Countdown to Bermuda: Mental Toughness

My body is well trained! I can trust in my training. It's time to:



Running is 90% mental and to quote Yogi Berra the other half is physical.



All kidding aside, running is done with the mind, heart, body and soul.



When I hired a personal trainer in October of 2008 to see if I could get a little stronger and then, after reaching my initial goals of getting off of a low toilet seat and being able to pass the fitness test, I declared I would run the 2009 Boston Marathon despite never having run a day in my life. Talk about mental toughness! While we worked hard to train my body, she also trained my mind asking me questions like how are you going to get through Heartbreak Hill when everything inside of you is screaming please stop.

I answered that question on 4/20/2009 when I crossed the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon.



While I’ve had to be mentally tough since I was 5 years old to overcome the challenge of paralytic polio and then harness my mental prowess to survive 9 years of domestic violence as a child, it was hard for me to get consistent traction on my healing journey….until now.

The Force has been with me throughout my life and a good Jedi master knows that they must consistently trust and practice using The Force.

On Friday we ran our last long run training for the Bermuda Half Marathon. It was 11 miles in the cold with a headwind. I experienced back spasms during the run but, to quote Dr. Joe Dispenza, I thought greater than my circumstances. After the run I got into a hot epsom salts bath, meditated and bathed in the warmth and stunning realization that I have trained for the longest distance I have run since I trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon.

This morning we did a 1.25 shake out run in 6 degree temperatures. The alarm went off at 6:15 as it has every Tuesday for the past 6 months. 20 minute meditation to set the tone for the day and clear out anything that needed clearing to create a wonderful day. Planks, crunches and clams followed by a piece of toast, banana and water just as we have every Tuesday for the past 6 months. No fuel belt needed for a quick out and back run. We put on all the layers to brave the 6 degree temperature. Tom was quick to point out that there was a head wind as if I needed someone to point that out to me.


We were mindful of avoiding patches of ice and repeatedly commented that it’s bubble time; a phrase endurance runners use as they get close to race day after the training is completed that you want to put yourself in a bubble to make sure that you are in peak shape for race day. No illnesses, accidents or injuries with less than two weeks to go!

My goals for taper time and managing pre race jitters:
1. Stay relaxed - great advice from Coach Reno Stirrat
2. Trust the training and use The Force
3. Increase meditation and focus on visualization. Repeat runner affirmations
4. Stay relaxed.
5. See #1
6. Great advice from my dear friend Susan Stirrat “Don’t eat anything weird down there.”
7. Relax.
8. Pack for Bermuda
9. Enjoy every moment leading up to race day.
10.Celebrate what I've already accomplished exceeding all expectations and exercising mental toughness to prepare for 13.1 on 1/17!

Going the Distance: This Girl is on Fire: On Badassery and Healing

One of my friend's posted this on Facebook:



After completing another week of training for the Bermuda Half Marathon in January I was feeling like a badass. Alicia Keys' song This Girl is On Fire hit home for me this morning:

What synchronicity that in the intro to her video, Alicia Keys says all women are naturally badass.




This morning during my meditation I became aware of how I dissociated to survive the violence. The polio virus compromised connections from my brain and spinal cord to my extremities and respiratory system. Having to dissociate to survive severely compromised these connections resulting in tremors and weakness. But the great news is that I am sprouting new connections following the lead of Dr. Ryan J. Means, chiropractor extraordinaire and the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza!

During my meditation I reflected on how the connection from my brain to my hand can initially stall when I have to sign for something or write but once I get fired up, the connection flows!

It was incredibly exciting to experience both the disconnection the effects of initially being paralyzed and then dissociating to survive and feeling how the reconnection is now happening.

I felt gentle tears streak down my cheek during the meditation and felt so much compassion for what I have had to overcome.

I know in every fiber of my being that this time I am going the distance in my life and on the roads.

There is no stopping me now because I am badass and I am on fire!




I chronicle the first 7 years of my healing journey after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease as a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and 9 years of childhood domestic violence in Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility.


"Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems," my latest collection of inspirational poetry is now available soon on Amazon

My Running Chronicles: The Magic of a Morning Run

I am so blessed to be able to share life and run with my husband Tom. We've been together for almost 40 years now. He was a runner before we had twins and then started running with me to train for the 2009 Boston Marathon. While I've had to take time off from running here and there, Tom has been keeping his pace and staying fit and healthy. He's getting faster as he is getting older and he is the perfect pacing partner for me to help take my running to the next level with speed and endurance.

I was doing my Wednesday runs alone. Then we needed to train for an evening race so I met him after work and we'd do our training run in the evening. But it's not my best time of day to work out as is true for many people.

We figured out what time we would need to get up and have time for meditation, a core work out and then a run leaving time for Tom to get ready for work. We are so blessed that he works at Boston College, a short 10 minute commute by car from where we live!

I woke up before my alarm and did a meditation until it was time to "get up" and meditate. We had a peaceful 15 minute meditation before doing our plank (and I sneaked in an extra 5 seconds since Tom didn't have his glasses on ... something he would pay me back for later .. said with a wink and a smile), 45 crunches and 2 sets of 30 clams.

I fueled with a half a banana and a piece of toast, set my Nike+ and out the door we went.

It was a gorgeous morning although it was almost 80 degrees. There was a lot of cloud cover but there were moments of seeing the sun glistening off of the Route 9 Reservoir.

There is a shift in my body since I know I am training for the Bermuda Half Marathon in January. I have fully embodied and embraced being a runner knowing that these shorter runs are used for speed.

There were two women who passed us and were running at a pretty fast pace. I got my mind in gear to overtake them. It felt amazing to push the envelope and let my mind and body work in harmony to take me where I wanted to go. I felt a fierceness in my body and Being. I felt invincible living in that moment running happy and running free.

I usually stop at 1 mile and take a water break but I wanted to finish our first lap maintaining momentum. I took another sprint as we neared the tree marking the end of our first lap.

The second lap felt better than the first and we found our pace and our stride together. We sent out intentions of peace, harmony, love and courage to the world.

A brief pause for water after the second lap.

I am healing the connections to my thermostat that can overheat or in cold weather leave me shivering cold. I dumped water on my head to cool everything down and it was time for our huge hill heading back on our run.

Tom asked me what we eat for breakfast...I said well I had toast and a banana and now I am eating a blueberry hill ... We laughed.

I ran up the hill and actually had a huge negative split for that last mile.

Remember I told you that I pushed Tom into an extra 5 seconds for our plank. Well I suggested we stop at the light at the top of the hill but since it was still red, Tom pushed me to cross over Route 9 despite my feeling that I needed to stop.

I kept pace with him and it was a moment filled with joy and magic!

See I have had this amazing shift in my mind from trying to keep up with him or asking him to slow down to my pace to seeing myself as a 12 minute/mile runner. I do checks with myself to make sure that my beliefs and my actions are working together. The founder of L Street Running Club and a dear friend of ours has the motto of maintain...maintain...maintain but my motto is retrain...retrain...retrain as I shift the image of myself from a survivor of paralytic polio and violence to a woman transformed "setting goals not limits," to quote Dave McGillvray, race director of the Boston Marathon and author of The Last Pick. My average pace for the run was 15:13 which was my pace on race day. It's all happening!

Today, I felt the magic of a morning run that set the tone for a beautiful day of rest, relaxation and creativity after racing on Friday and having 4 days of training for the Bermuda Half Marathon in the books. How blessed and grateful I feel to share this journey with Tom.





Cheers! To life! Love yourself well!



I chronicle the first 7 years of my healing journey after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease as a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and 9 years of childhood domestic violence in Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility.


In Journey Well, the journey continues in the wake of my nephew's suicide on 3/4/11 and the events of 4/15/13. Through my journey of healing and transformation, we learn that no matter what life circumstances happen to us, we can always find a way to journey well.


I am writing "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems," and "Going the Distance," chronicling my journey on the road to the Bermuda Half and the Newport Marathon 2016.

A New Tag Line: Cheers! To Life! Love Yourself Well!

In this phase of my healing journey, I know in every fiber of my Being that I can heal everything that happened to me. I can wipe the slate clean through mindfulness and meditation, my workouts and runs and continuing to write poetry and reading books, watching videos that support my belief and creation of new habits.

I once had tremors; a result of paralytic polio and violence but now they are healing. I have more and more moments of strength, confidence and stillness. I embody myself as strong and confident and ask my body to do what it needs to do to create the changes that reflect my new inner world. I do not look in the mirror and say - oh they are still there or if I notice a hand tremor say nope it's still there. Instead I know the tremors are healed and add, "Dear Body, please do whatever it is you need to do to heal the tremors completely." We all have a tendency to "test" results to see to believe. But in fact believing is what creates the fact!



Because of the tremors, it was a challenge for me to raise a glass and say cheers. But no more! The left hand can do so with ease and my right hand needs a little more time and practice and patience because I had open shoulder surgery on my right shoulder and had lost use of my right arm for 6 months back in the 80's. I talk to my right arm and hand with the tender love that a mother has for her child encouraging steadiness, calm, strength and letting myself know that there is nothing more to shake about or fear. I am safe - cheers to that!

To Life - There's a wonderful song from Fiddler on the Roof L'Chaim - to life that has stayed with me ever since I went to see Fiddler for my 13th birthday.



Listen closely to the lyrics:

Here's to prosperity, our good health and happiness and most importantly - to life!
L'chaim, l'chaim, to life.
Life has a way of confusing us,
Blessing and bruising us.
Drink, l'chaim, to life!
God would like us to be joyful,
Even when our hearts lie panting on the floor.
But how much more can we be joyful
When there's really something to be joyful for?

To us and our good fortune.
Be happy! Be healthy! Long life!
And if our good fortune never comes,
Here's to whatever comes.
Drink l'chaim, to life!

What is better than to toast this amazing precious gift of life we share!

During yesterday's morning meditation, I realized that the word Love is part of the word Evolve. We need Love in order to Evolve.


Did you know that love is a four letter word? And it has incredible healing power ... “I am convinced that unconditional love is the most powerful known stimulant of the immune system. If I told patients to raise their blood levels of immune globulins or killer T cells, no one would know how. But if I can teach them to love themselves and others fully, the same changes happen automatically. The truth is: love heals.” ~Bernie Siegel

So you can love yourself - well and you can love yourself well!
Love Is A Four Letter Word

Love is a four letter word
I swear by its healing power
as it pulses and courses through the river of my veins
unstoppable
watering everything in its wake
the garden of my soul.

Love is a four letter word
I bear witness
bare my soul
a breath of fresh air when love
enters a room
love ignites
delights
purges the past
forges the present
a force to be reckoned with
reconciles
unveiling
revealing.

Truth is
I am love
only love
pure and innocent
from Love
Perfection.

Love is a four letter word
the bridge
heaven on earth
all the elements I need to heal
living life as only I can
grateful to be a love.

So we have gone from Journey Well to Cheers! To Life! Love Yourself Well!

A new tag line for this next phase of my healing journey and to send out intentions to all to celebrate life, and experience the healing power of love. May we all love ourselves well for when we are able to love ourselves well, we are able to bring that delicious love into the world and soar!



Cheers! To Life! Love Yourself Well!

I chronicle the first 7 years of my healing journey after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease as a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and 9 years of childhood domestic violence in Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility.


I am working on my new book, Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems which brings together my best poems of the last 8 years and will include my latest poems as I continue to feel the heal and move forward in my life.

My Running Chronicles: Feeling My Edge

It was the first hot running day of the season. We went back to Wollaston Beach to get in our training run for the Finish at the 50 5K happening July 3rd at Gillette Stadium.

At the end of the Beach, there is a steep grade uphill. We could have opted to turn around before the halfway point of our run and go farther on the flat surface by the Beach but I suggested we tackle the hill. I started out walking the hill but then was feeling the need to run up the hill.

