Resetting Expectations

One week from today is the Peachtree Road Race, the World's Largest 10K race. That's 6.2 miles for those of you who ignored metric conversion in school. This wil be something like my 23rd or 24th time running Peachtree. The last dozen times I've finished in the Top 1000 (out of 55,000 entrants) and earned myself a mug commemorating that accomplishment.

This year will be different. Before yesterday, I hadn't completed a run of 6 miles in over 9 months. It's been an annual tradition to run the Peachtree course, then turn around and run back to the start, about a week or two before the race. While we couldn't do that whole distance this year, David P and I did do the final 3.5 miles of the race, including all the uphill portions, and returned to our starting point, for a 7 mile run yesterday. There were walk breaks and the pace was relatively slow, but we finished it. I thank David for slowing down to hang with me.

So I'm confident I could finish the race, probably in the 55 minute range, which was always my goal in the early years at Peachtree. But I'm not going to do that. You see, this year will be Adam's first attempt at Peachtree and I'm really looking forward to running the whole way with him. Well, running and walking. We've been training together the last couple of weeks, and we figure 70 minutes is a good goal for us - running 9.5 to 10 minute miles, with walk breaks of 90 seconds after every 9 minutes. The race starts at 7:30 but our group won't begin until 7:50. The time doesn't matter. What matters is one of my kids is choosing to help me celebrate my comeback from this latest round of battling cancer by doing something I love to do. I hope he loves it too, and that this is the first of many Peachtrees we can experience together.

Next Monday, around 9 a.m., I'm, planning to let out my loudest crossing the finish line exclamation ever, not just because I'm Kicking Cancer's Butt. I'll be yelling with pride for my son, who is turning into quite the young man. Whether he chooses to continue running is entirely up to him. I'm just looking forward to one of my best Peachtrees ever.

More from the Book!

My book, Blood, Sweat, and Tears: A Humorous Guide to Caring for Cancer Patients is coming along. It should be available in ebook format for Kindle, Apple iBook, Nook, etc. next month. Can't wait that long? Well, then have a look at this video. Find out the connection between goat semen and cancer!

Live! From the Chemo Room #8

Well, I'm not off to a good start today. I'm late thanks to road improvements here in NoFuCo. I stopped at Great Harvest for Adele's challah, then returned to a parking lot on 141. Thank goodness for Google Maps on my phone so I could circumnavigate.

Non chemo today. Shouldn't take long. Also going to ask about bloody nose blows and today's new one, blood on my toothbrush of unknown origin (the toothbrush is from Target, it's the blood we're not too sure about.) Not too worried, but I do prefer my blood to remain in its vessels.

UPDATE  - P.A. just told me to use saline spray, change a/c filters, etc. No big deal.

BTW, I exercised for four straight days this week, both running and P90x. What a feeling!

UPDATE #2 - It made my day to see an old friend, fellow Dawg, and former co-worker at chemo today, even though it sucked that she was also there as a patient. See you every 12 weeks, L!

Guess Who's Writing a Book

That's right, me! Thanks to many of you encouraging me to try it, I've started writing a book. Here's a little preview if you're interested:

Want to Trade Weeks?

It may be a little while before you hear from me on the blog. Here's our week, starting yesterday:

Monday - Marcie and I celebrated our 18th anniversary by preparing for everything else that lies ahead this week.
Tuesday - Adam's debut as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls at Paideia School (a few seats still available!)
Wednesday - GD performance #2
Thursday - Family and Friends begin to arrive, many attending the 3rd and final performance of Guys & Dolls
Friday - Many errands for Bar Mitzvah
Saturday - Adam's Bar Mitzvah in the morning, Out of Towners party at night
Sunday - Race I haven't missed in over 10 years in the morning, Adam's Bowling party for his friends in evening, my birthday
Monday - I leave for Peru, potentially...

Notice there was not a drop of cancer news in this post? Me too.

Oops, spoke too soon. I left out radiation treatments today and Thursday. Take that, little spot on my lung!

It's (not) The End of The World, and I Feel Fine!

Ah, normalcy. So this  is what it feels like? I think I like it.

Dr Z. was right, I had no chemo-complications this round. As Marcie pointed out, I technically didn't have chemo this time. I had non-chemo, or Nemo, if you prefer. The two drugs I received were a bone-building agent for my pelvis and a drug that cuts off blood supply to tumors. Technically, neither is chemo (thanks to Allison in the support group for the Avastin definition).

The only real chemo I'm taking now is my oral drug, and Dr. Z let me skip it for this round so I don't end up needing Imodium during Adam's Bar Mitzvah. I'm hoping I can enjoy a few runs without risk of the runs. Sorry if that's too graphic, but if you've been reading this blog for a while, you've been warned!

UPDATE - Right after I posted this, I received a comment from somebody at a group called FAMEDS, which is fighting a recent FDA decision to prevent Avastin from being used off-label to treat women with metastatic breast cancer. The drug is approved for colon cancer patients, and was tentatively approved for off label use for breast cancer, but now that breast cancer decision is being reversed. I don't know all the science behind this, but if you think that sounds like a stupid decision that might hurt the 17,500 US Women who take Avastin to treat metastatic breast cancer, click here http://fameds.org/index.php to sign the petition or to learn more.

Live! From the Chemo Room #7

Don't have much time today. Way shorter infusion, plus tri-athlete stud Brian is visiting me today. Talk about survivors, Brian has one helluva Bike vs. Van story to tell. Thanks to strong faith and excellent care at Shepherds Spinal, he can actually tell that story.

Seeing B-man may only remind me how not in shape I am. I need to focus on running so I can be ready for Peachtree on July 4th, but I want to restart P90x ASAP. My weight is actually good, but it is all in my belly. Time to shred from there and add back to my chest, shoulders, back, and arms!  (yes, I'm talking about muscle in those areas, not hair.) Hoping the new chemo routine will allow me to do just that!

Met the Zapologist today. Looks like we will do 5 treatments spread over 2 weeks. I also got my first 3 tattoos today. Actual needle under the skin permanent marks on my torso. Why the last ones used Sharpies but this time I get Hells Angels ink, I have no idea. But I do have a sudden urge to don leather, drink beer, and straddle 1200 cc's of American-made iron.

Anybody know a good biker bar in Johns Creek?