Any Women Warriors Want to Try a Triathlon? (or 5k)
If there are any of you that are secretly harboring a desire to embrace your inner athletic goddess and up the ante on your exercise regime, there is a Women's Only Triathlon hosted by Iron Girl, and IF you're a cancer survivor they will waive your entry fee ($95!!)if you write them about your cancer experience. Then you join the Aflac Team Courage.
Here's mine:
I lost my sister to adenocarcinoma of the small intestine when she was only 33 and I was 30. Her baby was only 5 months old when she died. To have carried a baby in the face of terminal cancer was the epitome of bravery to me. We had no prior family history and every doctor told us how rare it was. And not once did a doctor suggest that we sisters get tested.
Imagine my horror when 9 years later I was experiencing the same symptoms. And my baby was only 18 months old. A colonoscopy at the Mayo Clinic confirmed my worst fear. Same cancer, different location. My tumor was adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon. Stage III colon cancer at 39?! Wasn't that a farty old man's disease? Surely not active crunchy granola chicks with 5 kids and a hippy hubby got diseases like colon cancer!
Watching my sister die a slow and painful death gave me a perspective of disease and healing that set my own course for my cure; and it wasn't going to include the adjuvant chemotherapy that my oncologist advised. I had watched helplessly while the cancer and chemo alternately ravaged her body until the once muscular and athletic girl/woman was reduced to skin and bones. There had to be a different way.
When cancer looms it seems to be the modus operandi to use words like battle and smart bomb and magic bullet and destroy and obliterate. I felt like my body was becoming a battlefield and here I was a nursing mother who loved to x-country ski in the winter and ride my bike in the summer. This was a war that made me want to head for Canada and claim philosophical differences. Could I dare to burn my draft card?
After taking a deep cleansing breath, I decided to take a more Zen approach to having cancer and I embraced the disease and what it could teach me. Rather than get chemotherapy infusions, I opted for what I have come to call CHEMIA or "juice of the plant." I dusted off my juicer, bought 25 pounds of carrots and began my healing process that included acupuncture, massage, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yoga, exercise and a whole lot of prayer.
That winter my husband encouraged me to renew my love of running sled dogs. And while we in the hinterlands of the North can recreate all winter, my "sleddies" needed exercise in the off season as well. Running them up and down our country road became as much a part of my healing as the 3 quarts of organic veggie juice that I drank daily.
Now, running is not my forte. I'm a walker, a fast walker, but not usually a runner. Well, Siberian huskys are not walkers, they're runners. So off we'd go with me tethered to two drop dead gorgeous Sibes running....being dragged down the road. Eventually I realized that I was getting faster and stronger and building endurance. The first day I could barely huff it to my next door neighbor's mailbox (granted, it was over four tenths of a mile away), but within weeks I was running the 2.5 miles to the end of our road. The day that I ran the whole 5 miles nonstop was the day I KNEW I was going to beat this cancer. It was also the day that I knew I had to run a race to prove to myself that I could live!
They started as 5k's. Since I had already checked off every item on my Bucket List and lived beyond The Five Year Plan, I had to up the ante. The 5k's then progressed to sprint triathlons. This chick was back in business! To date I have run 3 outdoor sprint triathlons and 2 indoor ones. But my longest and most important run has been my 8 1/2 years of surviving, no, strike that, LIVING FULLY post cancer.
Here's the website in case any of you want to give it a whirl. If you raise $$ for a children's cancer hospital you get extra goodies in your goody bags.
http://www.irongirl.com/Contact_Us/Aflac_Team_Courage.htm
Once you sign up there are websites you can go to (beginnertriathlete.com) to help you on your training.
Any takers????
Wouldn't it be great to have a bunch of us Semi-colons running around the country doing something like this? AND for a good cause!(scouty??? you with me girlfriend?)
Think about it! If I could do it when I was 25 pounds overweight anyone could do it!
peace, emily
Comments
-
Awesome story
Emily,
Love your post....
