Day 3: It’s like Interval Training

October 11, 2016Leave a comment

Day 3 of 25 is now in the books, but there’s still 22 more to go.

I was thinking about the numbers as I walked to the appointment this afternoon and started to break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks…much like interval training on the bike or TRX circuit training or doing reps. I can always wrap my brain more easily around 5 sets of 8 minutes vs. 40 minutes any day. Same thing with my first century ride…my brain would have imploded after mile 1 if I told myself “Only 99 more to go, Mary!”. So I positioned it to myself as 10 sets of 10 miles. Doing 10 miles is pretty easy peasy (unless it’s the Death Ride!) as is counting down from 10 after each mile or set was completed.

So, after today, I’m more than half through Set #1 of 5!

Day 2: It’s Only Day 2

October 8, 2016Leave a comment

The reality that I’m going to go back to the same place, see the same technicians, lay on the same table for 20 minutes while a giant machine hovers around me delivering huge amounts of radiation at my pelvis every day (except weekends) for 23 more days still hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It’s getting there, though. Every. Day.

No side affects yet. But they’re coming. As is a yummy diet of primarily fairly bland and not so colorful foods. Mmmmm. Major highlight, though, I’ll probably drop a few LBs. Woot.

All in all…it was a good day. 🙂

Day 1: Betsy’s Demise Begins

October 7, 2016October 8, 2016Leave a comment

Five and half weeks ago I was introduced to Betsy.

Unbeknownst to me, she had been making herself right at home in my pelvis for the last two years. Shortly after we were introduced, I learned her last name was Sarcoma…as in the same family of Sarcomas that have visited me over the last 20 years.

Needless to say, the weeks leading up to today have been nuts. Like crazy nuts. Crazy, CRAZY nuts!!

Betsy’s Eviction Plan is now in play, starting with a 5-week Radiation Diet…she’s a little overweight at the moment and needs to drop a few pounds before phase 2 can begin. 25 days. Everyday Monday through Friday at 3:15. One down, only 24 more to go!

Today was longest of treatments day, an hour and a half or so…setting up alignment; getting lots of interesting drawings and x’s placed on me; meeting with the doctor. But the day was promptly commemorated with a Taste of France at Scopo Divino; getting my hair did; a little more wine; some pizza; and Bridget Jones. Not a bad day, considering.

But the highlight of the day was seeing my most favorite nurse ever, Nurse LuDene. I’ve gotten to know her over the last four years or so as I have had my follow up appointments with Dr. Gottschalk, my radiation oncologist. I’ve always thought her to be super fabulous, but she now holds an even more special place in my heart, because she was the one that really got things rolling for me when the UCSF folks were floundering a bit on what to do with this latest development in my case.

I got her a mug with the saying, “I’m a nurse. What’s your superpower?”

I brought it to my appointment today, not knowing for sure whether or not she would be there today…but she was. 🙂

Shortly after I arrived, she showed up in the waiting room and gave me the biggest hug ever. I told her, “I have something for you.” And she responded with, “Well, I have something for you too.” She left the waiting room, and came back holding a package behind her back…she had made me a beautiful fleece throw! Sweetest thing ever. EVER.

This is a journey that I’ve not been quite been on before. It’s new. It’s scary. And it’s uncertain territory. But I’m pretty sure I’m up for the challenge. 🙂

Better watch out, Betsy.

Endurance

May 13, 2015Leave a comment

I don’t think I have ever actually looked up the definition of endurance before today. But there it was starting me in the face at 6 AM this morning as I sat on my bike at the front and center of class (I normally get positioned inconspicuously off to the side!). And the timing couldn’t have been more appropriate.

I received the news last week that my last four CT scans weren’t as exactly clean as we thought. There was in fact something ever so slowly growing. It has been growing so slowly that it wasn’t detected until now…now that it is 4mm in size. Extremely small. So small that we wouldn’t even be able to treat it at this point if we wanted too.

And so the waiting begins. Six months to be exact. But really, this is nothing new for me; has kind of been the story of my life for the last 18+ years.

Even though it’s nothing new for me, I’ve gone through quite a roller coaster of emotions over the last seven days. It’s been an awesome mix of wanting to cry to wanting to yell at someone (or punch them in the face…not literally, it’s just really fun to say…honestly!) to wanting to eat and drink everything to just wanting to sit comatose and not think about a darn thing to wanting to go on a long bike ride with ridiculous climbs.

Needless to say, I’ve felt a bit like a crazy person. I’m so very grateful for my super supportive and understanding roommate who has been on standby with wine, pizza, margaritas or crazy chocolate-peanut butter-oatmeal concoctions for whenever it was needed!

So, Endurance. I read the definition on the wall several times as I started spinning my legs this morning. Then something clicked and settled the bi-polar emotional feud that’s plagued my mind over the last week. I kind of have this endurance thing down. My ability to endure (fatigue, pain, etc) may have initially been developed through the sports I played growing up. But getting cancer at age 17, and living with it (both happily & productively while fiercely fighting it!) ever since is what I think has given me a bit of black belt in Endurance.

I should totally know by now, that I got this.

Six months to wait? I’ve endured worse over the years. And these days I have my bike. And quite honestly, it’s probably the best distraction and mental healing power that I have right now. Over the next six months I will get on that bike, push myself, take down a few hills (and maybe a couple mountain passes), and in a weird way know that cancer has helped give me the Endurance to do it.

