Abs, Run, and Oncology - Oh my!

After a late night and a lazy morning, I channeled Black Sabbath to motivate me into getting out of bed. From there the day continued to go, not without a hitch, but in a very positive way.

tl;dr video

While doing my usual morning scroll through Facebook, I was reminded by Runner in Training that it was Workout Wednesday. I had some time to burn before my running partner, Mario, arrived and it was only an eight minute video, so I proclaimed, "Why not?!"

The workout was intense. Quick transitions from one exercise to the next kept me feeling the burn and also wanting to stop. Becky helped keep me motivated though, and next thing I knew we were done! Covered in sweat, I gathered my things and waited for Mario's arrival.

Uncharacteristically, Mario drove instead of running to my house. We briefly talked about our route and pace, then took off. The miles flew by with good company and conversation. However, as we started our second dog park loop, we started to talk about my cancer treatments and how often I need to go for a check-up. Then it dawned on me. I had one this morning!

Whoops! Not really sure what time the appointment was, I flew home leaving Mario to do the rest of the run by himself.

I called the oncology department, to which they reassured of my poor memory. My appointment was in fifteen minutes. I live thirty minutes away... bummer.

The good news, they said I could show up as early as I could. So, I took a three to four minute shower and bolted out the door.

Arriving just before noon, my appointment went great. I've maintained my weight, heart rate was low (though slightly elevated from slamming my post-workout drink of Abloc Recovery, almond milk, and coffee), and my blood pressure was spot on.

Then, Dr. Major came in. He gave me a once over, and we talked about the future. He reminded me how follicular lymphoma is rarely cured and usually comes back --- more like a chronic illness. However, he reiterated how we took a sledgehammer to an ant and is hoping/expecting the best. Along with this, he announced his retirement to me. So, I will either stop seeing an oncologist all together or be appointed to a new one (we both were leaning towards the former, since I have been in great health for three years now).

So, all in all, a solid day.
A great ab workout to warm-up, a quick 7.8 miles with good company, and a positive oncology appointment!

Winter Series #1 - Mystery Through History

Another year, another Winter Series. TL;DR – 8 races, points based on finish, high quality courses, cheap entry fee, and a lot of fun!

The mystery through history is kind of the odd ball race in the series. Most of them are 5Ks, but that’s not the case with this one. In fact, the distance changes year to year (anywhere from 3 to 5 miles)! Fortunately, this year I was paying attention before the race and heard the director state the distance. Well, sort of. I knew it was 4 point something…

In addition to the distance, the course was described. From the grunts and groans that filled the air, I realized that the hills would be a challenge. However, being from Front Royal, I thought maybe this was just the flat landers and treadmillers talking.

NOPE! Have you ever heard your grandfather talking about how he used to walk up hill, both ways, to and from school, in a foot of snow, barefoot? Welp, I found the hill he was talking about.

The first mile went well. I started out slower than usual (a new thing for me), and was hoping to build up the pace. I had the lead pack in sight on long straights and knew I was around the top 10. “Good,” I thought. I can settle in, work the hills, and then crush the finish.

NOPE AGAIN!

Alright… it’s been a while since I did a hill workout. Hell, I took a long time off from running in general since the Richmond Marathon. And the “workouts” I did were not intense at all. But these hills were tough. They weren’t huge. They weren’t long. But they were constantly rolling. I’d recover on a downhill and then my heart rate would spike again going up the next knoll. All I could do was focus on the 3 people ahead of me, and hope to stay with them.

Fortunately, one of those three was Brenda – a staple to the SVR running events. I passed her early on and then she reciprocated the favor around mile 2. I hate being passed, so I needed to stay close.

Climbing back into the woods before the finish, I felt refreshed and ready to rock. But so did Brenda. I followed in her shadow as we reeled in the other two guys ahead of us. She then slowly pulled away with every stride, but with less than .75 of a mile to go, I knew I had the guts to pass the other two.

(Heading towards the finish. Photo by Karsten Brown)

The woods section is enjoyable, but deceivingly long. Fortunately, I remembered my trail shoes as the trail is chunky rock. I blew by the two guys (whom I later found out went out EXTREMELY fast and gassed out) and focused on my finish. Though Brenda was now out of the picture, I opened up my stride on the straight, downhill finish. As I crossed the finish line and looked at the time, I wasn’t impressed; but I was still happy. 

4.1 miles, 27:24 elapsed, 6:34 pace, 8^th overall, 1^st for my age group 20-29.

Here we go again

Welp, here we are again. Another 3 months, another set of scans.

(Source: http://www.healthcentral.org/media/uploads/outpatient/catscan.jpg)

I have to be frank, I'm nervous about this one. The fear of something coming back and having to go through that mess again is slightly terrifying. And since I have a hidden version of my mother's hypochondria, I freak out a little on the inside.

Cue not sleeping well and flipping out on my wife for no real reason. 

I hope I can shake these feelings eventually, and that they don't show up every scan. But only time will tell... I think this one is especially hard since my cousin is going through his own fight against cancer.

But enough of that, let's talk about something cooler - RUNNING!

Outside of my own personal realm, there has been a lot going on in the running world (Alberto Salazar, NCAA Championships, USATF Outdoor Championships, and Jager clipping a hurdle at the end of the steeplechase and still setting an American record). Here are my thoughts on all three:

Rupp, please be clean. There has been enough tainting of American distance runners. You were supposed to be the next Pre. However, I do think Salazar as made his athletes do some sketchy things. Some example coming straight from the athletes' mouths!

NCAA Championships were fun to watch. Nothing too crazy. Oregon always has really cool uniforms.

USATF Championships were awesome! Oh, you didn't watch? That's probably because running is the back burner sport. If you wanted to watch, you had to know the date, times, and have the link to stream it online. Not bad for events that were qualifying people for Worlds in Beijing! [/sarcasm].

Finally, Evan Jager. Wow! In diamond league competition, he was pitted against some of the best steeplechasers in the world. However, with a strong performance for about 2,950m out of the full 3,000, he earned the respect of everyone including the Kenyans who have owned the steeplechase since the 60's. If you didn't watch the video, Jager stumbled on the last hurdle, falls, gets back up, takes second, and STILL sets an American Record!

In the famous words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Cheers to health, wellness, and running!
*Takes a long sip of the 50ml contrast solution*