Sunday, March 1, 2015

On Superheroes, Metorological Spring and Venturing Back to the Roads



Happy March 1st everyone; the day known as Meteorological Spring. Even though the temperatures were in the teens and low 20's, yesterday felt like the first day of Spring along the Beacon Street portion of the Boston Marathon route. Runners dressed up as their favorite super heroes and ran along the course for their training run. There were 7 feet high snow drifts and patches of ice but all that mattered was the sun was shining and runners could abandon the treadmill to run outside!

Next weekend is Daylight Savings Time.

The long, cold brutal winter of 2015 is almost behind us and my time to return to the roads beckoned to me yesterday.

The last time I ran was at the Miss Holiday Santa 5K back in December. My knee decided that I needed a wake up call to take a break from running and to build core, quad and hip flexor strength. I've been on my recumbent bike, doing a home workout on Sunday mornings, a plank a day, and in the pool at Aquatics Therapy at Spaulding Rehab. I looked at Tom yesterday morning and said, "I have to get out there today. I have to see if I'm ready." We decided on a 1.4 mile very easy paced race walk from Cleveland Circle to Marathon Sports and back.

I layered and wore my 2009 Boston Marathon jacket. What medicine for my soul to be out again on the roads among the running community. We high-fived and cheered on runners as we passed or as they passed us. The intensity of marathon training waned in the wake of sheer joy and feeling that Spring will arrive in Boston. I just happened upon this video posted by Kevin Koncilja who is running Boston for TeamMR8 that captures the spirit of the day:

"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended." ~Batman in the Dark Knight

We were all celebrating that the world hadn't ended despite words like snowmaggedon or snowpocalypse to describe what we had lived through this winter. Everyone was polite as they announced whether they were passing on the right or left and one runner put his hand gently on my arm and said, 'thank you' as he ran by. Everyone was energized living in the moment leaving the winter of 2015 behind and moving forward to the Boston Marathon and Spring. Despite the toll that this winter took on everyone, runners kept the Unicorn in their sights and the causes that are near and dear to their hearts and went the distance.

I felt as though I could have kept on going past the 1.4 miles we chose for my entry back into running. I'm a month ahead of schedule feeling strong in my body. The combination of cross training and my work with Joseph at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork is paying dividends as I return to the sport and community I adore.

Yesterday is a day I won't soon forget. I'm so glad that I listened to the promptings of my body, my heart and soul to get back out there and to take my first run along the Marathon course.

Superheroes and Springtime pack a powerful punch to the doldrums that old man winter brought this year.

Journey well!

"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.

"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.



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