Beyond The Rainbow 5K

Today was my third race in the Will Run For Beer Series, the Beyond The Rainbow 5k. The 5k was also simultaneously going on with the Great Bay Half Marathon which was interesting. I have been registered for this race for a little while and just recently found out that the 5k got it's name because it supports a program at Exeter Hospital called Beyond The Rainbow Fund. It helps support cancer patients and their faimlies while going through treatment with various things such as transportation, child care, etc. Not only was I thrilled that it is giving back to fellow cancer patients/survivors but one of my nurse practitioners just recently transfered to Exeter Hospital to work in their cancer center. It made me feel as though I was supporting her in a way as well!

So this morning I was hoping that it would be a little warmer than it was yesterday and hopefully less wind too.

As we were driving in I discovered that the parking was actually a good distance away from where the actual race was going to be. So we parked and took a shuttle to the start line. One thing I really liked is while waiting for the shuttle the race people had setup a table with tons of info on it that we really did need to know. It was awesome!

We then bored the bus and headed to the start, or so I thought! The shuttle bus pulled into a culdasac full of condos, stopped and opened the doors. There were several people on the bus that I heard comment how they thought we were picking someone up. Which is what I thought as well, it was a really odd place to be let out. As it turns out we were behind the high school we just needed to cut through a few places. As we were walking we came across the Community center which seemed really nice but my favorite thing was that they had a giant map of the United States painted in the parking lot.

After walking further we finally came to the high school, which again I thought was were the start was. I have to say I really like that all these races thus far in the series have had buildings for people to go into especially with this not being such a warm spring. We walked into the school, mom got in line for the bathroom I went in to get my bib number and t-shirt. I found it interesting that everyone got the same bib number but different t-shirts depending on if your were doing the 5k or the half marathon.

I came back out to find mom still waiting in line which was great because she pretty much held my spot. I have to be able to change cause I have found that I need to run in compression pants but there is no way I can put them on and then drive all that way while wearing them. So I changed and was all set to go. I honestly don't know what I would do if someone that wasn't running the race didn't come with me because they always end up holding my crap stuff, which in today's case happened to be my mother.

Now it was almost race time so I decided to start out towards the start line so that I wouldn't be in the same situation as last time where I get there just in time to start. I left mom so she could start to walk towards the finish which was in an entirely different spot. It was a good thing I started out "early" because the start was actually at the Elementary School down the street. This was the scene as I approached...

Made me nervous to see so many people, then I remembered it was both races together. I made my way towards the back of the pack and waited. Then there was the start gun and we were off. The first part of the race was fairly flat and a nice run or in my case half walk too. The volunteers were fantastic they made sure you knew where you were going and also gave you a nice compliment/motivation as you ran/walked by them. Everything was going great and then I turned the corner and there was the first hill. It ended up being the first of four hills, this was a hilly course. The ONLY thing that got me through was thinking and in some case saying out loud, "what goes up must eventually come down." Not being familiar with the course I just hoped the going down part came up shortly after starting the going up part. It was nice to get some extra speed going down the hills though.

My favorite part was when we got about halfway up the last hill and the volunteers standing at the top to direct us started yelling, "Come on you guys can do it, it's all down hill from here. The hard part is all over." Now hoping that you can trust them (cause sometimes you can't) it gives you that little extra push. I was thrilled to see they told the truth and it was all down hill. I took off and ran until I had crossed the finish line.

And for those of you who know me I always pick a mark of someone I want to finish before. This time I let them get too far ahead of me and he finished just a few seconds before me. I'll catch 'em next time! Although this was not a new PR for me I though I did fairly well with my finish time of 40:20 given the hills and sore hip from over doing the running this weekend.

I was thrilled to see that not only was my mom waiting for me at the finish but so was my cousin, her boyfriend and my aunt and uncle. They live in New Hampshire and decided to come down and cheer me on. It was great to see them. We stayed to watch the first few people finish the half marathon. the winner of the race and the mens finished in 1:12:26...beating the record he set last year. That is just amazing to me, I say congrats to my fellow 5ker's but also everyone who did the half marathon, you inspire me. Probably not enough to ever do a half marathon but still.

I heard rumors that there was an after race celebration which was being sponsored by Smuttynose Brewing Co. However I have no idea where it was cause it was not where we were. Oh well missing one isn't the end of the world.

This was a good race. I would definitely so this race again! Thank you to everyone involved in creating, directing and arranging everything. And special thanks to all the volunteers, you did a phenomenal job and were just all around pleasant and motivating, certainly can't do these races without you so keep up the good work!

Stayed tuned for the Stonyfield Earth Day 5K in a couple weeks!

