Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

[NHMike]

Hi Mike,
I also have a Garmin and from my experience it is very easy to go both up and down very quickly with VO2 max. This is the effect of ice on the road:

https://ibb.co/FDmN9MK

All the best

Claudia

I was wondering what your scores were as you’ve described your running and you have a Fenix. Women usually have a VO2Max that’s about 20% lower than men for physiological reasons so your scores are even more impressive. Your scores are a lot higher than the top ranges for all female age ranges. Very, very impressive.

[NHMike]

Even more impressive is that you're coming off lung surgery last year.

[Atoq]

Even more impressive is that you're coming off lung surgery last year.

That was really an easy surgery!

All the best

Claudia

[NHMike]

I cancelled the spinning class and tried a bicycle at Planet Fitness. I couldn't get my heartrate over 110 so the muscles for cycling aren't strong enough to get my heartrate a lot higher. I was wearing the wrong clothes too. I am going to try out the bicycles at the YMCA and maybe one of the spin bicycles. It would be nice if I could upload workout data to my watch or phone but I expect that this doesn't work very well at current levels of technology. I suspect that I will have to keep running for a strong cardio workout until I can improve the ability to cycle, row, and climb stairs.

[NHMike]

Second try and I was able to get my heartrate up to 135 on the second time out. I only did 3 miles at a moderate pace but I think that heartrate gains are doable. The thing is the balance. I got in 4 miles running today and 3 miles cycling and both felt great. I do want to increase speed and distance but I don't want to get injured so I'll take it easy for now.

A possible goal for 2020 would be to run a minimum of one mile every day. That's one of those things where it would be nice to have a treadmill at home but we don't have the space and I don't consider it a worthwhile expense - treadmills are expensive compared to cycling and rowing machines. I can just go outside with the right clothes too.

[juliej]

Second try and I was able to get my heartrate up to 135 on the second time out. I only did 3 miles at a moderate pace but I think that heartrate gains are doable. The thing is the balance. I got in 4 miles running today and 3 miles cycling and both felt great. I do want to increase speed and distance but I don't want to get injured so I'll take it easy for now.

A possible goal for 2020 would be to run a minimum of one mile every day. That's one of those things where it would be nice to have a treadmill at home but we don't have the space and I don't consider it a worthwhile expense - treadmills are expensive compared to cycling and rowing machines. I can just go outside with the right clothes too.

I agree that treadmills take up too much space at home and are too expensive. Research shows that VO2 max is the same when running on a treadmill compared to running outside, but I never feel like I'm working as hard. It helps to put the treadmill on a 1% grade so I feel like I have some wind resistance, but it still doesn't feel "right". Plus I have zero sense of pacing on a treadmill. Even when I select a “rolling hills” run, my pace is completely different than when I run outside.

The good part is there are so many high-tech clothing options available now that make it easier to run outside in cold, windy, rainy, or hot weather. Wearing the proper clothing has made a huge difference in my ability to run outside all year round. I still hate running in hard rain or a downpour though. It gets in my eyes, it makes the track or trail super slippery, and since I run in the mountains, the newts come out in droves and I end up jumping over them again and again (I don't want to squish one). I have no idea why they love hard rain so much!

Keep up the good work!
Juliej

[Supportivechild]

Second try and I was able to get my heartrate up to 135 on the second time out. I only did 3 miles at a moderate pace but I think that heartrate gains are doable. The thing is the balance. I got in 4 miles running today and 3 miles cycling and both felt great. I do want to increase speed and distance but I don't want to get injured so I'll take it easy for now.

A possible goal for 2020 would be to run a minimum of one mile every day. That's one of those things where it would be nice to have a treadmill at home but we don't have the space and I don't consider it a worthwhile expense - treadmills are expensive compared to cycling and rowing machines. I can just go outside with the right clothes too.

Mike,

I just wanted to thank you for creating this thread. It's great to be able to follow along with to get an idea of what to expect. My mother is currently T1N1 M? waiting on chest CT. The CT of the abdomen/pelvis was normal. I started to get nervous when 2 suspicious nodes were located during the MRI 7x4mm 5x3mm. I automatically thought that it meant that the cancer spread to her liver or lungs. After being on this site I know that isn't always the case. Once staging is complete my mother should start her treatment. I will be telling her about your journey with this.

Thanks again
Jay

[Supportivechild]

Second try and I was able to get my heartrate up to 135 on the second time out. I only did 3 miles at a moderate pace but I think that heartrate gains are doable. The thing is the balance. I got in 4 miles running today and 3 miles cycling and both felt great. I do want to increase speed and distance but I don't want to get injured so I'll take it easy for now.

A possible goal for 2020 would be to run a minimum of one mile every day. That's one of those things where it would be nice to have a treadmill at home but we don't have the space and I don't consider it a worthwhile expense - treadmills are expensive compared to cycling and rowing machines. I can just go outside with the right clothes too.

Mike,

I just wanted to thank you for creating this thread. It's great to be able to follow along with to get an idea of what to expect. My mother is currently T1N1 M? waiting on chest CT. The CT of the abdomen/pelvis was normal. I started to get nervous when 2 suspicious nodes were located during the MRI 7x4mm 5x3mm. I automatically thought that it meant that the cancer spread to her liver or lungs. After being on this site I know that isn't always the case. Once staging is complete my mother should start her treatment. I will be telling her about your journey with this.

Thanks again
Jay

[CF_69]

Just wondering what you think of elliptical machines. I’ve only just started working out again because of my back.

I’ve always had back problems, and was diagnosed with a herniated L5-S1 back around 2009.

