Due to the past week's events, I'll be doing a lead-in entry to my 23 mile birthday run:
2011 was tumultuous, and 2012 began in similar fashion. 2011 kicked off with my Dad's diagnosis of Leukemia just before the new year began, and the following very bumpy and long road from a very scary situation to complete remission to a successful bone marrow transplant (BMT). The transplant went very well and, aside from the inherent difficulties of a BMT, relatively smooth. It was a slow process from initial release from the hospital to gaining strength and resuming most normal activities. A huge day for me was when my dad and I went for a bike ride, it was a great experience to see him make a big step and enjoy himself. Aside from everything going on with my dad, things were pretty good. Leading up to December I had only been cycling and was kicking it into high gear to prep for the PVC Double Loop, a group ride gone awesome race with cash for the 8 sprints. However, the Tuesday before it, I broke my collarbone and was sidelined. My team still did excellently, in spite of preparing for me to be our sprinter...everyone stepped up HUGE and we were able to take two (or maybe three?) sprints in the race.
So I had a broken collarbone only 10 weeks out from my birthday and would take a few weeks to even start running. It was a very premature crunch time sort of situation. I knew my build (from running about 30 miles the entirety of July through early December to a 23 miler late January) was going to have to be well planned, and even better executed. I'd probably be able to do it regardless of planning...but I had set the goal to do 23mi in 2:50:00 (2:50:00 was my time for 22mi last year) - this was the tough part: 7:23/mi for a few hours on a fall season completely void of running. The base fitness was there from cycling, but my injury prone self was looking down an ugly road with a lot of injury possibility to come my way. I like the thrill of being in a fairly high pressure situation. I was ready for the challenge of going from a freshly broken clavicle to basically a sub-3:15 Marathon in 10 weeks.
So the training began. Day 1 after the break, I couldn't walk over 2.5MPH, it hurt like hell. You'd never know how much you bounce when you walk until you are extremely sensitized to it. I biked on an exercise bike. I walked outside for a few miles within that first week. By 15 days I ran 3 miles @ sub-7:00/mi pace...it killed my legs pretty bad, but I was quickly beginning to understand exactly how much fitness cycling gave to me. 8 miles while still in the brace, 10 miles on Christmas morning (~6wks post fracture), 14 the next week, 16 the week after (8 of it on bad ice). Setback - my clavicle aggravated the skin it was pushing into to the point I had trouble going up/down stairs due to the bouncing. Down week. 11mi the following Tuesday. Then my risky, but VERY rewarding, 19.5mi run @ 7:16 pace on January 14th. It was official; I was going to be able to hit my goal barring another clavicle-induced setback.
Then something pretty unsuspecting happened. My dad had some fluid build-up in his body, his appetite dropped to nothing, he felt like he had a cold...then the flu. It was quite reminiscent of just over one year before when he was then diagnosed with Leukemia. But the transplant had gone GREAT, his blood counts had been perfect, the bone marrow biopsies had all been clean...but something was awry. It was Upon making an unscheduled visit to his doctor at Dana Farber (DFCI) we quickly learned it was his kidneys, hence the massive fluid build-up (20+ pounds). It was a reversible situation, but he was immediately admitted to the hospital that day on Wednesday, January 18th. Thanks to having myself, my brother, and my dad's girlfriend as a great support system, my dad had someone there with him almost incessantly while still allowing each of us to get done what we needed. I stayed in Boston on Wednesday (thanks to my brother's good friends Sevi and Courtney) and in the hospital room Thursday. I came home for the weekend to recover from my lack of sleep and get all my stuff together to camp out in Beantown for the next week. I managed to hit Friday Night Fights, getting a second place on pure adrenaline - as I had been stressed, nearly sleepless, and moving all out for the past two days with all the tests, retests, and checks my dad was going through at the hospital (and he was about 5 times as worn down as me! It's amazing how he just gets through all of it).
I had a semi-relaxing weekend, and went back down to Boston on Sunday. This time I stayed at a hotel down there, and was luckily able to set up my bike/trainer (surprised?! haha...gotta keep the streak alive!). This week was slower moving, most tests were done and it was just all about getting the fluid out and getting the kidney function back in the right direction. Finally, on Wednesday, it looked like he was really back on the right track. So, in a tough decision, I headed home to do my birthday run on my planned route in Maine (to be discussed on my next entry). I was pretty bummed that my dad was in the hospital for my birthday, but was relieved that he was improving and the end of his stay was coming up shortly. He was released today, Saturday, and is extremely relieved to be back in his own bed. Ironically, after his bone marrow transplant he was released on my brother's birthday! I definitely could have run 23 miles in Boston, but my route in Portland had so much meaning and would be a tribute to my mom...so it was something my dad understood very well and something I couldn't let pass. Had my dad not been doing so well, I would have reconsidered.
One huge thing to note is that on January 13th my sister, Alexis, flew out to Beirut, Lebanon for her second co-op at Northeastern. It's something she has been absolutely thrilled about since the opportunity presented itself and she had no idea if it was even possible for not. I am very excited for her experience over in the Middle East and the cultural experiences she will learn to appreciate and enjoy as part of her everyday life. I've never gone abroad with the intent to experience a culture, I've only gone for vacation. So I envy two things: 1) her desire to spend 6 months in a place where she knows no one and 2) to take the step and do what she loves with the confidence to know she's going to have a blast regardless of the circumstances. She is keeping up a blog (probably a hell of a lot more interesting than mine: www.lexinlebanon.tumblr.com) to let everyone know of her adventures in the Middle East. Check it out!...Now!...Seriously, what are you waiting for?
There my sister is...trying to adjust to the 'unknown' in Lebanon, just starting to settle in, and all of a sudden our dad is in the hospital. Even though the situation was well under control and all the necessary tests were being taken care of, she was still thousands of miles away in a time zone seven hours ahead of home. We talked with her on Skype and kept her up to date as best as we could, but it's tough to know how difficult it can be in her shoes. She's stronger than she shows and even tougher than even she knows, but no matter what it hits you like an anvil. My brother went to Italy for a semester abroad just after my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer. I knew what it was like to be separated from home (Lex and Jase had college in Boston - the location of both of our parents' treatments, but I was in Rochester)...but never have experienced the detachment of thousands of miles and time zones and excessively expensive hypothetical trips home. To sum it up, both my sister and brother have had it pretty tough being abroad...which is supposed to be the time of your life. My brother worked through it, had his ups and downs, and walked away with an amazing experience he would never have had another shot at. I have no doubts my sister will keep up her excellent attitude and excitement, and eventually come back to America in July saying "Nooooo but I want to stay another month!".
Overall, we are now home and happy to be home once again. Despite an as usual drawn out discharge and rushing to get medication filled for pickup by the end of the day (many of you know this drill on some scale), his spirits were high and got progressively higher until he was in the comfort of our home.
Thanks to my Dad's strength and the great support of my brother, my dad's girlfriend, and all of our family and friends...we once again have come out of the hospital healthy, happy, and overcoming yet another bump in the road. Coincidentally, this reminds me of a quote from my first entry on this blog: a motivational poster my Dad got me years ago. "Challenges: A bump in the road is an obstacle to be fought or an opportunity to be enjoyed...it is all up to you." My Dad's hospital stay was surely not enjoyable, but sticking together and coming out on top once again is far more complex and much better than simple enjoyment.
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