Memorial Day
May 26, 2014
oday is Memorial Day holiday here in the US. It commemorates the continued sacrifice of soldiers and veterans. My wife and I started our holiday weekend by running the Soldier Field 10 miler last Saturday (Note: Soldier Field is a football stadium and home to the Chicago Bears).
This is my second time to run this race; the first (2011) one I cheated and did not even run the whole 10 miles. I just had my treatment that week and was in no condition to run, so I just walked the course and turned back when I got tired. This year I made it to the starting line and completed the whole 10 miles (2:15). I felt good after and it boosted my confidence. It is like breaking a psychological barrier since this is my longest run for this year. From here on, it will be double-digit miles and the training gets harder. All for NYC marathon this November.
November is still far away but it is a goal I have set for myself. I don’t even know if I will be at the starting line, all I know I need to do something today to to be ready for tomorrow. They say sports, any sport, is a metaphor for life. It reflects all the challenges you encounter in life and lets you experience the rewards of your righteous efforts. That’s what running gives me: blissful reward for my effort. Unfortunately, running and my cancer share the same path as well; it is part of me. I roll with each good run or any positive news about my cancer and struggle when I have a bad run or when things are complicated.
My world is a hodgepodge miles, platelet count, pace time, blood tests, etc. I understand all these numbers, they are my life signals. Lately, my life signals are showing positive: My platelet count is now 70K up from 55K and my tumor count is down to 9 from a high of 11.8 a month ago. I am breaking barriers here too. I am happy with this fragile progress but there is still work to be done. I have to earn each day (or mile) towards the goal of one day be cancer-free.
What’s making it work this time? Diet, exercise, and prayers; the same formula available to everybody. I also think the difference is how to make it work and the effort you put in it. When it works you are given a medal as a reward and if you are lucky, it will be given by a uniformed Marine .
Cheers
P.S. Next race is North Shore Half Marathon on June 1.