I don't know...I just don't know.

I’m so angry about all this money being spent on cancer research, scientists getting rich off the funds they receive, and the drug industry just makes me sicker than I am.  When the hell are cures to cancer ever going to be found!?!

My golfing buddy Jimmy expressed this emotional plea while I was driving him to his 9^th of 14 radiation treatments at Alaska Regional Hospital.  This is Jimmy’s second battle with lung cancer, a battle much bigger this time around because it has spread from what remains of his right lung to a rib and lymph nodes.  This isn’t his first experience with cancer…he has successfully beat prostate cancer and he won his first lung cancer battle with a “simple” surgery to remove the upper lob of his right lung. His emotional outburst surprised me because he has always been upbeat since he first informed me about the cancer’s reemergence many weeks before while he and I and fellow golfing buddy Richard shared a brew at O’Brady’s.  However, the foreshadowing effects of his radiation and chemotherapy treatments began to surface while I watched the opening quarter of the Super Bowl with him and others at his home: Jimmy was low key and appeared uncomfortable.

Why would I want to make an entry of this type in my blog, which is suppose to be designed to be more upbeat?  First of all, the direction of my blog took a strange twist when I had to unexpectedly abandon planning my 2009 European marathon adventure to medically address pressing cardiac issues, and my wife faithfully used the blog to keep my friends and family updated about my surgery and recuperation.  She did a loving and wonderful job of doing so and I am forever grateful. Since then I’ve used my blog to cover lots of diverse topics, including what it was intend to do – document my planning and travels for the now successfully completed 2010 Trampathon Abroad with my running buddy Bob (The Silver Fox) Bowker. I still have lots to do (understatement) to complete documenting and illustrating my travel-adventures in my blog; however, periodically light bulbs go off in my brain to address more pressing issues on my mind…thus this entry on my thoughts about the effects of cancer on my friends and family.

Back in 2007, in conjunction with running that year’s Boston Marathon, I raised funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ( http://www.dana-farber.org/ ) in Boston, MA.  I was moved to do this in honor of a dear family friend who was battling ovarian cancer at the time...she has since been cancer-free and lives a more energetic life than mine!  My simple intentions transformed into something bigger than I had imagined, as many friends, family members and strangers made contributions in memory of loved ones lost to cancer and in honor of those struggling through radiation and/or chemotherapy treatments.  I ran to honor all those and many more. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute continues to send me reports about their research findings and I am continued to be amazed of what is actually being discovered. 

Since 2007, many individuals I ran in honor of never recovered from their battle with cancer.  Also since then, other friends from high school, college and here in Alaska have announced their “declaration of war” against their infliction…some have succeeded in their battle, some have not, and others continue to battle.  I am one of the lucky ones, as I have been cancer-free for almost 40 years now.   But then I, like Jimmy, have the same frustrations…when the hell are cures to cancer going to be found!?!  I learned that this statement hits those currently diagnosed with cancer the hardest. 

So what does modern medical science tell Jimmy and others who are frustrated with the lack of cures for cancer? Yes millions upon millions of dollars have been spent on cancer research and on developing cancer-curing drugs, and yes, folks have gotten rich doing so. However, cures have been found and other cures will also … over time.  But, no one with cancer wants to hear “over time” … time is something many don’t have – my buddy Jimmy doesn’t have that kind of time.  When I was 19 and was informed that I had cancer (Hodgkin’s disease), I didn’t thing about “time” because at that age, I thought I was going to live forever, even having been diagnosed with cancer.  Being young and dumb, I just knew the doctors were going to cure me.   Forty years later, I sure as heck don’t think that way anymore and many of my diagnosed friends don’t think that way either.

So what do I tell Jimmy when I see him tomorrow when I take him to his next radiation treatment?  I wish I can tell him that a cure will be found by the end of the week and all will be good in time to tee off at our local golf course come this May.  I do know that research is making progress, as referenced by the DFCI many accomplishments ( http://www.dana-farber.org/res/research/default.html ).  I don’t think he’ll care about that right now.  What will I tell him…what can I tell him other than he has the loving support of many buddies here in Anchorage and that he’s not alone with his battle.  Other than that, I still don’t know…I don’t know.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that ....

 A little bit of this ...

Predictably, now that snow has fallen pretty heavily here at the house, I'm finding more time to do indoor  "stuff" that I've put off because of an active summer here in Alaska.  But then, other distracting and tempting outdoor opportunities present themselves, like Alpine and Nordic skiing.

