Post-Cancer Comeback

It's been an on-and-off few months. Running has been difficult. Did a mild/moderate workout last week. 2 miles, then 20 x 80m on grass field (slight but noticeable uphill, maybe 0.5-1% grade) @ 70% speed* with 1' walkback recovery. Best workout I've done in years.

Call it "strides", or call it an "extensive tempo" session. After the first few, HR was consistently between 150-160 after each rep, right about where it would be for a distance-training tempo run, or maybe a sub-lactate-threshold steady-state run.

*70% speed -- meaning 70% date pace over the distance, in this case 80m.

Sub-8 Mile wrote:

Goals for 2021:

Sub-60 400m

Sub-6 mile or 1500m equivalent

Gonna do it.

Just did my first solo 1600m TT, well more like a "fitness test" effort, like for high school PE or military PFT. Solid hard effort to see where I'm at.

6:41 !!!!

Splits: 1:39 / 3:21 / 5:06 / 6:41

Laps: 1:39 / 1:42 / 1:45 / 1:35

Next week I'll try a 400m.

You are now forced to change your handle😷

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

You are now forced to change your handle😷

Ha, yeah. Although 6:41 is still sub-8 haha

True. Good job.

Received the results three year post chemo CT scan. All good, blood work spot on.

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

Received the results three year post chemo CT scan. All good, blood work spot on.

So glad to hear. I'm now 4 years cancer free. Still feeling pummeled and beat up, but moving forward.

Anybody else recovering from cancer and returning to running? What's it been like?

Good to hear that the two main guys are doing well! For me I had 2 tumors found last year june. Chemo for 12 weeks then had duodenal one removed with whipple procedure in Nov. That def stopped me for a couple months heh then radiation 6 weeks for other one(they were apparently both primary oddly). Then scan after radiation the other one spread to one other lymph node so now on immunotherapy keytruda since march or april. Seems to be working pretty well the node looked fine last month and the tumor is decreasing. I think i will be on that for a while? It depends how it goes.

For running I was actually running ok in early 2020 like some(8-10) 400s in 90ish or something like that we didnt have nearly as much prac to worry about plus i think i must have been doing ok that winter? Then I had already had a colonscopy scheduled for june but in may something was def wrong with me it got to the point where running 6 laps with the sprint girls in 15 minutes was like an all out effort ugh. Plus I was starting to turn yellow lol. So that was what started the testing process etc. Had a stent to drain the duct that the tumor was blocking which def helped. Pretty much little or no running like strides across the field during the chemo- I did a fair amount of walking- the first walk after whipple i was worried i would have to bail after like 5 min but it went ok.

So now its going ok blood #s are way better than last year ive done up to 30 minute runs on trails this month feeling fine except on hills- obv not trying to overdo it now. Its nice that I can run enough to make my heels sore again. Well see how things go but im def lucky if it was 20-30 years ago I would be dead or missing a lot more organs right now so thats a thing to be thankful for obv. I have to dial back on technophobia a bit haha.

Its interesting its kind of like training imo it seems like everyone is almost an experiment of one like with running. Obv there are plenty of established scientific procedures but diff people react differently to the same thing so the doctors have to figure it out. I (or my results) had to go before the tumor board lol and they had to discuss and argue it was like I had been bad going before the board heh. Hopefully it will go well we'll see.

hannsen -

Sounds like you are on the mend, tumor-wise and running-wise. Great to hear, thanks for sharing that. Keep it going!

I did 30 min one day, and 20 min another day, on easy, flat-ish, gently rolling trails 2 weeks ago. Lots of stumbling, tripping, and crashing into stuff. The twists & turns, ups & downs, and roots & rocks are just too exhausting and disorienting for me. My post-high-dose-chemo brain can't process everything quickly enough, plus physically I am not in shape to handle the strain of a trailrunning effort (despite how strong & nimble I was pre-cancer) compared to a grass field. On grass, I am running 9-min miles; easy trails are 11-min pace.

