Running Grandma’s Marathon: A Joyous Celebration of a Victory over Cancer

About seven months ago I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and was giving two to sixth months to live without successful chemo treatment. That news initially crushed all my hopes to run Grandma’s marathon. How can I overcome the devastating effects of chemo and be in condition to run 26.2 miles? Then I read stories about others who have beat cancer and chemo with endurance training. These people showed us that the human body and spirit are capable of imaginable accomplishments while battling one of the most dreadful things. At first I really didn’t expect I would be running a marathon shortly after chemo and there were times during my training I had doubt. Now I wish I was a writer, so I could express in words how I felt last Saturday while running Grandma’s marathon. It was glorious.

At about 6:45AM I arrived at the starting line on one of hundreds of school busses shuttling only runners from various places. There were thousands of runners already there and thousands more coming in a constant flow of school buses. Rock & roll music was playing loudly and there were decorations along the starting line which had two long fences on each side to corral the runners on scenic highway 61. There must have been hundreds of porta-potties; but not enough to keep the lines short. I’ve learned the first thing a runner should do when arriving at a marathon starting line is to get into the porta-potty line. You can tell first time runners, the ones that make a stop at the trees shortly after the race has started.

The North Shore Scenic train arrived with its whistle horn blowing and then stopped on the tracks that ran alongside the starting line. My wife and two boys, my parents and my brother and his wife were on the train. The train passengers got out and walked on the tracks to check out the sights and look for their runner. I’m very fortunate to have family sharing the experience.

When I arrived at the starting line the temperature was cool in the lower 50s, but as soon as the sun rose above the horizon the temperature jumped up quickly. The humidity was higher than expected too. It turned out to be on the warm side for a marathon, but not devastating heat like there was during the TC marathon last year. The winner of the 2007 TC marathon said that he kept as cool as possible by pouring water on his head at every water station. So I tried that at Grandma’s and it worked very well. Every water station I would grab two cups of water, drink one then pour one over my head. Then grab two more before leaving the water station. Volunteers were also handing out white sponges soaked with cool water. I quickly learned to grab those too. After each water station I was soaking wet. But that combined with a breeze had a tremendous cooling effect.

The energy at the starting line was just amazing with 7,103 runners lined up and rock & roll playing over the loud speakers. Then there was a moment of silence for last year’s Grandma’s winner Wesley Ngetich who was killed in his home country of Kenya during a peacemaking situation that turned violent. After that there was the national anthem and then two F-16 fighter jets flew over. I didn’t hear the horn that signals the start of the race. But when the train blew its whistle and started rolling I knew the race had begun.

Guessing by where I was in the starting line, I would say there were about 4000 to 5000 runners ahead of me. Unlike the TC marathon, Grandma’s has some long stretches where you can see the course ahead for at least a mile. It was an awesome sight to see scenic highway 61 packed solid with runners out to the horizon. I had no problems starting out at a good slow pace, because I had no choice for about the first two miles. After that the runners were spread out just enough for a little wiggle room. But it wasn’t until about 5 miles that I was able to really set into my own pace.

I did exactly what I had planned to do, set my pace to keep a good heart rate rather a pace to finish at a specific time. During the first few miles I maintained my heart rate in the mid 150s. At about mile 10 I let my average heart rate reach 160. My heart rate would vary between 157 and 162, depending on if I was going up hill or down hill. I monitored it very closely by checking the heart rate monitor on my wrist about every minute or so. I crossed the halfway marker with an elapsed time of about 2:04, which made me to believe I was in striking distance to break the 4 hour barrier at the finish line. However, I stayed to my plan of maintaining a heart rate of 160 or less. At about mile 17 my pace had to start slowing to maintain a constant heart rate. By mile 20 I knew that a 4 hour finish was not obtainable and I stuck to my plan. If I would have tried for a faster pace, I most likely would have succumbed to exhaustion and retreated to walking much of the last few miles. But my planned worked out and for the first time ever I was able to complete the entire marathon without walking.

About the last 6 miles of the marathon runs though Duluth and was continuously lined with spectators cheering on the runners with words of encouragement. My favorite part of the race is the interaction with the crowd, high-fiving and screaming victory cries. But after mile 23 all I could muster up was a little nod and a squeak. About the last mile I was starting to get a little delirious. All I could do was focus on the finish line.
I had absolutely no problems with tendonitis I had a couple of weeks ago in my foot, but at about mile 23 I was feeling a lot of pain in my thighs. Every little hill was a challenge, but rather than reverting to walking I adjusted my gate to short but quick running steps. Not only does this help maintain a good pace, I’ve found that maintaining some type of running gate is actually less painful than walking.

