Going the Distance: "Life is hard...that's why we run!"

Yesterday Ruth Anne and I had some business to take care of. It was time consuming and stressful. We knew that ultimately it would have a positive outcome but it was a grueling process to endure.

We were up at 6am, did our core work and Ruth Anne and Tom went on a run. My Day 5 of training on the road to Bermuda Marathon Weekend usually consists of me hitting the gym in the morning for 30 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes on the Arc Trainer; a rigorous cardio workout followed by 2 days of rest and recovery.

However, since we had business to attend to I had to put my workout on hold.

It was late in the afternoon by the time we finished everything we needed to take care of and oh how I just wanted to go home and take a nap. It was a marathon of a day already. Yet I reminded myself that I am healed from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma and I could think greater than what my body was telling me!

I've been so blessed by my friendship with Bill Rodgers through the years. At the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer, Billy and I were talking before the race as he sold copies of his book, "Marathon Man."



"Life is hard right? That's why we run. When we know we can tough it out on the roads, we know we can tough things out in our lives." He punctuated his statement with "Yeah".

As his words echoed in my ears, I told Ruth Anne that, despite how we were feeling, we needed to get in our workout.

At Boston Sports Club we poured sweat on the Arc Trainer and then on the bike. I knew I needed to stick to my training plan with no excuses. I felt nauseous and tired but love the motto, "When in doubt sweat it out."

And sweat it out we did:


A rigorous 50 minute cardio workout to wrap up another week of training for Bermuda Marathon Weekend - a threepeat! Yes sometimes life gets hard and that's why I run...and set big goals to work toward....so that when the going get toughs, I stick to my training plan and go the distance.

Go the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary

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:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Run Bermuda! Run Happy! On Optimism and Impossibility

Ten years ago I had quit my 20 year award winning social work career at the VA to "heal my life" after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neurommuscular disease by Western Medicine Standards. I imagined a new life for myself through the healing power of writing poetry. My pen became my divining rod for healing.

I wrote the poem, "Running the Race", and, even though by all appearances there is no way I should have been able to run - never mind run a marathon - and not just any marathon but the 2009 Boston Marathon, I did! I came out of using a wheelchair at times for mobility, a leg brace and a cane to go on to train for and cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon!



Fast forward to December 2014 when my left knee "blew out." By all appearances on the MRI, I should not have been able to run again and was in need of a total knee replacement. Instead, I found my way to a healer/chiropractor Dr. Ryan J. Means who introduced me to the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza. Here we are a few days before Dr. Ryan left to practice chiropractic medicine in China:


He reminded me that I am the Placebo and infused me with the power of belief in my body's ability to heal itself as he cued my body to heal through chiropractic care. As a trainer, he helped me to create a cross training and strength training program.

I set the goal of running the Bermuda Half Marathon at his urging of "Why set limits? Set goals!" replacing fear of my body breaking down with optimism and the belief of potential and possibility to go the distance.

I'm training for a threepeat now......Like the bumblebee I should not have been able to run after suffering the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. Like the bumblebee I keep on running anyway.

I'm training with intention, passion and purpose. Today I swam and did a cross training workout in the pool at Boston Sports Club.

I'm now partnering with Dr. Lizzie Sobel, a gifted chiropractor and healer. On her LinkedIn profile she states, "I offer complete holistic healthcare, offering a true alternative to traditional medicine. I will take the time to listen to your questions, offer you solutions, and heal your symptoms at their root." I had been experiencing left arm pain for several months; residuals from having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5, and trauma. After two treatments with Dr. Sobel and no longer incorporating holding plank as part of my core work, the pain is almost gone but as importantly, I feel new neuromuscular connections happening that are allowing me to build strength in my left arm. I have a newfound confidence in my body with a sense of greater balance and opening as Dr. Sobel's gentle, holistic approach encourages my body's natural capacity to heal and my energy to flow. Dr. Sobel works with my entire body finding areas that need adjustments and encouraging balance and healing with her professional yet gentle, caring hands!

I am in awe of how the Universe has delivered everything and everyone I've needed to go the distance.

It's been a little over 10 years since I first set out to heal my life. Optimism, seeing beyond appearances and having fun doing the impossible are the torches that light my way on the road to the Bermuda Half Marathon and on the road of the marathon of my life.

Go the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary

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:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Run Bermuda! Run Happy! Sweat - Smile - Repeat -- Training for a Threepeat!

It was invigorating to walk into Boston Sports Club on Boylston Street this morning being greeted by the staff who signed me up for my membership and having them say, "Have a good workout."

It's day 4/5 of our training cycle. Ruth Anne went for a run with a friend. Tom is going to run this afternoon and I, who runs twice a week and cross trains 3 days/week (learning the hard way of what happens if I don't - can you say knee injury?) headed to Boston Sports Club!

