Sometimes All You Need is a Good Run

Mother Nature has been having her way with us here in New England. Two major storms on March 2 and March 7 and a major Nor'easter was forecast for yesterday. Unfortunately the forecast was spot on and we got hit hard with blizzard conditions in Boston. Knowing that Spring might be delayed a bit this year, I knew that I had to get out on a run on Monday. I'm feeling better and better in the wake of having run 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in as many years. It's going to be awhile before I'm back to my race pace but I'm so blessed and grateful that I can get out there and go on a run.

But with the roads covered with snow and ice around the Reservoirs, where is a runner to go? I knew I needed a route that was different from my going down the back way to the Reservoir, down Beacon Street and back home.

Why not explore the neighborhood?

Early on in my training for the 2009 Boston Marathon, when I was just getting used to running, my trainer took me to the end of Eliot Street, take a left and then loop around the circle at the dead end of Clinton Road and back again.

I didn't know what the distance was but I had my trusty Nike+. The pavement was dry and the sun was shining.

I'd been experiencing a lot of family stress lately and knew that a treadmill run or another bike ride at the gym would not have given me the same benefits as an outdoor run.

I was so grateful for dry pavement and having the road all to myself. I let the magic of my running shoes work for me.



My Nike+ mileage said 1 mile when I hit the turnaround. I was doing the math and figuring out how I was going to hit a 5K. "Oh I know," I thought out loud. "Once I get back to the house, I'll go .65 miles down and .65 miles back."

Only the strangest thing happened when I got to my house. The mileage was at 1.6 miles.

"That's strange," I heard myself say out loud.

I started to do the math again ... 3.11-1.6=1.5 divided by 2 = .75 + 1.6 = 2.35 - my turnaround point. I knew that I had to be mindful of keeping my distance in check for now as I continue to recover from 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons ... BUT I made it all the way to the end of Clinton Road again.

In between thoroughly enjoying being out on my run, experiencing the anticipation of Spring and feeling my stress melt away I was pondering the mystery of the miles. "How is that possible?" I wondered.

When I got back home my total run was 3.2 miles. Close enough to a 5K! My pace was my best pace yet since crossing the finish line of the Bermuda Half Marathon. I had no back or hip pain and felt that delicious sensation of running from the inside out at more than a walking pace.



I felt hope in my heart that I'll be able to return to the racing circuit; that despite having pushed myself way beyond my limits with 3 Bermuda Half Marathons, my body is healing. It's always a great feeling to know that what you believe to be true comes to be in physical manifestation. My mind was clear and I felt deeply connected to Source.

I came inside, took a hot shower, stretched and used my massage stick feeling that wonderful sense of contentment that only comes after an outdoor run. Sometimes life's problems seem to loom large and sometimes healing seems to take forever. But in truth sometimes all you need is a good run.

{Postscript:

I was still curious about the mileage. When Tom got home I told him about it. He had to go out to fill up our car and the snow blower with gas so he kindly offered to measure it for me.

The distance was .8 miles so somehow Nike+ made the correction on my return trip for 1.6 miles and my round trip of 3.2 miles.}

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours,
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc. Be sure to visit us at Booth 758 during Boston Marathon Weekend.

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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):