After tackling the hill and reaching the halfway point for our run, I spotted a walker who was walking at a brisk pace on the pavement along the beach in the distance who I wanted to pass. We increased our pace and as we got closer to her, I broke into a sprint and passed her. I took a water stop, caught my breath and then resumed our run at a fairly good pace. I was hot and nauseous. I dumped water on my head, hydrated and then slowed down the pace to make sure I didn't get sick but oh how I loved feeling that I'd gone right up to my edge. My overall time was one of my best since I returned to the roads in late March and I did negative splits.

I learned what not to do on race day especially if it's hot. I need to pace myself and not set out to sprint in the middle of the race and pass anyone. I'll leave it in the tank until we near the finish.

I also learned that I don't have to be afraid of pushing myself. I went into the ocean after the run and once again allowed the swirling cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean to dissolve scar tissue in my left leg and heal my knees. I felt One with all that is and a sense of peace and invincibility, strength and determination, deep gratitude and unbridled joy that once again I am pushing myself and feeling my edge.

We went to Marathon Sports on our way home to pick up the money from the sale of my memoir. One of the women working there asked me if I was Mary McManus and if I had participated in AccesSportAmerica last year. She had accompanied me on one of my bike rides in a recumbent bike around the Charlestown Navy Yard. I remembered her and we took a moment to get caught up. She asked me if I was back at Spaulding and the adaptive sports program this season.

I told her that I'm so grateful for the work we did together at Spaulding and AccesSport but I had to graduate myself from their programs. As long as I was in rehab and adaptive sports, I was not giving my body the messages for total and complete healing. I was still carrying my diagnosis of post polio syndrome and I was still being cautious in what I was allowing my body to do. While staff try to help patients feel "as normal as possible", in truth, I was still a patient and receiving the subtle and at times not so subtle message to be cautious. And the encouragement to take a risk was coming from the outside by a staff member rather than me being in tune and in sync with what I needed and wanted to do.

So now I'm on my own figuring things out garnering the wisdom from inside and from trainers, teachers and coaches. I see myself and feel myself as whole, healed and happy. I run unencumbered, fearless and feeling my edge enjoying every step of this journey.

Be blessed! Journey well! To all good things...

My latest book, "Journey Well" is now available on Amazon along with all of my inspirational books. 50% of book proceeds are donated to the Massachusetts Resiliency Center, a safe, welcoming space for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing to heal and stay in touch with one another; a virtual hub for a widely dispersed community whose lives have been impacted by the tragic events of April 15th and the events that followed.

When terror struck the world's oldest and most beloved marathon on April 15, 2013, it was a defining moment in Mary McManus’ life and the lives of all those in Boston and around the world. It was her wake up call to return to the sport and community that have been medicine and a lifeline for her throughout her marathon of healing the late effects of paralytic polio and experiencing 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent. Mary captures the essence of Boston Strong through her experience of the 2014 Boston Marathon and as she profiles the people who are Boston Stronger. Through her blog posts, poems and journal entries woven together with excerpts from her memoir, “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility,” you will experience, through one woman’s journey of transformation and healing, that no matter what happens to us, we can all learn to journey well.

Pure Imagination, Hope and Faith

Eight years ago, as I was preparing to leave the VA to heal my life, I did a 30 day journal on yellow legal paper (as though I were drafting a contract with myself) visualizing what life would be like for me in the future. I recycled it several years ago. I do smile when I think about some of the things I put down like being on Oprah and being a NY Times Bestselling Author (do not count out the latter one just yet) but one of the things that I included in my journal was going to work out every day at a health club. Seeing myself as healthy, vibrant, vital and whole, bringing an inspirational message to the world was the intention behind all that I imagined.

One of the ways I survived my chaotic and violent childhood and adolescence was to harness the power of my imagination. I held onto hope and faith that somehow somewhere there was a better life for me if I could just make it through.

When I ran 9 races in 9 months last year with two PR's, I harnessed the power of my imagination and the strength and will in my soul to make them happen.

My knee injury in December was a blessing and a wake up call for cross training and to make changes to allow more healing to happen. I was briefly drawn back into the medical model but quickly moved on to make sure that my intentions for total healing were aligned with what I was doing in my environment.

I'm training for another marathon!

First up is a 5K race on 7/3. I'm visualizing a great time (and yes I mean that literally and metaphorically) but I will run from the inside out seeing what I can accomplish on race day.

During my meditations, I imagine myself as though paralytic polio and violence never happened to me. What does that feel like? How does that look? I don't look in the mirror and say oh the tremors are still there; I see myself with my third eye without any tremors. I embrace experiencing my strong, steady hands and energy flowing from my back all the way down my arms without interruption. I smile. I feel the back of my cervical spine open as though I am opening a window and allowing fresh air to come in to allow spinal fluid and energy to flow. I am training myself to focus on the healing not on the wound.

I remind myself that I am already where I want to be and feel the joy of being without tremors, of having boundless energy, of feeling overflowing gratitude in my heart for these amazing outcomes that I see in my mind's eye that allows the physical transformation to follow.

And it works. Every time. With patience, practice, persistence, pacing, hope and faith.

If I would have imagined that going into the ocean yesterday would have been a bone chilling unpleasant experience, that's what would have happened but instead I knew that the cold icy salt water of the Atlantic Ocean would feel amazing after my 4 mile run. I now incorporate how I felt during and after going in the ocean into my meditation. I can feel how the swirling waters break up the scar tissue of 5 surgeries in my left leg and feel full range of motion return.

I recount the experiences where I have harnessed the power of my mind to heal. I had a wound on my nose that had not completely healed for several years. I finally decided to do something about it. I imagined it looking exactly the same as the other side of my nose. I hd total trust and faith that despite all appearances it was healed. Today there is only a small scar and it is indeed completely healed! I dissolved a tumor in my left breast and healed degenerative cervical spine disease including dissolving bone spurs and relieving a disc pressing on a nerve.

I have made up my mind that I deserve total healing. I feel love and compassion for myself knowing in every fiber of my being I never deserved what happened to me; that every child's birth right is to be in a safe, happy, warm and loving and laughing home learning how to manage struggles and challenges that come along. It is my birthright and I am now claiming that birthright to feel safe, happy, free, healthy, vibrant, vital and whole. It's wonderful to keep adding to my healing journal chronicling the miracles. Reading "You Are The Placebo" and having only those people who totally believe in me and the limitless possibilities for healing supports me in this process.

And the Universe echoes back a beautiful response to my song providing me with everything I need for total healing.



Be blessed! Journey well! To all good things...

My latest book, "Journey Well" is now available on Amazon along with all of my inspirational books. 50% of book proceeds are donated to the Massachusetts Resiliency Center, a safe, welcoming space for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing to heal and stay in touch with one another; a virtual hub for a widely dispersed community whose lives have been impacted by the tragic events of April 15th and the events that followed.

When terror struck the world's oldest and most beloved marathon on April 15, 2013, it was a defining moment in Mary McManus’ life and the lives of all those in Boston and around the world. It was her wake up call to return to the sport and community that have been medicine and a lifeline for her throughout her marathon of healing the late effects of paralytic polio and experiencing 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent. Mary captures the essence of Boston Strong through her experience of the 2014 Boston Marathon and as she profiles the people who are Boston Stronger. Through her blog posts, poems and journal entries woven together with excerpts from her memoir, “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility,” you will experience, through one woman’s journey of transformation and healing, that no matter what happens to us, we can all learn to journey well.

Focus On The Healing

Louise Hay who wrote the above affirmation, one of countless affirmations she has written to allow our mind to support the healing of our bodies, came to the conclusion that by holding on to her resentment for her childhood abuse and rape she had contributed to the onset of incurable cervical cancer. She reported how she had refused conventional medical treatment, and began a regime of forgiveness, coupled with therapy, nutrition, reflexology and occasional colonic enemas. She claimed in the interview that she rid herself of the cancer by this method, but, while swearing to its truth, admitted that she has outlived every doctor who could confirm this story. (Source: Wikipedia)

Back in 2012, I wrote this poem that is included in my collection, "Seasons of the Soul."