A recent highlight this year was my trip back to New Jersey to visit family and attend my Wayne Valley High School Class of 1970 40th Reunion.  The reunion weekend included attending a WV football game with fellow classmates, hoisting a brew or two with them at local hangouts, attending a very nice formal dinner, and visiting over good coffee and breakfasts.  I visited with some high school friends I haven't seen in 35+ years. Especially enjoyable was driving around my home town (Wayne, NJ) with friends and touring where we all lived and noticing how things had changed and in some cases, not changed.

My home in Wayne, NJ where I grew up.

However, what made me feel real old was when my track and cross-country buddies David, Paul, Guy and I had to bushwhack our way through a now heavily forested area behind our school to find the long-abandoned and now overgrown uphill trail that was part of our home cross country course.

Myself with Guy, Paul and David on our formerly used cross country trail

Funny thing, when I first arrived at the reunion weekend I saw everyone as 57/58-year olds and the faces were unfamiliar.  But over time I saw the ages peel off of people and reveal the 18-year old faces and smiles I remembered...it was really freaky to see the transformation.

Fellow smiling classmates at Wayne Diner for breakfast.

I think it was a relief and refreshing for us all to revert back to the way we were and for at least a few days, cast off the responsibilities of our adult lives.  

2010 Trampathon Abroad Update

...nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people.  - Letter from Mark Twain to San Francisco Alta California, dated May 18th, 1867; published June 23, 1867

The Mark Twain quote I posted exemplifies many of my thought processes these days and certainly reinforces some of the reasons I decided to put together my 2010 Trampathon Abroad in Europe.  Earlier posts go into other details of my trip planning and purposes so I won't describe them here; however, my traveling companion Bob Bowker and I can attest that we had contact with many kinds of people, which was one of our many trip goals.  Mark Twain's A Tramp Abroad (1880) was his sequel to his The Innocents Aboard (1869).  Both books focused attention on European travel at a defining moment in post-Civil War America.  My intent is to reference some of his observations when I write in my blog about my own.  This will kind of be exciting because Twain was very verbal and critical of what he saw and experienced in many of the places Bob and I visited, e.g. Paris, Rome, Pompeii, Vesuvius, Paestrum, and Florence. In Venice when Twain first saw gondolas, he thought them, "inky, rusty old canoes manned by mangy, barefoot guttersnipes" ... that sure as hell wasn't my first impression.  Yes it's a different era but I'm finding that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Walking and talking brought Twain's Abroad books into being...walking and talking brought my trip to life. It is said that Twain's European adventures sparked his creativity...in my case the trip sparked a greater desire to continue to tour the great cities of Europe and beyond. 

...and a little bit of that.

Since my decision last August to back off of distant running, I have been tempted numerous times to change my mind.  My tempting is related to my buddies many recent accomplishments and/or planned accomplishments.  Here in Anchorage, my friends Neal and Jon recently finished the Zombie Half Marathon and my family friend Mary Rita is finishing her training for the upcoming California International Marathon in Sacramento, CA.  I also just learned that my friend, and Boston Marathon qualifier, Mark and his wife have begun to train for a Half Ironman.  My Florida tempters John and Bill respectively completed the Florida Ironman and Miami Half Ironman.  Another friend here in Anchorage, Casey, finished the Hawaii Half Marathon last June.  I was also moved watching this year's New York City Marathon and seeing the many ordinary folks struggling to finish, especially the Chilean runner who survived the collapsed mine incident.  As excited as I am for all my friends accomplishments, I can't help but think that I'm missing out because of my August decision.

A previous blog entry explains my decision to back off distance running, which I really don't regret. - - or at least I keep telling myself that.   In place of distance training, I'm substituting a more balanced fitness program of swimming, running and strength training.  I'm reminded that I promised my 12 year old daughter Hannah that I'd be ready to participate with her in next year's Eagle River Triathlon.  The jammer swim suit and goggles are bought and I've scoped out local pools and swimming lessons to teach me how to swim laps without drowning.  I'm also hoping the tendinitis I have in my forearms won't cripple my chances to swim effectively. There is, however, one other development that may hinder my plans.