I did triathlons from college till marriage...then moved 1,000 miles away from my tri buddies and didn't find a group to go with...I am a swimmer - swimming and cycling are my thing...running is a struggle...did the NYC marathon with my college roommate - who was diagnosed 3 months prior (overian cancer) to us completing NYC in 1989...we both placed for Boston - but Col lost her short battle due to an infection...I carry a piece of the finish line with me every day...
Then kids arrive, no family in our area...but now that they are 10 & 12 - we bike on the new paths in our rural community. They participate in our local track and field - so maybe 5k's are in the near future!
Big water and snow skiiers too...(live in WV - but ski in PA and MD)
Had a black lab that I took to our park and we walk/run regulary..she was 11 and died the day I came home from my surgery and diagnosis (6/4/09)....still miss my faithful black buddy...but we now have a 9 month old black lab and has lots of energy - walking is a good thing for us (on my good days) and I would like to get my act together to run...I know my side kick would be up for the task...
Sold my tri bike - have a cannondale mountain bike - did the Ironman in 1988 (have a friend that is a pro triathlete and trained with her in Kona 2 weeks before the event - so I did the Ironman - but it took me 8 days to do it in small portions)
Would really like to get into the jucing mode too..I have always been a very healthy eater - little red meat - lots of fruits and veggies - fish and chicken...trying more juicing (with fruit smoothies) still struggling with the veggie juicing...would love any insite to your juicing
I am doing the Folfox - stage llb at 44...want to grow old with my husband and kids and feel healthy about all the years to come!0 -
I going to try
but you know this bum knee...........
The biking is a piece of cake, swimming will come in time and laps. Just not sure about the running yet, hopefully I can start again next month.
We have a Diva (women only) tri sprint here locally in late July that I am shooting for.
I will keep you posted as it goes. Send me an email, I lost all of my stored addresses with a virus attach week before last.
Lisa P.0 -
WOW! You Rock!Mchapp said:Awesome story
Emily,
Love your post....
I did triathlons from college till marriage...then moved 1,000 miles away from my tri buddies and didn't find a group to go with...I am a swimmer - swimming and cycling are my thing...running is a struggle...did the NYC marathon with my college roommate - who was diagnosed 3 months prior (overian cancer) to us completing NYC in 1989...we both placed for Boston - but Col lost her short battle due to an infection...I carry a piece of the finish line with me every day...
Then kids arrive, no family in our area...but now that they are 10 & 12 - we bike on the new paths in our rural community. They participate in our local track and field - so maybe 5k's are in the near future!
Big water and snow skiiers too...(live in WV - but ski in PA and MD)
Had a black lab that I took to our park and we walk/run regulary..she was 11 and died the day I came home from my surgery and diagnosis (6/4/09)....still miss my faithful black buddy...but we now have a 9 month old black lab and has lots of energy - walking is a good thing for us (on my good days) and I would like to get my act together to run...I know my side kick would be up for the task...
Sold my tri bike - have a cannondale mountain bike - did the Ironman in 1988 (have a friend that is a pro triathlete and trained with her in Kona 2 weeks before the event - so I did the Ironman - but it took me 8 days to do it in small portions)
Would really like to get into the jucing mode too..I have always been a very healthy eater - little red meat - lots of fruits and veggies - fish and chicken...trying more juicing (with fruit smoothies) still struggling with the veggie juicing...would love any insite to your juicing
I am doing the Folfox - stage llb at 44...want to grow old with my husband and kids and feel healthy about all the years to come!
Keep me posted if you venture into the 5ks and get back in the game!
That's so sad about your friend but awesome you two did the NYC and qualified for Boston! Completely impressive!
If you're looking into my insight to juicing there are plenty of threads on this subject since it's mostly what I talk about (for the last 8 1/2 years! HA!).
Kona. Wow!
peace, emily0 -
5ks too!tootsie1 said:I just don't run
It sounds very awesome. However, I am not, never have been, a runner. I wheeze when I run. I'm a walker all the time, but I don't run. You'll have to do it and tell me how great it was.