Focus on the Healing

Focus on the healing not on the wound
at first blush imperceptible changes
like the first peak at the crocus breaking ground
we can only imagine
what flower will emerge after the darkness of winter…

I had a dream last night
terror filled my body in the darkness
my father the intruder
thunder and lightning filled the room
crashing around me

“I never wanted to harm you”

Hyperventilation slows into steady breath
no longer raw and weary from the fight
wounds bound
roots grounded
peace descends
Spirit soars
only the trace of a scar remains
a reminder of the miracle of my life.

As I move forward in my healing journey, feeling strength and wholeness, a sense of well being and train to run the 2016 Newport Marathon, I find it is my imperative to focus on all the healing that has happened and continues to happen in my life.

As different aches and pains arise, as panic attacks happen, as occasional trauma dreams awaken me with my torso pounding in the middle of the night, I realize how far I have come in these past 8 years.

I frame everything that is happening in my body as having the capacity to heal. I feel this celebration in my soul and I smile as I interpret soreness, aches and pains, as wondrous miracles that I am able to now strength train and push myself. If something comes up in my body, I explore what I can do to support the healing as I lead a very active lifestyle now. When once panic and fear used to be the order of the day, I now have so many tools and resources, books to read, places to go, people to be with on line and in person to bring me back to feeling balanced.

As I did my 35 minutes of lap swimming yesterday, I found myself in the zone where I was totally present in the moment; strong, whole, healed knowing that my body knows just what to do to heal in spite of all of the experiences I have had. I partner with my body and override fear with confidence and strength, listening and practicing, being patient and kind, trusting in myself and in God within me that it's all healing. I feel gratitude, excitement, unbridled joy that I have the power to heal. Patience, practice, persistence and pacing promotes the healing and moves me forward in the flow of life.

The Universe is so generous and loving providing me with everything I need to feel peace, comfort, safety, strength and power in my life now.

And all I need to do is to continue to focus on the healing ....

Be blessed! Journey well! To all good things...

My latest book, "Journey Well" is now available on Amazon along with all of my inspirational books. 50% of book proceeds are donated to the Massachusetts Resiliency Center, a safe, welcoming space for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing to heal and stay in touch with one another; a virtual hub for a widely dispersed community whose lives have been impacted by the tragic events of April 15th and the events that followed.

When terror struck the world's oldest and most beloved marathon on April 15, 2013, it was a defining moment in Mary McManus’ life and the lives of all those in Boston and around the world. It was her wake up call to return to the sport and community that have been medicine and a lifeline for her throughout her marathon of healing the late effects of paralytic polio and experiencing 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent. Mary captures the essence of Boston Strong through her experience of the 2014 Boston Marathon and as she profiles the people who are Boston Stronger. Through her blog posts, poems and journal entries woven together with excerpts from her memoir, “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility,” you will experience, through one woman’s journey of transformation and healing, that no matter what happens to us, we can all learn to journey well.

My Running Chronicles: Whose Voice Do You Listen To? - Feel The Heal

During a meditation, as thoughts of running the 2016 Newport Marathon for the Arredondo Family Foundation drifted in and out, the image of me as a runner emerging from the potter's wheel came to mind. I experienced myself having the perfect shape and form for a runner; realizing that in fact I do have the perfect shape and form for a runner - for ME as a runner.





When I trained for and ran the 2009 Boston Marathon, I learned to tune out the voices from the past and tune into the Voice of Truth within me ... the Voice that told me I would, I could, I must do this and I did. And once you've run one marathon, you know you have what it takes to run another.

There is still much for me to heal and overcome; life is, after all a marathon and not a sprint by any means. As I have begun my training for Newport, I get to explore once again every inch of mind/body/Spirit and continue to heal the late effects of paralytic polio, 9 years of childhood domestic violence and having been at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on 4/15/13 across from the 2nd explosion.



Part of me hears the voice of the naysayers and fear grips my soul and shudders through me. But that's when my small self who identifies with all that happened to me takes over and allows the voices of others in those moments to be more powerful than the Voice of Truth. In Mitchell May's NPR interview, as he lay broken and shattered with life threatening injuries after a car crash, the healer Jack Gray told him, "You are a child of God and everything you need is within you. You can heal this leg. It's no big problem."

