The last time I blogged was my race recap for Eagleman. Re-reading that rekindles my excitement to race again! And no better time since TODAY is 6 months until CHALLENGE AC!! Booyah!
Mom: Just a recap: 4 kids - all busy. Oldest daughter,14, is on the swim team this year and loving it! It is very time intensive - they don't leave the HS until 6 at night and get home at 9:30ish. She is learning a lot about time management - which is good for her. Daughter #2, 12, finished up field hockey with the middle school and is not concentrating on band and jazz band. Playing alto, tenor, and bari sax for the various bands. Son, 10, just turned his double digits 2 weeks ago. He is a webelo in cub scouts and has his swim class. I am trying to convince him to make the leap to swim team at the Y. He also takes a gymnastics class that he enjoys. Daughter #3, 5, has her girl scouts and takes gymnastics and swim class.
Vet: I am on vacation until 1/2. Yeah! That doesn't mean the calls, emails and texts have stopped. But they have lessened.
Survivor: I have appointments coming up next month - ultrasound and doctor appointment in January. All stable for now. Considering asking for a PET scan to see if it detects anything new/different.
Triathlete: 2013 was a great year for me race wise!
RACES 2013
May 5 - NJ Half Marathon Relay
May 12 - Manassas Ladies Sprint Tri - 2nd in AG!!
June 9 - Eagleman Half Ironman
July - Jersey Girl Tri Relay (Bike) 2nd place!
September 8 - Sandy Hook Sprint Tri
October 27 - Marine Corps Marathon
It was a year of firsts! My first HIM and my first MARATHON! Both had PR's !! Haha! I can only get better from here!
I have joined a group of triathletes swimming with a coach at 5 am twice a week. I think it will be very good for me - I have never swam the distances that she has us swimming. I am the second slowest right now, so I can only get faster. Trying to decide if I should consider a TI class or go for some private lessons. I watch videos and try to replicate what I do but I am not seeing improvement.
I am excited for 2014!
Races so far...
June 8 - Escape the Cape Sprint
June 29 - Challenge AC - guaranteed PR!!!
Considering -
Shamrock Half Marathon - March 16
Wineglass Marathon - October
Iron Girl Sandy Hook - September
There are so many races out there to try (or tri!)! I will have to do this a lot of years to try them all!
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
I want to qualify for Boston?
Boston is the only marathon in the world, short of the olympics and championships, that you have to qualify for. I just learned this.
I am doing my first marathon in October of this year. I have never run a marathon. Why would I think I could qualify for Boston.....anytime soon. I have no idea how fast I could/would run a marathon. I doubt you just double your half marathon time - which my best is 2:04. I haven't run a half marathon in a year. I am pretty sure I could better that time and I would hope go sub 2:00.
I just looked it up. AFTER I age up to the next age group - next year - I would need to run a 3:55 marathon to qualify. That boils down to between an 8:50-9:00 minute/mile. Hmmm...I have no idea if that is doable over the next several years or not. I have read stories of women taking a year or two to really 'work' at qualifying.
If you don't know me well, you probably don't know that I LOVE a challenge. I LOVE being told that I can't do something because then I want to do it even more than ever.
( I was told in high school by an ignorant guidance counselor once that I would never go to anything more than community college. I was an A student in high school - I really never understood it and boy, did it tick my mother off!! The rest of the story......I went on to a 4 year college, then got accepted to 7 veterinary schools, graduated second in my veterinary class, went on to do an internship and a residency, and passed my board certification exam on the first try. What an a$$ that guidance counselor was!)
So, whether or not I can or will BQ is a story still to be told. I think I need to run my first full marathon and see how I like the distance.
Has anyone had to work hard to finish a challenge they started?
I am doing my first marathon in October of this year. I have never run a marathon. Why would I think I could qualify for Boston.....anytime soon. I have no idea how fast I could/would run a marathon. I doubt you just double your half marathon time - which my best is 2:04. I haven't run a half marathon in a year. I am pretty sure I could better that time and I would hope go sub 2:00.
I just looked it up. AFTER I age up to the next age group - next year - I would need to run a 3:55 marathon to qualify. That boils down to between an 8:50-9:00 minute/mile. Hmmm...I have no idea if that is doable over the next several years or not. I have read stories of women taking a year or two to really 'work' at qualifying.
If you don't know me well, you probably don't know that I LOVE a challenge. I LOVE being told that I can't do something because then I want to do it even more than ever.
