Celebrating Ten Years of Running: That Felt Soooo Good

It's been a very stressful 3 months as our daughter continues her struggle with her mental health. This past week was extremely challenging for her and hence for us as a family. My training schedule got shifted around. I usually run with Tom on Saturday, we swim on Sunday, run early morning Monday, I swim on Tuesday and we strength train on Wednesday. Between what was happening with our daughter and Tom's work and a chiropractic appointment early on Wednesday, I decided to strength train on Tuesday, take Wednesday and Thursday off and go to the pool on Friday.

When the weather looked great for a run on Friday, I decided to get out and do a solo run.

It was chilly with a strong wind. There was something invigorating about running in the chilly wind. The baby goose was grazing with its family and the colors of Spring seemed especially vibrant as the sun shined on the leaves on the trees. It was quite a contrast to what I was feeling when I first set out on my run. My heart felt heavy and my breathing was labored but with each foot strike, I released my burdens and worries to the Divine.

The presence of the Divine surrounded me with bird calls, gentle laps of the waves of the Reservoir on the shore and the songs that came up from the mix on my playlist. I felt a sense of being alone that transformed into a sense of solitude that became a sense of One with all that is.

There were moments of struggle, of ease, of freedom and feeling the need to turn everything over to the Divine. I felt powerless to be able to do anything to help my daughter - that it's her journey and yet I felt empowered to be able to get out and run and be with the Divine sharing my deepest most thoughts, fears and hope.

It was, for the most part, a hard run but those are the runs where we are blessed to meet ourselves on the road.



I don't know what I did before the gift of running came into my life 10 years ago. Eleven years ago the effects of childhood paralytic polio and severe childhood trauma reared its head in the guise of the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. The medical community said if you use it you will lose it. My Spirit said, through the power of my pen, my divining rod for healing in the form of inspirational poetry - get moving and run the race set before you with endurance. Running is my medicine, my therapy and a vital part of my life whatever the distance and whatever the pace. I am so grateful that I can get out on a run and leave my troubles on the road.

While I kicked off my kicks, hydrated and had a banana, I sat back and took a deep breath saying to myself, "That felt soooo good."


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 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):

Book Review - "Conversations with an Angel: A story of healing through the passageways of grief"

If you were to look up the meaning for "wise soul" in the dictionary, you'd find photos of Charlie Siegel:


Charlie Siegel, the grandson of Bernie Siegel, possesses a wisdom far greater than one would expect for a twenty something year old in the world today.

Charlie has woven together a beautiful story set in Central Park, New York to create a primer for healing in the wake of the loss of a loved one. His descriptions are as vibrant as the photo that he took in Iceland that adorns the book cover for "Conversations with an Angel: A story of healing through the passageways of grief":


It's a book you can read in one sitting yet one that will leave a lasting imprint on your heart and soul. I felt immersed in a beautiful meditation as I read Charlie's creation. As Charlie points out in his book, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the waves of grief and the cloud that seems all encompassing after we lose a loved one. Charlie's book calms the storm in our hearts and brings a message of light, love and peace.

"Conversations with an Angel" begins with a quote, "Death could not kill love, and so through the bridge that was love, we would always be together."

In the Introduction Charlie writes, "Sometimes it takes an intervention from someone else---or in my case, something else--to find the perspective it takes to really rise above the storm; to fly above the clouds as the eagles do. Sometimes it takes the touch of an angel to help you realize things you need to know for the healing process to take place. When this happens, it does not mean you are doing anything wrong. It simply means the steering wheel was quite heavy to turn, and another pair of hands has come in to offer you their help."

It reminded me of this quote:


Charlie is, as he writes about in a poem at the end of the book, an agent of the angels bringing a powerful message of hope, healing and grace available to us all if we open our hearts and pay attention to the signs around us.

From "Conversations with an Angel" book description:
Raised in a spiritual lifestyle with generations of family members spending lifetimes focused on studies of spirituality, Charlie wishes to pass on the lessons he has been given in order to help others.

While he was raised in an environment that supported his spirituality, he possesses his own incredible gifts as an author, an inspirational poet and a photographer. He sees the world through the lens of the Divine capturing what we all need to see to move beyond the daily humdrum and mundane reconnecting with the Source of all that is.

Charlie's book is available from Amazon and through Wisdom of the Ages, a gem of a store that Charlie manages with his mother Jane.

You can hear an inspiring interview about Charlie's journey and a beautiful conversation with his grandfather, Bernie Siegel on DreamVisions7 Radio by following this link.

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):

Bermuda Marathon Weekend: The Starting Line

I woke up at 3:00am on Sunday--race day with my heart racing, feeling as though I was going to throw up with sweat pouring down my two arms. I don't recall whether or not I was having a dream. It was in direct contrast to how I felt when I fell back to sleep at 12:20 after the false alarm went off.

