I Ran a Mile Today

 

Big whoop, is this really newsworthy? Probably not, it's just a measly mile after all. But I mention it for two reasons - one to keep myself motivated and the other for anyone else who would like to begin an exercise regimen but might be hesitant to start for any number of reasons.

It seems like only a little while ago that I was routinely running 5-7 miles. In fact, in the month of June, just before my surgery, I was averaging 5 miles with long runs over 7 miles. 

But then there was the surgery and the requisite cessation of all physical activities for 6 weeks during the recuperation period. And cycling would have to wait for another 6 months! 

I was pretty good about walking almost every day, but eagerly looked forward to my first run. It turns out, "run" might be a bit of an exaggeration. Let's be real, it was more like a slow jog. And it did not feel great at all, except when it was over. Seven weeks proved more than enough time to completely wipe out any semblance of running conditioning that I had managed to achieve pre-surgery. There's no question, I'm starting at the very beginning here. When you throw in the added effects of the ADT prostate cancer treatment that I'm still on, even a simple 1-mile run feels like hiking through the mud with boots on. 

Still, I hope this single mile forms a foundation that I can build on. Yes, I'm a far cry from my 2017 Ironman training that had me pairing 10+ mile training runs with 50-mile bike rides on the same day. But you have to start somewhere. 

My goals now are quite a bit simpler than they were in 2017. There are studies going on now comparing the effects of moderate exercise on prostate cancer survival as well as general health. My goal now is to get my runs back up to the 45-60 minute range on alternating days. I'd love to do this every day, but I know from experience that my legs will rebel. On the days I don't run, I'll substitute brisk walking, > 3 mph, for bicycling, until I'm able to resume that activity in January. I plan to do another another post on some really interesting work being down by Dr. June Chan at UCSF on exercise, diet, and positive effects on Prostate and other cancers. For now, here's a great video I'd recommend watching: Diet and Exercise: Living With Prostate Cancer.

And this serves as my example that I would offer to anyone looking to commence or resume an exercise program. You have to start somewhere and if I can grind through a lowly 1 mile run, anyone can!

PS - For anyone who stumbles on to this site with an interest in books on cancer, I've added a page with some of the books that I would recommend, found here.

Cheers!