Yesterday, September 17th, I ran a marathon relay in São Paulo.
When I was at the peak of my obsession with triathlons I never thought that 10K races would be something to celebrate. After watching 36,000 people run yesterday I have to say that I am extremely disappointed with my narrow way of seeing the world back then.
As I looked at people of all ages and walks of life running I have to say that a 10K race is a huge thing to celebrate. Many people in there probably never played sports in their lives, never dedicated time for themselves or thought that leisure was something they've had the right to. My friend captured the moment with one great phrase: "I think a pipe of people just exploded!"
More than celebrating another great athletic weekend I want to highlight the importance of dedicating time to yourself, whether you have a brain tumor, you are a caregiver or simply someone that happened to read this post.
Every morning a guy in my building wakes up at 5:00AM to jog on the tread mill. He lost 50kg (110lbs) after he incorporated jogging to his routine and told me how this has changed his life. He now has more energy, sleeps better and feels better than ever.
It is never late to take back your life, you deserve time for yourself.
A brain tumor is not the end, focus on life and leverage the endorphins of exercising, they will clear your mind from all negative feelings and help you sleep better, free your mind from the eventual fear of the worst and give you energy to continue living.
The best thing that happened last week was the most important mental release I've had since I was diagnosed. Since my diagnosis I have been taking anti-seizure medication. I need to take one pill of Keppra every 12 hours, and have been doing this religiously since my operation. One time I almost freaked out because I did not have my medicine and passed my 12 hour interval from one pill to another.
Last week, as I woke up earlier than usual, I got out of bed and hit the treadmill to use the one hour I gained. When I got back home I realized that I did not take my medication prior to running. I was so happy for it that all my negative feelings simply went away. This was not only my happiest 5K run ever, but my happiest run period!
Exercise if you can, and keep trying if you can't, you can do it! You can do anything you set your mind towards, if you really want something you can get it. The only thing standing between you and your goals is your mind, don't give up on believing in yourself, once that happens anything is possible.
Yes we can enjoy life, exercise and have fun, a brain tumor is not the end, enjoy your time while you can and if you can exercise do it, it will make you more confident, happy and reflective. When you run by yourself you are the only one you can talk to, and you have no idea how much you can learn with yourself.
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