"Our pace is 17:30," Ruth Anne said as we began Day 5/5 on the road to Bermuda Marathon Weekend at the Reservoir on an unseasonably warm morning in Boston.
"Faster or slower?" Ruth Anne asked as she was going to once again be my pacer for our Wednesday morning tempo run.
"Faster," I replied.
"I've been upping my mental game this week," I told Tom and Ruth Anne. "I've focused on maintaining my physical gains and really focusing on positive self-talk."
(For those of you who may be new to my blog and my journey, a 17:30 pace for me is the equivalent of a 10 minute mile for others without the challenges of having contracted paralytic polio at age 5, experienced severe childhood trauma and having had over 25 surgeries.)
Last Monday we had a magical morning run. After 9.5 miles on Saturday and a week where the heat had really taken a toll on me, I had no idea what my body would be able to do on this morning's run. I let go of any expectations and allowed Tom and Ruth Anne to be my pacers.
We savored the glorious Autumn morning giving thanks for how blessed we are to witness the change of seasons as runners. The leaves are slowly changing losing their bright green color of summer but not yet bursting with the glorious yellow, orange and gold that is the signature of Fall in New England.
I was breathing hard but still able to keep up a conversation. Tom and Ruth Anne would call out the pace from time to time.
"We're doing a 15 minute mile. Oh my goodness we just dipped into a 13 minute mile."
We were soaked and sweat dripped down my face but I kept pushing on.
"Go mom go," Ruth Anne cried out as we ran up the hill. I was wheezing and breathing hard.
"Don't panic. Take deep breaths," Ruth Anne advised.
The traffic light changed and we didn't have time to pause at the top of the hill.
We ran downhill on Eliot Street to finish up our 3.11 mile run.
"Congratulations. You've reached your goal of 3.11 miles," Nike+ told us.
We took our runfie:
Feeling nauseous, hot and hungry makes for an interesting breakfast yet oatmeal, toast, banana and OJ tastes incredible after leaving nothing out on the roads.
I can't remember the last time I felt a runner's high. My body and mind worked as one and I felt ease, grace and joy in the run although I was pushing myself to the edge.
Nike+ showed me a 3 second/mile faster pace than last Monday and an overall time improved by 11 seconds! Our average pace was 17'03"/mile that includes a big hill toward the end of our run.
It was exhilarating to realize that despite increasing miles, I can go out and do a tempo run.
I was reminded of how my personal trainer pushed us during 2009 Boston Marathon training. Speed work and hills were a part of the weekly training regimen. What a blessing to share going the distance again with Ruth Anne!
Day 5/5 - a Runner's High - another week of training in the books on the road to Bermuda.
Two days of rest and recovery that I will thoroughly embrace and enjoy because on Saturday we will hit DOUBLE DIGITS:
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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