Stories from MDC 2014: My Favorite Day

March 27, 2015Leave a comment

One might assume that living with cancer and going through multiple lung surgeries would be more daunting than a seven-day, biking journey down the California coastline. Well, now having experience with all of those things, hands down the California coastline wins the title of most daunting! Seven days of cycling not only challenges your physical fitness, but your mental determination and will.

For example, imagine a full day of riding. Riding your bike up and down beautiful, yet long, curvy and sometimes steep stretches of coastline. Imagine how incredibly exhausted you would be. Now imagine that there is just a few 100 yards between you and a massage! EUREKA! However, that last few 100 yards is one of your steepest climbs of the day!! Well, not exactly the steepest, but yes at least three of the days of riding ended with a nasty little climb up a steep drive to the hotel!

The mental barriers arrived well before the ride even began. As I trained for the ride, I had quite a few set backs that got me extremely discouraged. I even thought at one point I might need to withdraw from the ride, because I didn’t think I would be ready. So I entered the week with one goal in mind – ride at least 50 miles a day. The ride leaders were so amazing. They worked with me each morning to identify the best sections to ride for that day. It was perfect. I ended up averaging about 55 miles per day, so well over half of the total 620 miles! 🙂

There are so many, many stories from the 2014 Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Million Dollar Challenge (MDC) ride down the California Coastline. This one is about my favorite ride of the week…

I think it was the morning of the last day, and I was eating breakfast with one of the ride leaders, Sully. He asked me which day had been my favorite so far. Without hesitation, I looked at him and replied, “Big Sur day. Hands down.”

He looked at me with a little disbelief and surprise, then asked me why. My answer was simple, “I completely surprised myself in what I was able to accomplish that day.”

Big Sur day is one of the most challenging days with the amount of climbing as well as it being the first day of over 100 miles. This was the first century ride for many of the riders. For me, I promised my mom I would do 55 miles for her. 🙂

As I mapped out the day with Hooter (one of the few ride leaders that has done every MDC since the inception nine years ago), I told him that I wanted to do at least one section of the climbing as I needed to “earn my stripes” on the ride. I couldn’t just ride all the easy miles during the week!

We picked the second section of climbing. So the fabulous Willie (we challenged athletes are special and had a personal “handler” for the week to help us along the ride!) drove me up the course to the first SAG stop (support and gear stop) to wait for a group of riders that I could join. Once they arrived, refueled and refilled water bottles, we all set out. I think I was able to keep up with the group for maybe a half mile, if that. I was quickly dropped from the group!

Fortunately for me, Tom, one of the two ride leaders assigned to us challenged athletes (yes, we got our own handlers as well as ride leaders…we weren’t spoiled at all!), was riding to the lunch stop that day and coached me through that pretty rigorous 18.5 miles of climbing to the next SAG stop. But maybe not so fortunate for him as he was stuck with me and my fabulous slowness! 🙂

During one of my many, many stops to rest during that stretch, NBA legend Bill Walton pulled his bike over on the side of the road where I was resting, and insisted on taking a picture. He encouraged me to keep at it and that I was doing a great job…that was a pretty awesome moment.

By the time I reached the next SAG stop, Bill was just finishing up his rest and refueling. Before he left he was telling me how the next section was one of his absolute favorites of the ride. But as I learned as the week went on, EVERY part of the ride was one of his favorites! Bill LOVES his bike and LOVES riding!

We had initially planned that I would just ride to that SAG stop, then catch a lift with Willie to the lunch stop. However, the super infectious enthusiasm and encouragement of Bill convinced me that I needed to see the next section from my bike and NOT from a car!

So, with that, Tom, Jimmy (one of the routing guys who rode the course each day after all the riders had gone through to pick up the signs from the course…so, yeah, I was that slow!) and I headed out for another 20.5 miles of breathtaking coastline. Slowly, but surely, we made it to the lunch stop where I enjoyed probably THE best tasting BLT sandwich I have ever consumed! Seriously. Bacon really does make everything better!

Who knew it was so fun to hit stuff?!

February 25, 2015March 27, 20151 Comment

Last week I started something that I never thought I would try – BOXING!

With a lot of encouragement (a.k.a frequent reminders!), my friend Julie convinced me to sign up for a four-week boot camp at a boxing gym in the city. That’s four weeks of Monday-Friday-6 AM-90 minute workouts, my friends. Since I also need to keep up with my cycling training, I’ll be doing three boot camps and two cycling workouts which = no week day social life for this gal. BUT hopefully it will be the jump start I need to drop all these extra LBs I manage to pile on during the holidays.

I totally surprised myself on the first morning – I jumped rope for the first time, in, I don’t know how long. I was a bit slow and apparently had one too many jumps as I slung the rope round and round. But jumped a friggin rope! And surprisingly improved as the week went on.

In fact, the only thing I was unable to do during this first week was the running around the block. My hope is that will change as early as next week when I get my new running leg! I really cannot wait to try out the blade with the boxing. Richard (my awesome-sauce prosthetist!) and I think it will actually help a ton with the fighter’s stance and movement – float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!

At the end of class on Monday, we set our baseline for our weekly Friday Tests. These Friday Test will consist of four 60-second drills where you try to do as many reps as possible of that specific drill for the 60 seconds.

In theory, my numbers will increase over the next four weeks…we shall see…

Monday Baseline #’s: