Back on Track….

Last Thursday marked a week following my surgery (s) and it was a week of good news—my pathology came back with solid margins, so no more surgeries and I should be able to begin radiation treatments in 2 more weeks. I see the radiation oncologist this Thursday and my surgeon on Friday. Another piece of good news came from my mom who found out her cancer had not spread. However, due to the aggressiveness of her form of breast cancer (inflammatory) and the advanced stage (it did spread to her lymph nodes) she must undergo chemo and radiation.
So it feels good to be back on track. I cycled three days last week, water ran two times (tried to swim each time, but there is still swelling, so it was pretty uncomfortable) and walked the dogs every day. It looks like the weather will be really nice here this week, so I will hit the bike as much as I can, keep trying to swim and will give land running a go soon.
24 weeks out of IM NYC….
My workout of the week was a Deep Water Run:
In the deep end with a belt easy run for 10 minutes.
Then 1 minute straight leg kicking hard (be sure that your toes are pointed and that you "feel" the water on the front and back of your legs) and 1 minute easy and repeat this pattern 5 times through for a total of 10 minutes.
Then easy run for 10 minutes.
Total time 30 minutes

Not in the plan….

Well, Thursday rolled around quickly and I headed to the Breast Center for an 8:45 appointment. I only got in a couple of workouts that week—just did not have much energy. I was going to run before I headed in but I did not want to get any more dehydrated as I was thirsty enough from not drinking or eating anything since the night before. So a long walk with the dogs was my exercise for the day.
At the Breast Center they had to insert two wires into my breast to mark the two cancer spots for the surgeon—I will never complain about the discomfort associated with a mammogram again! With my breast in the mammography machine, I was numbed, 2 large gauge needles inserted, then the wires were thread through the needles, needles removed and pictures were taken at every step. I was wrapped up with two wires coming out of my breast and sent over to the day surgery hospital.
I was prepped and ready to go at 11:00 for what the doc said would be an hour or so surgery. He said that I could shower the next day, return to normal daily activity on Saturday, swim in a week and run in two—no impact for a while for the jostling could cause a hematoma to form in the breast and that could be a problem. So, did not sound too bad—I was already planning my trainer ride for Saturday and a swim and water run for a week from Friday. I awoke in the recovery room a bit groggy but feeling okay—I guess pain killers are a good thing. I was adorned with really cute tube top and sexy boxers—got to love the swag from surgery. The nurse said that all went well and that I would be discharged in a bit. All going as planned so far….
I got home around 4:00 and assumed my position on the couch. My friends Donna and Kristen brought dinner over—not so much for me, but for my husband, Terry. I am the cook in the family and they were afraid that he would turn to cereal or gasp, take-out; so, liquids for me and real food for him. My friends asked if I were in pain and I said “that a hot poker in the eye is painful, this is just more discomfort.” I have a pretty high tolerance for pain—guess this comes from having gone through child birth two times and completing nine Ironman races. Around 6:00 I felt a bit of a twinge in my breast and it started to swell and swell and swell. It did not seem like normal post surgery edema and it started becoming really uncomfortable.
I called the doc on call and he said that it sounded like I developed a hematoma and that I could come in to the ER and he could take a look or I could try to tough it out and come in to the office in the morning. Thank goodness I did not run too soon—no one mentioned reaching for a glass of water could cause a hematoma!!!! Not wanting to spend the night in the ER, I decided to try to “tough it out” for the night. He said to double up on the pain pills, so I tried that. He called me back around 8:00 and with my pain level (pills did not touch it) he suggested that I come right in—he would call ahead so I would not have to wait too long. So off we went to the ER.
They checked me in pretty quickly, gave me something for my nausea and finally for the pain. The doc took one look at my quadruple D and said he was rolling me into surgery. Ah two surgeries in one day—that was not in the brochure…..
So another hour in surgery, another wake-up in the recovery room and another nurse saying all went well. Still not in much pain—this time they were dosing me with morphine, but my throat was pretty sore from breathing tubes x 2. I arrived in my room around 1:00 AM and after a restless night, the doc came in around 8:00 AM and said that he removed a small grapefruit sized hematoma but could not find what caused the bleed—how could that fit in there?! My first surgeon also came in to check on me and said that I should take iron for a couple months after losing “so much blood.”--wonderful…. My husband broke me out around 3:00 PM on Friday after they weaned me from liquid pain killers to pills. I resumed my position on the couch and started “recovering” one more time.
I am not a big TV watcher and I have seen enough in the last several days to last a long time—thank goodness there were some college basketball games on this weekend and a Law and Order marathon. I finally had to turn the Food Channel off as I started seeing the same shows again. Today was a better day and I was expecting a call from the doc about the pathology of the tissue removed—I called him after lunch and no report yet. Hopefully he was aggressive and took large margins—I do not want to go in for round three, that definitely is not in the plan….
Make it a good day,
Karen

One down...

