After a very serious knee injury in December of 2014 which indicated on MRI that I had shredded cartilage in my left knee, an atrophied gastroc muscle as a result of paralytic polio, bone spurs, degenerative changes from multiple surgeries, a fatty lipoma underneath the knee cap, and osteoarthritic changes in the knee joint. The recommendation from a Western Medicine physician was to stop running, get physical therapy and wait until the joint deteriorated enough to require a total knee replacement. By his calculations that would have been in about two years. The knee was "too far gone" to benefit from any possible surgical intervention. He knew that I wouldn't give up running so he told me to cap my distance at a 5K or at the very most a 5 miler and begrudgingly sent me off with a script for physical therapy.
I was blessed to experience the physical therapist from hell whose clinical style was rough shod at best and whose bedside manner left a lot to be desired.
Despite the messages I was receiving from Western Medicine, my non-runner friends, Aquatics Therapy staff and the massage therapist I was working with at the time, I just knew I had to find a way to get back to running - to going the distance in my healing journey from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma and on the roads.
Why you may ask? Why was I so passionate about being a part of the sport I feel in love with at the age of 53.
There's magic in running shoes.
For years I was a prisoner in my body, trapped by the residuals of having contracted paralytic polio at age 5 followed 3 years later by unrelenting violence at the hands of family members.
Running set me free. It didn't matter that I couldn't run fast; what mattered was that I could run, be a part of races and, when once I experienced jeers and taunts as a polio survivor, I now can experience cheers!
I asked the Universe for help and what I had written about in my poems about running unencumbered and free, being free from the shackles of my past and reclaiming my life from those who tried to take my life began to come into physical manifestation thanks to Dr. Ryan J. Means, a chiropractor.
He turned me onto the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza. Rather than fearing my body wouldn't be able to heal from the knee injury or that I would reinjure myself if I dared to go the distance again, I rediscovered the power of Divine Intelligence within me. It was that same Intelligence that I used to dissolve a breast tumor shortly after being diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards almost 11 years ago. It was the same Divine Intelligence that we used to grow a new gastroc muscle.
It's the same Divine Intelligence that I focus on during my morning and evening meditation seeing myself as healed, healthy, whole and free from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma and it's the same Divine Intelligence that enabled me to move beyond feeling ill two weeks ago before our scheduled long run.
Today I wrapped up another week of training on the road to the Bermuda Marathon Weekend.
It's been a different kind of training week with Tom off on a business trip in Las Vegas.
On Sunday, Ruth Anne and I went to the Newbury Street Boston Sports Club. Unfortunately there was no Arc Trainer available so we did 20 minutes on the Bike, took a break and did another 30 minutes on the bike getting in our rigorous 50 minute cardiovascular workout.
We did our usual strength training on Monday and yesterday did a terrific Tuesday tempo run. With cooler temperatures we were able to pick up our pace:
Ruth Anne is scheduled to run with a friend on Wednesdays and Tom and I do our run. I switched it up since Tom wasn't here and was planning to cross train in the pool. However, Ruth Anne's friend was unable to run with her this morning due to a sore hip. Since I was up early anyway, I decided to go on an easy run with her. It was the first time I've run two days in a row in the longest time.
A light rain fell and we watched the sky shift as the weather moved out of the area. We had a wonderful time talking and embracing the start of a new day, leaving our troubles on the road and feeling incredibly accomplished that we wrapped up another successful week of training.
I can't imagine my life without running in it. Having big goals like the Bermuda Half Marathon in January 2018 followed by the Hyannis 10K in February keep me motivated and happy. Running is my life - running is my therapy
Go the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary
Be sure to visit my website by following this link.
My books are available on Amazon.
Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life
Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:
And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
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