Runner Insight

^Click Arrow Above To Listen

What’s involved in getting ready to run 26.2 miles?

Well I guess for me, being blind, there were two primary things: commitment and a support team.

Once I decided that I was going to run a full marathon, I had to make an absolutely unwavering commitment that I was going to do what it took to train properly for it. I knew that this meant that from January till July I was going to be running, and running a lot. My daily schedule would revolve around my job and training. Other things would have to fit in or be left out. I had to be confident that I was up for that.  No matter what, once I found my training program, I would have to stick with it rain or shine, regardless of whether I was tired or just lethargic and didn’t feel like running. This was a marathon after all, and not for wimps.  

I was older and maybe a bit wiser from earlier days, when I just ran, on a whim and completely unprepared, 16 miles one day just to see if I could do it.  That was 10 years before, and age had been on my side then. I was in my 40′s now, after all, and not seeing as well either. My eye disease had progressed to the point that I wouldn’t be able to do my longer training runs by myself. The short ones around town would be fine, because I had familiar trails, controlled paths that I didn’t have to worry too much about navigation or traffic. But for anything over 12 miles, I would need to figure out a safe route and probably have to have someone with me.

I made sure this experience would be as well thought out and well executed as possible because I really wanted this to be an enjoyable journey. I understood that the process was just as critical as the final result, especially since I knew going in that this may be the only time I want to or am able to run a marathon. After serious consideration, I decided that I was willing to make the commitment to the intensive running schedule. 

But I also had to be committed to the other sacrifices it would involve, beyond just running a lot of miles every week. It meant getting up at the first hint of dawn in the summer to get my runs in before the heat of the day, and it meant crawling out of a soft, warm, cozy bed in the dead of winter to go for a run bundled up in my less fashionable winter gear, and running during transitional seasons when I couldn’t be exactly sure what the weather was going to do, or how to dress for it.

It also meant sacrifice at the table: ordering grilled chicken instead of the Bar-B-Q ribs. Paying closer attention to what might upset my digestive system, as I didn’t want to have to postpone or miss a run cause my stomach was unhappy or I wasn’t feeling well. It was a sacrifice, but it also felt good that I was on a mission, striving towards a goal.

This commitment thing so far involved sacrificing my sleep schedule, my eating routines, my fashion coordination, and…Oh yeah, my social life.  Once I really got into some serious miles, I knew it would take time away from my family and friends, and things that they might be doing that I might not get to do because it conflicted with my training schedule.

But that is where a good support team comes into play. As I mentioned previously, one of the reasons I never considered running a marathon before was I did not have a support team.  For me, that was truly the most vital and important key to train for and run a marathon.  I could run all the miles I wanted to, but I knew without the support of my family, I would not be successful in my attempt to run a full marathon. Fortunately I did have the full support of my partner, family, and friends, so it became a goal that I could focus on achieving without having to contend with doubt as to my ability to attain it. Obviously I had some logistical obstacles to contend with due to my vision issues, but my commitment was strong and my support team was in place. I didn’t know exactly what the journey would entail, but I was ready to get started . . . training for a 26.2 mile marathon run six months down the road….gotta run. 

How ‘bout it?

 Vision Runner

Click Arrow Above to Listen…

Like a lot of us, I try to stay healthy. Consequently, I’ve been using herbal supplements for several years for various reasons.

The main place I get them from, sends out free booklets and DVDs with each order. One of the DVDs in particular caught my attention cause he was talking about our eyes. The herb doctor was talking about his formula called Eyebright.  He said that historically, people used to use eye washes  all the time to stimulate blood flow to the eye and to prevent eye infections. 

So he formulated a mixture of different herbs, including: Eyebright Herb and Flower, Goldenseal Root, Mullein Flower, Fennel Seed, Red Raspberry Leaf and Cayenne Pepper.

Okay…did you see it?  That part right at the end where it says Cayenne Pepper? Red Hot Cayenne Peppers! Yikes!  But the good doctor explained that the cayenne pepper was to increases blood circulation to the eyes.

With RP, the rods and cones in my eyes don’t replenish themselves as they die off. It made sense to me that since my cells were having a hard time renewing themselves on their own, maybe they needed a little boost. 

So I ordered the Eyebright Formula from him. I also ordered a couple of eye cups  on eBay.  (It’s amazing what you can find on eBay, that you never even thought about looking for before. You decide to look, and “Poof”. There it is. Sometimes it amazes me.)

Anyway, the directions said to use distilled water, and put 3 to 25 drops of the Eyebright in each eye cup. Of course, I started with the minimum, 3 drops in each eye cup. I was not looking forward to this. But conviction and desire will drive you a long ways. I could smell the pepper as I lifted the eye wash up to my eye. Then I put the cup with the “pepper juice” on my eye and tried to open my eye. And I tried to open my eye, and I tried, and tried…

Hmmm, for some unknown reason my eye just did not want to open. Could it be the body’s natural response to protect the eyes from Red Hot FIRE?  Yeah, Maybe, Obviously…

After much persuasion, and a good-talkin’ to, I did get my eye to open and YOW, yes I said YOWWWW.  As I’m sure you can guess, it is not the most pleasant experience, to put it mildly.  In fact, it is something akin to torture. And I’m certainly not recommending the process for anyone else.