I'll be covering this in more detail when I post entries about my European adventure, but the short story is that since having my corrective heart surgery in January 2009, I continue to have periodic episodes of shortness of breath which cause me to either abruptly slow down when I run or have to stop entirely to catch my breath.  Funny thing, it only occurs when I run...never skiing, hiking, or doing heavy chores.  It's hard to predict when it happens when I run but it happened once when I was running the Rome Marathon, a few times near the end of the Paris Marathon, and surprisingly not at all when I ran the Madrid Marathon.  Things came to a head when I ran the local Humpy's Marathon last August - I was lucky to finish.  Since January 2009 my marathon times have slowed down from about 4:15 to over 6 hours...not good.  Last week I had a trans-esophageal echocardiogram to determine if my replaced aortic valve is functioning correctly, as my cardiologist Dr. Linda Ireland suggested I have it performed to rule out any cardiac causes for my breathing problems and slower marathon times.  Results indicated some anomalies which Dr. Ireland wanted the Mayo and/or Cleveland clinics to evaluate because she wasn't sure of the results or its repercussions.  We should get their report in about a week or so.  My general physician Dr. John Mues mentioned once before that medical follow up studies have shown that cancer survivors who received radiation treatments to the chest, like myself when at 19 I was treated for Hodgkin s Disease, are increasingly developing asthma.  I hoping that asthma is the culprit, and not the aortic valve. If the cardiac test is "normal", then I'll likely see a pulmonary specialist for further assistance. In the mean time, I'll continue to hop along with my new fitness plans....stay tuned!

The road ends at the 2010 Humpy's Marathon...sort of.

First of all, I am knowingly aware that I am far behind on my 2010 Trampathon Abroad postings, and my wife reminds me that I am well behind on our planned bathrooms and downstairs renovation. However, autumn is rolling in and before you know it, I'll be snowbound here in the house catching up on those two to-do things. So what's up with the title of this post? I believe I mentioned in a prior posting that I was going to back off distance running (marathons specifically) and begin to diversify my fitness training.  Well, this year's Humpy's Marathon (which is my 8th straight Humpy's)  is my last marathon for the foreseeable future. That's not to say I have given up running...no way!  I just plan to dovetail shorter running distances with weight training, swimming, and biking...in hopes of participating in next year's Eagle River Triathlon (it would be my first) with my 12 year-old daughter Hannah.  Maybe my wife Marian will join us...that would be cool!

The 2010 Big Wild Life Runs were pretty special this year, as a number of friends ran one of many offered races (5K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon), each having its own main corporate sponsor.  I along with  Trampathon Bob Bowker, Mark Schroeder, and Mike Brandt (a CA friend I ran the Dublin Marathon with a few years ago) ran the Humpy's Marathon.

Most marathon events kick things off with a runners Expo, where you pick up your running bib packet, visit with other runners, hear guest speakers, and shop around for bargains at exhibitor's tables. Well, our expo really didn't have any of that, with one exception.  The expo organizers brought in Jeff 

 
Galloway (U.S. Olympian and running icon) and Bart Yasso (Chief Running Officer of Runner's World Magazine) to the expo, to speak at the pasta feed, and for Bart to be the guest finish line announcer.  My buddy Mike Brandt (in the photo standing next to Jeff) looks on almost bored but it's never boring talking to Jeff.

Saturday, I went to the pasta feed at the newly constructed Dena'ina Center with Bob and Mike.

We loaded up our plates and started to dig in. A couple joined us at our table and they looked very familiar, Mike thought so also. As is my nature, I started to drill them with questions about who they are, where they lived and what marathons they ran...and behold, they (Bill and Barb Grass from Texas) were on the very same Dublin Marathon tour Mike and I took with Marathon Tours and Travel a few years ago. 

Well, the flood gates opened with us sharing memories from that great trip. All that was missing were the pints of Guinness!  How strange and wonderful at the same time.

On to race day...the lonely downtown Anchorage starting line and some morning sunshine greeted us.   It has been very wet here in south central Alaska so it wasn't surprising when the sun soon disappeared and downtown Anchorage was shrouded in fog. Yes, that is a moving dinosaur puppet out there beyond the starting line.

But, Bob, myself and Mike stayed relaxed and ready for things to start rolling.

Others running various distances were also ready to go: my wife Marian and friends Neal and Jon running the 5K, friends Judy and Mary Rita running the Half Marathon, and Mark also running the Full Marathon.  This is where all the good, warm, and fuzzy things stop and the pain and misery of running a marathon (badly) begins. The following photo is of Mike and I after we finished the marathon. If you notice, no one else is around.  Where did all the spectators go?  Why are the organizers tearing down their equipment?  Where is the famous Bart Yasso announcing our names to the hordes of spectators as we cross the finish line?  Well, it's because we weren't able to finish under 6 hours and who in their right mind is going to bother to hang out in the cloudy rainy weather and cheer on some slug marathoners across the finish line...let me tell you, no one!  Heck, I wouldn't. That's OK, we got our finishers medals (my 38th marathon and Mike's 98th) and they can't take that away from us.