Sub-8 Mile wrote:

Sub-8 Mile wrote:

Goals for 2021:

Sub-60 400m

Sub-6 mile or 1500m equivalent

Gonna do it.

Just did my first solo 1600m TT, well more like a "fitness test" effort, like for high school PE or military PFT. Solid hard effort to see where I'm at.

6:41 !!!!

Splits: 1:39 / 3:21 / 5:06 / 6:41

Laps: 1:39 / 1:42 / 1:45 / 1:35

Next week I'll try a 400m.

Gonna have to punt on these 2021 goals. I was planning to TT myself into shape this fall by alternating a 1600 or a 400 each week. I figure my 400 is maybe around 70 right now, and that I'd have a shot at hitting or getting close to my goals over the next couple of months.

But while it may be doable, I realize it's probably not smart. I'm on the edge of injury as it is, and TTing every week would be too much. That previously-nagging weakness from last year, in my right leg / Achilles, is still in the process of getting stronger and I can tell that if I push it (esp in an eventually-approaching-60-sec 400m) then there will be a problem. Also, I hurt my left knee over the summer while doing a kids' running camp.

Right now, the strategic thing to do is just put in easy miles, run strides, do drills, and keep working on lunges & calf raises / heel drops. So that’s what I'll do for the fall, maybe the winter too.

It was thrilling to hit that 6:41 though.

I may feel like a truck hit me every day; I may be a confused, irritable jerk because of exhaustion, disorientation, and loud a$$ tinnitus; I may stumble and crash whenever I attempt to jog on a trail. But when I run, I'm free. Preferably on grass, turf, or track where it's safe, haha!

Odds of going sub-55 next year? C'mon, don't say zero :)

Hansen, best wishes. The biologics are pretty amazing and really helping cancer patients. For my disease Rituxan was the key treatment with chemotherapy and radiation the extra measures. I would assume the best path for most of us is moderate exercise.

Sub-8 Mile wrote:

RSAR2 wrote:

Sub 8 - how are you doing?

I can't believe it is just over a year since I posted the above reply, at the time blissfully unaware that I myself would be diagnosed with cancer in March of this year.

F cancer. Glad to hear that things are looking good for you, setbacks & challenges notwithstanding. Your return to running is inspiring.

Myself, I admit that I'm struggling a bit. Daily fatigue, incessant nonexistent screaming sounds, hard to think straight, phantom pain in feet, intestinses don't always work right, vague sense of pain everywhere / nowhere.

But I did 2 miles this morning, I am now 4 years cancer free, and that pretty much kicks ass.

Don't know why I didn't see the reply a month ago.

I jogged a 10k on Saturday, my first since being diagnosed. It felt like 40, but I got it done. Feeling distinctly over trained having gone from 0 to 10k in about 6 weeks. Planning to take it easy for week or so and then pick it up again.

All the best to all who walk (run) this journey.

So, my wife had Thyroid Cancer about 5 years ago. Since her surgery and subsequent treatment, she has run 27 half marathons. She even inspired me to move up from 5 and 10k races to the HM. She's approaching 55 years of age. My point is that if she (who was never a competitive runner in her younger years) can do it, you can. Don't focus so much on the times you used to run back in your youth. Focus on what you can do now. Put in the work and enjoy the experience. :)

Cancer sucks. And after reading your story and how bad it was for you it is amazing you are still alive and running. I'm a cancer survivor myself, although I don't talk about it a lot.

First the bad news. At the age of 53 I was going to the bathroom more, and had some bad hip pain for a couple of days. I know you should get a PSA test at 50, but I pushed it off. Can't change that now. Got it tested, came back 250. Hearing the doctor saying "cancer" and "not good" multiple times was not good. A few tests later confirmed that it was prostate cancer that had already spread. If found early there is a very good survival rate, not so good when it has spread.

