We planned to go to South Boston to run but by the time we got ourselves together this morning it was mid-morning. We regrouped and chose to go out the front door and run around the Cleveland Circle Reservoir.
The temperatures were cooler than in recent weeks but I could still feel the humidity.
During the past several weeks, I have been extremely successful at pushing my pace, celebrating 10 years of running; focusing on speed rather than endurance. They were hot and tough runs yet I wouldn't classify them as hard runs.
I define a hard run as one in which I don't feel a mind/body coherence. It's a run that challenges me to be present and to go beyond the sensations I may be feeling in my body.
These last few days challenged me in ways that took me by surprise. I did not think there was anything left to surprise me as I journeyed through these past 4 years with our daughter's mental health challenges but these past few days really topped anything we'd experienced in these past 4 years. The details aren't important but the stress certainly took a toll on me. As soon as we began our run I felt a tightness in my right IT band and knee. I dialed back the pace. Tom and I debriefed about the events of the past few days while we ran. I felt the heaviness in my body from a poor night's sleep. I could have easily turned around and gone home. There's no accountability for my runs and workouts except to myself and perhaps my followers in social media. It is so important for me to honor my goals and commitment to my health and wellness journey.
The Reservoir was beautiful and we could sense the transformation from summer to autumn in the shades of green on the trees.
The water glistened with the reflection of the sun.
My pace was much slower than what I'd been running the past few weeks but still an improvement from post Bermuda Half marathon 5K pace. I sent lots of love to my right leg and had the epiphany that the events of the past few days stirred up the trauma I experienced as a child. With that realization, I drew from the sun and the water to send healing energy to my right IT band. I've been meditating to the soundtrack of the Heal Documentary and heard Michael Bernard Beckwith's voice saying, "You can heal anything. Life has trusted you. Breathe into that!"
I felt deeply grateful for the gift of running in my life and the gift of running with Tom every Saturday and Monday morning. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, every step on the pavement is a gift. We honored how hurt and tired we felt yet there we were out on the roads doing everything we could to shake off the events of the past few days.
We had negative splits.
Even though my pace was slower than what I'd been running in recent weeks, my mental game was strong. When we came off of the Reservoir and ran up the hill, I pushed myself to not stop before our water stop at the 2nd yellow pole on the bridge heading toward a downhill. It was a big victory for me to be in charge of my run rather than allowing the circumstances to impose on my run.
Tom went on to deposit a total of 8 miles in the Bank of Bermuda on the road to his fourth consecutive Bermuda Half Marathon!
I saw this post on Facebook from Kelly Noonan Gores, the Director of Heal Documentary:
“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. Accept, and then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. This will miraculously change your life.” -Eckhart Tolle
Of the many “aha moments” I had earlier this week, the biggest was about resistance to what is. Therein lies our suffering. To truly believe that Life/Universe/God is always for you, never against you, and to TRUST and BREATHE while you are going through an unwanted circumstance, that is the key to freedom and healing.
When I woke up this morning and at the beginning of my run, it would have been easy to take another rest day. I refused to let external circumstances overtake me.
Hard days and hard runs: They are the best....When you push through them you know you can get through anything!
Celebrating 10 years of running deeply grateful for the gifts that running has brought into my life...especially when a 5K run helps me make it to the other side of hard.
From my heart to yours,
To your health and wellness,
Mary
My healing journey is going to be featured in David R. Hamilton's soon to be released book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body." It's available for pre-order on Amazon.
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:
Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
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