Runner Insight

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Boy oh boy, have I been out of the loop!  When did candy bars get to be so expensive? 

We were at the grocery store, and we saw that Hershey’s candy bars were on sale… “Buy 3 get 3 Free.”  But I was amazed that the regular price of the candy bar was 89 cents. These were not the King size either – just the standard size Hershey’s candy bars! And we weren’t standing in a movie theater or an airport where they get to charge premium prices.

My chocolate of choice for the past year or two has been Hershey’s Nuggets.  There is just something so satisfying about the size and density of that chunk of chocolate. Whoever designed the Nugget for Hershey’s should get an “Amazingly Fabulous Design” award or whatever they give out to food designers. 

For the past year or two, I had been having about 4 Nuggets after dinner, and that kept me pretty satisfied.  But lately I had started eating more and more of those nuggets of pure chocolate delight.

So, kind of as a New Year’s resolution, towards the beginning of the year I decided to go cold turkey.

It’s been about a month now, and I’m actually doing pretty well with it.  My craving for Nuggets is after dinner. But if I go do something else right after dinner, I find that I forget about wanting them.  While I’m not super rigid about only eating healthy foods, we do try to eat right most of the time. I’ve decided that avoiding the Nugget addiction is about changing up my habits and routines, and not having them easily accessible.

So, if I want some candy or chocolate I will have to march my butt down to the store and buy it.  We’re not going to keep it in the house anymore: that makes it too easy to give in to my cravings. 

If it truly is a must-be-satisfied craving, I will have to make the effort to go and get some at the store…and with the cold weather and shorter daylight hours, I think most evenings I will be content to just do without. It’s empowering actually, because I get to make the conscious choice of what I’m putting into my body. 

Oh believe me, there will be days when I choose to eat chocolate and maybe even lots of it…but it will be a conscious decision that I make, not some mindless habit.

How ‘bout it?  

-Vision Runner

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I wanted to tell you about this book I’ve been reading – an ebook that I downloaded off the internet – called “The Marathon Method Essential Guide to Training for Your First Marathon”  by Joe Donovan.

Incidentally, reading on the computer is about the only way I can read a book…I can listen to audiobooks, or have someone else read to me, but I can’t read standard, hold-them-in-your-hand books or magazines, etc. as the font type is too small for me to see.

Anyway, I’m probably about a third of the way through the fifteen chapters. Of course it takes me forever to read a book as with my vision loss, I have to increase the computer font to gigantically monstrous size (yep, that’s a real font size, scroll all the way down and you’ll see it on the list of font sizes….not really, just kidding )

So far, I really like it. He’s thorough, and starts from the beginning as if you’ve never run before.

I really like reading writers who are funny and personable. He is, and he uses a lot of his own experiences. He comes from the perspective of his own personal story: he was not a runner when he started, he was an out of shape executive who made the decision to start working towards a lifelong goal of running a marathon. Specifically the New York City Marathon.

He talks about enlisting your friends and family to help you … even if they’re incredulous at the thought of you running at first. Don’t let their initial shock and negativity be a barrier for you; let it fuel you and your running program. As you follow through, they will start showing up to help you out. He talks about how one of his co-workers would put inspirational quotes in his workspace, and another friend would go out with him for his Friday night pasta meal to carb load the night before his Saturday long runs.

You should get this book if you or anyone you know is wanting to start a running program or training for a marathon. Even if you’re not a brand new runner, the info in the book will be invaluable. I’m getting a lot out of it so far, and I’ve been running for 17 years.

He comes at it from not just the physical side of the training process, but also incorporates the mental, the spiritual and using your quest to complete a marathon as a life-changing, comfort-zone-stretching goal. I really like it so far, and I think you will, too.

Click here to go get it: “The Marathon Method Essential Guide to Training for Your First Marathon”  by Joe Donovan. It’s only $19.99 and an instant download, so you can start reading it right away…

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

We have another treat for you…another one of our Twitter friends @gracefullady (Mary McManus) has so graciously agreed to share her story with us. After you read her story of courage and accomplishment, please take the time to watch the video, too. It is very moving and inspirational. Talk about breaking through barriers and redefining your reality for yourself….we can all take a lesson from her.

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

Mary’s Story….

“A fit woman is a powerful woman” is the motto of Moving Comfort who makes running clothes exclusively for women. With all the talk of New Year’s resolutions and tips for health and fitness, I want to speak to the incredible psychological, physical and spiritual power that I experience now that I have been blessed to discover the joy of running. As a child, I contracted paralytic polio at age 5. I ditched the idea of ever being able to participate in athletics or ever being able to achieve a level of fitness. I was ever so grateful for the ability to walk again and went on with my life … that is until I was diagnosed with post polio syndrome at age 53.

It took about 10 years for me to finally trust my instincts that I was experiencing symptoms of post polio syndrome. I went to Spaulding Rehab’s International Rehab Center for Polio and after 7 tubes of blood, innumerable tests and a complete physical with my primary care provider, the diagnosis was confirmed.

I embarked on a journey I never imagined was possible, and this journey is now taking me, along with my daughter and husband, to the starting line of the 113th Boston Marathon to run for Spaulding Rehab.

I went through intensive outpatient therapy at Spaulding and after I was discharged from their care, I hired a personal trainer, Janine Hightower, who had been a friend of mine for several years.

My body was asking to do more but my big question was…could I defy the diagnosis of post polio syndrome and heal mind, body and spirit? Only time would tell.

I began strength training and the day after the first session I could barely move as we began to engage muscles that had never been worked before. There were many times when I wondered what I was doing and when I wanted to quit, but the spark of moving forward and finding my strength and power fueled my journey.

I visualized, meditated, journaled and sought out other healers to be a part of my team. I used my gift of poetry which I discovered when I was diagnosed with post polio syndrome to continue to inspire my body to heal.

Last February when Janine asked me what my new goals for health and fitness were, the words “I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab” just fell out of my mouth. I could feel God’s call to challenge myself and stretch myself beyond all my wildest imaginings. What a blessing to have my husband, Tom and daughter, Ruth Anne join me.

For the first time in my life, I am a member of an athletic team – Spaulding Rehab’s Team McManus. We have already run the Corrib Pub 5K, The Marathon Sports 5 Miler, The Tough Ten Mile Turkey Trot and the Tufts 10K for Women.

We are registered for a 16 Mile Long Run as part of BAA’s Charity Event Team, The Hyannis Half Marathon and the 21 Mile Long Run – our final long run on 3/28 before we taper to prepare for Boston on April 20, 2009.

Every step, every challenge, every triumph, every frustration and every joy continue to prepare us physically and mentally to run 26.2 miles. I have learned so much about myself along this Road to the Boston Marathon, and the most important lesson of all for me has been the power of love to fuel healing, hope, courage, faith and grit and determination.

And just remember, as Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right.” So why not think and feel you can – I did and it has been the greatest blessing in my life!

To read more about my journey, you can check out my website at www.newworldgreetings.com and our Team McManus website at www.firstgiving.com/teammcmanus.