This past weekend was gorgeous here in Austin. I took a break from the computer to get outside and enjoy the sunny and 70 degree (F) weather. Saturday morning, I woke up super energized and decided that I was going to go to the gym in my condo building to test out my leg strength while waiting for it to warm up enough to get outside.
The gym has fancy treadmills, the kind that will display a route through various nature and city scenery. It’s a great distraction. I selected a route through the California mountain parks and set off. The clips showed beautiful alpine meadows, redwood forests, hidden lakes and streams, and even a deserted beach. The program also puts up fun facts about the area that you’re “walking” through. For instance, did you know that more people have summited Everest than have completed the entire Pacific Crest Trail?
Checking out that scenery made me more determined to build that strength up in my leg and get out there to investigate the world again. I’m not saying that I’m going to pull a “Wild” and hike the whole trail but I really enjoy getting into nature. I started thinking that I needed to get to REI and try on hiking boots. I used to have a really awesome pair that died last year after 17 years when the sole of the boot completely pulled away from the upper.
I may not be in the best of shape, but I have a lot of exploring left to do. I think it might help to give me the kick I need to get strong again physically so I can experience things like Alaska the right way. (I’ve not been to Alaska yet – it’s one of the last 6 states I have left.)
My scar only throbbed a little after the walk. So I decided to push it even more by going on the seated leg curl machine. I did a set of reps with my good leg first on the lowest weight to make sure that I wasn’t being over anxious. If I can’t actually do the rep with my good leg, I didn’t want to blow out the stitches on my bad one! Good leg seemed to go OK. Now for the scarred leg. Gently I pushed down on the weight. It was moving! Sure it was the lightest weight the machine could go (10 pounds) but being able to do 3 sets of 10 reps on that leg felt like a world record. That afternoon, as I was wandering around a small town in Central Texas known for BBQ, I did feel slightly achy – but no where near the throbbing that I had experienced earlier in the week.
Sunday, it was another gorgeous day. I went for the longest walk I’ve done since the excision – about 3 miles. I was pretty happy with the pace that I was able to maintain. I only had to stop once for a short break, and to be honest, I probably didn’t need to take the break if I still didn’t have a nagging cough from my cold. My legs were sore after, but no more sore than they usually get when I go for a long walk. Maybe the scar isn’t always going to give me trouble?
I feel like I’m getting stronger, which makes me hopeful that whatever tricks skin cancer may have for me in the future, I’ll be able to face the challenge head on. Let’s hope the upcoming follow up appointments go smoothly.