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BernieWal's avatar
BernieWal
Member
12 months ago

Running on Chemo (ROC)

Day 1/112 chemo every 2 weeks - 16 weeks 

This morning I was up early and did a 30 min easy paced run. I wanted to draw a line in the sand and see what distance I can run easy in 30 mins before chemo (BC) I wasn’t fresh as I had run 3x 1k repeats the day before and walked 5k with friends the night before. So I wanted a measure of what distance I could cover in 30 mins while fatigued BC. 

A few weeks before my diagnosis, in December 23, I entered the Great Ocean Road 1/2 marathon which is to be held on 19th May 24, tomorrow. Needless to say I had to cancel when diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer with treatments including certain breast surgery & lymph node surgery followed by chemo and radiation. 

However I continued to train initially walking after surgery on 13 February 24, building that up to 10k then getting back to running after a couple of weeks. I’m not doing any spectacular times though, just doing it. 

So, since I can’t do the 1/2 marathon at the Great Ocean road, I planned another achievable road trip with my friends to do a 10k on Good Friday 30 March. 

However, I then found out on 7 March I had to go back for a 2nd surgery on my breast in early April. Knowing this i decided I had no intention of running the 10k either but I didn’t tell my friends that. I just went along with our travel plans. Three days before the scheduled run date I went out for an easy walk and run over a 10k distance. I had actually been inspired by two separate sightings of a male runner the day before when I was out for a walk with my partner. They were obviously doing a long slow run and they appeared to be running very slowly. And I thought to myself “but they’re doing it”. I was inspired😜 

Long story short I decided to run the 10k on 29 March. I managed to complete it in a very satisfying 78 min time. It was all very slow jogging pace but I didn’t have to walk. 2 days later I had the 2nd surgery. 

At the appointment with my oncologist, prior to chemo (PC) he said I will probably feel tired while on chemo. So he said if I feel tired I should walk around the block. So I said “so when you say I should walk around the block, is that all I should do? What if I’m used to walking 10k? Or running “. He said I should continue to do what is normal exercise for me. 

So my strategy for running on chemo is this, I have introduced another few measures for myself over the next four months. I have no expectations that I will be even able to run 1k at a time, from the stories I have read about other runners while on chemo. But, I hope to have a go. 

The month PC, I did these trials.

3x 1k repeats 

5k run time

10k run time

30 mins running (distance covered)

I would love to hear from anyone else who is on chemo and trying to keep active. If you are already running on chemo (ROC) then please share I’d love to be inspired and motivated.

If you too like me are new to this perhaps we can inspire and motivate each other. 


7 Replies

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  • arpie's avatar
    arpie
    Member
    2 months ago
    You are going well and terrific you kept moving throughout your treatment xx 

    It is still very much early days, @BernieWal re getting back to running ... in the mean time, walking the distances you are doing, is fantastic xx

    All the best for your MG and US in March xx

  • BernieWal's avatar
    BernieWal
    Member
    2 months ago
    Hi Joannag,
    I hope you are doing well and copieurs chemo/running combo.
    i did manage to keep moving throughout chemo and radiation however I am only walking. I do try to run but it’s very slow and so I’m finding it hard to motivate myself to keep trying. 
    So I walk almost every day and sometimes twice. My partner has been a great support and we normally walk 6-7k each day. 
    I’m hoping to run a 10k in May but there will be lots of walking involved. I finished chemo on 18 November and then had 3 weeks radiation. I’m now on abemacyclib for the last 3 weeks and coping ok with it. I have quite a few side affects but I’m back working full time so it’s not too bad. I’d like to hear how you are going. 
    I haven’t my first mammogram and ultrasound booked in for the end of March so I’m hoping that it’s a good result.
    Take care and only one step at a time. I put too
    much pressure on myself but probably wouldn’t have it any other way. 
  • arpie's avatar
    arpie
    Member
    6 months ago
    Fantastic!!  Well done Sarah xx. And congrats on her daughter for finishing her first Marathon too xx

    I wonder if Enhertu will ever be given to Stage 3 patients, before it becomes Mets .... and hopefully save even more lives, earlier?  Is that something worth advocating to the Powers that Be, @Mez_BCNA

  • joannag's avatar
    joannag
    Member
    6 months ago
    @BernieWal I’d love an update on your running? How did it go through your treatment? I have had a mastectomy and axillary node clearance so walking 10,000 steps a day has been max. I had my first chemo session yesterday and hoping to get back into some running again soon - I’m most comfortable with 5-10km. Any tips?
    Thanks for your inspiring post  :)
  • swerks's avatar
    swerks
    Member
    12 months ago
    Hi BernieWal, if your body is used to training, get out and do it. You will know when you need to back it off. You know your body.
     
     I am a Masters Racing Cyclist (with a few Aussie age titles under my belt), diagnosed last August (after 3 mths riding every hill in France&Italy) had a 3cm tumour, mastectomy, back riding after 2weeks, 1 micro met in closest sentinel node, rest all clear, oncotype dx on tumour was a low score so didn’t need chemo, but had to do 5weeks radiation. I live in the country and had to travel to a regional Cancer centre, 3hr round trip daily. I did get fatigue and major skin issues, but still rode everyday, whether intervals indoor on a smart trainer, or at least 50km on road. Hill climbs and longer rides on the weekends. The real fatigue set in 4 weeks after the radiation finished, around end of December, it surprised me how smashed I felt, but still got out to ride, even if it meant doing nothing else for the rest of the day.  Probably middle of March I started to get my mojo back, and now back into full training. I do take arimidex, but don’t notice any side effects because I keep myself moving and active. I trail hike 3x weekly for a bit of cross training and weight bearing. 

    As they say Motion is Potion, it’s true, keep up your running, it’s your happy place, releasing all those  good endorphins that will help with your recovery, and  thru the Chemo. Take care 😊
  • arpie's avatar
    arpie
    Member
    12 months ago
    Well done!   Further to my comment on your other post .....

    Whilst I am not a runner - my husband was - and he had chemo for his cancer treatment.  He was even doing laps of his hospital ward, hanging onto his drips, just days after his surgery (removal of most of his stomach) and swears that it assisted him in a full recovery - in the following years, even competing overseas again in Triathlon, representing Australia, and winning.

    So .. keep doing what you love doing - you may just need to cut back on the distance &/or intensity of your training but you WILL get back to it, fully xx ...  

    We have a few runners on the blog .... @Anne65 is one .... 

    take care ...