I ride the waves of fear and those emotions that surface calming and comforting myself, turning to poetry to allow my pen to be the divining rod for healing and Truth allowing the transformation that comes with training for and running a marathon to once again happen!



Feel the Heal

The Potter’s wheel with loving hands a figure forms brave and true
breaking mold cast by others, Triumphant Spirit emerges shining through.
In the likeness of Divine’s image, all excess baggage gently melts away
unbridled freedom, joy, resilience fired up whole without fringe or fray.
Rhythmic turnings ever so slowly, tender kindness she feels the heal
Potter pauses as work now finished, she gracefully leaps from Potter’s wheel.
Color and shape beyond compare magnificent in radiant sun
going the distance helps others to heal fueling her 26.2 mile run.
Transcending transforming no pain can last, grit and gratitude fill heart and soul
leave doubts and fears in dust of memories past laser focus on marathon's goal.
In the distance the Potter’s cheering that Voice so clear rises above the din
she feels in every fiber of her Being this race is hers to win.
Pacing, persistent and patient in each moment she feels the heal
reminded of her humble true beginnings blessed by grace on Potter’s wheel.



When you have a goal in mind and move forward to achieve that goal, whose voice do you listen to? Listen to the Voice of the Divine, your intuition, promptings from Spirit deep within you, feel the heal and move forward confidently in the direction of your dream. Remember those fears and doubts are no match for the power and Truth of the Divine.


Be blessed. Journey well. To all good things....

My latest book, "Journey Well" is now available on Amazon along with all of my inspirational books. 50% of book proceeds are donated to the Massachusetts Resiliency Center, a safe, welcoming space for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing to heal and stay in touch with one another; a virtual hub for a widely dispersed community whose lives have been impacted by the tragic events of April 15th and the events that followed.

When terror struck the world's oldest and most beloved marathon on April 15, 2013, it was a defining moment in Mary McManus’ life and the lives of all those in Boston and around the world. It was her wake up call to return to the sport and community that have been medicine and a lifeline for her throughout her marathon of healing the late effects of paralytic polio and experiencing 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent. Mary captures the essence of Boston Strong through her experience of the 2014 Boston Marathon and as she profiles the people who are Boston Stronger. Through her blog posts, poems and journal entries woven together with excerpts from her memoir, “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility,” you will experience, through one woman’s journey of transformation and healing, that no matter what happens to us, we can all learn to journey well.

#flashbackfriday Linux Man & Bat Girl: On Superheroes, Halloween and Healing

"We live in a time when the words 'impossible' and 'unsolvable' are no longer part of the scientific community's vocabulary." ~Christopher Reeve, Actor and Activist

Happy Halloween! For many it's a time to be ghoulish; for others to be princesses and princes perhaps Olaf and Elsa but for me Halloween is a time to unleash the superhero within.

Four years ago Tom and I were the dynamic duo of Linux Man (with Tom sporting a Red Hat Fedora) and Bat Girl. We cheered on our friends at the Oak Square 5K on Saturday and on Sunday ran the Superhero 5K in Cambridge.



I PR'ed the Superhero 5K and went on to PR the Jingle Bell Run 5K in December.

My superhero powers were temporarily suspended with the kryptonite of my nephew's suicide in March of 2011.

This Halloween I am a recharged superhero. Tom and I continue our wonderful journey as the Dynamic Duo. Here we are crossing the finish line of the Spectacle Island 5K and at Tom's finish last week at the Cape Cod Half Marathon:



I am aware of my healing power and the strength of my Spirit and mind. I join forces with my superhero therapist, Joseph, at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork as together we triumph over the dark forces that once tried to destroy me mind, body and Spirit, to bring forth my light, my love and my wholeness. Healing is happening. We are allowing energy to flow and create new nerves and neuromuscular pathways. I can pour a cup of tea now with steady hands.

When one heals we all heals.

I can feel the presence of Christopher Reeve in the world, a superhero in every sense of the word and his intention to unlock the door to healing spinal cord injuries. There is a collective consciousness of healing with The Big Idea:



Transplantation of nasal cells to repair a spinal cord injury: Paralyzed man walks again after cell transplant and Paralyzed groom walks his bride down the aisle using an exoskeleton.

