Okay, this is a bit of a ramble including a few things I wanted to get off my chest, so skip it if you are in a hurry, but if you are like me and have found that time has become much more fluid during lockdown, please read on.
May is a glorious month. The swallows, martins and swifts are wheeling exuberantly after their incredible journeys from Africa. They truly are marvels of nature.
The trees are in verdant new leaf. The hawthorn is in spectacular blossom. Every time I go for a run or a walk, I glory in my environment but also witness the dogshit tree covered in little parcels…………… a mystery of human nature.
Can any of you dog owners explain this aberrant behaviour, which corrupts the beauty of our landscapes and seems to be becoming more and more common?
I know some dog walkers leave the parcels and pick them up again on their return, but it really is a most inconsiderate habit, despoiling the countryside with little black or green bags, for everybody who has to walk or run past them.
Maybe it is just in Devon………..
On a completely different note, I completed the C25k plan this past week for the second time, nearly 7 years after I first did the programme. Having been sidelined for nearly a year, with a knee injury, which required quite a lot of physio input, I am loving being back out there for my thirty minute runs. As with anyone coming back from injury, I will have to be cautious and keep my own counsel of making sure that progress is slow and steady, rebuilding my strength and stamina and resisting the urge to chase pbs, which will probably become a thing of the past. I would rather have a year of slow running every other day, than have twelve months of pbs interspersed with frustrating spells on the injury couch. Consolidation rules.
This month is also the third anniversary of my visit to my GP which resulted in me being given a diagnosis of aggressive, locally advanced prostate cancer, which I posted about back then healthunlocked.com/couchto5... hoping that the fitness that running had given me would hold me in good stead through the rigours to come. My oncologist and specialist nurse constantly told me that it would be a great help, along with a positive attitude to life, which I try to live by. Well, my treatment, which involved brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy), hormone therapy and external beam radiotherapy, is now ended and all the signs are that the cancer has been blitzed and that my body is returning to normal. My knee injury and the extended recovery was in part attributable to the treatment, which reduced my ability to repair and rebuild muscle, so now that I have finished C25k and have returned to the balm of running, I can truly feel on the other side of this life changing chapter.
What I want to impart though, is that I was lucky…...had I delayed that visit to the GP by even a few weeks, the outcome might have been very different and the cancer could easily have spread to other parts of my body. My symptoms were the increased need to urinate and the sudden urge to do so. This seems like a fairly innocuous set of symptoms, but prostate cancer is a killer and if you, or anybody that you know, have similar symptoms, then please do not feel that you are bothering your GP with a trivial issue. Do not fear the diagnosis…….it is your lifeline and delay can be catastrophic. The NHS is, as we all know, an amazing feature of life in the UK and they are still open for all of us. A friend of mine told me that his son, who is a GP, has been very quiet at work during the pandemic, so don’t hesitate.
The fitness and positivity that running gave me did stand me in good stead, during my cancer treatment. Of all the potential side effects, I suffered from very few and continued running until my knee brought me to a standstill. The gift of running is one of the most empowering things we can give to ourselves, giving us resilience when illness strikes and also giving us something to aim for when recovering.
Run because you can.
Keep running, keep smiling.
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IannodaTruffe
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A very inspiring post from you IannodaTruffe, great advice for anyone who might have cancer symptoms, congratulations and reward yourself for graduating for the second time from C25K
Wonderful post. Glad you are back running again and that your treatment was successful.
I echo you thoughts about early diagnosis and as an oncology nurse I worry about those who are unwilling to see their GP in this unprecedented time.
As for the dog owners this is something that really annoys me. Is it so hard to carry a used bag around with you to save spoiling the surrounding environment? It is not the nicest thing to do but responsible dog owners should be prepared for this. I know of someone who left the bags for their return journey but often forgot. It isn't just in Devon. It happens in Nottingham as well. In one area large numbers of used bags were left in a tree next to a school playing field. Some people are just disgusting. Rant over from a former dog owners.
You can buy carriers for filled dog poo bags which is so much nicer than just swinging them (especially if you are running!) but sadly hardly anyone seems to buy them and the businesses fail.
