My Running Chronicles: What's Next - What You Think You Become

After manifesting a day better than imagined at the Finish at the 50, we decided to revisit Team McManus' race calendar.

Spectacle Island was a spectacular day last year. It was my first trail race ever. I received an email about this year's race and put out the word to my dear friend and chiropractor, Ryan Means to see if he'd like to join Team McManus for the race. His reply on Facebook was, "Mary This look so awesome! And registration includes transport and lunch? All we have to do is show up kick butt? I'm IN! How do I register for #TeamMcManus"

I am deeply grateful to Dr. Ryan as he likes to be called for helping me to get back on the roads. His confidence and belief in the body's tremendous healing power, his kinesiotaping technique and his suggestions for cross training exercises were a huge factor in my successful run on Friday.

Before I started working with Dr. Ryan, I was about ready to accept my new baseline of not running, of being afraid of my knee injury, not having confidence in my body and starting to believe myths about aging, and settling to use a cane to walk Spectacle Island with Tom since I wouldn't be able to run anymore.

One of my Facebook friends and Dr. Ryan were each recommending that I read You Are the Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Reading the book and watching his videos have been a huge game changer in my journey. It reminded me of what I know to be true and turbocharged what I set out to do 8 and a half years ago after receiving the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease.

Tom and I love Falmouth on Olde Cape Cod. We had thought about doing the Cape Cod Marathon Relay with me doing the first leg of the relay but that's when I was setting limits not goals. Once we decided that I'd be running the Newport Marathon in 2016, we decided to do Falmouth in the Fall. It is the same route as the Falmouth Road Race but without the crowds. It's a time to enjoy the splendor of Cape Cod. It's a 7 mile scenic race that I have always wanted to run. Tom ran it twice and it will feel great to be off of the sidelines and run the race by his side. Back in 2010, we ran along the course together as part of my training for the Tufts 10K. We will be doing a lot of long runs on hills as we train for Falmouth in the Fall.

The Rock 'n Roll Marathon in Washington DC in March was going to be our next race but Spirit has other plans. We are heading to Bermuda in January for the Bermuda Marathon Weekend. We will be doing the Half Marathon! Bermuda holds many special memories for us. There was a legally blind veteran I met when I first started working at the VA as the Visual Impairment Services Team coordinator. He had suffered a massive stroke and was in coma for 3 months. When he emerged from the coma he was at first totally blind and then slowly regained his sight. His brain had difficulty processing information. He had been the Director of Pharmacy for the City of Boston and told me in no uncertain terms that he was sick and tired of being treated like a patient. So I put him to work as a volunteer for the Telefriend program at the VA. He had a gift for counseling that he discovered only after his stroke. Funny how life works sometimes huh? I taught him how to dial a phone with a large print overlay and got very creative in how he could achieve success in his volunteer role to accommodate to his other challenges that were a result of the stroke. We had a lot of fun and he also helped to save lives being a peer support to other legally blind veterans and elder veterans who were housebound and isolated. There were two veterans in particular who told him they were thinking about suicide and we were able to get them hospitalized. One of them is alive and thriving today.

Herb fished with the Sea and Surf Anglers Club of Boston and they competed against the Blue Waters Anglers Club of Bermuda. There was racism in fishing tournaments back in the day and so they started their own fishing tournament alternating between Bermuda and Falmouth. When Herb heard that I hadn't been on a "real" vacation, he brought in a map of Bermuda and said that my family had to take time and spend some money and go there. He would hook us up with his friends on the Island. That was 18 years ago. We took several trips with the Club and hung out on the dock. Here is the link to his obituary that is a tribute to an inspiring man.

The last trip I took to Bermuda was in October 2007. I had my first training session the day before we left with a personal trainer and had muscles I had no idea existed in my body. I could barely walk off of the plane I was so sore and couldn't wait to get into the pool at the Rosedon Hotel. I was still in my leg brace and used a wheelchair when we traveled. How phenomenal to return whole, vibrant, transformed and running a race I said I would run since 2010.

In February we return to Olde Cape Cod this time to Hyannis where Tom will run the Hyannis Half Marathon take two after last year's race was cancelled. I'll be delighted to be support crew and enjoy Camp Hyannis as it is affectionately called.

We want to return to Finish on the 50 next July and make that an annual tradition for Team McManus which will be our last race before toeing the line at the Newport Marathon 2016 next October.

Training has become a top priority for me.

I am enjoying every moment of this fantastic journey now. My heart overflows with gratitude and my Spirit is on fire!

I am going the distance this time because I know in every fiber of my Being that what you think you become, what you feel you attract and what you imagine you create.



Here's to faith, magic and manifestation...

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

Building Strength and Confidence

I used to have difficulty getting up from sitting without using a table or the bathroom sink to support me. One day a couple of months ago, after practicing squats at the wall per Dr. Ryan of Elevate Health Cambridge, I decided that I could just stand up. I made up my mind to do it ... after realizing what was preventing me from doing it all these years. Yes in part there was physical weakness and deconditioning but what prevented me from completely healing after paralytic polio was bearing the brunt of my father's alcoholic rages. I remembered the phrases, "sit down before I knock you down" along with "who do you think you are? I'm going to knock you down to size." Once I brought these phrases into awareness, I was able to literally stand up to the fear I felt inside. The danger was long gone but in my mind, because I was so little when all of this happened, I was wired for weakness and not being able to find the strength to stand up for myself.

