My Boston Marathon Musings and Eddie the Eagle

As I watched the movie, "Eddie the Eagle," (with a box of tissues at hand), I was reminded of my 2009 Boston Marathon run. I closed my eyes on the bus ride out to Hopkinton. When Eddie the Eagle said, "It's a lot higher than I expected it to be," I remember how I felt going out 26.2 miles knowing there was only one way I was going to get back to Boston...and that was on my two feet.

So many wonderful quotes that I identified with in the movie:
"You can do your best and still finish last."
"I love proving people wrong."
"You've got more Spirit than any of those other jumpers out there."

I really had no business running the 2009 Boston Marathon yet it was a calling from deep inside my soul. Any of the nay sayers along the way were quickly unfriended by me on Facebook. I remember there was a FB post about whether or not Charity Runners should even be allowed to run the Boston Marathon. Team McManus raised over $10,000 - $10,535 to be exact for Spaulding Rehab which is where I began this crazy journey 10 years ago.

From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance" available on Amazon:

Running? Mary McManus? aka "Easy Out Alper" (my maiden name) - um a rather unlikely combination to say the least. But not impossible despite all appearances to the contrary. After intensive, extensive outpatient rehab through Spaulding Rehab, writing poems, visualizing myself as healthy, whole and free in my body, quitting my stressful job as a VA social worker, and then hiring a personal trainer, I felt this urge inside of me.

At my six-month evaluation in February, I had dramatically improved in every area of the assessment. I had come out of my leg brace and I knew that I was on a healing path. Janine asked me what my next health and fitness goals were.

“Well I want to feel free in my body. I want to dance. I want to be able to walk outside and feel unencumbered when I take a walk.”

Janine wrote feverishly and we worked out a plan. She gathered up her belongings and had her hand on the doorknob.

“Wait. I have one more goal.”

Janine stopped and turned around.

“I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital. I know they have a Race for Rehab team and I want to do it next year.”

Janine was nonplussed. I don’t know what kept her from turning tail and getting as far away from me as she could. She came back into my house and put down her things. She said that the first thing I would need is a pair of running shoes. She told me that Marathon Sports on Beacon Street would be able to help me. She laid out a cursory training plan and said that we would begin indoors to build up my cardio endurance. As soon as the weather got a little warmer, we’d go outdoors and I would learn how to run.

There was one "ugly" moment on Marathon Monday. We had an early start but by the time we arrived in Framingham the waves of runners were catching up to us. There was a narrow water stop and one guy pushed me and said that I shouldn't be in the Marathon if I were walking. He dumped Gatorade on my running shoes.

I shook it off and went ahead undeterred believing that I had every right to be out on that course. I had worked hard. I had trained and ultimately I crossed that finish line!



I continue to work and at times struggle in my epic journey to heal the effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

That's what makes the triumph so sweet....

And to all of the Mary McManuses and Eddie the Eagles out there I have one thing to say - never ever give up on your dreams!

To your health and wellness,
~Mary

Going the Distance: The Spirit of the Olympics and the Birth of a Competitor

When I was 10 years old, just two years after coming out of a full leg brace after contracting paralytic polio, and suffering nightly sexual abuse at the hands of my father, I met a camp counselor, Joe Stetz, who was on his way to becoming an Olympian. He chose the path of becoming a physician but he had the energy and drive of a competitor that he wanted to instill in me. This is a photo of him with his Olympic training relay swim team - He is on the far left:


At the end of the summer, Badger Day Camp held their annual Olympics. Badger Day Camp has been in existence since 1933 and continues the tradition of training world class swimmers.
"The Badger Swim program is led by world recognized swim coach John Collins Jr. For the past 30 years John Collins has created a world class swim program in Westchester, New York. During that time John has coached 5 world champions, multiple NCAA champions and Olympic atheletes, including Westchester’s Olympic gold medalist Rick Carey. Himself a former Badger swimmer, Indiana University All American butterflier and American Record holder in the 200 Butterfly. John is currently a member of the United States National Team coaching staff." When I attended Badger, his father who is now deceased was the Camp Director. My first camp experience as a survivor of paralytic polio was horrible and so my physiatrist Dr. Eugene Moskowitz urged my parents to find a swimming camp for me. I was blessed that I found my way to Badger Day Camp with a supportive and all inclusive environment even back in the 60's.

There were only two campers who were competing in the butterfly event in my age group. Joe told me that he wanted me to swim the butterfly in the Olympics. I told him he was crazy. I had just come out of a leg brace and was recovering from paralytic polio. He told me that I was guaranteed a medal, that my time did not matter and I would be showing the other campers a lesson in courage. I told him I was afraid of jumping off the starting block and had no idea how to do a turn. At 21 years old (although in my eyes as a 10 year old he was a god of sorts), he had a very wise and kind soul. He told me to not worry about a thing; that he would coach me one on one in everything I needed to successfully compete in the race. Thus a competitor was born! I came in dead last but I finished and proudly took my place on the medal stand.

