Focus on Mental Preparation: The Brain Cannot Distinguish...

 

“Does your brain distinguish real from imaginary?” is a question posed by Dr. David Hamilton in his October 2014 blog. David and countless other mind/body luminaries have written and shared researched about how the brain cannot distinguish real from imaginary. One of my favorite stories from Meb’s book, “Run to Overcome” is when he shares how he visualized his race before going to sleep. He had one of his worst performances because his body believed he had already run the race. Billy Mills won Gold in the 1964 Olympics through the power of visualization. He had read in a college textbook, “The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between reality and imagination.”

In David’s blog post, he cites one of his favorite studies about the power of the imagination and its effect on the body.
 
Volunteers were asked to play a simple sequence of piano notes each day for five consecutive days. Their brains were scanned each day in the region connected to the finger muscles. Another set of volunteers were asked to imagine playing the notes instead, also having their brains scanned each day.

The top two rows in the image show the changes in the brain in those who played the notes. The middle two rows show the changes in those who simply imagined playing the notes. Compare this with the bottom two rows showing the brain regions of the control group, who didn’t play nor imagine playing, piano.

When I share my journey of transformation as a motivational speaker, I start out by asking members of the audience to imagine eating a lemon. (I bet you started feeling sensations in your mouth as you read that sentence!) I could see by the pursed lips in the audience that I made my point. Through visualizing, the brain undergoes changes that in turn create changes in the body.

Throughout this training cycle, I’ve used my imagination experiencing how I am going to feel crossing the finish line of the Bermuda Triangle Challenge 10K. I’ve used  intermittent visualization about being out on the course. Now that the intense physical training has peaked, it is time for me to harness the power of my imagination for race day. I need to hone in on the details of race weekend from start to when I cross the finish line and of course the post-race celebration. I am whisking away the what if’s of travel and pre-race jitters to create my perfect race-cation in my mind’s eye. It’s time to stoke the flames of my imagination and snuff out the doubts, fears and worries. As the holiday music fills the air and I prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I anticipate celebrating all that I have accomplished, all that I am and all that is yet to be. I am topping off the tank of training during these next several weeks feeling physically prepared to take my victory lap on the beautiful Bermuda 10K course. Now it’s time to focus in on mental preparation because, during these past 17 years of healing, I have learned that the brain cannot distinguish between what is real and what is being imagined.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my website to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page with links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon

Thank you to Mike Reilly for featuring my story on Stories From the Finish Line Sponsored by CURAD Performance Series to inspire others.

Be sure to subscribe to the On The Runs podcast for stories of individuals who are fierce and determined to overcome challenges, set goals and crush them. Here is the link to my Episode 56.

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Be sure to download and subscribe to the AdaptX podcast. Here's the link to my wonderful conversation with host Brendan Aylward sharing my journey of transformation and healing in the wake of polio, Post-Polio syndrome and trauma.

 

Ten Years Later: We Are Boston Stronger

 

Tomorrow marks the 14th anniversary of when I was blessed to run the 2009 Boston Marathon. Once you've experienced the Boston Marathon it becomes a part of your heart and soul.

With Tom and Ruth Anne getting ready to run the Providence Half Marathon on 5/7 for Victory Programs we weren't sure how much of the Boston Marathon Weekend festivities we were going to be a part of. BUT it was the 10th year after the events of 4/15/13 and the 50th anniversary of when our good friend Jacqueline Hansen won the Boston Marathon. We decided that Tom and Ruth Anne would drop me off at the Expo on Friday and spend time together in the afternoon while I soaked up the energy of the 127th Boston Marathon Weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was no line to get into the Expo. A volunteer stood near the entrance as I walked through where the lines would have wound around. He knew me from social media and we had a delightful chat about Boston Marathon Weekend. 

My first stop was at the FlavaNaturals Booth. I met the Founder of FlavaNaturals, Alan Frost at the Hyannis Marathon Expo in 2020. It was so awesome to see him again post-pandemic!

I was delighted to share my experience with FlavaNaturals Expo goers regaling the nutritious delicious product that Alan developed. What a surprise to find myself talking with someone I had not seen in several years. She took off her sunglasses and mask and I realized who she was. We briefly got caught up on life and reconnected as Facebook friends. It was one of those magical moments that gets orchestrated during Boston Marathon Weekend.

I wanted to get a front row seat for Jacqueline Hansen's Expo panel with her fellow Boston Marathon Champion, Jon Anderson celebrating their 50th anniversary of when they won Boston. The previous panel had just finished. I took a seat at the edge of the 2nd row. I just happened to look over and said, "Rosy" referencing Rosemary Spraker. We planned to meet last year but the stars didn't align. She provided our 2020 Virtual Expo panel with the technical support we needed to be able to submit our production for the on line Expo. We hugged for several minutes savoring that intense post-pandemic gratitude moment. Kathrine Switzer joined the conversation and we settled down to enjoy the next 45 minutes of Jacqueline and Jon sharing their Boston Marathon experiences.

 

Jacqueline donated the shirt she wore when she won the 1973 Boston Marathon to the Boston Marathon archives. One of her friend's presented her with a gift after the talk. It was a replica of the shirt she wore! Jacqueline was at first shocked and then moved to tears by the beautiful gesture.

