Hi forum! This is my first post. I am 42 and a breast cancer survivor.
I never ran regularly until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 at age 39. Then I ran every other day like my life depended on it using the c25k app & loved it. I had six months of 8 chemo treatments, 35 radiation, and 3 surgeries. I ran through everything, and completed my first ever 5k at the age of 39 and it was 10 days after my final surgery to remove my port in June of 2012. It was the See Jane Run which is in such a gorgeous location on the waterfront in Alameda, CA. It was easier than I thought & felt like a dream to be there. I also enjoyed running more than I thought.
I am married & the mother of two children, Gianna, 11, and Ethan, 8. Taking care of my house & kids can feel overwhelming at times & it feels hard to make time for exercise. I have hardly run at all since then.
I also saw cancer as a blessing & my wake up call to stop sweating the small stuff & just be grateful for every person I love & every day that I'm alive to enjoy!
One of my close family members, Kim, just lost her ovarian cancer battle at the age of 52. She was the most positive & encouraging woman & lived her life to the fullest! She was a cheerleading coach and motivated so many people, including her 2 boys to follow their dreams. And even in her passing, she is still trying to coach and motivate everyone who attended her service last weekend to improve their lives! She wants people to live more fully and make their dreams come true.
So I'm trying to get motivated to start running again. I am writing here so I can hopefully stay accountable and making progress to a 5k first and then hopefully a 10k. I feel her spirit is with me cheering me on but I may want some additional support here on the forum or I may have questions. I want to enjoy a long healthy life with my kids, husband, family, and friends that I love! I actually have a group of girlfriends, 2 ran the 5k race with me & the other 2 ran a half marathon at the same time.
One thing that holds me back sometimes or discourages me is I get exercised-induced headaches usually following my runs. I try to reduce or avoid them by taking 2 Advil and also putting lots of brown rice in my diet helps too. I stay very hydrated with lots of fluid, a veggie very green powder from trader Joes/ chlorophyll/ water combo that I drink with every meal & night time too to stay healthy.
I am thankful for being accountable here in this forum. And I appreciate any other advice about the headaches I get after my runs!
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I had my first run Thursday 1/29/15 & decided to start on week 3 day 1 & it felt really good. So today I'm planning to do the week 3 day 2 as my second workout.
Thanks in advance for your support!
Melissa