I've carried that Olympic Spirit with me after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome now almost 10 years ago. I carried Joe with me in my heart during my training for and running the 2009 Boston Marathon and every time I take my place at the start of a race.

After my nephew's suicide in March of 2011, I strayed off my healing path. After 4/15/13, I got back into running and watching Billy Mills' video of his 10000M victory at the 1964 Olympics lit the fire within me to up my game and go for a PR at Bill Rodgers 5K for Prostate Cancer.
"The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between reality and imagination."


I harnessed that Olympic Spirit and here is the result:


When I was only 10 years old, from the heart of an Olympian, Joe Stetz, the torch was lit within me and a competitor was born. That Olympic Flame still burns brightly within me.

When Tom and I were watching underwater shots of Michael Phelps doing the butterfly I said, "That's not exactly how my butterfly looks." We laughed and celebrated what the Olympic Spirit is all about.

To your health and wellness,
Mary

Going thee Distance: Pre-Race Report: The Hazelwood 5K Run

With the Bermuda Half Marathon 2017 on the horizon, I was not planning on running another race.

Until Jacqueline Hansen posted this on Facebook:
Kudos to my colleague Geoffrey Smith for saving the historical Hazelwood Women's 5K in New Bedford, MA from extinction. As well, there will be a separate men's only race. Pretty unique.
Check out their website and FB page for more information.

I'd seen Geoff's post about the race on Facebook but dismissed the possibility of running the race because of my training for Bermuda but after seeing Jaqi's post, I was moved to email my friend and race director Geoff Smith to see if it was an all paces race. Geoff immediately responded that it was!

The Hazelwood Women's 5K is one of the longest-running women's road races in the country.

It is a celebration of women and their participation in running.

The timing is exquisite as yesterday marked 32 years since Joan Benoit Samuelson won Gold at the 1984 Olympics and as the Olympic Games in Rio had their opening ceremony.

Joan's Olympic Marathon run was, as Jaqi eloquently writes about in her book, "A Long Time Coming."


The sport of running, while a competitive one for the elite runners, also offers a level playing field for us mid and back of the pack runners where the elite runners want everyone to experience all that the sport has to offer.

On October 15th, I will be toeing the line taking my place in a women's only race. It is a way for me to honor the pioneers like Jaqi who fought for equality for women in sports dispelling such myths like if a woman runs a marathon her uterus will fall out.

During these next two weeks all eyes will be on Rio as the best of the best compete in the XXI Olympiad.

The road was paved for women like Shalene, Desiree and Amy to compete in the Marathon representing the very best that the US has to offer in distance running. On the men's side, Meb will be going for the Gold.

Running is about so much more than running and racing and winning although it is indeed a beautiful spectator sport. Running is about a lifestyle and about who we are and I am so excited to be running the Hazelwood 5K Run in October. Hope you can join me.

To your health and wellness,
Mary

"A Long Time Coming" by Jacqueline Hansen

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints on your heart." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt quoted on p. 161 of "A Long Time Coming"

When I saw that Jacqueline Hansen was going to be the guest speaker at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend pre-race pasta dinner I did not know anything about her other than she had won the Boston Marathon in 1973 as was advertised on the website.

We sat enthralled listening to her stories about when she ran the Boston Marathon to qualify for the Olympic trials, all the work she did to get equality for women endurance runners and fielded questions from the audience with Geoffrey Smith and Bill Rodgers.



After the dinner, Tom and I met Jacqueline and purchased her book.



It is dog eared and well loved as I took Jacqueline's journey with her from, as she calls herself, "a child of the sixties, who became a feminist in the seventies and a soccer mom in the eighties. I suppose I spent a good deal of the nineties and beyond, on giving back to the sport that gave me such rich life experiences. Looking back, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat."

We are so blessed that Jacqueline did it all the first time, working through injuries and health issues and sharing all the trials and triumphs she experienced as a runner and a pioneer for women's equality in the sport of distance running.

I could hear her voice coming through this intimate portrayal of her life on and off the roads.

From her Boston Marathon run to qualify for the Olympic trials:
"When I woke up on the hospital cot with an IV bottle hanging overhead and dog tags around my neck, in a woolen blanket, the doctor said, 'We're keeping you here for observation. Your temperature is below 93-degrees' I responded with teeth chattering out of control, 'Did I finish? What was my time?' He made a joke to the nurse that, although I was dying, I'd like to know my time. She went away to find out. My watch was still running so I did not know and had to know."