Thank you for that Iannoda T; as ever, words of wisdom. I’m so pleased your cancer treatment seems to have gone well and that you’re back running again. I don’t have a dog so can’t help with the answer to your first question. Except that I have a similar one relating to dog owners who carefully scoop the poop into a bag, then place it neatly on the floor RIGHT NEXT TO THE BIN! 🤬
Hello IannodaTruffe, congratulations for running and completing c25k again and great news that you are better and feel like you have returned to normal.
You're so right running is empowering and makes you feel like you can do anything if you really want to.
As for the dog mess and bags I can't understand why people don't pick it up or they pick it up and hang the bag somewhere or throw it away. I am a dog owner and always pick up after him and always have done.
So thanks for your post and hope you are able to continue your running journey getting stronger and stronger 😊🏃♂️🏃♂️
I haven't had the elation in this rerun, but the gentle progression is just what is needed to get you back after injury.
Wow.
Great message of hope.
So happy you are through the treatment.
About the dog poop bags. Can I just say I’m a dog owner and it really makes me so cross to see this when I walk in the woods.
Unless you are walking an elephant, the bags are not that heavy to carry to a bin so I agree it’s a very frustrating non environmental thing to do when they hang them from beautiful shrubbery.
So pleased you are back running again and that knee is behaving itself, I can’t believe it is three years since your initial diagnosis, not sure where time goes sometimes. Glad you are over that section of your life and up and running again.
I’m flabbergasted at the dog poo bag situation I have no idea who would think that is ok behaviour, luckily I haven’t come across it in my parks and really hope people don’t pick up that habit.
I will always be grateful to you, T, for asking me if I would take on the mentor role, which has been a wonderful distraction, as you were only too aware.
Such a lovely post (apart from the dogshit tree bit...eugh! I have never witnessed this before!)
Very pleased to hear that your treatment has ended and has done it’s job. Best news. And I am glad you posted about this, listing the symptoms - this could well save a life. 👍 Thank you.
And! You have completed C25K again, which is absolutely brilliant! I wish you many happy runs and a steady return to full running health soon. Keep smiling, too. 😊
It’s been a bit of a time for you hasn’t it? and during the last year I have seen you giving advice and welcomes to people who arrive here a little scared that they have started something they don’t know they will finish, and there you are cheering them on and answering questions
That shows what a special person you are, so thank you for your input here which is much appreciated.
So pleased to hear of your strength and recovery in your journey to health
And those little bags of dog crap make me so mad too, better to leave it than to bag it up and not bin it, I used to find a bag on my car wing mirror a few times a week
I am not special at all. I am just like you, thankful to this amazing life transforming plan and love to give a bit of help to others struggling to find their true physical potential.
You really ARE such a special person!! Spreading your positivity and giving advice and motivation to new runners and graduates, all the while fighting your own battle. Congratulations on getting to the other side of your cancer treatment. That is epic. Thank you for raising awareness too. Onwards and upwards 😀
I had almost resigned myself to being told that attempting to run again would be foolish and so I am now beginning to believe that this is not just a flash in the pan and that I may be able to continue, which is a great joy.
I love your posts. They are always filled with good , sensible advice which benefits the whole C25K community. I am so pleased to hear that you have finished your treatment and that normality seems to be returning to your body and your life.
The dog litter bags are a nightmare wherever you go. I counted seven around our local football pitch alone. I can't understand why if people go the bother of bagging it they don't follow up by binning it - makes you wonder what goes through their minds sometimes - hey ho!
Here's hoping you get good weather down there in Devon so that you can Enjoy your running all the more!
This post has touched my heart IannodaTruffe ...just an inspiration you are..and the 3 years I’ve been on here and on my running journey you have been in the background with your wise words and your priceless advice. I think this time of year is my favourite time for running, I had a wonderful, very early, run yesterday, it was just me and nature while most people were hidden behind their curtained windows....this place wouldn’t be the same without you...I am so thankful that I found this forum and the lovely people on here and I mean that from the bottom of my heart xxxxx
Inspirational, so glad I stopped to read ❤😄 "run because you can" feels quite potent in these times, if we are healthy enough to get out there we should and revel in our surroundings, sadly so many cant
Thank you for sharing your story, reminds us how lucky we are to run ❤
Swifts are the most amazing creatures and I always await their return with awe and wonder and love their effortless flying...........if only I could run like that........