My surgery (lumpectomy) is scheduled for tomorrow AM and I will be glad to have this behind me. Last week my training was up and down, as is this week’s. My energy level is low---mental stress can really wipe you out….. I was under the weather this weekend and decided to take Saturday and Sunday completely off. I am feeling better this week, but have only gotten in one run. Walking the dogs seems to be my only certain activity each day—Merlin & Tanuki have become my “therapy dogs” and our walks are calming.

After the surgery, I am not allowed to run for a couple of weeks, so I plan to focus on my bike and overall strength. Once the incision heals, I can hit the pool and will deep water run, as well as swim. Yoga still remains on my list of to-dos. I missed it last week and hope to get a friend to meet me for a class at least once per week.
I am 26 weeks out of IM NYC and 12 weeks out of St. Croix….
Workout of the Week:
30 minute 200’s form work:
200 easy swim--50 kick (25 free, 25 breast)
200 drill done as 2 x 100 by 25s (right arm, left arm, catch-up, fast swim)--50 kick (25 free, 25 breast)
200 kick with fins (25 free, 25 fly)--50 kick (25 free, 25 breast)
200 scull with pull buoy done as 25 scull (front, mid, dog paddle), 25 pull--50 kick (25 free, 25 breast)
200 easy pull--50 kick (25 free, 25 breast)
**“Kick” is with a board, no fins and the rest interval between sets is 20 seconds.
For more on the drills and sculling, go to http://www.coachbuxton.com/Drills-FreestyleSwim.pdf and http://www.coachbuxton.com/Article-GetAFeelForTheWater.pdf
Train smart,
Karen

Good News!

The past two weeks have flown by with more visits to doctors and tests than I have ever had—surgeon, oncologist, gynecologist, genetic counselor and radiation oncologist……
I received good news on Friday from the genetic counselor—I am negative for the breast cancer gene! The was a huge layer of stress that was peeled away and now I can move forward with a lumpectomy and then 6 weeks of radiation. Hopefully I can get my surgery scheduled in the next week or so, as I will have to wait 3 weeks after that to begin the radiation treatments. I cannot run for a couple of weeks after the surgery, but can do low impact exercise—cycling and swimming—deep water running (once the area has healed). During the radiation I can continue to do my regular workouts as tolerated—fatigue will be the biggest side affect from the treatments….. I want to at least maintain my base as St. Croix is my first “A” race in early May.
Over the last two weeks I have hit my goal of cycling at least 2 times per week (either spin, trainer or outdoors), but have missed a run each week and missed one swim last week. This week is the last week of prep and my two goals are to go to yoga once this week and hit the pool three times. The weather will be nice and I should be able to get out on the bike a couple of days and will do my usual 3-4 runs and 1-2 strength sessions. This may all be a bust if I can get my surgery scheduled this week…..
With each blog entry I am going to include my favorite workout of the week. Last week I needed to be by my phone so I did my hill repeats on the treadmill.

Hour Treadmill Hill Workout:
30 minutes easy at .5% to 1.5% incline—slowly increase speed until you are in high zone 2. Then:

2 minutes @ 2%, 1 minute @ 1%--2 minutes @ 3%, 1 minute @ 1%--2 minutes @ 4%, 1 minute @ 1%--2 minutes @ 5%, 5 minutes @ 1%. Then:

Increase your speed .25 to .5 MPH every couple of minutes so that you negative split the final 10-15 minutes of the workout. After the hour slow the speed and walk for 5 to 10 minutes for your cool down.

Make it a great day!
Karen

Priorities....

I spent the first part of this week in NJ to be with my mom while she had her surgery (double mastectomy) and get her settled in at home. She was admitted on Monday and home on Wednesday—she is one tough woman! My workout schedule took a bit of a hit while I was traveling and I was only able to get in two short (35) minute hilly runs while I was there. Thursday as I came into town, I went right to the gym and swam easy for 30 minutes and then a short core session. Friday was an early biopsy (in the MRI) so workouts were a bust as I am a bit sore. Once I find out the result of this biopsy and that information, along with a genetic test later next week, will determine the course of treatment….
Since my last tri in October, I have been staying fit, exercising more that working out. My training has been “run” heavy and I have competed in a couple 5k’s and a ½ marathon. The Myrtle Beach ½ is on my upcoming schedule as is the Winter Flight 8k, but all is dependent upon when I need to start treatment/have surgery….
This week finishes my 2nd week of Prep and I have three more weeks at 10 hours of training before things ramp up a bit. I am being very flexible in my schedule, not fretting if I miss something or need to move things around. I am home all week next week with just a couple of appointments, so working out will be a priority—it feels so good to accomplish the workout, happy that I can get out and do what I love to do.
Training goals for next week are:
1) Hit the pool three times
2) Cycle at least 2 times
3) Strength train at least 2 times
4) Run four times including an 1.5 to 1.75 hour run
Get after it,
Karen

Three words I never thought that I would hear....

