LA Marathon - Powered By Chemo

Its been about two weeks since I ran my last marathon. I still can't believed it happened! This was my 19th marathon ever, but first marathon while battling brain cancer. I ran this race fresh off my new peak dose of chemo, ready for whatever my body was capable of, and aware that I might not make it to the finish line due to chemo fatigue. 

Thanks to years of marathon training though, a lot of determination, the support of my amazing friend Tara, and the grace of God, we finished the race side by side 5 hours and 24 minutes later. This was my slowest marathon ever, but the most fulfilling.

I could blather on endlessly about how amazing this race was and how happy I am that I ran, but I'll just let these pictures tell the story.

Wonder Woman Outfit Ready to Go!

Tutu by Glam Runner

Picking up my Number at the Expo

Race Morning - Ready to Run

"Powered by Chemo"

and

"Impossible Things Happen Every Day"

Students Run LA Kids

Some of them were as young as 13!

First Photo Checkpoint - Mile 5

Bumped into SF Marathon Ambassador Laura

Mile 10 - Almost Halfway Done

Bumped into Glam Runner Norma - Go Tutus!

Glam Heroes Cheer Station at Mile 11

Look Who Made it to Mile 15? We Did!

Super Girl Showing off her Flying Skills

Mile 20 - Seriously? We're almost done!

Photo with Firemen, Why Not?

Mile 26 - Nothing but Victory From Here to the Finish

Met Another Wonder Woman Cheering on the Course

A Third Wonder Woman Joined Us for the Picture

Approaching the Finish Line

These Moments Make it All Worth It!

LA Marathon 2013 - WE DID IT!!!

And so did the guy with the box of Krispy Kremes??

Happy Finishers - Can't Smile Much Bigger

My Favorite Fan - David Showed up at SIX Locations

My Awesome Support Crew - Cousin Giselle, Christina, & David

Love my SF/LA Marathon Challenge Medal

It's hard to believe its been almost two weeks since the marathon. I wish it hadn't passed yet so I could experience the day all over again! I had so much fun running in costume through the streets of LA, and each mile that I ran made me feel more and more like my old self and let me believe for just a few hours that I was a strong and healthy person, not a cancer patient.  Huge thanks go out to my friend Tara for running with me. She trained with me for months, ran as slow as I needed to, walked whenever I asked, and never complained once. Her selfless attitude really made this whole experience possible for me, and I couldn't have run without her. Also huge thanks to David for spending the morning driving from one spot to another on the course and for showing up and making me smile six different times. I also loved seeing my marathon wifey Christina at a couple spots on the course, and my cousin Giselle at the finish.

Next up on my calendar is the San Francisco Half Marathon in June, and then mayyybeeeee Tara and I will run the Long Beach Marathon in October. I'm already at marathon #19 - might as well run one more and get to marathon #20!

Marathon #19 - On Chemo

Tomorrow I will be running the LA Marathon! On chemo! Okay, well not technically on chemo - I took my last pill for this round on Monday night. Even though its been almost a week, I still feel the effects. I'm on chemo 5 days a month, and then get the next 23 days to recover. I usually feel pretty tired during the two weeks after the chemo, enjoy several days of feeling "normal" again ... and then its time to start the next round.

LA Marathon 2006

Marathon #4 on my 4 year anniversary of racing!
First race was the Mercury Times 10K in 2002.

Last year before I was diagnosed with a brain tumor I was in the middle of training for the Marine Corps Marathon. I had run marathons #17 and #18 earlier in the year, Carlsbad (recap) and San Francisco (recap), and was planning to run #19 and #20 in October and December. Well, life had other plans and my training came to a screeching halt and I soon found myself in the hospital for brain surgery, followed by radiation and chemo for six weeks. As soon as I was cleared to run post-surgery, I started to go for easy 3-4 mile runs in Balboa Park. The more I ran, the more I felt like my old self. After a few weeks, the idea of running marathon #19 crept back into my head. I thought about it for a while and looked at what races were coming up next year and decided on the LA Marathon in March. 

First Long Run with GOTR Friends

In December I officially started training for the LA Marathon and started up with my Saturday long runs. As always, life had other plans. Chemo was pretty rough on me in January and I barely got off the couch for two weeks. February was much better but still had me out for a full week. I'm proud to say that in March though .. I ran throughout the whole month! Granted I missed a lot of training runs here and there since I was starting a new job and had less time in the morning thanks to a terrible commute, but I was still out there.

Mermaid Half Marathon - My First On-Chemo Race

There are so many reasons why I want to run the LA Marathon. First and foremost, its because I love running and I love running marathons. The second reason is because I feel like marathon #19 was stolen from me by cancer, and I want to take it back. Other reasons? I don't know, there are so many. Being able to run regularly makes me feel invincible, it makes me feel like I don't have an "incurable" cancer, and it makes me feel like anything is possible.