I search the skies for their return every year. They are like mino concordes and are like creatures not of this world. Tough little buggers! They live for about 30 years I believe. Love them and am always so happywhen they return from their long journey!
Prostate cancer is horribly commonplace and unfortunately deadly if not caught at a stage which can be addressed.
I was lucky and I know it and if I could help just one person avoid their cancer becoming terminal then this message is valid, especially at this moment in time.
Such good news. Sounds like it's been a long haul for you, requiring much patience and self-care.
How wonderful to be running again. What always strikes me during this pandemic when I'm running that 'nature' doesn't know or care about it!
Thank you for your endless support and straightforward advice and may you have many years of happy running ahead of you! BTW, I have a dog but don't do that thing with the bags!
Oh such good news re your health and I’m glad you are back running again. I know what you mean about just being glad for those 30 min runs. I began to think I was never going to get back there this time and my last run was nearly an hour!! Such a relief.!!!
On the dog poo note, I was walking with my son today and we saw about 5 diferent little bags all proudly knotted and left at the side of the Tarka Trail. Maybe they were waiting to be collected on the way back but I doubt it. And what’s more frustrating,along there, is that one side of the trail is a brambly overgrown ditch sometimes with woods beyond that and sometimes fields and I’d sooner they employed the “ stick and flick” method in that direction where no one is likely to walk in it and no animal is likely to try to eat the bag ( which has happened to horses I’ve heard and made them really poorly). I’ve also seen one bag hung on the back of someone’s rear windscreen wiper 🤢
I’m an animal lover myself but this makes me boil 😡😡
Great post. Honest, reflective and informative. Even though I don’t know you, I am so delighted to read of your progress, in terms of your health, your fitness and outlook. Just fantastic.
Excellent news that you have got through all the various treatments over these years. And thank you for all the hard work you have done for couch25K newbies whilst all this has been going on.
I’m with you on the dog pooh bags, I’m afraid it happens in Hampshire too, except I’ve seen the bags flung onto the brambles , proving they have no intention of retrieving them on the return journey. To be honest, I’d rather they kicked it to the edge of the path to decompose naturally, just like it was before doggy pooh bags became available. I think this is what the National Trust asks people to do.
What a wonderfully uplifting post, thank you. For you to have gone through so much and still not given up running, when many would, is very inspirational.
Thanks for all your wisdom and advise along the way. Running is indeed a gift!
On the dog poo and as a dog owner of two. I can not explain why you would ever leave dog poo in bags or on the ground for someone to step in. As dog owners it’s our responsibility to pick it up and take it with us whatever we’re doing whether walking or running!
So wonderful to read and thank you for inspiring us all and for your advice and positivity... I hope you continue to enjoy running for many more years to come!!!
Great news, what an inspiration you are. I restarted C25K again on Monday after a fractured shoulder. Yesterday did dynamic stretches-fine, warm up walk-fine, when I started running knee felt a bit uncomfortable but I battled on thinking it would go away. By the time I got back home it was painful, but as the day went on it got worse. Today doesn’t seem quite as bad. Been running now for 3 years & never had a knee problem before. Hope this doesn’t turn into a new problem. Used pain killing creams &heat pad when I went to bed.
I am SO very pleased to hear your double good news 😄🤗 - turning happy cartwheels 🤸♂️ 🤸♀️ 🤸♀️ for you in my mind (because I can’t do them for real now!)
A big thank you for your huge input & wise counsel on the forum. 😄
Thank you for (yet another) inspirational post! Big congratulations also for your double whammy of getting the all clear and achieving the C25K for a second time! Such great news to hear. We all admire your honesty, positivity and guidance. Thank you for helping us all to believe in ourselves and never give up. The forum wouldn’t be the same without you! Happy celebrating, we salute you! 😀
Sending best wishes and so glad you’re at the end of that horrid journey. You’ve inspired me in here before and now again so pleased you are in a good place now 👍👍
Fab news, I hope the knee a prostate both behave. & thanks for the words of advice along my journey (week 5 run 3 tonight) . Congratulations on becoming a Double Grad...
