Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/1/2016 (2309 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
When Joanne Schiewe jumped on a treadmill in early 2009, she didn't know it would take her on some of the most gruelling challenges of her life.
Now, the world of fitness is a support Schiewe leans on during the darkest moments of her greatest challenge: terminal stage 4 brain cancer.
Schiewe's introduction to competitive fitness came swiftly. A few months after jumping on that treadmill, she was standing on the starting grid at the Manitoba Half Marathon.
"I'd been active in high school, doing track and playing volleyball," says Schiewe, now 35. "But after high school, I had stopped for a number of years and gained a lot of weight. There was a point in 2007 or 2008 where I started to diet and play rec-league soccer, and from there I started running. I enjoyed being out there on the roads. Foolishly, I thought, 'Oh, well, I have a number of months to train for the Manitoba half marathon.' "
Schiewe admits she did "everything wrong" in her training for the run and doubted she would ever run another marathon, but upon crossing the finish line, she knew she could do better and her addiction to running was born.
"Within two years I had run multiple half marathons, 5K and 10Ks, and did a full nearly two years after I did my first half," she says.
Dealing with injuries, Schiewe began to incorporate cross training. Triathlons entered the frame in 2012. From there -- foolishly again, she says -- she signed up for a half Ironman (1.9-kilometre swim, 90-km bike ride and a 21.1-km run).
"I had a blast and signed up for my first full Ironman a month after that. I was hooked," she says.
Six months to the day from her first full Ironman, Schiewe wasn't feeling right. She says there was a few times she figured she was having a stroke, so she went to the hospital.
"They were going to send me on my way, but before they did, they did a balance test," she says. "I have no problem with balance, but I ended up falling over into a wall. From there, they ordered a CT scan and found the tumour on my right temporal lobe."
An initial biopsy revealed a stage 3 tumour, but doctors wanted to wait because of the location of the tumour and the risk that, if removed, she might never talk again.
But the tumour doubled in size soon after -- to the size of a small orange -- and two days later, it was fully removed.
"It came back that I had stage 4 glioblastoma, which is terminal cancer," she says.
Her treatments have been gruelling, including intensive radiation and chemotherapy, but she was able to run in the Winnipeg Police Service Half Marathon in support of the Canadian Cancer Society last year.
"It was something that I had to do. It was pretty tough. I hadn't run very much over the past several months," she says.
Schiewe returned to training last November, but not at the same level as before.
"It's been an interesting path. It knocked me down pretty bad at first," she says.
Schiewe has been given anywhere between 12 and 18 months to live. The survival rate past five years is less than five per cent. And while Feb. 3 represents a shift into borrowed time, as Schiewe says, she is doing everything she possibly can to defy the odds.
"Basically, with what I have, they will never say it is in remission. Mine was caught relatively early... they got the tumour out relatively early. The reality is that there's a very good chance it could pop up anywhere at any time, but it's just about controlling it with chemotherapy," she says.
Schiewe's motivations have changed over the years. The competitiveness has shifted to doing what she enjoys.
"If I'm going to go down, I'm going to go down doing what I love. The healthier I am, the better I can fend things off."
And good news helps.
Schiewe had an MRI last Friday to get an update on her cancer.
"The report says, 'significant reduction in residual tumour.' When we asked the oncologist if this was typical, he confirmed that this was not, and it was a very good thing," she says.
Schiewe, unsurprisingly, is registered for a slew of events later this year.
Favourite workout:
A long bike ride: 100 to 150 kilometres. The ability to zone out and be peaceful in my head for hours, I could do that all day.
Favourite workout song:
Sweet Disposition, the Temper Trap
Fitness tip:
If you're sick, your body is not the way it used to be, but I have to remind myself that shouldn't stop me from trying. Everything in moderation at this point.
What's in your fridge:
Leftover chili, milk, apples, yogurt and a beer.
Guilty pleasure:
Salt-and-vinegar chips, Kettle brand.
Got an idea for the Training Basket? Email Scott at scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
