Sub 3 marathon @ 38 with terminal cancer

Solid week of training; those workouts look really strong. Definitely on the right track for sub-3.

My hat is off to you and your amazing courage. I had a bit of a cancer scare recently, they operated quickly and I'm cancer free. It just consumed me most days, I would wake up to run at dawn and even wonder if I would be here in a year. I went through periods of bad panic attacks and I tried to hide it from my wife to not scare her. It really does put things in perspective. Best of luck to you, you are an inspiration to guys like me. Running and my health are truly gifts I've been blessed with that I'll never take for granted again.

Good luck and thanks for posting! This really inspired me. I hope I have that much resilience when I need it. Keep us updated!

sounds like time for a sprint workout to me

Best wishes, you and family.

Go get em’. Love the hills and trails. Trail runs have always been some of my favorite experiences running. A good trail run is like a work of art.

It sounds like you have a busy schedule ahead of you. I also was there at Pike's Peak back in September. Quite the view! I went to school in Tallahassee and I wish you the best of luck. I never did that race but the weather should be nice and the winning time is usually decently quick so you should have someone to chase.

Okay I know you're just getting on with it but this is just inspirational stuff. Lost two close friends to glioblastomas and often wondered how I'd handle. Would like to think it would be like this but could equally be drowning in self pity. Training looks solid and on for the sub 3 if you can keep the volume in.

All the best, not only for the race, but your health, your family and all involved.

I went through cancer and major surgery to remove the cancer last year. I'm not fully back running again due to 3 other health set-backs this year, and I can just say I stand amazed at your goal of 3:30. Please keep us updated.

• 11/14/2022 26min, 2.9mi; Optune jog and strides
• 11/15/2022 36min, 3.9mi. Optune jog, strides, some (4) uphill drills with run outs
• 11/16/2022 56min, 6.1mi; 6 x Sixth Ave hill reps (~260m long, ~65 feet of gain): 65, 65, 65, 66 , 64, 64. some strides
• 11/17/2022 37min, 4.3mi; optune jog
• 11/18/2022 27min, 3mi; optune and strides
• 11/19/2022 ~1h40min, 13.1 miles; Brewtallity duathlon: ~3mile trail race (~21min), jogging for a while, then ~2mile trail race (15:35). Strava/phone recorded splits of 6:41, 6:36, and 6:29 during the first run. And 6:41, 6:23 during the second run
  11/20/2022 ~44min, 4.3mi; optune stroller jog to the playground

Pretty relaxed week of training. I've been trying to do more strides to start building up to some hill sprints later. Got my flu shot and covid booster on Monday since it was in my chemo "window". The 'race' went well/was fun. Our team got 3rd. I got out kicked by a youngin' at the end, which has been nagging me a bit.

This next week will be pretty minimal. It is my last round (5 days) of planned chemo and I have immunotherapy on Wednesday... plus some possible holiday activities. Then, I'll just try and recover from the chemo and get to feeling good before the Pine Mountain 19 miler on December 4th.

Happy thanksgiving to ya!

Sorry to hear about you losing your two friends to GBM... It's a pretty gnarly disease. I've been lucky so far, to the point where it isn't too difficult to be naive about it. Astrocytoma isn't quite as vicious and is was fairly operable (in my prefrontal cortex) when they found it. I was able to walk around after only a couple of days and I went for a jog not long after getting my staples out.

If I didn't have a young kid, I think I'd be more nihilistic about it (e.g. quite my job, skip treatment, etc.). It sucks, but at least I probably won't live to see anymore loved ones die 🙃

Nice job racing. Hope the chemo this week doesn't hit you too bad.

Much respect. This is on your terms.

My father had a terminal lung cancer diagnosis, and did not tell anyone.Just went on with his life until he died. We only found out upon canceling a scheduled appointment. I am sure he did it to protect my mother.

Best to you.

