As I edit "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953," I am in awe of how many finish lines I've been blessed to cross and how each one brings with it a distinct memory.
The first finish line I ever crossed was in June 2008. It was a hot day and I hadn't run for more than 40 minutes at a time in my training program on the road to the Boston Marathon. I had no idea what the sport of running and especially racing was all about. I received a wonderful joy filled albeit challenging introduction to my first 5K race. We took this photo back at the car:
The Marathon Sports 5 Miler tested my mettle. I didn't think I was going to finish the race. It was a highly competitive, hot, evening race. We finished dead last and were celebrated as though I broke the tape. Here's a photo of us at the back of the pack winding our way through the back roads with the sweep truck behind us:
My first half marathon was the 2009 Hyannis Half. While I don't have any finish line photos, I slogged through 13.1 miles of cold and sleet to cross the finish line of my first half marathon race. My story was shared in the Cape Cod Times:
Mary McManus, 55, of Brookline completed her first half-marathon after making a remarkable recovery from a life-long battle against post-polio syndrome.
She spent time at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and began running just last February. She competed in her first race in June 2008, finishing a 5K.
“It’s like having a new lease on life,” said McManus, who ran yesterday’s half-marathon with husband Tom. “I was limping my way through life, but then decided to do something about it.”
My greatest finish was crossing the iconic Boston Marathon finish line:
I had to take time off to recover from Boston and there was a question mark about whether or not I would return to the roads given my body's history of paralytic polio and severe trauma. I transformed the question mark into a ....to be continued.
In June of 2010, Tom and I celebrated my comeback at the Charles River Run 5K:
Tom pushed me as we jingled all the way to a PR in the Jingle Bell 5K:
I persevered through elevation and heat to run my first trail race on Spectacle Island. What a spectacular finish for Team McManus:
I trash talked my way to a PR at the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk to Benefit Prostate Cancer. What a celebration after I crossed that finish line:
While feeling the exhilaration of a PR is an incredible experience at the finish line, sometimes crossing that finish line is the manifestation of perseverance and endurance.
In December of 2014 I suffered a serious knee injury that the medical providers said would sideline me from running for the rest of my days. They said I never should have started running and that I should prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. I turned to holistic healing with chiropractic care, and doubled down my efforts with all that I'd done to get me to that point in my journey harnessing the power of the mind/body connection.
Tom and I crossed the finish line of the 2015 Finish at the 50 5K that marked a new starting line for me:
I decided to go the distance again and signed on for the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon:
Since I had a solid base of mileage and felt triumphant after Bermuda, Tom and I ran the 2016 Hyannis 10K. Smiles for miles as we crossed the finish line together:
Rather than be a "one hit wonder" I took on the challenge of the 2017 Bermuda Half Marathon. At mile 10 things went south for this runner girl but I would not quit. Although every step was a challenge and by mile 12 I could not straighten up, I put one foot in front of the other steadily moving forward to that finish line. An earth angel at mile 12, Jamie-Lee Wright and my husband supported me until I joyfully and triumphantly crossed that finish line:
I have had to dig deep to persevere through the miles on the roads and in my life working hard to overcome the ravages of childhood paralytic polio and trauma at the hands of family members. But the thrill of crossing that finish line makes all the hard work worth every ounce of blood, sweat and tears it took to get me there.
To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary
My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available on Amazon.
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:
Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
***Coming Soon - The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953***
The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953 takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running that tested her mettle while fueling her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life. Mary’s story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog and discovering the meaning of different ability as Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her.
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