I crossed the finish line in a gun time of 4:23:09 and a chip time of 4:19:54. Gun time (official time) is the time from the start of the race to when a runner crosses the finish line. Chip time is the time from when the runner crosses the starting line to when crossing the finish line. With thousands of runners in front of me, it takes a few minutes just to cross the starting line. My original goal while going through chemo was just to finish under 6 hours; after that they close the course and pick up stragglers with buses. Even though my time wasn’t a personal record, I felt the best about my performance at Grandma’s. On my previous two marathons I regretted some of my decisions on strategy and execution. This time I had absolutely no regrets; I wouldn’t have done anything differently.

I was glad that I had printed on my running shirt “Chemo-Man” on the front and “Run Chemo-Man Run” on the back. That was all that was needed for spectators and runners to know my story, which most people have felt in their lives in some way or another. Many runners pulled up beside me to ask about details. Spectators were constantly waving, giving a thumbs-up and yelling out things like, “way to go chemo-man”. One elderly woman sitting in a chair along London road in Duluth yelled out, “Chemo-man, I’m a chemo-man too”. There were times that I got choked up with tears. Just about everyone has known the pain and devastation of cancer and what one goes through to fight it. It not only wreaks havoc on the patient but family and friends too. So those times when we win the battle calls for a joyous celebration. My victory is not a personal victory. I did not do this on my own. There are so many people to thank, millions of people. My wife, family, friends, doctors, nurses, hospital staff, volunteers, those who have donated money for cancer research and those who have sacrificed their lives are all a part of my victory.

Now what’s next for Chemo-man? I’m signed up for the Twin City marathon that runs on October 5th. Do I go as Chemo-man? Do I keep updating my blog? I’ve heard through the grapevine that there are people that read my blog. My hope is that my story will inspire others to use physical conditioning as a way to fight cancer, the side effects of chemo treatment, or whatever troubles they may have. I would like to hear from you. Please click on the comments link at the end of this post. You can remain anonymous. Or send me an email at: runchemomanrun@mchsi.com. There is also a voting button at the top right of my blog.

Chemo-Man Completes Grandma's Marathon

I finished Grandma’s marathon beyond my expectations and I have a wonderful story to share. However, tonight I’m relaxing with my family and need to keep this post short. I just wanted to let everyone know that the race went well. In the next couple of days I’ll make a post with all the details. For now, here are some statistics.

Number of Entries (record): 9,888
Number of Starters: 7,103
Number of Finishers (need to finish under 6 hours): 6,759
My Place: 2974
My Gun Time: 4:23:09
My Chip Time: 4:19:54

Listen To My Heart

I'm in the living room at my suite in Two Harbors, MN. It's almost 9PM and Grandma's marathon starts tomorrow at 7:30AM. My family will be getting up at 3:30AM to drive to Duluth, get on a tourist train that will take them back to Two Harbors to see the start of the race. The train will then follow the runners to the finish line. I'll take a shuttle bus from the Superior Shores Resort to the starting line. The shuttle doesn't leave until 6:10AM I get to sleep in. Ha ha.

The temperature is already very cool. At race time it should be in the 50s, near perfect temperature for running. Temperature and humidity have a big impact on a runner's speed. Tomorrow should be a good day for a fast race. When I ran my 8 mile run last weekend I was surprised at my average pace, about 9:00/mile. That's fast enough to finish Grandma's under 4 hours, which has been a big goal of mine. However, I need to be careful and not get too greedy. I was never planning on doing Grandma's under 4 hours, I just wanted to complete the race. If I start out too fast, I'll have a poor finish and poor time. Adrenaline from the excitement will make it difficult for me to feel excessive speed. So my strategy is to listen to my heart.

I'll be wearing a heart rate monitor. My heart rate will be the best indication of a good running pace. For the start of the race I need to keep my heart rate in the mid 150s, then let it slowing climb to about 160 to 162 up to mile 20. After mile 20 I think I can finish the last 6.2 miles letting by heart rate approach 170. If I do this I should have a good finish time. It should be under 4:26 based on my long runs. How much better than 4:24, I don't know. I'm not going to shoot for a time. I'm going to listen to my heart and take what it gives me.

