:00 a.m. radiation treatment, I plan on exercising at the gym during that time slot instead.  I must continue to wear my feeding tube until my cancer remission is official, which makes exercising problematic.  I use extra gauze tape to prevent the 12 inch tube from bouncing around during my runs.  I also need to keep the drainage gauze dry as to prevent infection where the feeding tube connects to my stomach, therefore, after my exercise I will clean the wound and replace the drainage gauze with a new, dry gauze.  Currently, the tube's connection has been spotting a small dab of blood, but nothing serious as the stomach entry shows no sign of infection and will continue using the product "Neosporin."  I hope after my PET Scan I can immediately have surgery to remove the feeding tube, which will be the last shackle of my cancer fight.  My Registered Nurse, Charlie,  will continue to visit my home on Wednesdays until the feeding tube has been removed.

My weight is still 170 pounds, which has been my racing weight in the past, but I know my stamina, endurance and muscle fitness needs to improve before returning to racing.  Last January I had sent my registration fee for the 2011 Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Marathon in December, but doubt I'll be fit enough to race the marathon, but believe I could be ready for the 2011 Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Half Marathon.  Tomorrow, I'll start training in earnest, but will listen to my body complaints and strive to improve by baby steps, baby steps.  Last week I ran a total of six miles, with most of my exercising being walking.  Next week I plan on adding weight lifting, which will help my overall fitness to prevent injuries and make me more durable if the cancer returns.

I have so many people to thank during my cancer battles, my wife, family, friends and the motivational "Bruce's Team."  Their support and prayers had been invaluable...God Bless you all!!

Only One More Week of Radiation Therapy!!

Daily Quote: "'How often do you (Lance Armstrong) think about your own cancer?'  I think about it a lot because I get reminded about it a lot.  But 15 years later, umpteen checkups later , [I've] been clear.  Mostly my reflection on the disease has to do with other people.  Thinking about the stories that I hear on a daily basis, I think, 'It's just unfair.'  Many times, that's where I come down on cancer.  I look at my situation and all that I've been given after my disease.  Some of it I earned, I suppose, but the fact that I was given my health back is great for me, but is really, in a sense, unfair for a lot of people, because they haven't been given that opportunity.  I mean I was pretty damn lucky.  But types of cancer are so drastically different.  People don't understand that.  They see me, and they say, 'Hey, I'm gonna do okay, look at [him,]'"  --Lance Armstong. Interview by Bill Saporito, Runner's World Magazine, July 2011, article "Strong Man," pg 95.

The above quote hit a chord with me, cancer is just unfair, and all of us cancer victims have different outcomes due to the many types of cancers and our body's ability to fight the disease and/or react to the aggressive treatments like radiation and chemotherapy.  I would be tickled pink if I could be given my health back and survive another 15 years like Lance Armstrong, but who knows how much longer I have to live.  I hope I have Armstrong's luck!!  One thing for sure, I'm a much different person now than I was before cancer as I treat every day as a special gift and strive to live in the moment and still shoot for the stars.

I only have one more week of radiation therapy, and after my radiation therapy this morning, only have five more treatments!  Next Wednesday, if all goes well, I'll be finished with my cancer treatments, but still need to see Dr. Parks on August 23rd to setup a Pet Scan appointment as to determine whether my cancer is in remission or the need to create another round of cancer treatments.  I'm prepared, as mentioned in Armstrong's above quote, to have umpteen checkups throughout the rest of my life.

Last week Dr. Treadwell had reset my treatment plan as my cancer tumor on my right chest had shrunk to such a state that it's not longer visible with the naked eye on the radiation machine's X-ray, although the next day with the results from a Cat Scan he did find a a very small nodule on my right chest, which was the remnant of the previous tumor.  I had another tattoo made on my chest, which was 1/4 inch to the right of my previous tattoo.  I'm very optimistic that my chest and lung cancer will be in remission, but less sure of the result of my tongue cancer...eventually all those cancer remission questions will be answered after my Pet Scan later this month.

I'm happy to report that I reached my goal weight of 170 pounds on my six foot frame; my BMI (Body Mass Index) at 23.1, well within the normal weight category!  My lowest weight during my cancer treatments was 159 pounds, which was too low for my doctor's comfort as he feared I was becoming malnourished.  I hope to maintain this 170 pounds for the rest of the year, which was my weight when I achieved three BQ's (Boston Qualifier) therefore I believe it's my ideal racing weight.  Who knows, I may be even faster and more fit at a lesser weight, but realize for now I shouldn't be too concerned with my weight as I still need to repair my body because my endurance and stamina is very low and I've lost muscle fitness.  As always, thinking baby steps, baby steps.

My feeding tube has been causing me problems.  Whenever I lift heavy objects or bend sharply my feeding tube causes me sharp pain, also the connection between the tube and my stomach has been leaking a very small amount of blood onto my gauze.  I've been cleaning the gauze four times a day now, rather than every 12-hours as requested by my nurse.  I spoke to the nurse at the radiation office and she examined the connection, she said I have no noticeable infection, but gave me several strips of the ointment, "Neosporin," which should help prevent infections.  I have to wear this feeding tube throughout August as a precaution...in case I still need further treatments on my throat and tongue if my later Pet Scan shows I still have cancer.  The nurse discouraged me from any exertions like running, she believes exercise would acerbate the connection problem.  Those who know me will realize that her discouraging me not to exercise falls on mute ears!

