5 ways to measure your running success – beyond the PR

I just realized that I started running around the age of 13, that is 37 years of running! Initially it was a way to stay in shape for another sport I was focused on; until the age of 21 I played volleyball semi professionally and running was part of training. Later I just ran on regular basis to stay in shape until I was 38 when I picked up Triathlon, at which point running was the sport.

Now, again, running is a way to stay in shape and support my battle with cancer.  Ashley Marcin lists in this article few other ways to measure your running success.


Photo credit: João Lavinha / Foter / CC BY

Running Gear and 5 unusual suggestions...

One of my favorite things about running is that it is cheap, and very simple to execute - get dressed and go... but I also love the gadgets! I love the data: how many miles I ran this week, elevation gains, how many hours I trained last week and so on. I started recording data on Mapmyrun.com shortly after I was diagnosed with cancer and went through surgery and chemo therapy. I wanted to follow my progress towards recovery and regaining my fitness. 

JASON FITZGERALD wrote a cool article here about the topic.

Photo credit: Ran Yaniv Hartstein / Foter / CC BY

What makes a trail runner?

I started running trails several years ago, after I stopped competing in Triathlons and before I was diagnosed with Cancer. Trail running is a great way to stay in shape, get a whole body work out and get in touch with nature. I am now training for The PepsiCo TransRockies 3 Day Run, a multi-day point-to-point trail running race which allows athletes to access and traverse wild and fantastic scenery.

I decided to do this to build awareness to the non profit I founded which helps people with Cancer get active and stay in shape. This article is a great review of what is so great about trail running.

Photo credit: spyjournal / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Marijuana, Cannabis, and Weed - what does it have to do with trail running?

I became quite familiar with the benefits of Marijuana while going through Chemotherapy. None of the medications prescribed by the Dr. were as effective as weed in fighting the nasty side effects.

Now I learned that it has great impact on Trail Runners, read more in Scott Dunlap's great post on Cannabis and Trail Running. There is a running club called "Run on Grass" great name....

Training, Radiation and a great Indoor Cycling for People with Cancer

Image by Alex Vachon

The past few weeks started with radiation to my brain to eliminate few stubborn lesion and ended with a great Indoor Cycling event, organized by the non profit I started after my diagnosis - Supportersize. The event was awesome, we had about 40 people in the room and the instructor, Kristen James served the perfect combination of inspiration, motivation and hard work.

Image by Roni Chastain

The idea behind Supportersize is to organize outdoor (and indoor when weather is too much for most folks) physical activities for people affected by Cancer and their families. I decided to participate in the 2015 Transrockies Trail Run to build awareness to Supportersize and motivate people with the disease to go out and be active, "Get busy living..." I am telling my story in this blog.

So far, two months into my training, I was challenged quite a bit: started with a nasty calf muscle injury that took three months to heal, and as I was getting better I had to undergo targeted radiation to my brain which added another layer of fatigue, but I am over these two set backs and hopefully moving full steam ahead, just need the trails to get uncovered from 2ft of snow.