Tom and Ruth Anne picked me up and we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Golden Temple, our favorite restaurant. On Saturday, we went on a run dedicating our miles to those who were injured and died on 4/15/13. We connected with friends on line and spread love, kindness and compassion in cyberspace and in real life.

Sunday was a day to relax as we prepared for Boston Marathon spectating. With the cold, rainy weather and Tom and Ruth Anne's upcoming Half Marathon in Providence, we decided to watch the race on line. What an amazing experience! WCVB TV did an outstanding job with commentary on the wheelchair race. We were moved to tears and goosebumps when Ernst van Dyk who was our Team Captain when we were part of Spaulding Rehab's Race for Rehab Team, received a standing ovation when he returned to the Fairmont Copley. This was his final Boston Marathon. 

It was a stunning upset for the Men's Elite runners and the Female Elite Runners had a fight to the finish.

We waited to go on our Monday run until the Elites had finished and cheered on our friends virtually as we tracked them. We headed to the Reservoir to get in our Monday miles when the cheering of the crowds from Cleveland Circle beckoned us to watch the runners for a bit. Despite the rain and chill in the air, feeling the energy of Marathon Monday warmed our hearts and souls. 

 

With the help of the BAA tracker, we were able to find and cheer for several of our L Streeters. I loved seeing how our presence gave them a boost.

One of Ruth Anne's friends from Camp and School was featured in a news report about Black Men Running Club. She was able to spot him coming down Chestnut Hill Avenue. She jumped up and down and screamed his name. The biggest smile flashed across his face as he headed toward the finish line. 

Here are photos that capture the atmosphere at Cleveland Circle:

Our feet were cold and we were about to head home when Ruth Anne suggested we wait for Henry Richard and the group of his brother Martin's friends who were running together. Martin's dream was to run the Boston Marathon when he turned 18 years old. To honor his memory, a group of Martin's friends who turned 18, joined Team MR8.

Boston was in full bloom thanks to a relatively mild winter and a two day heat wave last week (that fortunately broke before race day).

It was as though Mother Nature was mirroring the feelings of rebirth and renewal ten years after the tragic events of 4/15/13.

 

On our way home, we saw this pink heart in the little field:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love always wins. Light prevails.  Ten years later we ARE Boston Stronger!

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my website  to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon 

 Thank you to Mike Reilly for featuring my story on Stories From the Finish Line Sponsored by CURAD Performance Series  to inspire others.

Countdown to Boston Marathon: Let Spirit Shine

 

As I drove down Beacon Street in Brookline yesterday, I saw that the Boston Marathon mile markers were painted. What is usually a rite of Spring and the harbinger of the days leading up to the Boston Marathon is now happening in October. 

Last evening, the statue of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon was unveiled with the Executive Director of the BAA, Tom Grilk, Sara Mae Berman, the first woman to win the Boston Marathon, Bobbi Gibb, Jack Fultz who won the "Run for the Hoses" Boston Marathon in searing heat and Bill Rodgers, Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon champion and Olympian.

It would be so easy to focus on all that is 'wrong' with this year's Marathon. There is a smaller field. Masks must be worn at the Expo and there is no Runner's Speaker's Series this year. It feels strange. Even though I am not setting up dates and places to meet up with my friends coming in from out of town or those in the area coming in for the Expo I can still experience the excitement of my friends who are getting ready to run the 125th Boston Marathon. I ask when people are coming in to town and for bib numbers. 

This afternoon Tom and Ruth Anne wanted to do their run by the beach in South Boston. We passed workers spray painting "medical tent mile..." along Beacon Street. 

On the way into town, I suggested we drive down Boylston Street. It's incredible to think that so much time has passed since Boston ran on Marathon Monday.

I got goosebumps and very emotional when I saw the sign at the Hynes Convention Center:

I was poised to be a member of a Speaker's Panel at the Runner Speaker's Series in April of 2020 before life as we all knew it came to a screeching halt.

The barricades are lining the streets near the finish line which will be closed this weekend so athletes and spectators can enjoy the ambiance of Copley Square as excitement builds for the big day. The finishing touches were being put on the viewing stands at the finish line. The finish line has been painted waiting for the runners to celebrate their triumphant journey from Hopkinton to Boston.

The medical tents at the finish line sprawled out in the square in front Trinity Church.  My breath caught when I saw signs that indicated we were still in the midst of the pandemic; "COVID-19 Testing" and "Vaccination Certification." 

I posted the photo of the sign at the Expo in social media and it was goosebumps all over again. As Thich Nhat Hahn suggested, let's touch those things that are positive and make them bloom! I can feel the thrill and excitement as the vibe of the Boston Marathon returns to the City. I must admit that I am experiencing a case of FOMO about not going to the Expo this year but I am going to stay focused on allowing all the wondrous and beautiful connections and energy that comes with the Boston Marathon to flourish and bloom.

Even though so much is different and surreal about Boston Marathon Weekend this year, one thing is for certain. The Spirit of the Boston Marathon shines brightly.

Here's my inspirational Boston Marathon run from 2009:

We'll be lending our hearts and Spirits to the runners as they come down Beacon Street to celebrate the day that Boston runs again!

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

My books to uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon.

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website to hear interviews that will open your heart and mind to a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities.