23 Years and Enough Blogging

Greetings! I’ve been very fortunate in my life not to have endured much in the way of inner psychological tension. The numerous posts on this blog are artifacts of how important exercise, fitness, and wellness are to me and have been for over two decades. I’m keenly aware at times I can be preachy about finding a way to exercise. Of late, writing about The Streak has created a mental obstacle. 

Last year, when I was diagnosed with cancer, I was unapologetic that The Streak was one of my top concerns. Over the years, I have argued it is easy to exercise every day if you really want it to happen. Unfortunately, cancer is pervasive, if you haven’t experienced it, and I truly hope you never do, you probably know someone who has. Anyone who has undergone radiation, chemotherapy or both will quickly tell you there was a lot she/he wanted to do that just couldn’t happen. Exercise may well rank at the bottom in terms of priority. 

My fatigue was such that I struggle to describe it. Somehow I found a way to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day (10 minutes lower than my long-time standard). I read 18 minutes was a healthy minimum and even mentioned that on this site in the past. In the moment, and once I finally began to feel like a human again, I did NOT celebrate maintaining The Streak. In many ways, it felt unreal. I knew daily exercise is what I had to have for my personal understanding of hope. Yet, it still creates an inner psychological tension. I’m not sure how exercise happened each day. I tapped something I had no idea existed in me. I don’t recognize this as a triumph of the human spirit, though I certainly don’t deny it. Still, I don’t want to talk much about it. 

To be clear, I was utterly and completely broken during the treatment process. When it was over, as I look back, I have no concept of how I went to work, or even stayed awake, much less exercised every day. Fortunately, I have returned to full strength. In fact, in a few areas, I am in better condition than before the process. Oddly, the experience has changed how I feel when talking about exercise. My doctors made it clear that my fitness level contributed toward saving my life, especially when I went over a week without eating or drinking (I had three IV infusions and 1 in the emergency room). 

I have posted once on this site since announcing my diagnosis in July of 2019. That was in December of 2019 to share I am in remission. Make no mistake, I’m still a proponent of regular exercise, but I’m not going to write about it on this site anymore. I have enjoyed sharing stories, travels, life events, fitness information and more. I’ve appreciated all the feedback I received over the last 11 years. Based on my experience last summer, I feel certain The Streak will live on for many years to come. I am profoundly grateful for that. 

Thank you for sharing little parts of my exercise journey and thank you for your support!

Tom