We may look happy and relaxed but we weren't.  Mike and I had a hell of a bad run...my slowest ever and one hell of a way to "retire" from marathoning.  To start things out, I had tough times catching my breath beginning at mile 8 and cramps in my two calf muscles starting at mile 16.  I peg-legged ran from there to mile 24.5 and then walked until I saw the finish line.  Trying to save face, I decided to do the Tin Man run the last 50 yards.  Upon crossing the finish line, I received my medal and then yelled out in pain as my calf muscles seized up one final time. Beyond a doubt, this was the most grueling marathon I have ever run.  I also learned from Bob and Mark that they also had their slowest marathon times as well...must have been something in the air.  Oh, I forgot to tell you.  At mile 11 I had to take a detour in the woods to get around a female moose blocking the route on the Coastal Trail.  So, do YOU want to run a marathon?

At the big BBQ Marian and I hosted for our friends after the races, Mike put things into perspective...he said that he and I, being prior open-heart surgery patients, should just be happy to be here...OPA!

Blog title photo: Normandy Coast

Perspective

I continue to be reminded almost on a daily basis how my 2010 Trampathon Abroad adventure has shifted my focus to think more globally than nationally…that’s not to say I didn’t have much of an interest in global events beforehand. In high school I participated in the Model United Nations and represented Great Britain in the General Assembly in my first year and the-then Soviet Union on the Security Council in my senior year. Certainly growing up in the turbulent Viet Nam War era exposed me and a generation of other teenagers to the reality of world politics and events.

My travel buddy Bob said it best when he told me during the trip that he’d never view Europe the same way again. Stories from oversees could now be put into perspective after having spent time in some of Europe’s greatest cities and for many weeks, witnessing daily newscasts about “what’s going on in Europe” and boy, there was lots going on: the failing euro, Greece’s economic problems, volcanic ash disrupting worldwide air travel, pre-World Cup hype, etc. By the way, European news outlets spent a lot of time discussing Obama’s National Health Care legislation as well as reporting on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster.

I now find myself surfing for news about Italy, Spain and France, rather than news about my “Motherland.” Soccer’s World Cup means EVERYTHING to Europeans and we witnessed their obsession every day in daily broadcast games and in-depth discussions about each qualifying team. Each country would brag about their chances to bring the World Cup home. It is totally devastating to the Italians and French that their countries were ousted in the first round of competition. I’m sure if I were still in Europe, daily sportscasts
would be crucifying the teams’ play and how they were mismanaged. No one in Europe gave the Americans any chance of moving beyond the first round, but here we are playing Ghana tomorrow morning in the second knock-out round. My time in Spain was a very special one and I sure hope they can continue to advance. It was amazing strolling the Madrid streets in the evening seeing every café and bar packed with patrons screaming at the television and rooting for their favorite team…their passion for the game is infectious!

Madrid's Santiago Stadium...home of the Real Madrid soccer team.

While in Europe, Greece’s economic disaster, how to solve it, and their affect on the euro were always top stories. Now back in the USA and hearing how Spain’s economy is beginning to tank, I’m confused about how bad it really is. While in Madrid, my host Lorenzo Sanchez touted the many benefits derived by Spain’s wealth and economic policies, and I witnessed its prosperous lifestyle every day I was there.

The impacts of recent transit strikes in Paris and Rome now are in perspective, as Bob and I relied on each city’s Metro 100% to get around. We witnessed firsthand how valuable the Metros are for daily commuters and tourists alike.

Entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris.

 While in Paris, we visited almost every museum we could and certainly missed some hidden treasures, so it was of great interest to read about how the Paris Museum of Modern Art was burglarized, not once, but twice!If you ever visited one of Paris’s museums you’ll know that it is almost impossible to get within arm’s reach of any art masterpiece … so it’s amazing that the burglars got into the museums through a broken window and the alarm was not functioning properly.

Speed reached while traveling from Madrid to Barcelona.

A recent tragic story about a high speed train traveling to Barcelona and hitting dozens of people crossing the tracks has me reflecting on my high speed train trips (in excess of 300 kilometers per hour) from Madrid to Barcelona and Madrid to Segovia … at that speed, the people hit by the train certainly didn’t see the train coming … the horror must have been truly terrifying.

Bob and I spending time at the Roman Coliseum.

On a lighter note, it’s been fun to read about the recently discovered earliest known artwork of the apostles in catacombs in Rome; how sections of the Roman Coliseum fell narrowly missing tourists, and how other sections of the Coliseum never visited by tourists soon will be available to tourists. I also read that Paris intends to close roads along the Seine River and transform them into pedestrian walkways and open space. Roman and Paris are best described as living museum-cities where every street offers you wonderful cultural and historical views…I miss being there, but through the Internet I can continue to “be there” and re-live my trip.

The Grand Palace in Paris as seen from the Seine River.