Running post-Letrozole + Lupron
Since starting Letrozole in 2023, I had noticed a marked decline in my stamina. Of course, I had had surgery just a few weeks before that, so it was never certain whether Letrozole was affecting my physical fitness or if it was a side effect of surgery. My chief complaint while on Letrozole was an excessively elevated heart rate when running. After I started Lupron in the fall of 2025, I found it even more difficult to run, tiring easily.
I bought a new pair of running shoes in January. I questioned whether or not I would ever wear them out. It’s estimated that you can put 300 - 500 miles on a good pair of running shoes before it’s time to rotate them out. With the way I felt in January and knowing I was facing chemotherapy, that seemed like a lot of distance to cover.
However, now that we are at the end of March, I just noticed that I have crossed the 300-mile mark with exercise already this year, and I feel better than I have felt in a very long time while I am running. I can even run without my heart rate spiking too much.
Suffice it to say that I believe Letrozole and Lupron had a negative affect on my physical fitness, and despite the fact that I am one round into chemotherapy, I am feeling better overall than I have felt in a very long time.
For that, I am grateful.
I told someone yesterday that I have spent my life training for what I thought would be the ability to grow old gracefully. Instead, now I believe I’ve been in training to be able to endure chemotherapy and whatever comes after that.
Round 2 of chemotherapy is April 6. I plan to continue to enjoy this period of feeling phenomenal before going into another hard week.
“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
