Before our meditation last night, Tom and I went through some photo albums and reminisced about our trips to Bermuda. There are a lot more to go through because we traveled back and forth to Bermuda for many many years.
This morning during our meditation we heard rainfall and thunder. Quite the soundtrack when you know you have to get in a training run.
We did our core work and clams and decided that no matter what, we would brave the elements.
We had our route all planned out; one of our favorites .. the Bill Rodgers hill at Boston College. We named it the Bill Rodgers hill last year because it was part of the Bill Rodgers 5K Prostate Cancer Run/Walk. While I love to mix it up on our training runs, there is something comforting about going back to a familiar route.
We had a piece of toast, hydration and banana and off we went.
I felt happy and deeply grateful to be running this morning with my life and running partner Tom. It was very humid but no rain and we had the amazing opportunity to watch the weather shift before our very eyes. We saw lightning and heard thunder claps but knew they were in the distance. We saw the sky go from dark grey to a lighter grey and then blue. We saw a baby turtle in the reservoir and watched the ripples it left.
Time to tackle the hill. I was amazed at how focused I felt and how happy I felt despite the effort of running up the hill which I think has an elevation of close to 200' without stopping. I listened to my playlist and was totally in the moment. Tom pointed out how we ran by my Alma Mater, the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. "Last week we ran by my Alma Mater and today we are running by yours."
When we made it to the top of the hill I was pouring sweat. I still celebrate pouring sweat because it is a sign of total healing. My thermostat is fixed and I can regulate my temperature and not overheat. We had our water stop, caught our breath and then relished in the joy of the downhill. And while I enjoyed the downhill, I reflected on how happy I felt being able to dig deep and keep a steady, strong pace on the uphill. While I love seeing the faster pace numbers when we do our straight up tempo runs, I was thrilled with the 15:26 pace overall. There were several other hills that were part of our training run on the way to Billy's Hill.
There was a hill on the way back from Billy's Hill that I charged up like a boss!
As I thought about how we are training for Falmouth in the Fall and will have a wonderful getaway on Olde Cape Cod in Falmouth in November and then return to Bermuda in January to run the half marathon, I felt ridiculous happiness. And while I exerted effort, I was running unencumbered, as I wrote about in my poetry.
It's a whole new world for me now. Funny, when I first left the VA, I created New World Greeting Cards, original poetry for every occasion and my blog was called, Welcome to a New World ... and here I am running unencumbered, running happy, running free and feeling full of vitality and vibrancy in this whole new world....
I chronicle the first 7 years of my healing journey after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease as a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and 9 years of childhood domestic violence in Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility.
"Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems," my latest collection of inspirational poetry is now available soon on Amazon
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