Seems my LAR or the hospital bed or walking too much too soon made it get worse than it’s ever been, so after months of bed rest and icing I eventually started physio back in July. I did improve enough to take surgery off the table, but not close to 100%.

I find running is too hard on my joints and makes my back seize up eventually.

My typical routine starts off with 10 minutes on the bike, then I go through a variety of stretches and exercises I learned from my physiotherapist, then I end with 15 on the elliptical and 10-15 in the sauna after I’m done.

I don’t necessarily believe the heart rate display or the calories burned display for that matter, but today the machine said I got my heart up to 162. Maybe I’m just in bad shape.

[NHMike]

Second try and I was able to get my heartrate up to 135 on the second time out. I only did 3 miles at a moderate pace but I think that heartrate gains are doable. The thing is the balance. I got in 4 miles running today and 3 miles cycling and both felt great. I do want to increase speed and distance but I don't want to get injured so I'll take it easy for now.

A possible goal for 2020 would be to run a minimum of one mile every day. That's one of those things where it would be nice to have a treadmill at home but we don't have the space and I don't consider it a worthwhile expense - treadmills are expensive compared to cycling and rowing machines. I can just go outside with the right clothes too.

I agree that treadmills take up too much space at home and are too expensive. Research shows that VO2 max is the same when running on a treadmill compared to running outside, but I never feel like I'm working as hard. It helps to put the treadmill on a 1% grade so I feel like I have some wind resistance, but it still doesn't feel "right". Plus I have zero sense of pacing on a treadmill. Even when I select a “rolling hills” run, my pace is completely different than when I run outside.

The good part is there are so many high-tech clothing options available now that make it easier to run outside in cold, windy, rainy, or hot weather. Wearing the proper clothing has made a huge difference in my ability to run outside all year round. I still hate running in hard rain or a downpour though. It gets in my eyes, it makes the track or trail super slippery, and since I run in the mountains, the newts come out in droves and I end up jumping over them again and again (I don't want to squish one). I have no idea why they love hard rain so much!

Keep up the good work!
Juliej

We were in DC last week and I'm recovering from the trip. I drove for ten hours down and ten hours back and that was fine - I fasted the days before. I'm not running a mile a day though - my schedule won't accommodate it. I'm looking at a new job right now with the same company and I imagine that there would be a lot of work getting up to speed. My current job already has a fair amount of pressure so the workload would probably be similar.

I have the clothes to run in the cold but we often have ice as snow melts during the day and freezes on the ground at night. Those cold weather clothes also mean a lot of laundry.

[NHMike]

I just wanted to thank you for creating this thread. It's great to be able to follow along with to get an idea of what to expect. My mother is currently T1N1 M? waiting on chest CT. The CT of the abdomen/pelvis was normal. I started to get nervous when 2 suspicious nodes were located during the MRI 7x4mm 5x3mm. I automatically thought that it meant that the cancer spread to her liver or lungs. After being on this site I know that isn't always the case. Once staging is complete my mother should start her treatment. I will be telling her about your journey with this.

A lot of people come here terrified of their diagnosis and I was one of them three years ago. It is scary facing death but it's good to know that there are treatments out there and that there are a lot of survivors.

[NHMike]

Just wondering what you think of elliptical machines. I’ve only just started working out again because of my back.

I’ve always had back problems, and was diagnosed with a herniated L5-S1 back around 2009.

Seems my LAR or the hospital bed or walking too much too soon made it get worse than it’s ever been, so after months of bed rest and icing I eventually started physio back in July. I did improve enough to take surgery off the table, but not close to 100%.

I find running is too hard on my joints and makes my back seize up eventually.

My typical routine starts off with 10 minutes on the bike, then I go through a variety of stretches and exercises I learned from my physiotherapist, then I end with 15 on the elliptical and 10-15 in the sauna after I’m done.

I don’t necessarily believe the heart rate display or the calories burned display for that matter, but today the machine said I got my heart up to 162. Maybe I’m just in bad shape.

I think that elliptical machines are fine. I used them when I was on chemo in 2018. They decrease lower-body joint stress and you can get a very good workout with them. There are also modified ellipticals where there is some sideways movement too.

I love running but need to replace some running with something with less impact stress.

Heartrate isn't really an indicator of health or not when you're exercising. My cardiologist told me to do more intensive exercise to get the heartrate up. You could see a cardiologist if you have questions on heartrate, exercise and conditioning. There's lots of stuff on the web but sometimes talking to a doctor can be more efficient with specific questions related to your health.

[NHMike]

I started a new job yesterday. My manager told me that our organization wants a bunch of people for a new project and was looking for volunteers. It's nice to know that there are still options for people in their 60s with a history of cancer.

[NHMike]

We got a couple of new coffee machines in the office and I've tried out some of the drinks: lattes, espresso, mocha, vanilla coffee. Something that I've found is gas buildup and I think that the two are related. My guess is that foamy milk drinks cause gas buildup. It's like you need to go but when you do, there's nothing there or just gas. So no more milky drinks. Dairy, in general, causes various GI effects on me. Sometimes they help but most of the time, they are undesired.

[susie0915]

We got a couple of new coffee machines in the office and I've tried out some of the drinks: lattes, espresso, mocha, vanilla coffee. Something that I've found is gas buildup and I think that the two are related. My guess is that foamy milk drinks cause gas buildup. It's like you need to go but when you do, there's nothing there or just gas. So no more milky drinks. Dairy, in general, causes various GI effects on me. Sometimes they help but most of the time, they are undesired.

I have found that dairy causes me gas pains also. I will use gas X and it helps. I try to stick with non dairy creamer. Sometimes hard cheese will cause gas as well.