Going the Distance: 7 Sweet Sweaty Miles at Jamaica Pond and Channeling Only Health

It still seems surreal that I am training for the Bermuda Half Marathon again! My body is feeling those sore muscles again and I remind myself this is part of the joy of the journey.

But I had this strange thing that happened once before on my left foot where it hurts on the pinky toe pad and then it turns black and blue and gets swollen. I use MICE - movement, ice, compression and elevation.

Now I suppose one could be concerned about what's going on, stay off of it and certainly not run 7 miles:


During this morning's meditation I wondered, what if we were programmed to only channel health? What if we saw everything that was happening in our bodies as a function of health and healing rather than worrying if we were injured or perhaps had a blood clot.

Last year my beloved healer and chiropractor, Dr. Ryan suggested I read Candace Pert's book, 'Everything you need to know to feel Go(o)d.' She talks about how our perception of what is happening in our bodies affects what messages we send to our bodies and we can turn healing on or off based on our thoughts and feelings.

At the end of the book, Candace writes, "Trust. Breathe. Let go. God is in control."

In her Epilogue, she reflects on fear.

"The root of fear, I concluded, is more about being alone, feeling unconnected to others and not realizing that we're all one. As my long-term massage therapist Adam Helfer poetically put it, 'If you're connected to the divine, you'll always feel fine.' Adam had also told me he thought the best universal advice to 'feel good' is to remain in the present moment as much is possible.'

And that's what I did on my 7 mile training run today.

Fortunately the weather was much cooler than it had been during the past several days. There was cloud cover and while it was warm and humid, it was not oppressive.

Tom and I went to our magical and happy place, Jamaica Pond where we remember training for the 2009 Boston Marathon, feeling the presence of Bill Rodgers who used to train around Jamaica Pond for his Boston Marathon and where mysticism and beauty abound. It has inspired many of my poems through the years and today inspired Tom and me to relish our time together.



After our run we went to the KooKoo Cafe in Brookline Village to refuel and then home for an ice bath with Epsom Salts:


The swelling has gone down on my foot and the pain is gone!

I don't know why my body needs to do this little thing with my left foot but I interpret it as needing to release and heal something. My left side was the side most affected by the polio virus.

I channeled only health and now have 7 sweet and sweaty miles in the Bank of Bermuda as we like to call it while we train for the Bermuda Half Marathon in January.

To your health and wellness!
Mary