Hello, just spotted this post, thank you..... it was not only great to hear how you are getting on, which is fantastic news, but also good advice, I will be passing info on to my men folk about symptoms to look out for, thank you.
This lock down has been a breather for the natural world, being an animal lover and seeing much more wildlife has been entrancing. I could sit for hours and just watch nature........ however watching a sparrow hawk capture the blackbird in my garden was a bit upsetting.
As for the poo bags, (I am a dog owner) and just don't get it either? 😕 I'm in the Highlands of Scotland and I've witnessed this bizarre behaviour in the human species too, so not just Devon (maybe not as prolific though, but still not nice)....... I also don't get those who just don't pick up after their dogs at all????? Very selfish, inconsiderate and lazy in my opinion...... Sorry get me started on irresponsible dog owners (especially with poo) and I'm off 😧. Taxi for one!!!!!!
Hugely motivational post. I’ll never forget your wise words to me after my first post C25K run where I had to stop and stretch off my calf muscles😀👍. Such good news on your recent diagnosis Ian.
My brother was diagnosed with prostate cancer 18months age and had a prostatectomy. Luckily his was also caught early and it was locally confined. Prompted me to head straight down to the docs for an exam and PSA test!
I really wish there was more focus on getting routine prostate cancer screening done and for it to be common and “normal” in the same way women get breast and cervical cancer smears. We men are awful at the best of times at going to the doctors, and more so, if it involves anything “down there”. If it becomes more routine and discussed I’m sure more men will be more willing to go and not ignore those early signs.
So glad to hear you are well on mend and it's inspiring to hear how you have overcome adversity. All the best to you and your family and every good wish that you continue to thrive.
As for the dogs, I own a dog and diligently pick up poo and dispose of it correctly. We have poo trees and hedges here in Lincolnshire too. It is a mystery to me as well, why people cannot firstly pick the poo up secondly put it in a bin or take it home! Not so difficult, people baffle me. Except myself of course! 😇
Only reading this now and so delighted that the treatment has been successful. Appreciate you sharing your story and as one of the first people to respond to me when I joined this forum, I really appreciate and am humbled by the time you dedicate to this forum and the positive role model that you are.
"The gift of running is one of the most empowering things we can give to ourselves, giving us resilience when illness strikes and also giving us something to aim for when recovering.
Run because you can."
Seems a timely reminder. Strange that this popped up in a search for an unrelated matter, so for anyone that missed it last year... here it is. 💫
My philosophy hasn't changed, Jo, however the cancer is marching on and my pre Christmas chemo has not kept it under control, so I am about to start yet another hormone therapy.
Had a great gentle 5k this morning, reversing and adapting a route .........so much better that way round.
The bird song was glorious, especially the blackbird singing his post rain chorus.
I'm so glad you have access to running as a release and therapy. I love playing around with route directions, can really change so much with so little!
Wonderful post and I’m so pleased that all the cancer has been blitzed away! My dad was diagnosed with Prostate cancer seven years ago and he too had radiotherapy. The radiotherapy made such a difference and his levels are so low now.
He is hoping to return to running once he had fully recovered from a hip replacement.
He is 72 and from reading other members on this forum that have hip replacement and been able to run again, it fills me and him with confidence that he will be able to do so. Of course I will be recommending he does the C25K when he gets the green light.
I couldn’t agree more that being able to run outdoors is enough and it’s not about pace or distance. Being outdoors and appreciating what you take in around you is so rewarding! Spring is my favourite season as so much beauty around us!
As for Devon, we live in South Devon and the amount of dog shit is disgraceful. The amount of times I’ve had to scrape it off the pram wheels too! There’s no excuse. If you have a dog clean up after it! Simple.
May is here again and so am I but that post was written a year ago and a lot has happened on the cancer front. A course of chemotherapy before Christmas was unfortunately not enough to keep it in check and I am about to start another form of hormone therapy now that the cancer is in my bones.
That said, I am still running and still smiling and this time of year is a delight to be savoured.
What an inspiring post and lots of positivity from you and to others. Good to see your back doing something you enjoy . I don’t know why people can’t take their dog 💩 home instead of putting in trees have seen it here as well disgusting. Good luck 😊
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