My sleeping patterns have returned to normal, I no longer sleep 10-14 hours a day, but feel refreshed after 7-8 hours of sleep.  My depression for the last two weeks has also magically disappeared!  Sometimes my depression has me on this emotional roller coaster ride, where I'm high on life for a period of time, than sink to a low where I no longer wish to be a part of this earthly existence, than return again to over exuberance.  Would be nice to have a stable emotional life for awhile.  My mood swings must drive my wife crazy, she has the patience of a Saint!

All in all, GOOD NEWS this week!  Next week's news should be even better!!

No Radiation Therapy Today?!?

Daily Quote: "How did the disease change you (Lance Armstrong) and your body?"  Number one, the therapy is destructive to pre-existing muscle and conditioning.  and two, you're just not doing anything.  You're lying around.  I lay around.  I slept 20 hours a day.  So you're not going to maintain any of the muscle mass that you had.  I came down (in weight) significantly.  but also, when I came back, my view of the sport was very different.  All the things that I didn't do before when it came to training...I realized, like I said a minute ago, I'm coming back.  I've got my life back.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to be here next year, and I don't want to mess this up.  So I was just more focused than I had been before.  I was a total underachiever in the early '90s.  Although I did okay, I guess."  --Lance Armstong.  Interview by Bill Saporito, Runner's World Magazine, July 2011, article "Strong Man," pg 95.

The above quote was quite inspirational to me as I identified so closely to Armstrong's cancer experience.  Like Armstrong all I wanted to do is sleep, but I don't have the luxury of sleeping 20 hours a day as I have to work 12-hour days as a cab driver due to my financial responsibilities.  I also came down in weight significantly, my lowest weight during cancer treatment was 159 pounds, just before treatments I was 177 pounds.  I hope that when I return fully to running that I'll be more focused than I had been before too!

I only have nine radiation treatments left.  Today was like any other radiation day.  I entered the office, waited for my turn at the radiation machine, undressed and lay on the machine's platform, two technicians maneuvered my body into position for the radiation targets, they left the radiation room and shut the huge, thick, bomb-shelter-like doors as I waited for the radiation lasers to start blasting me...I waited, waited, and waited some more...then the nurse entered and stated that she couldn't see my tumor on the radiation machine's X-ray...thus she could not target the cancer mass on my upper chest.  I was then led to a Cat Scan machine as to find the cancer mass that has shrunken so small that it can't be seen by the naked eye.

The doctor will eventually exam the Cat Scan photos, target and mark where the cancer mass is, and should proceed later this week, maybe even tomorrow.

Called my wife at her work office and she was ecstatic about this morning's non-event as this shows how much progress I've been making.  I've been pretty depressed and defeated lately and my wife couldn't help herself as she repeated, "I told you so, I told you so," as she believes that I've already conquered cancer.  She has seen me achieve many things and has had no doubts that cancer is just another challenge for me to conquer.  I'm more cautious as I know how unjust and unfair cancer can be...you could be a great athlete, very religious, and still die of cancer.  I must admit, my wife's enthusiasm is contagious!  I'm so fortunate to have her in my corner!!

Today I drive my cab for twelve hours (12pm - 12am), which will be a very slow cab business day as we have no major conventions during the summer and not many tourists as it's just too hot.  Being a slow business day is a mixed blessing, we desperately need the money, but my body could use the rest too.  Today is my Friday and tomorrow I start my days off (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off)!!  I'm looking forward to catching up on my sleep tomorrow.

Only Two More Weeks of Radiation Therapy!

Daily Quote: "It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." ~Abraham Lincoln


Only two more weeks of radiation therapy!!   My last scheduled radiation day is on Friday, August 5th, but will see my oncologist, Dr. Parks on August 23rd to setup a PET Scan as to see if my cancer is in remission.   I  see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I continued my walking/running last week, but at a reduced amount as to allow my body to heal from the cancer treatments, and still feel that I'm easing into my return to running.

I've gained three pounds since last week and currently weigh 166 pounds (my lowest weight was 159 on June 30th); I hope to return to my racing weight of 170 pounds during August. 

I have no pain at this time, which is a relief in itself, but do feel tremendous fatigue and had deep depression during last weekend.  In the past when I felt depression my running habit had helped relieve my symptoms, but now since I've been off depression medications for many years and don't run during the weekends, my depression does return with a vengenance.  I just have to tough it out for two more weeks and keep a stiff upper lip.

I'm still sleeping over ten hours a day and with naps too. I often feel that when I'm awake my head is in a thick fog and can't think quickly.  My short term memory is horrible lately.  I don't feel that I'm fully living, only existing day by day. I've lost all desire to do anything except sleeping.  The year 2011 is a lost year with my mind lost in a blur.  I must wrap my thoughts with the realization that my cancer situation is temporary and it's almost over.