Listen now or read below a section of my memoir: My Road-A Runner’s Journey through Persistent Pain to Healing.

My alarm goes off. It’s 4:21 a.m. I’m three months into my training for the Wineglass Marathon. Some days it’s hard to lace up and get out the door. It’s so dark and cold. I want to hide back under the covers. My mind starts.

Maybe I can run later today. My back feels so stiff, maybe I should wait.

My thoughts are already trying to talk me out of it. There goes my mind again. I know the pattern. A pep talk is needed. Managing my mind is becoming a daily practice. I’m getting better at recognizing the thoughts that aren’t serving me, and finding ones that will.

You’ll feel better after moving, you always do. It’s a beautiful morning, let’s go see the stars.

I step out of bed and put on the running clothes that I had laid out the night before. This is a trick I do, the faster I get dressed the less time my mind has to talk me out of it.

See, I’m ready. Time to run.

It’s when I’m pounding the pavement I do my best thinking. It’s quiet, the stars are out; it’s just me and my thoughts. I download the day and what I want to get done. I sing songs and write books in my head. It’s my time, and as a mother of two small children, it’s required time. I recognize if I don’t get up and move, my pain is louder and I’m short with my children. This training isn’t just about Boston, it’s also about motherhood. My children don’t deserve a cranky mother, and I have control over that. When I get out of bed and run or walk, my pain is better. Some days it’s gone! Getting out of bed before they get up is a priority. I’m ready. I can be the mother I want to be. It’s not easy, but training for a marathon is training for life.

Have a great Thursday RWC! Happy running, reading, and writing!

Poem of the Day:

BRIGHT