Before I begin I must tip my hat to Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Sunday. We should look to him as a model of how to serve. We athletes, and even more so coaches, must never lose sight of our responsibility to serve our community, in whatever way we can.
My take away message for 2024 is this. When life gets hard, having a crazy big goal can help get you through the rough patches.
My year began with the goal of improving my run, and to that end I went to see a PT at Jaco Rehap. He did not have much to say but did offer a few pointers. It paid off, because in February I had a solid Great Aloha Run. Here is what I wrote in my comments:
None of the drama from the marathon. No puking. No crawling on all fours to the finish. I was genuinely surprised by how well behaved my body was.
In March I started to feel pain in my left hip flexor. No surprise given the increase in my running volume. Only, it didn't get better. It got worse. In April I saw my GP and together we decided it was muscular. Took a week off. No improvement. Went to see the surgeon, he diagnosed a hernia. Surgery would have to wait until mid-May. That put Honu off the table. Fortunately the race director gave me a deferral. I had already made reservations at the hotel, so Pattie and I went and watched, and had a nice, relaxed vacation.
Pattie began the year in great shape, coming back from hip replacement surgery. As my hernia story unfolded, she was having strange issues with weight gain and bloating. Finally diagnosed as cancer. First chemo session on May 10th. Luckily my surgery dovetailed into a week when she was feeling good. We made quite the pair! I felt so much better days after surgery. I actually did a 20 minute walk four days Later.
Pattie's second chemo was just after Honu. The early treatments were not as impactful as the last few. At first she was down for a couple of days, then up and at 'em. Maybe it was changes in dosage, maybe just an accumulation effect, but for the last couple of sessions she was knocked out all of the time. Her last treatment was in August and she has been getting back to normal ever since. Despite how awful she felt, she always posted cheerfully about her journey on Facebook, something many of her followers appreciated.
I had my annual physical back in January. At that time my GP noted my PSA number was a bit high, so he referred my to a urologist. Had to wait for that appointment. Then a another blood test, then a scan. I felt reassured that nobody was treating this as an emergency. Finally had a biopsy in June, and the results confirmed prostate cancer. My urologist began his delivery saying "You have cancer. Don't worry, you aren't going to die."
Yep, Pattie and I were the Kanser Kouple. She was just starting her third session and the last thing I wanted to do was to pile on more stress on top of what she was already carrying, so I put off telling her until she was done and in remission. Time is on my side.
A couple of years ago I signed up to race Ironman Cozumel. The attractions were simple: a fast river swim in warm water so no wetsuit required, and a flat bike and run. The challenge can be the wind, and this year it was. Anyway, things kept getting in the way. I had a deferral to this year but as you can tell I would not be going. After a lot of exploring and soul searching I decided that Mexico as a step too far, that a west coast race would be better. Easier to get to, no language barrier, familiar foods, and more opportunities for a family get together. I signed up for IM California, October 19, 2025. My research indicates the need for a wetsuit. Ace on-line shopper Pattie found one on sale at my favorite outfitter, Zoot.
Around the end of October, when it was finally clear I was not going to Cozumel, I rewrote my training plan to prepare for the Honolulu Marathon on December 8th. I did much better this year (see my comment at the start of this piece). Pattie was strong enough to join me at Uncle Ric's place, but not strong enough to run the 10k. She did manage to meet me at the corner of Ala Moana and Kalakaua. Read all about it in my race report.
As for my cancer, treatment has not started yet. I am told that once it does it will proceed much faster than Pattie's. Maybe I'll glow in the dark!
Having that IM Cozumel goal hanging out there is what kept me on course all year. I hope IM California does the same in 2025. Keep in mand, it's not about winning, it is about doing your best.