Going the Distance: One Enchanted Evening in January 2015

The New England Patriots were playing in the playoffs in January of 2015. The weather was cold with slush, snow and ice everywhere. Yet the plan was already made for the book release party of my book "Journey Well" and we were not going to postpone it. {Bloggers note:I decided to unpublish Journey Well and incorporated much of the running content and my healing journey into "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance."}

The small crowd thinned out and I found myself standing in front of Ryan Joseph Means, DC - a doctor of chiropractic medicine.



In December of 2014 I sustained a very serious knee injury. The you never should have started running in the first place; you certainly shouldn't run now and if you do no more than a 5 miler and probably prepare to have a total knee replacement in a few years and by the way why don't you come back to see us at the Post Polio Clinic for a reevaluation and see if we can help you...I'll give you a script to see a physical therapist ... who turned out to be the physical therapist from hell....

The Universe was orchestrating everything that would lead up to that moment when I would meet a healer who would change my life.

His passion for healing and the power of chiropractic care shined through his sparkling blue eyes. He was enthralled with what I was able to do thus far on my healing journey healing the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. He reached out to me on Facebook and asked if we could have coffee. I decided to interview him for my blog.

Spirit urged me to set up an appointment with him right then and there.

There was an incredible chemistry between us.

In addition to all of the tools in his chiropractic toolbox, Dr. Ryan was reading "You Are the Placebo" by Dr. Joe Dispenza. He told me I HAD to get it. In the meantime, he sent me this photo via email from Dr. Joe's book:


I printed it out and as you can tell, it's well worn from keeping it up on my refrigerator as a reminder that whatever I may be experiencing in my body, I AM the placebo.

As he worked on my feet using Graston technique and as he taped my knee and gastroc muscle (to stimulate the growth of a new gastroc muscle that had atrophied as a result of the polio virus I contracted at the age of 5), he asked me a critical question for my life, "Why set limits?"

Even though Dr. Ryan moved to China in August of 2015, we stay in close touch on Facebook and figure out a way to meet up when he comes to the States from China where he is practicing chiropractic as part of an integrative medicine team.

He is with me on every training run and every cross training and strength training workout. His words echo in my ears and his touch and Being have left footprints on my heart.



Whenever I have fears or doubts about what my body is capable of doing, I think back to our work together.

We continue to talk about Dr. Joe's work and share in the excitement of the release of his upcoming book, "Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon."

I follow Dr. Joe on Facebook and every evening meditate with his Rest and Renew Meditation. His work continues to inspire me on my healing odyssey.

This Thursday he is offering a 3 hour live stream event that will end with a global meditation. I look forward to continuing to create the change I want to experience in my life, mind, body and soul with the energy from the Divine that flows whenever we gather together with the intention for healing and transformation.

I am so blessed and deeply grateful for the portal to healing that opened that one enchanted evening in January of 2015 especially as I train for Bermuda Half Marathon III and continue to heal the effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

Whenever we ask for Divine Guidance and set a powerful intention for our lives, which I had done through writing inspirational poetry and continue to set through my writing and meditation, the Universe reminds me to believe in something more and experience the power and love of grace.

To going the distance with strength and courage
From my heart to yours,
Mary

Be sure to listen to my interview with Keith Cartwright, "From Polio Survivor to Boston Marathon Finisher" by following this link.

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: "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):

On Challenges, Determination and Mental Toughness: Nothing Can Stop Me Now!

The beginning of my bio and book description for "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance" states:
Mary McManus has known challenges since she was five years old beginning with contracting paralytic polio followed by nine years of enduring violence at the hands of family members. Those early challenges helped Mary to grow into the woman that she is today and prepared her to take on the challenge of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. Mary was diagnosed in December 2006 when she was at the height of her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. As Mary had done when faced with life’s trials and tribulations, she got still and asked for Divine Guidance. It came through her divining rod of healing, her pen, as poetry poured forth from her soul. She took a leap of faith leaving her career just three years shy of when she was eligible to retire to heal her life. The first poem she wrote, “Running the Race,” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run as a mobility impaired runner. Mary feverishly wrote poetry asking the question, ‘How will I ever reclaim my life?’ and yearning for a healer that would partner with her to help her live her life and run unencumbered and free. Eight years after beginning her quest to heal the effects of paralytic polio and trauma, Mary was led to a chiropractor and muscular therapist who answered the call she put out to the Universe in her poetry.

