Still running after second chemo treatment

I received my second chemo treatment on Wednesday, which was an all day affair of blood tests and about 5 hours of intravenous injections. I had a rough night with stomach pain and some nausea, and the next day I was feeling pretty blah. I also received a shot of Neulasta on Thursday to help keep my white blood count up. I didn’t feel any side effects from that. By the Friday I was feeling pretty good and was able to run 5 miles. I wasn’t able to run a very long run or put in a lot of miles this week, but that is ok. Most marathon training programs have a 3 week cycle, 2 weeks of building miles and then a rest week involving reduced miles. That works well with my 3-week chemo cycle. Next week I look at increasing the miles again.

The big news this week - I am officially registered for Grandma’s this June. Even more good news - my big brother Cary has also registered. This will be his first marathon and I look forward to running the race with him.

I would like to thank everyone who has shown support. This is truly a team effort and every little bit of your support strengthens my spirit to go the distance. I must give a special thanks to my wife Renee, who has been by my side through the toughest times. Running is an important part of my overall wellbeing; but my wife’s love is an essential part of my existence.

Lee Strandjord