Ian's 1/2 Marathon!

I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of my husband. However, I must try to express it, so that you may understand just a fraction of my pride, and his accomplishment.

Ian is a 2-time cancer survivor. He was diagnosed first at age 18, then he had a recurrence again at age 21. The last treatment he received was in August of 2009, when he had an autologous stem cell transplant (see my Be The Match post for more info about bone marrow/stem cell transplants and donation). The doctors say that it takes a long time to recover from the treatment that Ian underwent, and they gave us estimates around the 2 year mark - they figured he should be feeling better and getting his energy back by then.

That did not happen.

It has been a long journey toward health and recovery, with struggles along the way. We tried many different strategies to combat his fatigue and help him have more energy, but nothing really worked.

This January, 2013, Ian decided to implement a regular exercise regimen to combat the fatigue that he had been facing for too long. He began with 15 minutes on the stationary bike, 5-6 times per week. 

When he started, this amount of exercise was quite difficult. But he kept at it. When he could tolerate 15 minutes, then he increased to 20. After a couple weeks of that, he increased to 25 minute sessions. He was determined to take charge of his health and progress toward his goal of having enough energy to live the life he wanted.

Then he heard about a local organization that was recruiting people to participate in a Half Marathon at the end of June. They were running on behalf of Team Hope, to raise funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer. 

13.1 Miles was a big goal, but it was just what Ian wanted and needed. 

He needed to do something more than what he had been able to do before cancer.

He had to prove to himself that he could accomplish such a feat. 

He wanted to show cancer that it had not beaten him. 

He took the step, and signed up to run the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon with Team Hope. It's the half marathon associated with Grandma's Marathon in Duluth. 

So he began training. He increased the length of his workout, and added the treadmill to his regimen a few times per week. He built up slowly so that by the time it was 12 weeks until the race, he could begin a set training schedule designed to prepare runners to run a half marathon.

And he trained! He made a spreadsheet, kept track of runs on his calendar, and stuck to that schedule like you wouldn't believe. And several people didn't believe at first. They were worried that 13.1 miles would be too much. "Maybe you should start out with a 5K. You haven't raced since high school." The doubts were difficult to hear, but Ian pressed on. 

Each Saturday was a "long run", starting out around 3 miles, then increasing. Toward the end of the schedule, he ran 10 miles when we were in Chicago (it was cold and windy!), 11 miles the next Saturday, then 12 miles along the trail by Lake Minnetonka two weeks before his race. Those feats were major accomplishments in and of themselves! I think he had won over the doubters by that point.

The race was June 22nd. We went to the running store about a month before, and got all the gear he would need. The clerk was an elite runner who had lots of helpful tips for training and racing. Shout out to Marathon Sports in Minneapolis!

Marathon Sports

We drove up to Duluth after I got off work on Friday the 21st. Ian picked up his race packet, and we drove through crazy fog to get to our cabin for the night.

Saturday morning we woke up at 5:00am and got ready. Ian donned his Team Hope jersey, running shorts, shoes, and computerized tracker so that we could get text updates about his progress throughout the race. 

 

It was a wet, chilly morning. Thankfully it wasn't raining, but there was a slight mist, and the temperature was around 50 degrees. Ian got suited up in his gear and warm-ups, and he was ready to go!

Our cabin was about 3 blocks from the Half Marathon starting line, so we were able to walk there instead of taking the shuttle bus, which would have made us get up even earlier! We walked together until we could see the tents at the start, and then I wished him luck, told him I loved him and I was so proud of him.

His race began at 6:45am. I drove to a location along the race course where I could watch him go by, about one mile from the finish line. I met up with Ian's parents, my parents, and my sister Meghan and her husband Dennis. We had a great cheering section going on!

At 7:20am I got a text telling me that Ian had reached the 5K mark in 30 minutes! I shed happy tears - he was really doing it! He was running! At just the pace he had planned, too!

We anxiously waited for Ian to pass by. His goal was to run with the 2:15 pacer. There are "pacers" at the race who run races for a living at a specific pace. In this case, the pacer was a woman who was set to finish the race in 2 hours and 15 minutes. This was around the pace that Ian had been training. 

We saw the 1:40 pacer pass by, then 1:50 and 2:00. He should be coming soon!

Then about 15 minutes later, we spotted him! He was there, right with the 2:15 group! I don't remember if I yelled his name, screamed, or just started crying. There he was! Running! And he looked so good! We all yelled and cheered for him, and he pumped his fist in the air! 

I will never forget that moment. 

After we could no longer see him, I turned to his mom, and she had tears in her eyes too. I hugged her, and my mom, and we all cried together. We were so happy and proud of Ian, this man who we all love so much. 

I speed-walked to the finish line with Meghan and Dennis as quickly as I could. I had to see Ian! When we finally found him, he was standing, and talking, and breathing, and he had a medal around his neck! He had done it! He had run a half marathon!!!!!!!!!!!!! (13 exclamation points, in case you were wondering.)

We bundled him up in all the blankets and jackets we had, because it was still 50 degrees and he was a little chilly... We all met up and reflected on various aspects of the race. Then somebody got smart (I think it was Ian's mom, Susan) and suggested that we find a restaurant close by, go in, warm up, and get something to eat. Brilliant!

It was only fitting that we ended up at Grandma's restaurant. We ordered a little early lunch, and celebrated Ian's victory!

What a morning it was! Ian amazes and inspires me. If you know him, you know what I mean. If you don't we will have you over to our home for dinner and games, and you can find out.

My husband is a runner.

He is a cancer survivor.

He did more than his friends and family thought he could.

He proved to himself that he his stronger than cancer.

I am overflowing with pride, hope, and joy.

I love him so much!