16 Mile Run - Furthest Since My Diagnosis

20 Mile Run - Unstoppable!

If you told me 10 years ago that I could run a marathon I would have thought you were crazy. It seemed as impossible to me as lifting a car with my bare hands. In the past 7 years though I've managed to do what I thought was impossible 18 times, and hopefully 19 after this weekend. Running has been an amazing part of my life, and I think it has conditioned me to face my new life challenges with cancer with more hope and determination. When you're tired, you keep going. When you doubt yourself, you try to dig deep and push further. If you think a goal is out of reach, try to create a plan for how you're going to get there, and then go for it.

LA/SF Marathon Challenge Medal - Getting Mine Sunday!

LA Marathon Outfit - Powered By Chemo

Tutu by Glam Runner

Tomorrow I'll be running the LA Marathon to prove to myself yet again that nothing is impossible. Its going to be a slow race for me, but one of the most meaningful. If you want to track my progress you can sign up for text or email alerts online here. If you're up early, say a prayer for me. And if you're out on the course, give me and Tara a high five!

Cheering at the San Diego Half Marathon

My LA Marathon Story

Next weekend on March 17th I'm planning on running the LA Marathon. This marathon means more to me than any other marathon I have ever run. (Well except possibly my first one.)

I was on the LA Marathon website recently and saw that you could submit your story. I immediately wanted to share my story in case it helps others going through something similar. When diagnosed with cancer it is easy to give up on life and stop living. I refuse to do that though and have kept on living my life - with a huge part of my life being running. I may be slow now, but I'm still out there.

My Marathon Story:

Last fall I was training for my 3^rd marathon in 2012 and my 19^th marathon ever when I received terrible news. The headaches I had been experiencing for the past six months weren’t from a neck sprain, stress, or some other “normal” condition. They were being caused by a brain tumor. Just a few days after completing a 16-mile long run, I was in the hospital discussing a treatment plan for the next few months. As the neurologist talked to me about surgery, radiation, and chemo, one of the first things I asked him was if he thought I could still run the Marine Corps Marathon the following month. He looked at me dumbstruck for a minute before telling me  “No, don’t plan on it. You’re going to be very busy.”

Busy meant a number of things. I was in the hospital two weeks later for brain surgery. Due to the location of the tumor it could not be removed surgically, so the course of treatment for me would be radiation and chemo. The purpose of my surgery was to biopsy the tissue and to install a shunt to drain the fluid that was building up in my brain and causing my headaches. Following the surgery I wasn’t allowed to be physically active for a month. A whole month! The month was difficult to wait out but I made it through the month …. Only to be confronted with radiation and chemo as soon as I was “recovered”. 

When I first consulted with the radiation oncologist and we discussed the course of treatment, he warned me that most people ended up on disability by the end of the six weeks and weren’t able to work. I was scared by this possibility but I was still hopeful. I had made it through my surgery with flying colors and recovered faster than expected, so maybe this would be the same. Fortunately I was right! I was able to work throughout the six-week period AND I was able to continue running 4-5 times a week. As I continued to run throughout my treatment I started to think about running marathon #19 – the marathon that had been taken away from me. After looking at a few races in the area I set my eyes on the LA marathon. I ran LA once before in 2006 and loved it. I had also run the San Francisco Marathon in 2012 so running LA in 2013 would qualify me for the LA/SF Marathon Challenge medal.  I talked to one of my favorite crazy marathon friends who is always down to race with me to see if she’d run LA with me, by my side. She was in!

Although I left radiation treatment behind me in 2012, chemo is still a part of my life. I’m currently on a 5 days on / 23 days off regimen for 2013 and possibly 2014.  During the chemo week and part of the week following, I’m pretty tired. At times I’m not just tired, I’m exhausted. If I’m able to run, I’m running pretty slowly. I get winded really easily now and need to take frequent walk breaks, but I’m happy to just be able to get out there. I PR’d in the marathon in December 2011 with a 3:57. After years and years of trying, I was finally able to break 4 hours! In my current state I’ll be happy to finish the LA Marathon in under 6 hours. Training has been difficult and my long runs have been incredibly slow, but getting myself out there helps me prove to myself that I can still do things in life that I could do before my diagnosis. Running is a huge part of my life that I don’t want to give up. Running marathons is a part of who I am.

Throughout my treatment and training this year I wasn’t even sure I’d make it to the start line of the LA Marathon. If I do, I’m not sure I will make it to the finish. I will have one of my closest friends running and walking by my side the whole way, and I can’t wait for us to get to the finish next Sunday, regardless of the time on the finish clock. LA Marathon – my brain tumor and I are coming for you!