*hugs*
Gail
They host other events too like 5ks, not just the triathlons. You can walk those. Many folks do.
Just a thought.0 -
Keep me postedscouty said:I going to try
but you know this bum knee...........
The biking is a piece of cake, swimming will come in time and laps. Just not sure about the running yet, hopefully I can start again next month.
We have a Diva (women only) tri sprint here locally in late July that I am shooting for.
I will keep you posted as it goes. Send me an email, I lost all of my stored addresses with a virus attach week before last.
Lisa P.
You can walk the run part ya know. I see plenty of folks walking it and no one bats an eye!
Sorry I keep forgetting to send you an email. This got lost in the juicing shuffle and would forget to check back....
did you get something orange from me? ;-)
peace, em0 -
juicing and your awesome cure2bhealed said:Canuks
Well that's good to know since my husband's entire extended family is either in Ontario or Manitoba. :-)
Do you buy all organic vegetables and fruits and what other foods do you eat. Did I read that you said you did no chemo or radiation at all? How many times a week did you get accupuncture? Sorry for all the questions but I am still in the "freak-out" mode of all this and just need to gather as much info as I can.
Dlou0 -
Yes Yes and no problem.....donnalou857 said:juicing and your awesome cure
Do you buy all organic vegetables and fruits and what other foods do you eat. Did I read that you said you did no chemo or radiation at all? How many times a week did you get accupuncture? Sorry for all the questions but I am still in the "freak-out" mode of all this and just need to gather as much info as I can.
Dlou
Hi Donnalou,
I only juiced organic veggies and fruits. No sense in doing all the work to lessen my toxic load and adding toxins right back in from pesticides. They also have a higher nutrient content so more bang for the buck so to speak.
I opted from the get go to NOT do any chemo for Stage III sigmoid colon cancer but that doesn't mean I didn't do anything. I WORKED mighty hard every day at my health. It was literally a FULL TIME JOB.
I got acupuncture once a week for over 6 months. I spent an entire day once a week at my Traditional Chinese MEdicine practitioner's office. It was a full day beginning with counseling for 1-2 hours so she would know what I was dealing with that week and then she would know which meridians to work on and what to focus on and if anything in my herbal protocol would need tweaking. Then she did the needles and then she did a full massage or lymphatic drainage depending what we were working on. The bodywork was an integral part of my holistic approach to healing. Cancer is a SYMPTOM of a deeper issue and if we don't dig down deep to find out what that means for us, then we often just keep dealing with it over and over.
No problem for all the questions. I get them all the time and I'm still here trying to give HOPE to the "freaked-out". :-)
Believe me, we've ALL been there!!! Keep coming and welcome.
peace, emily0 -
HI Emily
We haven't talked directly but I follow your posts, which are very encouraging. This post of yours just prompted me to take stock on what I was doing as I heal.
I've been an athlete all my life and have earned my living being a hiker/mountaineer/sailor/sea kayaker/horsepacker. I'm also a swimmer, did a couple ot triathlons in my 30's (running always the hardest part since I have a body more suited for crewing rather then running). Now arthritic knees keep me from any running though walking with poles is a good alternative. My border collie is a great walking partner.
I have an Omega juicer and am fond of a cabbage/carrot/ginger/beet mix with variations adding oranges or celery or whatever I can find. Organic is difficult to get all the time here in rural WY but we have a new Safeway going in and often they carry the organic veggies. In the summer we have a garden though grasshoppers were hard on everything last year-and expected to be this coming year too.
I agree that the healing from cancer, and I had fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue before I got dx with cancer, takes commitment and a lot of hard work. I lift strenuously under the guidance of a strength trainer twice/week, and walk, ski, or ride horses in better weather every day. I'm in better shape than I have been in 5-10 years (thought the past 5 I've been seriously ill, in treatment, or recovering), and enjoy my workout regime like I did when I was in college playing sports.
