In Celebration of Kirsi

I've not yet written much about Kirsi on this blog - though I think of her every day and am so very grateful she is alive and well because of modern treatments for Hodgkin's disease.

We now think of Hodgkin's disease as an almost entirely curable form of cancer - but it wasn't always. UK statistics from the 1970s show five-year survival rates back then were between 50 and 60%  - so, clearly, a great deal of progress has been made in understanding and treating HD in the 40 years since.

Unfortunately, there is still much to learn about other kinds blood cancers. In Canada, leukemia remains the number one disease-killer of children under 19 and the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in adults has doubled since 1973.The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada was established in 1955 to fund Canadian researchers who focus on leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and Hodgkin's disease. Over the years it has funded hundreds of prominent researchers who have made significant progress in developing better, less invasive treatments in their quest to find permanent cures.  It also provides support and information to those who are diagnosed with those diseases.

Week 5: Recovering and Refocusing on Fundraising

Kilometres this week:  15 kms
Other training: Lots of walking and stretching!
Funds raised to date: $985.00

Training
Training was at a low ebb this week while I recovered from running the Johnny Miles marathon last weekend. I was walking pretty carefully the day after the race but, fortunately, by Tuesday was able to trot down the stairs to the ferry terminal almost normally - which I hope means full recovery isn't far off.  (For those who've never seen it, this YouTube video "The Day After the Marathon" is hilarious and pretty much says it all!) 

I took the rest of the week slowly and ran only two relatively short runs - 4kms on Thursday and 11kms today - though I also did as much walking and stretching as possible. The Thursday run felt surprisingly good, but my right leg got a little cranky again this morning so clearly further rehab is in order.  On the upside, having to take it slowly this morning meant I had the chance to enjoy the sight and scents of dozens of saltwater rose bushes blooming along the route (one of which is pictured above).

When I saw my chiro the day after the race, he assured me my legs were in decent shape all things considered so hopefully today's discomfort was nothing but a faint echo from last weekend. Time will tell - but I'm determined to stay optimistic at this stage.

Fundraising
In terms of fundraising, I was greatly encouraged when Jon's folks made a generous donation in support of my run this past week, which was followed by several other large donations including one from my mother and father-in-law. In addition, a number of friends and colleagues offered to sponsor me without being prompted. So all in all it feels like things are coming along nicely - although I'll have to continue to be diligent.

While slowly easing my way back into training over the next few weeks, I hope to focus more of my time and energy on fundraising. This weekend, I made detailed plans for my next round of appeal letters which I'll start sending out later in the week. In addition, I'll follow up with several people who've already said they want to sponsor me. I also need to begin thinking about what kind of fundraising event I could hold this fall.  (Suggestions, anyone?)

If you're reading this and haven't yet made a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada in support of my run, I hope you'll consider it!  I still have a long way to go to reach my initial goal of $4,000 so any amount you can contribute would be greatly appreciated!!

Week 4: Lessons to learn

Kilometres this week:  46.2 kms
Other training: 2.5 hrs yoga
Funds raised to date: $685.00

Okay, first the good news. I finished the Johnny Miles marathon today - all 42.2kms of it. And I had awesome companions for the adventure including my longtime running buddy, Susan (pictured with me here before the race) and her good friend, Robin. I felt terrific beforehand and the weather wasn't bad for running (cool and overcast to start with occasional periods of rain and sun to make it interesting). What else? Well, I wore my TNT training shirt so TNT got a little advertising. I had a new personal best for portapottie visits before and during a race - four before and two during.  (I know. How is that possible??) I had a pretty strong finish. Hmmmm.  And I suppose I learned that I'm even tougher than I thought I was - though, to be honest, that's a lesson I could have done without.