I am Ready

Plan C is working. I ran 6 miles on Saturday and a fast 8 miles on Sunday with absolutely no foot pain. My left ankle is still a little weak, but is improving. I need to stay injury free for the rest of the week, so from now on only easy 3-mile runs to stay loose. I’ve decided to race with the shoe inserts that I got from my podiatrist. They felt good on the 8 mile run and provide extra cushion from the impact of running. The extra cushion may make a big difference when running 26.2 miles on hard asphalt.

After about a half a year of training, two-thirds of that during chemo-therapy, 704 miles of running, 425 miles during chemo-therapy, I am now ready to run Grandma’s marathon.

Plan B Stupid; Plan C: Listen to Wife

Well plan B was really stupid. I found some new muscles riding bicycle yesterday. I don’t need sore muscles for the marathon. So I listened to my wife and saw a podiatrist yesterday. X-rays show no stress fractures. My problem is tendonitis, inflammation of the @#$%## tendon. I love my podiatrist. Rather than saying I had to stop running and rest my foot, his approach is to treat the foot in a way that will allow me to run Grandma’s. So I got a tape wrap that immobilizes the tendon. I also got shoe heal inserts that should help. I need to wear shoes around the house and socks to bed so I don't start walking on cold feet first thing in the morning. I can start running again on Thursday, but my foot already feels much better. The shoe inserts feel really strange; I’m not sure I’ll be able to run in them. I’ll give them a try on Thursday.

Darn Foot; Plan B

I just don’t know what’s going on with my left foot. It was perfectly fine during my short runs this last week. But it started hurting just as I started my 16 mile run on Sunday. I would not have been surprised if the pain came back after running about 10 miles, but it started hurting as I was walking to my starting place. At first the pain wasn’t bad, so I started running anyways, but after 10 miles the pain really started to increase. Rather than toughing it out, I quit running after 11 miles. This is not the time to tough it out; I need to get to Grandma’s healthy and that is less than two weeks away. So now I go to plan B.

My foot is not going to heal if I keep running, but I don’t want to get to Grandma’s out of shape. So for most of this week I’ll ride my mountain bike to keep in shape. I’ll try a little running maybe by Friday. Any sign of foot pain I’ll quit and ride bike instead. Riding bike works the body much different than running, but it’s better than not doing anything.

Whew!

Because of the sudden onset and severity of the foot pain I was really worried that my foot injury would keep me from running Grandma’s marathon. Earlier this year, before I knew chemo would be successful, visions of running Grandma’s helped me forget about the dreadful possibilities I faced. Not to run Grandma’s would be a huge letdown. Yesterday I ran for 3.4 miles and today for 5.4 miles without any foot pain – whew! I still feel some discomfort in my left ankle, but it seems to be improving a little bit. I think my ankle will be ok as long as I’m very careful with my remaining training. One change I’ve made is that I’ve stopped running on pavement and now do all my running on a bike trail that was converted from a railroad. The bike trail is made of crushed limestone, which is much softer and easier on the joints than asphalt. Last year when I was training for the TC marathon I had a lot of problems with hip pain. I was able to make it go away without a break in running by making some small adjustments to how I trained. By staying off asphalt, running a little slower and shorter, I should be able to get to Grandma’s in good shape.

Injury

Yesterday I went for my final super long run of 23 miles. The morning was much warmer and more humid than last week, so I figured I would have to run a little slower to complete the run without walking. Because of a foot injury I couldn’t even complete the run. For the last couple of weeks my left ankle has been bothering me during runs. I wasn’t overly concerned because it wasn’t getting worse and the pain would go away about an hour after running. But when I started out on my run yesterday a new pain quickly developed in my left foot. The foot discomfort was not as bad as my ankle, so I just shrugged it off and kept running. At mile 18 I stopped for a bathroom break that took a few minutes, long enough time for muscles to stiffen up. Just a few steps afterwards I quickly realized that something more serious was happening in my foot and I needed to quit running before I caused more serious damage. I called my wife and got a ride home.

Today my ankle feels great, but I’m limping because of foot pain. I’ll need to stop running until my foot heals and I have no idea how long that will take. Fortunately I’ve completed enough long runs to be ready for Grandma’s marathon. However, I’ll need to do some level of running during the next three weeks before the marathon to maintain a level of fitness required to get me through the race. I’ll be doing well if I don’t do any short runs during this week but still complete a planned 16 mile run this coming weekend. We’ll see what happens.