My Trials With Cycling

So I have been riding a bike since I was in kindergarten and I distinctly remember the whole process of learning to ride a bike. I was fine with the whole training wheel thing and was not going to have those long. I finally got to the point that they were removed and I was free. And then there was a the falling. I never really got hurt I just remember that I fell a bit but then got the hang of it.

I bring this up because I feel as though I am learning to ride a bike all over again. Only this time it is a lot more frustrating! I am not sure about the rest of you out there but I am new to the cycling thing as far as training. races, exercise thing. I recently got a new bike through a grant from the AKP Foundation which I couldn't be happier about. The bike itself is great, light weight, easy gear changes, hybrid tires, regular handle bars instead of road bike handle bars (which I love about it). However as part of the grant they also got my cycling shoes and clip pedals.

At the time I thought was great because I know that is what most people use while cycling for the reason I will be cycling for.

I got all this stuff in December which is not the ideal time in Massachusetts. But I started using the shoes during spin class so I would be used to them. Boy way that the biggest joke I ever told myself. I was used to having them on my feet however there is no other option of getting used to them then actual riding on the bike out on the open road so to speak.

Last weekend I went on my first bike ride with a friend on mine. Now mind you everyone I know that rides with clip in shoes had already warned me that I WILL fall as if there was no getting around it. Well I like many others live in my little world of denial where nothing like that ever happens to me.

0.02 miles into our trail ride guess what happened? If you guessed that I feel you are the lucky winner! Now this trail is also paved so needless to say I have the scrap/bump/bruise to prove I fell.

It actually looks much better in this picture than it actually was. So I had landed on the wrist/palm and then elbow because my feet were as you guessed still attached to the pedals. It was painful but it was however definitely because I am not used to the shoes and my brain is not trained to remember unless I am thinking about it. At the time I was thinking about the fact that my hydration pack was leaking so badly it was pouring water down my back. I of course did what any other child or person would got back and up and got on the bike. After I dealt with the hydration pack of course. We continued and I did well with thinking about unclipping and being ready for a stop. we came to the first of two major intersections that cross the trail we were on. I had unclipped my left foot and was actually standing on the ground with it. However in an effort to unclip my right foot aparently the motion was too great and you guessed it again I fell over. figured I had to even it out, one on each side. that wasn't as bad probably because I was some what closer to the ground.

Luckily those were the only two falls I endured during my 10+ mile ride that day. However the recovery from the first fall was quite a few days, which although it was my arm interfered with my training because it hurt too much to swim.

So now we fast forward to today. I was feeling much better, not really any more pain, the bruises are starting to fade. I thought I can do my ride outside today. I rode from my house to the Y, about 1.5 miles. It turned out to freezing so I decided I would just ride home after the road race I was doing and hopefully ride later in the day when it was slightly warmer.

After the race I get ready and start out. I had to stop at the end of the parking lot for traffic and again my left foot was unclipped standing on the ground and yet some how my right got stuck, threw my balance off, and my bike tipped which also took me with it because my foot was attached. I managed to bend my ankle & knee in a way which I am sure is not good for them and of course braced the whole thing with my hand. But again I got up and got back on the bike and rode home.

So here I sit on the couch trying to get warm from the cold yet having to ice my hand.

The ice is wrapped in a towel, while I try to keep layers of blankets between my fingers to keep them warm.

Here is the thing when you would fall as a child yes you might of had the same outcome of scraps, bruises and bumps but they didn't seem to effect you the same as they do as an adult. It is frustrating because I know I need to ride more out on the road to really get used to using the shoes and training my brain to do it subconciously. But now I am starting to develop a fear of actually going for a ride because of the falling. I am really torn here. It is much easier to ride with the clip in shoes but with the higher current possibility of getting hurt. I am seriously considering going back to regular pedals but I am unsure.

I would love to hear from other cyclists on their thoughts and how you got through the transition to using the clip in shoes.

For today I am putting off my ride but will get back on the bike again!

HAWMC Day 6: Dear Lymphoma!

Dear Lymphoma,

Where do I even begin? For longer than I would have ever wanted you derailed my entire life. To some extent you still do but in a different way.

When you finally reared your ugly head I was terrified! Although there are sure fire ways to get rid of you nothing is ever 100%! You came in and setup shop right on my spine. Although then again maybe that was just the comfy spot that you found and decided you liked because I actually have no idea where you came from. I can however guess based on all the marks you left all over my body.  But there you sat on my spine being your happy little self and just started to spread. You put my through excruciating pain for months trying to take up even more room.

