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In my first chemotherapy post, I asked the question: can you successfully train for a marathon while going through chemotherapy?
I don’t know the answer to that question yet. I’ll know in about 5 months, I guess, at least for my case. But I am learning more. A friend of mine sent me a link about Gabriele Grunewald. She was an elite-level track star who earned a national title 5 years after getting this news when she was 22:
“ …The diagnosis was adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer that, she learned from Google, probably gave her five years to live.”
She passed away last week, at the age of 32. There were a lot of ups and downs in her career, as she battled against cancer while trying to compete at the highest levels in track. At one point, she delayed chemo so she could take one more shot at getting an Olympic qualifying time. She failed to make the time. Then she took one more shot at it after starting chemo. She ran even slower, and collapsed into tears after finishing. Her journey is chronicled in this Sports Illustrated article. She clearly had a great (though realistic) attitude about the whole thing. After that second attempt:
“…Wilson, her old college coach, tried to console her, saying, “You’re inspiring so many people.” Gabe laughed: “I’m trying to inspire myself to be less of a dipshit.” Now she adds, “I have no idea if I’m doing a good job of running on chemo. It’s such a strange, abstract concept.””