"Okay," I thought to myself. "Let's get a handle on this. Let's pull your mind out of your body and connect with the Divine. There is no time to analyze this. You have to get to the starting line." I reminded myself that I've been doing the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and I had total confidence that I could and would be able to clear out these sensations. I went to the bathroom, went deep into a meditation and then fell back to sleep.

The alarm went off at 5:00am. We meditated for 10 minutes to set our intentions for the day. We did our core warm up and I totally trusted that room service would arrive on time. They usually don't serve room service until 7 am but were gracious to accommodate our request for 5:30.

The knock on the door came promptly at 5:30 and Narayan came in carrying a tray with everything we requested so we could each have our traditional pre-race breakfast. "Good morning. Good morning...Are we ready to run?" He told us that he was at base camp at Mt. Everest and shared in our excitement for the day. After breakfast Team McManus gathered in a group hug/huddle to say a prayer for the day. We gave thanks for the blessings that brought us to that moment and asked the Divine to bless us on our 13.1 miles through Bermuda. It was intensely emotional to realize how far we'd all come to be poised and ready to toe the starting line of Bermuda Half Marathon 2018 - my third in as many years - and the first time we'd run together since the 2009 Boston Marathon.

We headed to the lobby where runners were excited to get the shuttle to the starting line.

When we arrived in Hamilton I saw Susan who is an integral part of Bermuda Marathon Weekend selling t-shirts and volunteering along with Anthony Raynor's cousin, Jo-Ell who we met in Boston on that fateful day when Anthony offered me an invitational entry. I told Susan I had pre-race jitters. She took my hand and told me that it's race day excitement. It happened to her before every race. She suggested that we use the inside bathrooms and go stretch out before the race.

We walked up and down Front Street going over our race strategy and remembering our previous trips to Bermuda. I reminded myself that I had two goals for the race: Have fun and finish.

We were blessed with another Bermudaful sunrise over Hamilton Harbor:


We saw the Town Crier whose name is Ed. He remembered us from last year and posed for this photo with Team McManus:


The sexy reef ambassadors are saving the coral reef with their lion fish hunting expeditions. It is spearheaded by the one and only Natalie Dryli whose outfit this year topped her America's Cup outfit from last year:


"Hey Denise - here they are," Lanette said. We had to take a pre-race photo together:


After hugs and well wishes we heard the announcement saying it was 15 minutes to the start. "Runners please line up."

It was show time for Team McManus. We said another prayer and listened to the Town Crier make the proclamation to mark the start of the 2018 Bermuda Marathon and Half Marathon:


To be continued....

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

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):

Countdown to Bermuda: An Awe-some Early Morning Run

I wish I would have taken a screenshot of the weather in Brookline for today at 6am. Tom made me double check the city I was looking at since I have different cities for the weather on my phone. "No I am telling you it's 50 degrees!"

Here is the current temperature in Brookline at 3pm on NOVEMBER 29th!!!



After Tom and Ruth Anne braved 20 degrees for yesterday's run, he was understandably incredulous that it was 50 degrees at 6am. We had to open the front door and then try to figure out what we should wear on the run. File that under runner problems for those living in New England and training for a January Half Marathon.

By the time we finished our core work and had water and a banana, it was daybreak. As we ran toward the Route 9 Reservoir, I saw the sun shining through the trees extending its glorious light in every direction. It was a mystical moment for me as my breath caught. What a blessing and a gift to see the dawn of a new day; a gift I never ever take for granted having come so close to death on many occasions at the hands of family members. Feeling the dawn of a new day and a connection to our Loving Creator lit the fire in my soul. It was as if the Divine was speaking to me, inviting me to shine my light.

Recently my meditations have been focused on helping me to move out of the habits that arose from experiencing paralytic polio and violence. Seeing those golden rays of sun between the trees reminded me that the power of God within me and around me is far greater than anything that happened to me.

Feeling the relatively warm morning air, seeing the light of the rising sun dance on the water of the Reservoir and kiss the world awake, Team McManus felt awe-some. We all took in the sensations of the new day with love and appreciation for our surroundings and for being able to run with each other.

Today wrapped up another week of training on the road to Bermuda Half Marathon III.

43 days and counting!

We have been so blessed with the weather and being able to train outdoors for as long as we have. This time last year we were up to 10.5 miles and on Saturday we deposited another 11.5 in the Bank of Bermuda. We also had to go indoors several times as a result of the weather last year.

On Saturday we have 12 miles on tap. The weather is not looking good at the moment but here in New England that can change in a moment.

For now we are basking in the glow of our awe-some and inspiring early morning run letting our light shine:


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