When It Feels Like 17 Degrees....

Last Saturday my weather app stated it was 23 degrees and sunny with a real feel of 17 degrees. Tom and I packed our gym bag and were going to do a treadmill run at our health club. We felt the sunshine as we were getting into our car. We paused...no we're all dressed and ready to go the gym...

We were a few blocks from our house when I said, "Are you sure you want to go to the gym?"

Tom drove on and then turned the car around!

I kept on my t shirt, capris and long running pants adding another Nike top layer, gloves, hat and my Boston Marathon jacket. Tom changed into running pants after adding on layers.

The cold air made our breath catch at first but we loved feeling the sun's rays.

There was wind and a few hills along our route which included part of the Boston Marathon route along Beacon Street. It's always a thrill to be among the runners training for Boston.

We reminisced about our training runs for Boston, especially one of our last long runs in 17 degree weather.

From the soon to be released "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
Here I sit after being out in the freezing cold for over six hours having run and power walked TWENTY MILES!!! Starting out at 10 am the mercury hit all of 16 degrees and then there was the wind chill.

I saw the temperature and decided to just ignore it. The cold is the arch enemy of a person who suffered from Post-Polio Syndrome but I am a new me in a new world and so, it was time to prepare for the run. Our event coordinator suggested we start our long run at 10 or 10:30 to simulate Marathon Monday. I had my toast, juice, water and then oatmeal. Before we left at 9:45, I ate a banana and half a bagel with more water as I will in the Athlete's Village on Marathon Monday.

We got to Marathon Sports around 10 am. We did a long warm up since it was freezing outside and then decided we needed to power walk instead of run. We have done intensive training with a half marathon race, followed by a 19 mile long run within the week, speed drills and hill training. We had done a 15 minute/mile pace for 15 miles last Saturday and done cross training on the bike as well as speed drills on the track. If we were going to survive 20 miles in the cold, we had to pace ourselves. There was no reason to risk an injury now!

We were grateful for the sunshine but not thrilled about experiencing headwinds coming AND going. This was a training run in every sense of the word as we went farther and braved the cold longer than we ever had. We came, we power walked and we conquered feeling mentally and physically strong as we count down to Marathon Monday. I took two Advil
tonight. I have not used Advil since last April when our training began to 'intensify.’ Ha - I had no idea what intensify meant. With our longest training run in the books, we turned our attention to An Evening of A cappella Music to Benefit Team McManus’ Spaulding Rehab Boston Marathon Run. The finish line of training and fund raising was in sight!

The cold air was invigorating and running in the brisk air awakened us to the wonder and awe of nature in all its splendor whatever the season is in New England.



It was a great time to unplug (which we wouldn't have done on the treadmill) and connect with each other while braving and embracing the elements.

Last week was an incredibly stressful week. Our daughter who suffers with depression and PTSD took an overdose of her meds. She just wanted her pain and suffering to end. She received remarkable emergency care and was admitted to St. Elizabeth's Hospital where she is receiving and participating in intensive treatment.

As we ran, we were reminded of this wonderful quote from Bart Yasso,


When it feels like 17 degrees we can choose to stay inside and get our miles done on a treadmill, or we can allow ourselves to be transformed by a run embracing the elements to let stress melt away and possibility to be born.

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available 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):


***Coming Soon - The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953***

“The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance tapping into the powerful connection she experienced to the Divine from an early age. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running. Her story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog, discovering the meaning of different ability and experiencing the stunning view from the back of the pack of a race. You will have the privilege of bearing witness to how Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her. The sport of running provides the backdrop for her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary that tested her mettle while forging friendships to last a lifetime. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life.