slacker status achieved | #50MILETRAINING WEEK 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 & 8 & 9 & 10

So yeah, about that 50 mile training. Training has been going pretty good, blogging, however…

I suck. And life happens. *shrug*

So, let’s recap the last 7 weeks. If you’d like to read about the first 3 or the race I am tackling, click here.

Week 4 | This week started with chemo, cycle 3 of 6. I also got my *official* confirmation of meeting all the requirements to be an RRCA Level 1 Running Coach! Woohoo! More on that later though. Miles went okay, chemo week is always rough. The end of the week brought a race. I tackled the 30K at Tejas Trails Capt’n Karl’s Pedernales Falls Night Race while Bryan did the 60K (his last ultra until after retirement). The race was a lot of fun, but hard. It was hot, rocky, and dark…LOL! I hit my “training run” goal but missed my ultimate goal. I still count it as a huge win being chemo week! | Total Miles – 28.5

Week 5 |  This week’s miles were a combo of running and walking. Time on your feet is time on your feet in my eyes. I also got back in the silks for an aerial yoga class, my favorite way to cross-train! | Total Miles – 31.89

Week 6 | This week was spent in the dirt. And I don’t mean just miles on the trails, I literally mean in the dirt. Falling has become my new norm and I am very frustrated by it. I don’t normally fall and now I am almost scared to step foot on the trails. I got up, dusted off, and finished my miles because crying won’t get you to the finish line. | Total Miles – 34

Week 7 | This week was again spent on the ground earning more battle scars. I got my miles finished but opted to hike the day after my long run instead. I just couldn’t mentally take another fall so soon.  | Total Miles – 35.8

Week 8 | This week had its highs and its lows. It started with chemo cycle 4 of 6 but ended with no falls, long runs with friends, and Jacey conquered her 2nd half marathon! Woohoo! | Total Miles – 28.64

Week 9 | I swore I was going to stay off trails this week to avoid falling and open wounds before vacation (no one wants a possible flesh-eating bacteria), but that didn’t work. This whole retirement process has me stressed out to the hilt. I took it slow and I didn’t fall. YAY! @0 mile long run with Bryan and he didn’t leave me behind. More YAY! | Total Miles – 27

Week 10 | Vacation Week! Miles this week were low, but I needed it. We needed it. Bryan and I headed to Kauai to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We kayaked and hiked and snorkeled and relaxed and ate all the foods. Oh, and I fell. Again. Multiple times. | Total Miles – 17.33

Overall, I am happy about how training is going. Am I hitting every workout as prescribed? No. Am I stressing about it? Again, no. I know through not only past training cycles but also my new running coach education, that individual workouts will not make or break a training cycle or race. Cumulative gains are what you need to worry about.

I am worried and frustrated about the chemo side effects though. In addition to the falling, I have been having random heart rate spikes, for no apparent reason. Not during running, instead I will just be sitting still and my watch will start going haywire. They end about as fast as they start, no pain, no dizziness, no lightheadedness. Just a fast heart rate. My doc is not overly concerned since I have no other symptoms in conjunction with the spikes, but wants us to keep an eye on it.

And the falling. I talked to my doctor about it a few days ago. I feel like my brain just isn’t processing what I see fast enough for my limbs to respond. Dr. S is going to do more research but definitely thinks there is a link to the falling and the chemo meds. They affect everything in your body, including your cognitive ability. He’s hoping that the issues will lessen, if not resolve once my Rituxan infusions are over and I am only on the Venetoclax. We shall see. Five years later, I am still suffering the “chemobrain” effects from my first round of chemo. In the meantime, I guess I just need to buy stock in bacitracin and band-aids. ;-)

On to week 11…