Now, the not so good news.  To begin with, no PB.  My chip time was 4:48:19 so my personal best remains Chicago in 4:47:09.  The first 10 kms were great. Susan, Robin and I ran along on pace and feeling good. At the half marathon turnaround point, I waved goodbye, and trucked up the hill towards the full marathon turnaround.  As I turned to head back down the hill, a sharp pain - reminiscent of Chicago - shot through my right knee and up the outside of my leg into my hip.  The difference was the pain didn't hit in Chicago until more than half way through the race.  I must confess I briefly panicked but managed to get it together enough to attempt to assess my situation logically.  Ten kilometres into a 42.2km race, I was hobbling.  Drop out? Run a half? Keep going? Cry?  I decided to keep going and see if I could figure out what the problem was.

Race day: The icing on the cake

With any luck, two days from now I'll just be completing my "warm-up" marathon in New Glasgow. 

The thought both excites and terrifies me. I'm excited about finally getting a chance to see what I can do, and terrified that I won't succeed in achieving a personal best (PB) time, let alone running the race in less than 4:30.

I know I shouldn't be so focussed on my time goal. It's just that I'm still type A enough to have trouble letting go of it altogether - although, as my friends keep reminding me, the race is really just the icing on the cake. The best thing about running a marathon is all the training leading up to it - not to mention the many friends made along the way and the hours spent pondering life, the universe and everything in beautiful, scenic places. And, as a member of Team in Training, you can add to that list all the money raised to fight cancers. So - yup - the race itself is important but it's not the most important thing.

In any case, I know the keys to doing well on Sunday are to relax, listen to my body, have faith in myself, trust my training and savour the icing. I get to be out there running when so many others can't. And I get to try to run a marathon faster than I ever have. How delicious is that?!

Week 3: Keeping the faith and remembering Jon

Kilometres this week: 27 kms
Other training - 2.5 hours yoga
Funds raised so far: $645

It's been a strange week. On the one hand, I'm excited because I finally feel like I'm really going to do this - train and fundraise to run the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon in October. We had our first session with our fabulous TNT coaches, Ramona and Theresa, Monday might, and I sent out an initial appeal to potential sponsors and booked a hotel for our stay in San Francisco.

On the other hand, I've been tapering (i.e. reducing my training) in preparation for the marathon I'll run in New Glasgow this coming Sunday - meaning my body and head feel all twitchy and out of sorts from the sudden drop in physical activity. I ran my last serious training run - 10km at race pace - on Saturday. It didn't feel as easy as I'd hoped so I'm trying to rest as much as possible this week in hopes I arrive at the start line feeling fresher than I did last weekend.

My goal for this marathon is to run a sub-4:30 (finally!) and reward all those people who showed such faith in me two years ago - the last time I attempted it in Chicago. Currently, the forecast is for a reasonably cool, overcast day but it's June in Nova Scotia so anything's possible. If Sunday is hot and humid, it will be difficult to improve on my personal best time of 4:47 given that I've done nearly all my training in much cooler temperatures.

But I'm trying not to think about that too much. After all, there's nothing I can do about the weather. What I can do is eat properly, get lots of rest, make contingency plans, think positive thoughts and show a little faith in the training and my body's ability to go the distance. 

I got a great note from one of my sponsors this morning. She and Jon were friends and she said she thinks of him often - how much he loved his job and what it meant to him - and told me she has one of his business cards on her desk to help her keep things in perspective when her own work gets a bit frustrating. What a wonderful illustration of how Jon's life - though far too short - affected so many people in positive ways!

I think of Jon often too - especially when I'm training. A love of running was one of the things he and I had in common. I won't have his card with me on Sunday, but I guarantee I'll be thinking about him. And, if things get tough for whatever reason and I start to lose faith that I can run all 42.2 kms, I'll remind myself of just how hard he fought to stay alive through all those long months of treatment, and how lucky I am to be out there attempting to finish another marathon - let alone finish one in under four and a half hours.

Thanks for the inspiration, Jon! I promise I'll do my best to make you proud - on Sunday, and in the weeks and months ahead.

