Friday, November 4, 2011

A run -- if you want to call it that


Good day gang members:

It’s way earlier than I want it to be. I still get a touch of insomnia from time-to-time. I’ve been up since almost 0300; man I hate that.

Well I laced my Asics running shoes yesterday afternoon and went to the front lawn and stretched a bit – calves, thighs, hamstrings, and etc. I was quiet because of the deep concentration. Like most athletes I was visualizing the task before me; the smooth gliding of my legs as I moved along pavement, creating that sense of the ground rolling beneath my legs. I got to my feet and looked down the street and saw the road open before me on the crisp fall afternoon. It was a perfect day for a run.

While me brain was fully engaged, my legs were not.

I started. Each step was it’s own personal torture, as my legs seemed to lag behind the commands from my brain. There was no fluidity of motion; it was almost as if my thighs were asleep. Each breath a struggle. I trudged up the street passing house after house as my heart pounded so loud it echoed in my ears. Thump, thump, thump.

Evens so my goal loomed on the horizon if only I had the mental and physical toughness set aside the leg neuropathy and make it that far.  My limbs burned and I slapped the stop sign that mark the halfway point of my run. I sucked in some air, turned around, and faced the road back to my house.

I stopped for a second marveling at my poor physical condition.

I was off again and as I closed to within 100 yards of my house my legs seemed to find their way and each step became a tad smoother. My breath, though still labored, seemed more in control. I was exhausted -- all for the sake of about 650 yards.  If that far. I didn’t keep track of the time because I don’t want to become suicidal. You would have thought I’d run a marathon by how I felt.

But, there is a huge iceberg of good news in this attempt. Toward – mercifully – the end of the run (and that’s generous, it is probably best to describe it as a trudge) my legs did start to feel “normal.” Does that mean I will gain some ground on these side effects as time passes? Will my lethargy go away? Will my legs, feet, and toes stop tingling. Is this something I can control with exercise? This is all very positive.

It was about as miserable a run I have ever had in my life. It truly sucked and highlighted how far I have to go, but it was also inspiring.

All of the literature from the National Cancer Institute insists that exercise is an important component of any recovery effort – chemo effort too for that matter. Oh well, we’ll see.

I guess that’s it for now!!

Peace,

Speedy

No comments:

Post a Comment