Also key is my complementary medicine team. I see my acupuncturist 2x/week most weeks, my naturopath and my anthroposophical/internal medicine doc. The latter supervises my mistletoe subcu shots (used a lot in Europe for cancer tx) plus herbals as does my naturopath and acupuncturist. The bodywork with my acupuncturist has also been very healing..and revealing about old patterns that no longer serve me.
Of course I struggle with residual side effects from cancer treatment (with stage 4 cancer I opted to go with radiation/chemo/the 2 surgeries LAR and liver, and adjuvant chemo supported by my complementary medicine team), but I do feel a whole lot better now than when I had the cancer (which may have been the underlying cause of the fibro/chronic fatigue but hard to say what came first-the chicken or the egg).
So thanks for the prompt, and very nice to talk with you.
all the best, Leslie0 -
Hi Leslie!lesvanb said:HI Emily
We haven't talked directly but I follow your posts, which are very encouraging. This post of yours just prompted me to take stock on what I was doing as I heal.
I've been an athlete all my life and have earned my living being a hiker/mountaineer/sailor/sea kayaker/horsepacker. I'm also a swimmer, did a couple ot triathlons in my 30's (running always the hardest part since I have a body more suited for crewing rather then running). Now arthritic knees keep me from any running though walking with poles is a good alternative. My border collie is a great walking partner.
I have an Omega juicer and am fond of a cabbage/carrot/ginger/beet mix with variations adding oranges or celery or whatever I can find. Organic is difficult to get all the time here in rural WY but we have a new Safeway going in and often they carry the organic veggies. In the summer we have a garden though grasshoppers were hard on everything last year-and expected to be this coming year too.
I agree that the healing from cancer, and I had fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue before I got dx with cancer, takes commitment and a lot of hard work. I lift strenuously under the guidance of a strength trainer twice/week, and walk, ski, or ride horses in better weather every day. I'm in better shape than I have been in 5-10 years (thought the past 5 I've been seriously ill, in treatment, or recovering), and enjoy my workout regime like I did when I was in college playing sports.
Also key is my complementary medicine team. I see my acupuncturist 2x/week most weeks, my naturopath and my anthroposophical/internal medicine doc. The latter supervises my mistletoe subcu shots (used a lot in Europe for cancer tx) plus herbals as does my naturopath and acupuncturist. The bodywork with my acupuncturist has also been very healing..and revealing about old patterns that no longer serve me.
Of course I struggle with residual side effects from cancer treatment (with stage 4 cancer I opted to go with radiation/chemo/the 2 surgeries LAR and liver, and adjuvant chemo supported by my complementary medicine team), but I do feel a whole lot better now than when I had the cancer (which may have been the underlying cause of the fibro/chronic fatigue but hard to say what came first-the chicken or the egg).
So thanks for the prompt, and very nice to talk with you.
all the best, Leslie
Wow, you are so evolved. Didn't know they grew them like that in WY! ;-)
We used to live in Bozeman. I left my heart in Big Sky Country! The skiing and fly fishing and mountains were the magnets to move us there and my father offering my husband a job he couldn't refuse was the deal-breaker. wah wah!
Have you ever researched any gluten sensitivity connection to the fibro? I'm reading a very enlightening book called Dangerous Grains by Dr. Braly and it may be the ROOT cause of many ailments that are going "misdiagnosed" under other names like fibro/chronic fatigue or IBS or anemia etc. It can be a cause of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine which is what my sister died from so that made me sit up and take notice (especially since one of my daughters has been dx'ed with gluten intolerance).
Anyway, it may be worth you looking into....just a thought.
So you must be familiar with Waldorf Schools if you're going to an anthroposophical doc. Or am I getting my terms mixed up? Isn't that a type of homeopathy? Perhaps I'm confused.
Anyway, it all sounds wonderful what you're doing. Way to go!
Nice to "meet" you!
You know, there are sometimes Triathlons where you put a relay team together and you could do one of the legs!
peace, emily0
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