She creates a beautiful tapestry of journal entries, blog posts, narrative and inspirational quotes that lead off the chapters.

Chapter 19 is preceded by this quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever does." ~Margaret Mead

With passion, leadership, dedication and bringing together a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens, Jacqueline Hansen paved the road for women to be able to run endurance events in the Olympics. The trail she blazed and the story she tells will capture your heart and captivate your mind.

It's such an exciting time here in Boston as we get ready to celebrate 50 years of women's running and honoring Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon throughout the events of the 2016 Boston Marathon festivities.

I feel incredibly honored and privileged to have met Jacqueline Hansen in Hyannis and recommend her book to all of you. She left a footprint on my heart when she came out on the course of the Hyannis 10K. She stopped me and hugged me and whispered to me, "Run with all your heart." And I did feeling the touch of a champion blessing my journey.

Jacqueline Hansen's heart, humility, honesty and reflections will leave a footprint on your heart as you turn the pages of "A Long Time Coming."

To your health and wellness,
Mary

All Good Things

As we were saying goodbye after a strength building Joint Integrity Aquatics Therapy class at Spaulding, one of the older ladies said to me, "God bless Mary. All good things."

Yes - all good things.

Tom and I have faced remarkable hardships before we met and have weathered many storms during our 37 years of being together. We've also known good things in our lives. Tom likes to talk about the kindness of a thousand strangers who he met along his journey to go from leaving home in Spain at the age of 17 and finding his way back to the United States to build a life for himself. I've had incredible earth angels who have blessed my journey.

In my soon to be released book, "Journey Well", I talk about one angel, Joseph Stetz, who gave me the courage to start...

“The seeds planted in our youth never die. They bide their time until it is time to bloom.” ~Mary McManus

The Courage to Start June 10, 2014

It took a lot of courage for me choose to run the 5K rather than opt for the 2 mile walk at the Father Bullock Charity Run Walk Shuffle. It was an evening race. I was unfamiliar with the course and it was a relatively fast field although the last two runners to cross the finish line in 2013 and 2012 were at a pace well within my reach. They,however, were not part of the field on Sunday evening as I brought up the rear in style with a motorcycle police escort.

I was reflecting on where my courage to start comes from. In reading Bill Rodgers, “The Marathon Man” and Dave McGillivray's “The Last Pick”, they talk about the people who lit that spark within them helping them to believe in themselves. When I was 9 and 10 years old, I went to Badger Day Camp in Larchmont, New York. My physiatrist, Dr. Eugene Moskowitz, who was helping me to recover from paralytic polio, suggested the camp because of its emphasis on being an all-inclusive camp, having a low camper to counselor ratio and critical to my recovery, a strong emphasis on swimming. I learned how to swim at Badger. I always felt a part of the Camp community. Counselors created an atmosphere of acceptance for all abilities. They encouraged me to do what I could do on the athletic field. They helped me to hone my archery and riflery skills where I could easily earn medals. My time at Badger was a healing balm for the violence my body endured every night. It was also a healing balm for the bullying and teasing I endured in school as a survivor of polio.

Joseph Stetz was on his way to becoming an Olympian. Instead, he gave up becoming an Olympian to pursue his career as a doctor. I can only imagine how many lives he blessed in his career as a cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts. He was my swimming counselor and in my 2nd and what would sadly be my last year at Badger due to health issues related to polio, he asked me to swim the butterfly in the Badger Olympics. I thought he was crazy. He explained to me that there were only two other campers signed up to compete in the butterfly in my division. He said that it didn't matter what my time was. He wanted me to go out there and swim the best that I could possibly swim. He said that I was guaranteed my place on the medal stand and that I would earn my bronze medal (which as I recall was a plaque) for having the courage to swim in a race that no one else would would sign on for. How could I refuse him? He was about 6'2" tall and in amazing physical shape with an incredibly handsome face and warm brown eyes. He told me that he would help me train for the event. He coached me on my form and breathing. He helped me to find the courage to jump off the starting block into the pool and coached me on what form would give me the best start. He "got" me and what I needed in order to succeed mind, body and Spirit.

Badger Olympics Day arrived. He helped to calm my nerves. We both knew that one way or another I was going to finish the race. As
I write this I can still remember the tremendous effort it took for me to finish that race. But I did it! I proudly took my place on the medal stand. Joseph gave me his address on the last day of Camp and encouraged me to stay in touch with him. I wrote to him about the medical challenges I was facing and he wrote back beautiful letters of support. He was in medical school at the time. We lost contact through the years until one day in December 2004, I was reading the Boston Globe and saw his obituary. I was stunned for so many reasons not the least of which was I worked as a psychiatric social worker at St. Elizabeth's Hospital where he was on staff as a cardiothoracic surgeon. He died at the age of 62 in a single car accident a few months after he retired.