Halloween is a time when we conquer our fears of the things that go bump in the night; a time when we dispel darkness with the flame of Truth, light, love, joy and a sense of playfulness. We share the sweetness of life by opening our doors and our hearts to the children who allow their imaginations to run wild as they embrace whatever character they choose to embody tonight.

My imagination runs wild with possibility as I know first hand the power of healing emotional and physical wounds from paralytic polio and violence. I no longer fear the ghosts of my past. They have gone into the ethers of the Universe.

I am here now. Superhero to bring healing, love, light and joy to the world.

Happy Halloween!



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:

"Is there something wrong with her?" Reflections on tremors and the simple pleasure of pouring tea

The short answer is no. The longer answer Benign essential tremors ?kinesthetic dystonia Rx Artane ?botox injections

"I thought you had Parkinson's Disease."

"Why does her head shake like that daddy."

Stage whisper "Is there something wrong with her?"

"Look in the mirror," the KMI structural integrator suggested. "I think they are kind of regal. After all Katherine Hepburn had tremors. It's all about perspective. I kind of wish I had them."

"Oh wow your tremors look like they are getting better...."

The first time I ever experienced a whole body tremor that looked like a seizure was when I was in gym class. The gym teacher, Miss Cochran forced me into a somersault. I tried to tell her that I couldn't do a somersault but she refused to listen to me. She got angry with me for "scaring her like that."

In the quiet of the treatment room at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork, I had the opportunity to observe my body and its tremors. This is what happens to a body when it has experienced the polio virus and violence.

Through Joseph's skilled, caring and compassionate touch, I experience moments of stillness in my body. I often joke with him that when that happens I don't want him to move from where he is holding but we both knew this is a process where nature is taking its course as I heal mind, body and Spirit. Everything is in motion; everything is changing.

In last week's treatment, as Joseph worked with my cervical spine, I felt a new pathway of energy flow. After the treatment I recalled the memory of when the doctor forced my torso over the side of the bed to see if my neck was stiff as part of his diagnostic assessment after I collapsed in gym class. I can feel how life is returning to the top of my spinal cord where it meets the base of my skull after all these years.

Last night Tom and I went out for dinner at Golden Temple. Tom always pours the tea. I've had open shoulder surgery on my right arm and lost use of my right arm for 6 months due to an infection in the bone. The combination of polio, assaults and surgery compromised the functioning of my right arm and hand.

I felt that something had shifted after last Thursday's treatment, and I wanted to pour the tea. No tremors. Steady and strong. Effort-less. New neuromuscular memory on which to build.

There were waves of sadness and happiness throughout my last treatment. Sadness for how hard it had been living in my body as a result of the effects from paralytic polio and violence; happiness for peace, stillness, healing and unlimited possibility for more healing. Sadness leaving behind a familiar way of being filled with struggle and challenge and happiness for ease and potential for greater ease in my life on and off of the roads.

I believed there was something wrong with me; that the tremors were something I needed to stop. I did take a short course of Artane but it didn't make a difference in the tremors. The side effects were awful for me. I was considering botox injections but something stopped me from pursuing them - thank goodness! The tremors are not something to glorify nor demonize; they are not something to feel ashamed of or embarrassed about. When I push myself to the edge, or if I experience intense emotions, they have been known to intensify. With a spinal cord injury, it can be challenging for the body to regulate its temperature. I notice that my thermostat is working much better now and I can maintain my body temperature with greater ease. I no longer immediately shiver if the air is cool. As I continue to heal with the help of regular treatments with Joseph, as I continue to build strength at Spaulding Rehab through Aquatics Therapy, my energy can flow with greater ease and I have more of my body available to enjoy the tasks of daily living. What a joy to experience the simple pleasure of pouring a cup of tea. Is there something wrong with her? Oh no - there is everything right with her!


Knowing the challenges first hand of living with a neuromuscular condition, on Thanksgiving, I will be running the Boston Volvo 5K Village Road Race to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society New England Chapter. When we unlock the key to one neuromuscular condition, we can unlock the door to many. You can donate to my run on my fund raising 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.



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