My body needs time to recover after 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons. It was a miracle that I was able to train for and run 3 half marathons in as many years given a) the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome after which I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and b) a very serious knee injury in December of 2014 after which I was told to STOP running or to cap my distance and to prepare for a total knee replacement in a "few" years.
No total knee replacement and I'm still running but I do need to have a lot of patience and persistence in my running and health and wellness journey.
Monday morning brought cooler temperatures and very little wind. It was an ideal running weather kind of morning.
I promised myself since I am not training for endurance events right now that I would work on speed at the distance of a 5K.
As I was pondering the best ways to work on speed, I instinctively ran fartleks with a tempo run in between intervals.
I experienced both the challenge and the joy in the journey as Tom and I embraced and celebrated the subtle changes in seasons. We hadn't run around the Route 9 Reservoir since early summer. We sensed the change in wildlife patterns and how the trees were beginning their annual transformation from bright green. Some leaves had even begun to fall!
It was exhilarating to see my pace fall into the 15/16 minute/mile pace even though my overall pace was 17:20/mile. I was thrilled to see a 17:02 average pace for one of the miles. I can see and feel a 16 minute/mile pace on the horizon. My ultimate goal is a 12 minute/mile pace. I have created a playlist with the title "12 minute mile."
When I returned to the roads after my knee injury, my pace went from an 18-19 minute/mile pace to 15/16 minute/mile pace. I remember celebrating how 15 became the new 16 while training for my comeback race; the 2015 Finish at the 50!
Comebacks are hard work on the roads and in life.
Getting up at 6 am to do core work and get out the door for a run brings sweet rewards to mind, body and soul.
We were treated to a flock of birds flying in formation and the sun playing hide and seek among the clouds.
As we passed an elderly gentlemen several times wishing him a good morning and then a wonderful day he said, "All you need is love!" We heard the smile in his voice as we passed him.
I charged up the hill toward Route 9 and felt my heart rate and spirit soar.
Tom and I experienced a sense of joy for another run shared, the start of a new day and to bear witness to the ongoing miracle of my healing from the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma.
A week from Saturday I will test my mettle at my first road race since the Bermuda Half Marathon in January, The 5th Annual Joseph Middlemiss 5K and Celebrity Mile. It's a challenging course with hills but I am up to the task. While I would LOVE to be back running 14/15/16 minute miles, I am delighted to be able to support a great cause, run with my heart and be a part of this great community.
I have patience, persistence and with this comeback, feeling so much joy in the journey having accomplished so much against all odds.
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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