There is a Joseph Stetz Memorial Scholarship that awards $1,000 to “one male and one female graduating senior who will be attending college in the fall. Selection criteria include swimming accomplishments, academic achievement, community service, and an essay on how swimming has had a positive impact on your scholastic and personal growth, all as further outlined in the application.”

His legacy lives on in so many ways!

I know I found the courage to start running and take on the challenge of the Boston Marathon because of the seeds he planted in my youth. I have been blessed to finish every training run and every race I ever started. I'm sure he's been watching over me. Never underestimate the impact you have on another person. It's been 50 years since Joseph invited me to swim the butterfly in the Badger Olympics, yet to this day, because of him, I have the courage to start over and over and over again! What sweet rewards we receive when we have the courage to start!

On Thanksgiving Day, I will be running by St. Elizabeth's Hospital as part of the Boston Volvo Village 5K Road Race. I am aiming for a PR and I will feel Joseph's energy and his belief and confidence in my athletic abilities as I run. I am raising money and awareness for the Greater New England Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society running for those who can't so someday they will. Please help me reach my goal by donating to my personal fundraising page.




The first 7 years of my healing odyssey are chronicled in Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility available on Amazon. I donate 50% of royalty payments to The One Fund Boston to help survivors and their families who were affected by the tragic events of 4/15/13.



My 2nd book, "Journey Well," is coming soon. 50% of book proceeds will be donated to AccesSportAmerica to help them continue their life changing programs:

Channeling my Inner Wilma Rudolph and Reflections on the Healing Power of Touch

When Wilma Rudolph was four years old, she contracted paralytic polio and went into a leg brace.



Doctors told her mother she'd never walk again. With the fierceness of a mother and family's love, they combined regular physical therapy sessions with leg massage. While massaging her daughter's legs, her mother set the powerful intention that her daughter would come out of the leg brace and walk again. Her 20 brothers and sisters took turns massaging her legs four times a day.

Not only did she come out of the leg brace and walk again but she went on to win 3 Gold Medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics.



Before each treatment with Joseph at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork, I set an intention. Last week, knowing that I have the Spectacle Island Run tomorrow and the Tufts 10K coming up in two weeks, I set my intention on running. I told Joseph that I shifted my imagery for healing from electrical wiring to plumbing. Joseph reminded me that just a few weeks ago I mentioned to him that I felt as though he were bleeding a radiator on my right knee allowing the murky water to be released and warmth to flow. We work together to heal the injury from a belt buckle beating that literally brought me to my knees. It's an old injury that is healing and one, that interestingly enough, feels better when I get out for a run. There is also a "clog" in the flow of energy from when I was in a leg to ankle cast for 6 weeks when I was 11 years old.



With each treatment, I feel wounds healing and energy flowing. My Spirit becomes stronger no longer cowering in fear from violence and death threats. Joseph empties himself to allow the power of unconditional love to flow through him and to allow Spirit to guide the work. I know how blessed I am to have found my way to Joseph and Sollievo; I know that it was my intention and fierce determination to heal no matter what that led me to him. It was an after thought for my running friend Gail Martin who is also a licensed massage therapist to refer me to Joseph. We know that she "got out of the way" so that Spirit could work through her.

As I take my place tomorrow at the start of the Spectacle Island Run, I am going to channel my inner Wilma Rudolph. I will carry the love, the care and compassion of my physiatrist, Dr. Moskowitz and Miss Holly, my physical therapist, who worked with me for 8 years to help me come out of my leg brace and walk again, and Joseph with me. I will be running on trails on an unfamiliar course but knowing I have the incredible support of the race director and will be running with Tom by my side, I know that I am going to have a great race. I'm not concerned at all about the distance, just the terrain and being unfamiliar with the course. I've trained up to 7 miles and two weeks ago ran a 5 mile race with a stiff headwind on Ogunquit Beach. The race director Alain told me that he can't wait to see me rock Spectacle Island and that I am going to crush it. I've been meditating on ease, lightness, Truth and freedom releasing the shackles from the past.

Every race presents its own challenge and triumph for me. Every starting line is an opportunity for me to begin again to rise to meet the challenge. With each challenge met, I feel more confidence, and more strength to meet the next challenge surrounded by so much love and support and healed through the power of touch.



The first 7 years of my healing odyssey are chronicled in Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility available on Amazon. I donate 50% of royalty payments to The One Fund Boston to help survivors and their families who were affected by the tragic events of 4/15/13.



I'm working on my 2nd book, "Journey Well," due out later this year: