First of all, thank you so much to my donors for their generosity. As I have mentioned before, times are really tough for non-profit organizations (think about how hard endowments have been hit in the stock market, and how individuals have had to scale down their donations), so your contributions are particularly crucial.
I shared in an email to friends and family the following statistics:-The average cost of a bone marrow transplant is $500,000.
-Before insurance, the average cost of one round of treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be over $50,000.
-Some leukemia patients take a revolutionary mediation called gleevec for many years; the cost for this medication alone is approximately $2, 300 a month.
In addition to medical expenses, incidentals such as parking fees really add up (we are talking hundreds to thousands of dollars a year at local hospitals).
The hardships that cancer patients and their families face make me so grateful that I am able-bodied enough to train for the Columbus Marathon, though the task seems really daunting right now. My most immediate challenge is a 10 mile race tomorrow, a race I have been told by two separate parties stinks: treeless, boring, and straight out and back. Oy! Though I am kicking myself for not signing up for one of the many 5Ks around town this weekend, I know that this race is what I need both physically and mentally; I especially need to increase my mental toughness. I am hoping I can also recover the dignity I left behind at the Flying Pig Half Marathon I will be thrilled to finish in an hour, 25 minutes, which is an 8:30/mile pace. I was able to hold an 8:42 pace at a 10K in the spring on a hilly course, so I want to push myself but unfortunately, my body is not always willing to cooperate.
That being said, nutrition and hydration continue to be big challenges for me. I am experimenting with a new fuel product in the race tomorrow in hopes that I will sustain energy without befriending the Port-a-Potty (See title above for double meaning. Clever, no?), and I also need to figure out how much fluid to take in. I lost five pounds by the end of the Half Pig because I was afraid of my system revolting (TMI , although I am so desperate to get my troubles under control that I will talk to anyone and everyone about my GI tract), so there has to be a middle ground. Every other system feels great, which is wonderful, BUT also adds to my frustration because the nutrition issue is really holding me back. In addition to my tempo, maintenance, and long runs, I have also been doing heavy lifting (highly recommended, and no worries, girls, you will NOT bulk up lifting heavy), some of which I alternate with sprints. Completely killer but again, thank goodness I am healthy enough to be able to crawl through it.
Thanks again to those of you who have donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you have not yet given me your preferred mile dedication, please do so. I will dedicate it to you unless you have a particular person you would like me to mention.
Happy 4th of July weekend. I continue to be thankful for friends, health, and freedom!
(Note: for some reason, this site is jacking up my apostrophes with strange symbols, so I have avoided contractions - awwwkward)
No comments:
Post a Comment