This week I was to begin my focused training for the 2012 NYC Ironman. I signed up for this event, my 10th IM, to compete in memory of my brother Jeff who died this past July from colon cancer at the age of 55. One of my local clients, as well as one from CA and one from MI, will also be competing. My local client, Phil and one of our training partners, Dina and I have decided to “race for a cause” for this Ironman. Our cause will be hospice—they spent 8 weeks at my home, helping me care for my brother and I could not have imagined caring for him without their help. So, we have created Team Tri for Hospice and will look to raise money that will go to a local hospice (triad region of NC) to help patients with necessities that insurance and Medicare will not cover. More information on this as we move forward…..
I had planned on blogging about my training for my 10th Ironman in my 50th year—I turn 50 on August 8th, three days before the IM. My training for long distance events has evolved quite a bit since my first IM in Florida in 1999, and I thought that I would share my preparation as I attempt to qualify for Kona (my last time at the big dance was in 2004)—yes, I am going for it! But as 2011 came to a close things changed a bit—a routine mammogram (I have been getting them once a year for about ten years due to dense breast tissue) caught the attention of radiologist (with luck on my side it was my training friend, Dina) who just didn’t like what she saw. After another mammogram and with Dina’s pushing, a biopsy of my right breast, I found out on December 29th that I have breast cancer….
I never imagined in a million years that I would hear those three words, “it is cancer” and I am still not sure if it has sunk in…. I am active, healthy, eat well, have all of my routine medical exams, love my work and have a wonderful husband and two great kids. So, as I learned through my brother’s cancer, the disease is indiscriminate—you never know…. To add more stress to the pot, my mother (81 years old) was diagnosed with breast cancer two days before me and will have a double mastectomy on Jan. 9th. Her diagnoses really put mine in perspective and what I will go through pales in comparison of what she will have to endure.
I am generally a private person but felt that writing this training blog, “with a twist” might help athletes and non-athletes who have breast cancer the deal with the disease---that it might bring to the light the importance of early detection (my mother had not had a mammogram in 30 years)--and that you can’t let bumps in the road deter you from your goals, hopes and dreams. I am looking at this cancer as an “inconvenience” and will continue training for the August IM. What I will have to do to adjust my training, I do not know yet. But I will forge on, doing what I need to do to “take care of this inconvenience” while supporting my mother while she deals with her cancer.
It would be great to hear from others who have been diagnosed with cancer, not just breast, and how they managed their treatments while training. My plan is to update this blog at least one time per week. I am off to the surgeon on Friday, to NJ on Sunday to be with my mom for her surgery and then another biopsy (MRI) for another spot in my breast on the 13th.
Take charge,
Karen

Belews Lake Sprint

On April 17th I competed in the Belews Lake Sprint Triathlon in Stokesdale, NC. Here is the race review:
Belews Lake Sprint: 750M swim, 14 mile bike, 5k run
April 17, 2010
Stokesdale, NC
Entry fee: early $55, late $65
Hotels: Most are 20 to 30 minutes away, either in Greensboro or out by the Piedmont Triad Airport
Travel: 20-30 minute drive from Greensboro, NC
Restaurants: Not much around the lake—need to venture into Greensboro where there are lots of choices
Race Goodies: T-shirt and Hammer Gel
Course:
Swim-The swim is in a clean lake with a sandy bottom and the water temperature ranges between 69 and 74 degrees all year round (thanks to Duke Energy)! The race was an in-water start time-trial start with participants swimming a triangular-shaped course. Participants exited the water at the end of the boat launch and had to run about 50 yards to the transition area.
Run—The run is a rolling out and back on mostly paved road (a short portion is on a gravel road). The finish is a speedy ½ mile downhill to the finish line.
Bike—The bike is a rolling loop course on low traffic roads.
Aid Stations: There were two aid stations on the run.
Volunteers: Friendly, helpful volunteers.
Expo: At the race site—Inside Out sports were set-up at the site with the basics….
Timing: Chip timing—Benji Jones does a great job with the race.
Awards: Awards were visors and socks…
Post Race Food: Drinks, pizza, hot dogs, chips, fruit….
Parking: Plenty of parking available at by the lake—the earlier you can get there, the better.
Porta Potties: Lake facilities and porta potties by the transition area.
Transition Areas: There was a large paved transition area with good flow—some small rocks/pebbles throughout the transition area. The racks were numbered, as were the individual spots.
Waves: Time trial start for the swimmers, going off in pairs…..
Synopsis: This is a great home-town race that is well run on a fun course. It is so nice to just roll out of bed and head to a race that is just 20 minutes away!!!

Rating: 4.0 CRANKS

Scale:
1 CRANK = Don't even think about doing this race...
2 CRANKS = Hmmmmm, a last resort...
3 CRANKS = Not bad, you get what you pay for...
4 CRANKS = Solid event all around...
5 CRANKS = Can't miss, a must-do race...