I was put on hormone treatment, with a shot of Lupron or Eligard at different times, and on and off of Casodex a couple of times. I also changed my diet some, including lots of cruciferous vegetables. I even eat kale.

And now the good news. That was 14 years ago. My PSA dropped a lot, with a couple of up ticks, for a few years. For a long time now it has been <0.01. Not sure why the Good Lord has been so good to me, but I'll take it. I've always been active with hard work, weight lifting, walking, but not much running. I ran a little at times, but no real training, never kept track of miles and only 1 race. With the low testosterone from the hormone treatment and advancing age I was lifting a lot less weight, so one day I decided to keep lifting some, but to take up running also. That was 11 years ago at age 56. I never thought I would have the success I've had, maybe it helps to start with low mileage for my age. So in spite of that "not good" from the doctor I'm still alive, I've run the Boston Marathon 4 times and I can read and post on this forum.

RSAR2 wrote:

Sub-8 Mile wrote:

F cancer. Glad to hear that things are looking good for you, setbacks & challenges notwithstanding. Your return to running is inspiring.

Myself, I admit that I'm struggling a bit. Daily fatigue, incessant nonexistent screaming sounds, hard to think straight, phantom pain in feet, intestinses don't always work right, vague sense of pain everywhere / nowhere.

But I did 2 miles this morning, I am now 4 years cancer free, and that pretty much kicks ass.

Don't know why I didn't see the reply a month ago.

I jogged a 10k on Saturday, my first since being diagnosed. It felt like 40, but I got it done. Feeling distinctly over trained having gone from 0 to 10k in about 6 weeks. Planning to take it easy for week or so and then pick it up again.

All the best to all who walk (run) this journey.

Jogging a 10K, after just 6 weeks running post-treatment, is phenomenal. Keep it up!

I had four doses of high dose Etoposide-Cisplatin (1 does mixed with Bleomycin). I think one does of Bleo crushed my lungs, so I quit for the next three cycles. This was about 9 years ago and I still don't feel like I did pre cancer. As I said, I think some of the chemo drugs messed with my lungs.

I am a hyper-competitive person. I had to learn patients and to give myself a break when returning to running. My goals of feeling great and running an easy 18 minute 5 k aren't possible for me anymore. I think if you go back to running thinking you can pick up where you left off, you will be frustrated. If you go back and do a ton of slow running prior to ramping up, you will be better off.

And congrats on making it through the treatments. I hated every second of chemotherapy, went through it alone 95 percent of the time at age 27. Think it effed with my head as much as anything, but life moves on. You do learn how strong you are and how whiny people who haven't been through health struggles can seem. Best of luck.

Should read dose* not Does. Chemobrain, lol

Yes, Bleo can result in scarring within the lungs so I opted out completely, as my oncologist at the time offered two different treatment regimens with the same expected outcome (full cure).

However, mine was an unusual type and exploded all over, metastasizing extensively in my lungs and elsewhere. So I ended up with some lung scarring anyway.

Your suggestion of doing 'a ton of slow running prior to ramping up' does seem to be the best path forward for me. Thanks.

SoFlaBeerRunner wrote:

So, my wife had Thyroid Cancer about 5 years ago. Since her surgery and subsequent treatment, she has run 27 half marathons. She even inspired me to move up from 5 and 10k races to the HM. She's approaching 55 years of age. My point is that if she (who was never a competitive runner in her younger years) can do it, you can. Don't focus so much on the times you used to run back in your youth. Focus on what you can do now. Put in the work and enjoy the experience. :)

Thanks for that. I am focusing on what I can do now, and enjoying it.

Been increasing my runs to 3 mi. It's rough, but seems ok. And it's taken me a year and a half of training to get here, so I feel like it's an accomplishment.

Holding off on speed until next spring. Easy runs, strides, drills, and basic strength until then :)

Scans and bloodwork today. Results next week.