Part of me missed the comfort and familiarity of my old health club at Wave Health and Fitness but being surrounded by trainers, sweat and people who are fierce about their training fired me up to get in a great workout. Changing things up a bit is vital to creating change in the mind/body!



About halfway through my workout on the Arc Trainer one of the new Team members came up to me to hand me a towel. He told me he is new at the Club and this is one of his jobs. We smiled and exchanged names. Was it the power of suggestion or my renewed dedication to being the best I can be on the road to my threepeat of the Bermuda Marathon Weekend that I felt sweat pouring out of me!

After my 20 minutes on the Arc Trainer I stretched and headed for 30 minutes on the upright bike. More sweat poured that seemed to emanate from the fire that is lit within me as I go the distance for January 2018.

I posted this photo on Facebook with this description: #runbermuda #runhappy #transformationtuesday #momentum Day 4/5 --- Cross training with Arc Trainer and Bike today on the road to Bermuda Marathon Weekend for a threepeat! Feeling fierce and fired up! And this my friends is what determination looks like! #postpoliosyndrome #traumasurvivor I'm a thriver going the distance!


I have my mantras in place that my body recovers from workouts and training runs with ease. I remind myself to focus on the wave not the particle as Dr. Joe Dispenza emphasizes in his book, "You Are the Placebo." I remember how I felt training for the 2009 Boston Marathon. Even before knowing the work of Dr. Joe, but knowing the work of Dr. Bernie Siegel and having his unconditional love and support, I was creating change in my body through thought alone.

I'll be 64 years old in December. My body, mind and soul have been to hell and back. Training for my threepeat of the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon is the journey of a lifetime. During these next 6 months I look forward to a lot of days where I sweat - smile - repeat!

Go the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary

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:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Run Bermuda! Run Happy! Training for a Threepeat ....Changing Things Up a Bit!

It is hard to change...even when we instinctively know it's time for a change, it's still hard. Dr. Joe Dispenza explains it well in the above image.

It was a gradual awareness that I came to the realization it was time for me to leave Wave Health and Fitness, Jeffrey Spratt and Spratt Muscular Therapies.



I began to dip a toe in the water and tentatively "cross the river of change", a phrase from Dr. Joe. I remembered how, in one of his talks, he talks about the sense of discomfort that accompanies change. There would be waves of discomfort and asking myself if I was making the right choice; had I evaluated the need for change with a proper perspective or was there something else going on. Every time, the Universe would send me signs of affirmation that oh yes, indeed, it was time for change.

I was blessed to have Tom and Ruth Anne support me and help me problem solve about the best way to mindfully and carefully remove myself from my role and connection to Spratt Muscular Therapies and to set the wheels in motion to find new partners on my health and wellness journey. I talked with my dear healer chiropractor, Dr. Ryan during his recent visit to the states from China. With his compassionate blue eyes and strong presence, my path became clear.

As things fell into place with ease, I knew that I needed to keep moving forward.

There were moments when I would question and the Universe would continue to give me signs that it was time for a change!

I kept reminding myself that the Universe would provide everything I need as I navigate the waters of transition.
Wednesday was my first cross training swim workout at our new health club Boston Sports Club. It was a much larger pool than the one at Wave Health and Fitness and on my first lap I thought I wasn't going to make a full lap. Well actually my thought was that I was going to die in the middle of the pool. I persevered as I felt the burning in my lungs and the stamina and strength building in my body. The energy of Boston Sports Club is vibrant. There's an intensity and a dedication to working out and training. I could feel myself increasing the intensity and dedication of my workout in the pool with a renewed focus as I get ready for my third consecutive Bermuda Half Marathon.

Last Sunday Team McManus went to the Newton location of Boston Sports Club and we had a similar experience cross training on the Arc Trainer and Bike; once I pushed through my fear of seeing the parking lot filled with cars and wondering if the equipment we needed would be available. There was one Arc Trainer and two Elliptical machines available. Tom and Ruth Anne worked out on the Elliptical and thoroughly enjoyed and embraced the new cross training experience.

It's uncomfortable to leave what's familiar and known but as we all know:


I'll be partnering with a chiropractor right in Copley Square near Boston Sports Club. I love how she appeared in my life and we decided that less is more; I need to take a break from massage therapy for now. I realized that all healing comes from within and she is the perfect partner for me now to go the distance in healing the effects from trauma and polio with a gentle approach to helping the body heal through chiropractic medicine.

I know that all healing comes from within me harnessing the power of Divine Intelligence and the practitioner I choose to partner with can help me to facilitate the creation of my new body free from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma.


I am grateful for the ease of the transition and the gifts that Dr. Lizzie brings to the table and for the wonderful customer service we received at Boston Sports Club.

Changing things up a bit can be scary but once I crossed the river of change with fear at my back, I can feel the magic happening. I'm ready to go the distance in my healing journey, in my life and on the road to the Bermuda Half Marathon!

Go the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary

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:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):