( I was told in high school by an ignorant guidance counselor once that I would never go to anything more than community college. I was an A student in high school - I really never understood it and boy, did it tick my mother off!! The rest of the story......I went on to a 4 year college, then got accepted to 7 veterinary schools, graduated second in my veterinary class, went on to do an internship and a residency, and passed my board certification exam on the first try. What an a$$ that guidance counselor was!)
So, whether or not I can or will BQ is a story still to be told. I think I need to run my first full marathon and see how I like the distance.
Has anyone had to work hard to finish a challenge they started?
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Isn't it Ironic?
How ironic is it that the day I sign up for my first 1/2 ironman distance triathlon, I find out that my cancer is back. I went to Dr. Jerk today for a 3:00 appointment. Mind you, I called yesterday afternoon and this morning to confirm that all my test results were in and was told they were. I had Adventurist #3 with me because he also had a doctor's appointment.
I did not speak to the doctor until after 4:00. He tells me that the cytology and flow cytometry are both negative! Yeah! So far, so good. But the rest of the results are not there. Mad doctor leaves the room and has the receptionist on the phone trying to track them down. He goes in with another new thryoid cancer patient to set up her first surgery.
Now it is 5:00. Still no answers, just a lot of phone calls with a new lab worker who doesn't know how to work a computer. We find out the test is not run in the hospital, it is run in Iowa. They call Iowa. They have results but still haven't sent them out. They finally send them over but only one page transmits. 5:15 - after telling them my cell phone number for the doctor to call me tomorrow.
Game changer. It is positive. He thinks. He can't reach the lab to discuss normal vs abnormal levels because they are in a meeting. But he thinks its positive. He says that there is not supposed to be ANY thyrogen in the lymph node. Ok, are you sure? Then he tells me that Dr. Genius of Thyroid Cancer is coming to speak at a conference next Tuesday night and he wants to discuss my case with him. REALLY? Why? Why am I so special that we need to consult him? He doesn't think I will need surgery....yet. But when? If? Do I?
So I am left with two things. 1.He is talking to Dr. Genius next Tuesday night and I should hear from Dr. Jerk (who turned out not too bad today after I waited nearly 3 hours) on Wednesday. 2. He is having the cytologists re-read the initial cytology now that we know there is cancer in it. A little backwards, isn't it? I love human medicine.
Choices beyond next week - surgery with 2 major unsightly incisions or monitor every 3 to 6 months.
Let's see what the phone call next week brings.....Oy.
I did not speak to the doctor until after 4:00. He tells me that the cytology and flow cytometry are both negative! Yeah! So far, so good. But the rest of the results are not there. Mad doctor leaves the room and has the receptionist on the phone trying to track them down. He goes in with another new thryoid cancer patient to set up her first surgery.
Now it is 5:00. Still no answers, just a lot of phone calls with a new lab worker who doesn't know how to work a computer. We find out the test is not run in the hospital, it is run in Iowa. They call Iowa. They have results but still haven't sent them out. They finally send them over but only one page transmits. 5:15 - after telling them my cell phone number for the doctor to call me tomorrow.
Game changer. It is positive. He thinks. He can't reach the lab to discuss normal vs abnormal levels because they are in a meeting. But he thinks its positive. He says that there is not supposed to be ANY thyrogen in the lymph node. Ok, are you sure? Then he tells me that Dr. Genius of Thyroid Cancer is coming to speak at a conference next Tuesday night and he wants to discuss my case with him. REALLY? Why? Why am I so special that we need to consult him? He doesn't think I will need surgery....yet. But when? If? Do I?
So I am left with two things. 1.He is talking to Dr. Genius next Tuesday night and I should hear from Dr. Jerk (who turned out not too bad today after I waited nearly 3 hours) on Wednesday. 2. He is having the cytologists re-read the initial cytology now that we know there is cancer in it. A little backwards, isn't it? I love human medicine.
Choices beyond next week - surgery with 2 major unsightly incisions or monitor every 3 to 6 months.
Let's see what the phone call next week brings.....Oy.
Monday, October 8, 2012
The glass is half full!
This video is one of the best triathlon videos I have seen and one of the few about cancer survivors! I love the Danskin series because they always have a cancer survivor wave at their races - and I always participate. I really think I am going to do this triathlon next year - the Rev3 Half Full Triathlon, because you always have to see the glass as half full!
What a great video! Watch it and let me know what you think! Just copy and paste this link - I can not, for the life of me, get this linked in!
What a great video! Watch it and let me know what you think! Just copy and paste this link - I can not, for the life of me, get this linked in!
http://vimeo.com/50963563
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