Then I got the news of just how much you wanted to stay and what it would take to get rid of you. Aside from the pain that was the worst part. I was going to loose not only the hair on my head but all of my hair...eyebrows, eyelashes and nose hair included. I was going to be sick, feel tired, have mouth sores, things were going to taste different if I was even going to be able to eat them, I was going to be tired, I was going to be more vulnerable to other infections/diseases. That wasn't even the worst part I was going to have to put my entire life as I knew it on hold to deal with you with the possibility of this lovely experience affecting my furture of having children.

I was 27 years old! recently married and although I may not have been the best at taking care of myself I certainly never expected to see you!

I did in fact loose all my hair, I was SO tired all the time but that didn't really matter because the treatment took away my ability to be around other people or do anything so I guess being tired made it easier to miss out on a lot of things. The one thing that had always made me feel better; food; didn't even have the comfort it normally did because all the medication to get rid of you changed the way things tasted. But I was lucky enough to have mild side effects of nausea and mouth sores which was a plus and I never did get any other infections or illnesses so that way I was able to keep my treatment right on track.

Oh yea and I forgot to mention my ABSOLUTE least favorite thing about you setting up shop on my spine the intrathecal chemotherapy. So I have this massive lymphoma tumor on my spine and now I have to get medication injected directly into my spine to make sure you don't spread your way into there...UGH!!

BUT despite all that I made it through and you my dear where forced out and completely gone by the time this was all done and you have not returned!

However there is some good that came from your impromptu visit I have started taking better care of myself, I have learned a lot more about myself too. That there are so many things that I can do that I thought I never could, that there are amazing people out there that are kind and nice and want nothing more than to help mankind (I happen to be one of those people as well), but certainly not last that I have to accept what happens, figure out a plan to change it for the better, work hard to accomplish that plan and then constantly move forward in life!

You were and will always be an unwelcome guest in my life. You came to be way too early but you taught a whole lot too. I just hope that we never meet again!

-Alyson

HAWMC Day 5: Aspiration

I find this topic inspiring for me think outside the box a tad. If i had unlimited resources really the sky would be the limit!

My goal would be to have a camp for children survivors that they could attend and regain a lot of things they may have lost through their cancer treatments. It would also include things like counseling, art/music therapy, animal therapy, mind body wellness, dealing with anxiety, etc.

I would then develop something more specific for young adults. I like the idea of young adult but I also feel as though the typical age range although some topics over lap like jobs, fertility, etc there are many that don't due to wide range of 18-40. I would love to develop a local program hopefully affiliated with area hospitals and wellness centers. It would be designed initial on an individual basis where the person can meet one on one with a team. A personal trainer, a social worker type, medical personnel, financial advisor, etc. From there they can decided what that person needs and develop an individual plan for them. As far as the social worker and fincial adviser they would be more to help get them into preexisting programs such as something through the fore mentioned hospitals or a lot of the financial assistance foundations/programs that are already in play. Once their individual plan is devised they would then enter into a group atmosphere I would think similar to that of the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program. However it would much less formal, but still give them the option of being with other survivors, motivating each other as well as getting inspiration from them. I haven't worked out all the bugs but that is the general idea.

Then of course there is the adult age group of cancer survivors 40+. Which I think require an entirely different program. It could be similar to the young adult but I would like to be able to include services for their family/caregivers because often they are more involved then most realize. I also think that there are more other medical conditions going in addition to cancer with some people that would be this age group so they would need more than just cancer survivorship guidance but also help with managing this like arthritis, heart disease, etc.

My first year I would think that I would work on developing the program for young adults since I am a young adult and so that is what I am most comfortable with and then we can build from there. I think this idea would take many more years than 5 and lots of work by not only myself but many other people. Just thinking about it is extremely overwhelming and I applaud those people that have successfully started foundations and program similar to this nature as I can only imagine what it took to get that done.

HAWMC Day 4: Care Page

When I was first diagnosed I wasn't really looking for too much information except the basics of general information on Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and the type of treatment I was undergoing. So for that I went to these places...

The American Cancer Society:
www.cancer.org

Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center:
http://www.massgeneral.org/cancer/

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:
www.lls.org

The Lymphoma Research Foundation:
www.lymphoma.org


Mass General served two purposes, first to help orient me with the cancer center as well as my medical team through their online profiles. Second was exploring the information they have on there about my lymphoma.

After my treatment I was looking more to connect with others like me and figure out the recovery/survivorship aspect of cancer. For that I turned to some other outlets.

The Lymphoma Forums:
www.forums.lymphoma.com

LIVESTRONG Foundation
www.livestrong.org
Specifically to get their guidebooks to begin with and then to have as a resource for many other things throughout the cancer journey.

