Peak Color

Sunday morning was perfect for lacing up the shoes and heading out for a trail run. The air was crisp and though cool, it was warmer on the summit then in the valleys where frost was scrapped from widows. “My Woods,” are at peak color and even though fallen leaves made footing tricky it was one of the most pleasurable runs I've had in a while.

It's hard to describe how I feel as I start recovering from the effects of chemotherapy but it comes in “bursts” when all of a sudden I feel almost normal. This happened twice yesterday during my run, once after just a mile or so and then again after we had gone five miles. It's not that I notice I'm feeling good, rather I realize I'm running quickly and effortlessly.

I wish I could report that the feeling lasts but it is fleeting. In addition, for the first time I experienced acute neuropathy, numbness caused by exposure to cold. After each Sunday run, our group typically hangs around to discuss training, races, equipment and just BS. Even though it was in the fifties, I was wearing gloves but never the less my fingers started to tingle and then go numb. Returning home, it took a half hour of holding a warm glass of water between my hands before feeling returned. Guess I will be heading to a ski shop to find mittens featuring built in hand warmer pockets to keep my hands "Toasty Warm".

The rest of the day included office work, a good conversation with Joey, firewood cutting and even some football watching. By five o'clock in the afternoon I was tired but it was a “Good Tired”. By eight-thirty in the evening I was ready for a restful evening in bed which was not to come. I woke every hour needing to empty the ostomy bag to such a degree I was highly concerned about dehydration. I drank a quart or more water during the night, most likely keeping me out of trouble.

Seeing how the evening went I am pleasantly surprised that I feel decent this morning. Could be I just realized that there are only eighty-seven bottles of beer left on the wall ?

Stay Strong....Stay Happy......Enjoy ........ Mike