Life is filled with challenges and as Vince Lombardi and Rocky like to say:


It takes determination, and mental toughness to go the distance on the roads and in life.

As with any new challenge, there are often doubts and fears especially at the end of a 5 day training cycle where I feel tired and sore from the challenges of training and the inevitable challenges that life presents.

Training for an endurance event is 90% mental and the other 10% is in your head!


Part of me was having second thoughts about whether or not to run a third consecutive Bermuda Half Marathon. I've never been one to shy away from challenges. The seeds of determination and mental toughness were planted early in my life and now they are bearing fruit.

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful gardeners who are helping me to reap the harvest of my life.

One more week at 5 miles and then Team McManus will begin to slowly build miles on the road to the Bermuda Half Marathon.

Will I go the distance again? Hell yes because nothing can stop me now.

To going 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! Hakuna Matata - No Worries!

These 2 words will solve all your problems.....

Last night I was looking for an evening post to share on Facebook. Our daughter started singing Hakuna Matata! No worries for the rest of your days...it's our problem free philosophy ....

What a perfect way to end the day and incorporate this philosophy into our training for the Bermuda Marathon Weekend in January.

The last time Team McManus as a trio of runners trained for a distance race, we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon.


We know we can train together and go the distance. We need to find our rhythm and pacing again for long runs but the Michael Aselton 5K in Hyannis is a great predictor of our success:


As is true with any endurance event undertaking, there is trepidation, fears and doubts especially for me. I've never run three CONSECUTIVE half marathons. Right now, as we are poised and ready to slowly begin to increase miles in a few weeks, we are adopting Hakuna Matata as our motto.

It fits nicely with a favorite Bermudian phrase, "Not a problem!"

As I watched the YouTube video, I am reminded that the Universe always provides - especially when we release our worries and fears.



We are staying at the Fairmount Southampton Princess Hotel, the Race Weekend Host Hotel on the South Shore. In the past two years, we walked to the starting line from our Hotel in Hamilton. I remind myself that everything we need will be provided for and we will be able to have our breakfast and get to the starting line with ease.

No worries!

I have been training myself to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma for these past 10 years harnessing the power of my mind through visualization, meditation and writing inspirational poetry. Since reading "You Are the Placebo," by Dr. Joe Dispenza and witnessing the transformation and healing in my own body, I know I can continue to go the distance. Whenever I feel phantom pains from polio or trauma, I look in the mirror and see how a wound that hadn't healed on my nose in years is now barely a scar.

No worries!

Tomorrow 5 miles is on tap for Team McManus on the road to the Bermuda Marathon!

We have one more song to add to our playlist - Hakuna Matata - no worries!

To going 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):

Bermuda Marathon Weekend - Part IV - Welcome to Paradise

Team McManus decided to take an extra day in Bermuda this year to enjoy and celebrate 10 years of my healing odyssey, Tom's Triangle Half Challenge and my second CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathon. Little did I know how much we are going to need the extra day to recover from what turned out to be a grueling, yet magical and mystical race day for me.

Prior to race day, we stuck with our fueling plan for breakfast of oatmeal, banana, orange juice and toast. Fortunately The Rosedon Hotel's continental breakfast had the hot water, the juice and the bread for toast. We brought in our oatmeal and shopped at a little market to get our bananas. After our triumphant Bermuda Half Marathon run, we ordered the full English breakfast delivered to the porch of our room.


After a rain shower, the sun came out and we took advantage of The Rosedon Hotel's complimentary shuttle to Elbow Beach. When we arrived to get our beach chairs and towels, the woman behind the counter said, "Welcome to Paradise."


I went in the warm waters and allowed the powerful surf to help me recover from my race. Tom and I took a recovery walk on the beach and we sat with our feet up on lounge chairs covered with a luxurious towel reading for a few hours. There was a brief shower but as they say in Bermuda, "Not a problem." We put up our beach umbrella until the sun came out again. At 1pm our courtesy ride back to The Rosedon was right there where we had been dropped off.

When we got back to the hotel we went for a recovery swim in the hotel pool.


We showered and had our last tea time on the porch with friends we made during our stay regaling stories about our races and "what's next" on our running schedule. We took a leisurely walk into town to get gifts for our dear friends who were house and cat sitting for us.

