Benny's Myeloma Diary

You might not expect to find this as a running analogy, but there have been occasions when I have been learning a poem, and a long run gave me plenty of time to practice it in my head. No? Am I the only one? Oops. Healthwise, I’m still going strong, cycling and walking most days. I continue to have my monthly blood tests where I also pick up the tablets. It’s going to be yet another month before I start the Zoledronic Acid for bone strengthening. They don’t seem to be in a hurry to start. I was due an MRI scan but it had to be postponed. The hospital’s…

In theory you could run barefoot, but you will probably want some trainers. Which ones? Neutral or stability? Are HOKAs still in fashion or had you better buy NIKE Alphafly with their unique carbon fibre plate for energy transfer? What about the sports watch, running socks, chafe free undies, waterproof jacket with ventilation, heart rate monitor, and hydration pack? In the interests of commerce, this list never ends. Sorry it has been a while since I last wrote. I have been fixing some gear. The most time-consuming project has been renovating my Dad’s Allin bike and as a result I can tell you a lot more about bikes (than you…

Runners can afford to be blasé about their ability to successfully finish a race. Even if they trip or slip, they know they are not really likely to hurt themselves: they will have fallen over many times before and they will just remember to take their off-road shoes which have better grip next time. The adrenaline they feel at the start of a marathon is about getting a respectable time, not because the event may be hazardous. Occasionally they might suffer an injury but that’s more likely to be because they haven’t stretched rather than the result of an accident. The rest of the population would have other worries. This…

In years gone by I seemed to have a lot of energy. I could run 10k in the morning before work and feel none the worse, in fact I’d feel better than when I didn’t. After all that activity in the past weeks – visiting Budapest, Chris’s party – I finally had a day when I felt exhausted.  I slept most of that day, but since then I have been a human dynamo. Next day, after the physio session at the hospital, I pumped up the tyres on my mountain bike and cycled to the swimming pool, swam a kilometre, then cycled back. I walked 19,000 steps the other day…

You can tell how well prepared you were for your long distance race in the days that immediately follow. The principal test: can you walk down a flight of stairs? After my first ever half marathon in Leicester, about 45 years ago, I went to visit Sue in her student bedsit afterwards, accessed via the fire escape. I remember I had to sit on the steps and shuffle down on my bottom. I’m just back from the hospital after this month’s checkup. My bloods show I am doing fine, still comfortably in remission. My consultant’s plan is for me to have a further MRI scan in a couple of months’…

Doesn’t time fly when you aren’t writing a blog each week. It’s about four weeks since the last one and I seem to have had time to do lots of other things. This one doesn’t even have a marathon analogy. Let’s start with the state of my health. I had my monthly visit to the hospital for blood tests (which showed everything was good, with no sign of the cancer coming back yet) and to pick up my low dose chemotherapy drugs (Lenalidomide) and the other supporting medication for the next four weeks. When I visit next month, I have an appointment to see the consultant haematologist: I’d like to…

Running marathons or half-marathons can be an excuse to travel for a city break. I have only done that in Gothenburg and Edinburgh, but the big races sometimes offer a hotel package with the run entry. As for parkrun, tourism is half the fun and tourists always receive a special welcome. As an example, one of the challenges is to join the Pirates Club, completing seven parkruns beginning with the letter C, and one starting with the letter R, probably dressed as a pirate as well*. I’m very late with this blog, so I’m covering a couple of weeks’ activities. My latest visit to the hospital saw me giving bloods…

You may have noticed that the biggest marathon in the country, the London Marathon, took place on Sunday. It is a long time since I last took part in that one – not since last century! – but I couldn’t help watching it on TV. I’m not sure the coverage really puts across the fact that the elite runners are running twice as fast as I could ever manage on a short sprint, for mile after mile, and making it look effortless (up to a point). Watching the other runners cross the line is mesmerising, as I look out for the light and dark blue quarters of the Burgess Hill…

If you don’t find a place in a race through the ballot, by applying early enough or with a good for age qualifying time, there is always the option to run for a charity, but it usually involves a minimum sponsorship of a couple of thousand pounds on top of the registration fee. It may not be the cheapest way to take part, and you may feel the moral obligation to cover any shortfall in the sponsorship yourself if you have already bled your friends and work colleagues dry in previous years. However, you could always organise coffee mornings or quiz nights to help you raise the funds. I have…

Every runner will suffer an injury that requires rest for recovery and there is nothing so frustrating. Along with the guilty feeling that they are being lazy there is the sense of missing out on training runs and races. I feel I am on the cusp of recovery at the moment, not quite able to walk any distance without the crutches although every day I wake up and wonder if today will be the day. While limping on my right leg I find myself putting strain on my back on the opposite side. Some mornings I feel I’ve recovered but the pain comes back by mid morning. I am gradually…