Hello John:

Welcome to the family, though I'm sure it's a family you would rather not be a member of (like the rest of us).

You will hear this over and over on this site, what you are able to do or not is purely individual. A physical therapist I know who has tonsil cancer (no lymph involvement) was able to work all the way through her radiation. She just had to slow down a little, maybe see 1 or 2 less patients per day due to fatigue.

I'm sure she didn't run and bike as you do. Unless your oncologist is also an athlete he likely won't understand your need/desire to continue training. He could easily advocate shutting it down completely during treatment. That's where you will have to be your own advocate and speak up and be persistent about your needs.

So, how about starting off with the "in moderation" approach. In the first week or two of treatment, cut your training by half. Your body will tell you soon enough if the level is right. Your treatment side effects will grow as you get deeper into treatment and then subside post treatment. So, post treatment is when I think I would really be watching it to see when you can re-elevate your training distances. Again, your body will tell you what is appropriate.

You can learn a lot by reading about other forum members cases. You just have to factor in that they aren't athletes.

I don't think I would finalize the spring tri decision at this point unless it's a half Iron Man. If it's a sprint tri maybe it's still doable. It likely won't be a PR for you, but there's no reason you can't envision it as being the most memorable tri you ever completed.

Hang in there, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Tony
Houston Tenneco Marathon, 1990, 91, 92. Several halves since then and too many 5k/10k to count. MS-150 (Houston to Austin) 1992 thru 1997.