"Can we please go over the route for the finish of the Half Marathon?" I asked Tom. His initial response was a curt no since he was worried about my recovery and going up yet another hill but he quickly recanted and said, "of course." It felt so good to be walking under my own steam noticing how quickly my body recovered from this:


to this:


It's a true testament to how far I've come in these past 10 years since first receiving the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome with warnings that I would be experiencing a progressive neuromuscular disease. It's a testament to my training hard and to reclaiming my life from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma through the power of thought and intention.

Many people asked me how come, now that I feel well enough to travel, I don't just take a regular vacation where eating the English breakfast every day and going to the beach would be how I'd spend my time. The people who ask are not runners!

There's something incredibly wonderful about training for 6 months and exercising discipline, honing mind, body and Spirit to take on 13.1 miles and then thoroughly reaping the rewards for that hard work with great food, savoring the sunset with our view from the Pickled Onion patio and even a glass of wine after lounging on the beach and by the pool. I can't imagine doing it any other way.



Ten years after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease, and two years after a knee injury that "they said" would end my running career and that I needed a total knee replacement I crossed the finish line of my second CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathon. While my medal will be mailed to me, we came home with t-shirts and most of Tom's bling:


along with new friends and a heart filled with treasured memories.

What's next? You'll have to continue reading my blog to find out!

To your health and wellness,
~Mary

Going the Distance: Bermuda Marathon Weekend: Part III - A Time to Celebrate!

Team McManus had so much to celebrate once we finally crossed the finish line of the Bermuda Half Marathon on Sunday.

Tom ran a 7:59 mile in the Front Street Mile. It was a joy to be a part of the crowd experiencing the excitement of the kickoff race of the Bermuda Triangle Challenge.

Here's Tom before the race:


With his bling:


The video of him finishing strong:


On Saturday, it was time for Tom to make on the mighty hills of Bermuda. Here's Tom getting himself psyched up to take on the challenge:


This was my view while I waited for our returning runners:


I used to lament the fact that I couldn't keep pace with the pack and have to carefully choose what races I participate in. During one of my meditations in Bermuda I had the epiphany that I was not trailing behind -- I was a trailblazer having the courage to defy what the medical establishment was telling me about Post-Polio Syndrome, "If you use it you will lose it."

Tom's race photo with the eye of the tiger:


I know he takes me out on every run with him!

All hail the conquering hero:


What made the 10K incredibly special was that Tom helped to get our friend Shawn Whalen to the finish line. He is undergoing total knee replacement surgery today. You can see from these photos that he was struggling but there's nothing like the strength of another runner to help get us to the finish line:


As the above quote says, "The celebration of success overshadows the challenges that were encountered along the way!"

One of the staff from The Rosedon Hotel took these photos that underscore the challenge I experienced coming into the final miles along with the beauty and grace of Jamie-Lee Wright, islandgirl and the angel at mile 12. For the full race report, follow this link:



After crossing that finish line and emerging triumphant from the medical tent


it was time to get our party on.

We had brunch at the Pickled Onion where Jamie-Lee and The Weekenders (the Bermudian running club she is a part of) were celebrating. Jamie-Lee posted her celebration drink on Facebook with this celebratory post "3 events, 3 days, 3 PBs and a cheeky drink or 3 post race.... to celebrate the completion of the Bermuda Triangle Challenge (International Race weekend) 🍾
Didn't make 6,6,6 - I made 6,6,10 (referencing how many minutes she PR'ed by) and broke the two hour mark - BOOM!! 🍾
Taking off 17 mins for these 20 miles, not too shabby":


After Tom and I refueled with eggs, toast, sparkling water and OJ, we walked .... slowly ... back to the hotel. We were going to go for a recovery swim but opted for a nap. I took a long hot shower and then I finished with an ice cold flush. We had a hand held shower in our room which made it easy for me to focus on my back and legs.

Time to head over to the Southampton Princess or South P as the locals call it for the post race weekend celebration!

There was music and dancing...


hanging with running legends, Geoff Smith, Bart Yasso, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Steve Jones, bumping into old friends and making new friends, celebrating with a couple we met from Sweden who were staying at The Rosedon and celebrating everyone's successful races:


When we got back to the Hotel, I curled up with a great book, Brotherhood by Deepak and Sanjiv Chopra and had the best sleep.

We had one more day of our Bermuda Marathon Weekend Adventure .... to be continued ...

To your health and wellness!
~Mary