Week 2: Un-predicting race times and fundraising results

Kilometres this week: 32 kms
Other training - 2.5 hours yoga
Funds raised so far: $300

I've gotten very wary of predicting finishing times for my races. Sometimes things go far better than I hope. Other times, not so much. In the past few months, I've had two unexpectedly awesome races.  In March, I ran the Around the Bay 30km race in Hamilton hoping to finish somewhere between 3:15 and 3:30 and finished in just under 3:08 - which was incredibly thrilling for a tortoise like me.  Then today, I ran a 5km race on a tough hilly course in Chester (where this picture was taken - after the race, of course) hoping to finish in something like 27:30 and crossed the line in 26:36.  What's most exciting for me about these results is that they suggest I might actually be ready to finish my next marathon in under 4 and a half hours. It would be wonderful if I finally pulled it off because it's something I've wanted to do for awhile and I felt I let my sponsors down when I failed to achieve that goal in Chicago.

I've discovered the same unpredictability applies to fundraising.  When I started training for Chicago two years ago, I set an initial goal of $6,000 and thought perhaps I was being a bit too ambitious. However, as it turned out, colleagues, friends and people I'd never met were more generous than I dared hope and contributed nearly $8,000. I was truly overwhelmed and inspired by their support.

Even more overwhelming and inspiring were the stories I heard along the way - of loved ones lost, still fighting or living cancer free - and all the people who cared about them and stepped up to help on their journey - however it ended.

Before the Chicago Marathon, I wrote the names of 26 people on a bracelet - people I either knew personally or learned about in the course of my training and fundraising who had had leukemia or some other form of cancer - so that I had someone to think about during every mile of the race.  Those names kept me going through some pretty tough miles when my knee (and just about every other part of me) hurt. I plan to make a bracelet for San Francisco as well - so please send me the names of anyone you'd like me to be thinking about. If I end up with more than 26 names, no problem.  I'll just make a bigger bracelet, and fundraise and train that much harder.  And all the while I'll be praying and singing and hoping for an end to all forms of cancer.  Ooh, child...

Running and singing for Gregor

I'm running a marathon in just over two weeks. Not the one I'm running to raise funds for TNT, but the Johnny Miles Marathon in New Glasgow on June 19th.  I registered for Johnny Miles because I thought it would be a useful warm-up for San Francisco in October. Also because I thought I might finally be ready to run 42.2 kms in less than four and a half hours - though that seems less likely than it did a few months ago. For whatever reason, I've started having issues with my right knee and lower back so am headed off to see my chiropractor tomorrow to see what he can do to help.  In the meantime, I'm breathing deeply and trying not to panic. I know from experience that minor twinges and anxiety are normal when "tapering" for a big race. In fact, I blogged about it when I was preparing to run the Around the Bay 30km race in March. (Click here to read that post.)

Focusing on other things is the key to dealing with the anxiety and, goodness knows, there's no shortage of other things to focus on. For instance, Gregor Gillis, this season's honoured teammate for Team in Training Halifax. He's an amazing little boy fighting a very nasty form of leukemia as well as an assortment of other health issues. His mom, Melanie, posted a note on Facebook today to say that he's starting chemo again.  Her message was heartbreaking. She wrote that, because he looked so happy this morning, she found it hard to look at him knowing what was about to happen. And she asked that each of us keep him in our thoughts and join her in singing (in our hearts, if nowhere else) Ooh Child - the song she sings to him (and sang to his brother Bergen who died in 2003 from a rare pulmonary condition). I, for one, will be singing it often as I train and fundraise for San Francisco in the coming weeks and months. I hope you'll join me.

Ooh Child (click on the title to hear the Five Stairsteps version of the song)

Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child, things'll get brighter
Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child, things'll be brighter

Some day, yeah
We'll put it together and we'll get it all done
Some day
When your head is much lighter
Some day, yeah
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun
Some day
When the world is much brighter