Stupid Cancer:
www.stupidcancer.org

First Descents:
www.firstdescents.org

AKP Foundation:
www.AKPfoundation.org

Immerman Angels:
www.immermanangels.org

I would suggest across the board to definitely check out the website of whatever hospital or cancer center you are having your treatment because not only is there usually information about different types of cancer but also about different services that are offered in different capacities.

There is so much information out there so it is hard to tell where it go. So here is a little list to help get people in the right direction.

If you want to get in on this healthy activist challenge check it out. Even though it's already started you can still join in! http://info.wegohealth.com/hawmc

HAWMC Day 3

Day 3 is Wordless Wednesday: Picture that symbolizes your condition and experience.

This is how I was greeted before my diagnosis with doctors who didn't know what was wrong with me. Then once I was diagnosed I was greeted like this because no one ever knew what to do with me because I went through treatment so well. I was not what they expected. I would have posted an actual picture of my oncologist doing this cause he would throw his hands in the air and tell me he felt useless. I liked being boring!

See you for Day 4!

HAWMC Day 1 & 2

I recently discovered WEGO health thanks to Allie Moorse a fellow Young Adult Cancer Survivor and Blogger. I also discovered that they were doing a healthy post challenge for the month of April. I have been thinking that I am not really taking my blog to where I want it to be mainly probably because of time but whatever the excuse reason I thought this was a great way to try and get it to where I want it to be. If you would like to join in on the challenge be sure to check out WEGO Health.

So here is my post for Day 1 & 2:

Day 1: Getting Started

I write for many reasons but the biggest being that hopefully someone like me will read it and know that you can change your life for the better and make healthy choices. Aside from being a cancer survivor I am also someone who for most of my life was unhealthy in so many ways. I was inactive 90% of the time, I was morbidly obese and having aches, pains and conditions that people much older than me were experiencing. I write to share my journey to help other people and hopefully show them a way that might work for them to become healthier.

Having cancer got me started. Ironically enough I did not start this blog until after I had completed my treatment but that time was the hardest. The first road to recovery is why I started writing and sharing. Reaching out to others who were going through what I was going through. I have just kept it up ever since then.

Why The Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge? Well that is simple, why not? I try to stay health conscious and I want to share what I know and learn with others as well as learn from others in the process. I also want to get more into posting to my blog and I thought this was a great way. I decided to do it now instead of previous years because I only found about it yesterday so I am definitely a NEWBIE!

Day 2: Introduction

Oh where to begin on what my condition(s) are. Well first off I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma with a c-Myc Translocation when I was 27. I went through 5 months of INTENSE chemotherapy and then five days before christmas in 2010 I found out I was cancer free!! That was probably my biggest condition.

I also have mild asthma and what I am guessing are some kind of allergies or environmental irritants. Which sometimes interfere with my physical activity but I try to work my way around it.

5 things I would like to share:
1.) My chemotherapy was one of the most intense first line treatments out there and some how I flew through it with relatively small side effects. So I feel although this was a good thing for me, it puts me at a disadvantage of helping others because I was not the norm.

2.) I try to be active in my writing but also in the cancer community in general to raise awareness of the effects cancer and treatments can have on young adult survivors, their families/friends, etc.

3.) I want to reach a wider audience then just cancer survivors. I identify with many other people just for being over weight. When I started this I weighed over 300lbs now I have lost just about 90lbs without following a new fad diet but learning and making my own choices about how you can live forever not just in the moment.

4.) I find it hard because there is no way to tell exactly how I got lymphoma so there is no way for to say that what I am doing will keep it away. However I know that living a healthy lifestyle will only help not hurt.

5.) Trying to start exercising while having asthma proved to be it's own obstacle. Although mine is mild it has always been exacerbated by exercise so that was quite the trial and error. But with my own perseverance and persistence I found a asthma cocktail that works for me.

Here are a few blog posts that either I wrote or have helped me along the way:

First is what I call Sunday Funday, This it the time I take to plan and prepare my meals for the week.
http://alysadventures1.blogspot.com/2011/08/sunday-fun-day.html

Second is about my very first 5k and about the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program
http://alysadventures1.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-year-new-me.html

My third post to share is from my friend Allie's blog about Lymphoma Awareness day which can be very helpful to those diagnosed with, completeing treatment or living with lymphoma.
http://thegoodhodgkins.wordpress.com/2012/09/15/world-lymphoma-awareness-day-or-all-that-you-wanted-to-know-about-lymphoma-and-more/

That's all for now until Day 3...which will be posted very shortly!