When I’m bathing my eyes with the healing properties of the “pepper juice”, although it looks like spasms, my body does a little dance, to help get me through my eye washing process.  I just keep telling myself that the pepper juice is waking those cells up, so they can dance, too! 

I have to tell you that I don’t do it every night before bed, but I do try to do it as many nights as I’m brave enough. I must admit, it does take some (well okay, a lot of) mental talk to get myself hyped up to put cayenne pepper in my eyes.  And sometimes I just don’t want to. Actually, I can’t think of a single night that I really “wanted” to do it.

The reason I do it though, is because I want to do things that are moving me in the right direction. Faith can move mountains. I don’t know how long it will take to get my eyesight back, or how it will happen. I am just putting multiple pathways out there so that the universe can pick which one it wants to use to bring me back my vision. And I’m all about that! Whether it’s dancing with pepper juice, or they figure out some kind of medical cure, or something else ….bring it on!

It’s my job just to believe it’s on the way!

How ‘bout it? 
Vision Runner   

P.S. Maybe I’ll get you some video of my “Pepper Juice Dance”; it’s a little painful, but somewhat comical….you might laugh. I usually do.

Stay tuned.

P.S.S. Don’t forget to leave your Comments below…. Thanks!

^ Click Arrow To Listen To Blog.

In the early spring of 1997, when I was first diagnosed with RP, it was a very hard concept for me to process: that there is no cure for my kind of eye disease. The specialist that I saw in Tucson told me I would slowly lose more of my vision, and probably all of it, eventually.

I grieved for awhile, and I came to accept the diagnosis that I had an incurable disease. They had evidence that I was going blind; they showed me scientific proof. We have been trained to accept those things that we are shown as absolute truth. And the reality is that it was the truth, and I had no reason to challenge it. Why would I? They showed me all of the test results.

So of course I believed the diagnosis; I allowed the results (the fact that it was harder for me to see in combination with all of their proof), and I accepted those results. I allowed those results to determine my beliefs. I believed it: I was going blind. And of course it was true. My reality was that I was going blind.

They said it.
I accepted it.
I believed it.
Therefore it was true. It was my reality.
It was true because I believed it to be true.

About ten years after my diagnosis, we watched “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. That started an incredibly radical paradigm shift for me, and really got me thinking about what I wanted to attract into my life. Well of course the first thing I wanted was my eyesight back. Duh….

As we started watching “The Secret” over and over, and listening to it on CD, and studying the Law of Attraction, I began to realize that for all of these years I had been attracting things into my life by default. That is, by not consciously thinking about what I truly wanted, I got what I got by default. As a society, we have a very strong tendency to focus on what it is that we don’t want. For example, “I don’t want to be late.” “I don’t want a bad haircut.” “Don‘t get dirty.“ “I hope my food doesn’t spoil.” “I don’t need any more bills.” “I wish I could pay off all this debt.” “I don’t want to spill food on my new shirt.” “Traffic is always terrible in that part of town.” “Don’t get into a car wreck.” “My kitchen is a mess.” “Don’t do that; you’ll break it.” and on and on and on. We’re always focused on things that we don’t really want. And what kind of energy are you sending out into the world? Well, let’s see: late, bad haircut, spoiled food, more bills & debt, food spilled on your shirt, terrible traffic, car wrecks, messy kitchens, broken stuff, etc.,

My partner had migraines all the time. Her big thing was “I don’t want a headache.” “There’s a low pressure system coming in; I hope it doesn’t bring on a headache.” “I can’t eat that (or drink that) cause it’ll give me a headache.” Headache, headache, headache. How many times do you think you can toss the concept out to the universe, and not expect that it’s going to draw? Once she started focusing on “relaxed and comfortable, strong and healthy always”, she has practically cured herself.

As the Law of Attraction indicates, we get what we focus on. If we’re focusing on all of the things that we don’t want, or not really focusing on anything at all, we get what we get by default. That was an insanely uncomfortable and difficult truth to accept: that I had attracted this eye disease into my life. And my vision was getting worse, because that’s what I was focusing on, that‘s what I was expecting. I would tell people all the time that I couldn’t see well because I was going blind. As I studied more, I knew it was what had happened to me. They diagnosed me.
I never challenged it because
I never thought to challenge it because
I never even knew I could challenge it.
Because that’s what they said it was, that’s what it was.
I accepted it. I believed it, and consequently, it was.

But the more I studied, the more I began to realize that I didn’t have to accept that as my reality. I didn’t like the results I was getting, so I decided to shift my thinking. I changed the way I was thinking about my eyesight. I had previously let outside circumstances define my reality for me, instead of allowing myself the ability to determine my own reality.

Of course, now I know that I can create a new reality, one in which I have perfect vision and health. I just have to envision it. And while I’m at it, I might as well manifest a brand new red Toyota Highlander Hybrid that I’ll be able to drive as soon as my vision returns, right?

So think about what it is you want.
How ‘bout it?

Vision Runner