Eleven years ago I was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease - Post-Polio Syndrome which was nothing more or less than the effects of childhood paralytic polio and severe childhood trauma. These past 11 years have been filled with risk taking and a whole lot of faith.
My husband Tom told me it was a no brainer when the Team at Spaulding Rehab made the recommendation I quit my award willing career as a VA social worker just 3 years shy of when I "could" retire. They said that if there was any hope of stabilizing the symptoms where they were I needed to eliminate the stress of work. I was blessed with a physical therapist, Allison Lamarre-Poole who both held the faith for me that I could and would get stronger while supporting and encouraging me to take the leap of faith to leave my career in order to heal my life.
I did and after being discharged from her care, went on to hire a personal trainer. Next stop? The Boston Marathon 2009!
I burned and crashed and was blessed to find another amazing physical therapist at Newton Wellesley Hospital who got me back on the roads by Spring of 2010.
I was doing great until my nephew's suicide on 3/4/2011 when I took a major detour off of my healing path into relationships and the practice of yoga with a very sketchy tribe to say the least.
After 4/15/2013, I had a major wake up call to get back to the sport of running that has been my therapy, my village, my greatest challenge and my deepest passion.
I ran myself right into a serious knee injury going for PR after PR with 9 races in 9 months.
I almost derailed into the messages that Western Medicine was giving me about what I could and could not do as a survivor of paralytic polio. Being my willful and determined little self and with the help of an amazing chiropractor healer, Dr. Ryan J. Means (who is now practicing in China) I set out to once again heal my life and of course my knee. He
He taped my gastroc muscle. The MRI showed that it had atrophied as a result of polio. He taped my knee to reduce swelling and to stimulate healing.
He prescribed exercises and a setting goals not limits mindset.
At the Finish at the 50 race in July of 2015, Race Director Anthony Raynor suggested that if I could get up to the half marathon distance again in my training, I would be much happier running the half than the 10K in Bermuda given that the 10K course is all hills.
After taking a leap of faith that my knee (and the rest of me) would heal and be fine going the distance of a half marathon again, I crossed the finish line in Bermuda with Tom by my side and Dr. Ryan cheering us on from China!
I couldn't be a one hit wonder and when on to run Bermuda Marathon 2017. It was a rough race for me for many reasons but I prevailed and after a brief rest in the medical tent, took this photo with Tom:
I was ready to take a break but how could I possibly refuse an invitational entry from the Race Director in Boston at the Boston Marathon Expo.
I firmly decided:
An added blessing to my journey on the road to Bermuda Half Marathon 2018 was that Ruth Anne joined us after 3 years of struggling with severe depression and PTSD.
I knew that I had to have a lot of faith and confidence in my body's ability to go the distance for a 3rd half marathon in as many years. That faith was tested as I experienced a muscle strain in my right hip and back spasms along with groin issues. Fortunately I had run the 2009 Boston Marathon with a groin pull because well nothing was going to stop me from crossing that finish line:
I knew that once I harnessed the power of my mind I could do it.
On 1/14/18 Team McManus crossed the finish line of the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon:
and a new line was drawn in the sand about what I perceived as my limits.
It's time now for me to take that much needed rest after a threepeat at the Bermuda Marathon Weekend. Tom and Ruth Anne will be running in the 2019 Half. I need time to heal this hip/back/groin and to explore other joys of movement now that I've gained momentum on my health and wellness journey. I see myself excavating the athlete within. Just like Michelangelo could see his creations emerge from the medium he worked with, I am chiseling away beliefs that no longer serve me, building a base of a strong core and upper body strength, and creating a runner who runs unencumbered, with ease at a 12 minute/mile pace.
I'll be taking more risks in experiencing classes at our gym and upping my game in my strength training and cross training workouts. I am putting the call out for a personal trainer who can help me take my health and fitness to the next level having complete faith in my body's ability to meet whatever challenges I offer.
So while some may say I may have gone too far by taking on the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon, I say:
To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours,
Mary
Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc. Be sure to visit us at Booth 758 during Boston Marathon Weekend.
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):
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