Going the Distance: The Summer of 2017 - A Look Back and a Look to the Future!

Here in New England, we bookend the summer season with Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. What a summer of change it has been in my life and in the life of Team McManus. With Labor Day weekend upon us, it's a great time for me to take a look back - and a look to the future!



The trio of Team McManus was reunited for a Hyannis race adventure on Olde Cape Cod. As I wrote about in A Blessing in Disguise:Color Me Calm, our daughter Ruth Anne is living with us while she recovers from severe depression and PTSD. We are so blessed she loves running as much as we do.

We had so much to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend. We had a phenomenal race day together, marked the beginning of a new decade of healing for me from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma and the beginning of Ruth Anne's healing!

Here are the highlights:
Doing touristy things along Main Street Hyannis:


Bib pick up and pre-race dinner:


A very special father/daughter moment and Team McManus out for an evening walk on the beach:


Before the race and with our bling:


After Hyannis, we built our base miles and have been slowly building our miles on the road to Bermuda Marathon Weekend.

I declared my independence from working with Jeffrey Spratt, LMT and Spratt Muscular Therapies. I realized that my relationship with Jeff to try to help his business grow and working in the treatment room with him was no longer serving me. It was around July 4th that I finally let go as I wrote about in Training for a Threepeat:Changing Things up a Bit.



The Universe continues to shower me with grace and affirmations that my decision was absolutely the right decision. Team McManus has everything we need to go the distance!

We've been spending lazy summer evenings working on an 1000 piece puzzle. It's quite remarkable to see it come together. It's a wonderful metaphor for running and for life. You build slowly and then there's a powerful momentum that happens and confidence and joy as it all comes together.



What's next?

We are excited to take a Sunday off from cross training on September 17th and head to Martha's Vineyard for the Tivoli Festival. We haven't been there in years and it will be a wonderful way to transition to Fall.

We will continue to build miles and embrace the change of seasons as it unfolds before our very eyes on our training runs.

We will finish our puzzle and start a new one enjoying tea and cocoa as the evening sun sets earlier and earlier.

We'll continue to end our day with what we are grateful for and the Rest and Renew Meditationn by Dr. Joe Dispenza.

It's going to be an incredible blessing to celebrate the holidays this year - together - as a family healing together moving forward and looking forward to January when we will embark on a Team McManus Bermuda adventure!

It may be time to get ready to say goodbye to summer 2017 but Team McManus is ready to enjoy the journey of every season going 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):

Going the Distance: Dragonflies and Butterflies

During Saturday's training run along the beaches of South Boston heading to UMass Boston, we had a swarm of dragonflies accompany us for part of our run.



Dragonflies start to grow in water and then move into the air and fly. When this spirit animal shows up in your life you may be called to transform and evolve. Symbol of metamorphosis and transformation, it inspires those who have it as a totem to bring about the changes needed in their lives in order to go to reach their full potential.

When this spirit animal shows up in your life, it’s an indication that it’s time for change. Just like the dragonfly changes colors as it matures, you may be called to live and experience yourself differently. Stay open to the enfoldment of your personal journey.

Along with the dragonflies we saw white butterflies:


The butterfly is one of the most emblematic totem animals symbolizing personal transformation. If you see the butterfly as your totem or spirit animal, pay attention to the areas in your life or personality that are in need of profound change or transformation. Perhaps, this animal totem guides you to be sensitive to your personal cycles of expansion and growth, as well as the beauty of life’s continuous unfolding. An important message carried by the spirit of the butterfly is about the ability to go through important changes with grace and lightness.

Clearly the Universe is inviting me to embrace my journey and transformation with lightness, ease and grace.

This is the first time that I am running long in 6 years. It's a little overwhelming and a whole lot exhilarating as I take it mile by mile learning and enjoying all of my soul lessons along the way.

There are other exciting events happening in my life that I will soon share with you dear readers and these symbols coming into my life were a sign from the Universe to allow all these magnificent events to unfold dancing free letting Spirit guide me.

This time I am going the distance on and off of the roads with dragonflies and butterflies to lead the way.




I chronicle the first 7 years of my healing odyssey in "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" and continue the journey in "Journey Well." These two inspirational books that will motivate you and move you to tears along with my books of inspirational poetry are available on Amazon.