• 11/21/2022 38minutes, 4.5mi; optune and strides
• 11/22/2022 55min, 7.3mi; ~3 miles of alternation (~400m rep, w/ ~1216m @hm/goal mp), + 400m kick: 88s, ~6:36@mile split; 89, ~6:30; 88, ~6:30; 84
• 11/23/2022 42min, 4.5mi; optune jog and strides
• 11/24/2022 26min, 2.8mi; optune jog an strides
• 11/25/2022 26min, 2.9mi; jog and strides
• 11/26/2022 27min, 3mi; optune jog and strides
• 11/27/2022 off/sick
  

I handled the chemo well this week and took the bare minimum of anti-nausea meds, so my digestive system recovered quickly, but I got a regular old cold/sore throat that got slowly worse throughout the week. Just a tickle on Monday, but fairly sick by Saturday and Sunday (hence the day off). I'm excited to not be taking chemo for a while, and hopefully my immune system recovers. My next blood panel will be in January.

I snuck in a workout on Tuesday, and glad I did. It was one of my better ones this year. After this week, I start doing less "general fitness" and more marathon prep with my training. I think I have enough neuromuscular fitness so that ~6:50 miles feel comfortable. Now I just need to build endurance and stay healthy.

I'm doing the Pine Mountain 19 miler this Sunday, which will be my longest run this cycle and the most elevation gain (~3000 feet, nothing to serious but several 300' climbs). I'll mostly just be running it to finish & maybe try to "kick" it in the last mile or two. I'll be happy to finish without tweaking an ankle.

cheers,

Mike

• 11/28/2022 59min, 6.9mi; Sixth Ave hill reps (~260m long, ~65 feet of gain): 66, 64, 66, 64, 65, 63. some strides
• 11/29/2022 33min, 3.8 optune jog with some fitness trail and strides
• 11/30/2022 28min, 3mi; optune jog and strides
• 12/1/2022 71min, 9.75mi: 3 ~alternations of : 1 hill rep (~275m w/ 60 ft climb), jog down, then 1.5mi tempo (~20m of jogging between tempo and the hill) ; then a hill rep to finish. 67, 10:02, 66, 9:56, 70, 9:48, 66. some strides and cool down. Strava
  recorded 6:27, 6:44, 6:26, 6:46 and 6:22 miles during the workout
• 12/2/2022 26min, 2.8mi; optune jog
• 12/3/2022 31min, 3.3mi; optune jog and strides
• 12/4/2022 ~20 miles, Pine Mountain 19miler in ~3h14min. Very tough on my feet, ankles and achilles. "on pace" for my goal of a sub 3 at the 3rd aid station (~10.5mi), though I started slowing quite a bit after 8 miles or so with painful feet. Around 13 miles or so I tweaked my right ankle and felt some strain on my achilles. I gave up racing at that point (I was pretty dusted anyways, which was probably why I couldn't handle the rocks well by this point.)
  

I'm pretty beat up from the Pine Mountain run, so this week will mostly be recovery. There were lots of rocky sections covered in leaves, so every step felt like a gamble. I don't think I'm cut out for real trail races. I made the mistake of dillydallying around before the race and didn't realize it was about to start, so I was stuck behind ~half the field for the first 3-4 miles and wasted a bunch of energy passing people. I must have been in 4 or 5th at one point based on how many people passed me in the last few miles and still finishing 9th.

Dec 5th - 11th: recovery/limping week... just easy running and strides. My ankles, achilles, and right knee were achey but got better throughout the week and into this one.

• 12/5/2022 light elliptical and gym workout
• 12/6/2022 21min, 2.3mi optune jog
• 12/7/2022 43min, 5.3mi; 4 ~Aussie 400s: 87, 94,95,94. some strides
• 12/8/2022 21min, 2.5mi optune jog
• 12/9/2022 24min, 2.5mi; optune jog
• 12/10/2022 63min, 7.5mi; 60 min trail jog + strides
• 12/11/2022 28min, 3.2mi optune jog
  

Onwards and upwards 🤤

Nice work. Looks like the final week of chemo did not set you back much at all. If you don't mind my asking, what were your chemo meds? I was winded just walking around for weeks after my carboplatin rounds, let alone running. I am so impressed with you. Keep up the great training!

Looks like you have the times and the workouts...keep cranking.

What is an optune jog? and aussie 400s?