But all of that is changed now. I'd been wrestling with how do I feel strong and empowered without being afraid of my power that I would hurt the people who were hurting me. During yesterday morning's meditation, I thought about martial arts and a class we had in self defense at the VA called Unmuggable. I googled to see if they are still around. I know there are many classes in self defense for women but I couldn't find this particular one. A "mugger" was in a protective suit and they taught us how to defend ourselves in case we were attacked; to disarm the "mugger" hitting his vulnerable areas to give us enough time to get away. They also gave us safety tips such as never getting into a car even if held at knife point, staying in a lighted area and using keys and other objects we might have on hand to ward off the attacker.

I took the class with Mary Pat Regan who was the DAV Transportation Coordinator and we used to sign our emails after taking the class, The Unmuggable One. I can remember the sensations of being able to defend myself and how empowered and invincible we felt after taking the class.

Yesterday, after increasing my squats at the wall and feeling confidence and strength harnessing the power of my hip flexors and core to do a proper squat, I made up my mind that it was time to move away from the wall and just squat. Dr. Ryan said to me one day, you'll move an inch away from the wall and you will do a squat. And voila:



I can feel safe, strong and confident. I have faced every fear and looked death square in the eye at the hands of my alcoholic father and psychotic grandmother and with the neglect of my drug addicted mother.

And now - I get to do the impossible or what the Western medicine model said is impossible. I build strength, create new neuromuscular connections and neural pathways. I change the way I view myself and create a whole new physical reality for myself. I am healed, and I am whole. I am an endurance runner training for the 2016 Newport Marathon and I am happy - so incredibly happy and grateful to be alive connected to The Source that showers me with grace:

The Source

Wellspring of joy flows deep within soul
rising surprisingly healing brokenness whole.
Thawing and melting magnificence made new
cleansing congestion reveals radiance True.

Miracles arise from this sacred space
fears and pain transformed by Your Loving Grace.
Running and laughing happiness free
a raucous rampage a celebration spree.

Grounded sure footed it's time fancy fine
Divine Love a waterfall cascading spine.
Fools were blind to this treasure so rare
unstoppable unceasing heart open to share.

The joy in the journey a sight to behold
the glory her triumphs she runs brave and bold.
Each footstep each mile of 26.2
a champion reborn glorious Spirit shines through.


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: Wollaston Beach: Then and Now

The first place I took my tentative steps walking outside after coming out of my leg brace in the summer of 2007 was Wollaston Beach. I had walked away from my award winning almost 20 year career at the VA to step into my healing odyssey. I remember walking for 15 minutes and feeling exhausted but so grateful that I was walking and walking outside in the sunshine.

By October of 2007, I decided that I had to take another step forward on my healing odyssey and I hired a personal trainer. I made up my mind that if I were going to be in pain then I may as well hurt on the side of health. Despite the admonition from the medical community that sadly is told to many with a presentation of a "progressive neuromuscular disease," if you use it you will lose it, I knew that my body was literally and metaphorically burning to move. I had to listen to what my gut was telling me. I could not even complete the initial assessment. Janine told me that I was too young to be in the state I was in and that she would work with me to build strength.

After 6 months I was able to surpass my initial goals of getting off of a low toilet seat and being able to diversify the basic rehab program prescribed for me once I was discharged from outpatient rehab care. And then something stirred in my soul and I declared that I would run the 2009 Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab as was foreshadowed in the first poem I wrote in February of 2007, "Running the Race." Here I am coming down Comm. Ave. and my dear friend Reno Stirrat put an excerpt from that poem with this photo:



Life took many twists and turns for me on my healing journey but I've arrived here now, training for the 2016 Newport Marathon to raise money for the Arredondo Family Foundation.

Today we took our training back to Wollaston Beach where we did numerous training runs on our road to the Boston Marathon.

It was chilly and there was a strong headwind but the joy of being back at Wollaston Beach which holds wonderful memories of training for Boston as well as a wonderful way to realize how far I've come since that first tentative walk 8 years ago surpassed the weather. It was bright and sunny and I was running stride for stride, side by side with Tom, my partner in running and in life. He has supported me every step of this crazy journey as I took twists and turns to arrive where I am today.

We ran 4.01 miles and then did a .4 mile cool down walk. We had tracked the length of Wollaston on the car odometer but the distance by car is different than running on the pavement. Fortunately I had my Nike+ to keep us on track to not run more than 4 miles until after our 5K race on 7/3. Then we will increase distance to prepare for the Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash, a 5 miler in September.

We had a wonderful time using people as pacers and to do fartleks. I used run/walk pacing and kept reminding myself that I've only been back training for two months and I am way ahead of the schedule I had set for myself to begin training in April.

We ran happy and free. I cleaned out my iTunes from songs that had been with me since the beginning of my healing odyssey that no longer support me on my journey. I downloaded new music and updated my marathon training playlist.

At the end of our run, Tom and I practice and visualize what it will feel like to cross the finish line on July 3rd on the 50 yard line of Gillette Stadium as we sprint to the finish holding hands and raising our arms in triumph. People may think we look strange celebrating our imaginary finish but we don't care.

Here is our post run selfie:


Dr. Ryan of Elevate Health Cambridge who helped me with my post injury recovery recommended that I ice after every run. Wollaston Beach is about a 30 minute ride from our home so I decided to pack my bathing suit and a sweatshirt and take my first ice bath compliments of Mother Nature!

The air temperature was about 60 degrees and the water temperature 55 degrees. One of the "symptoms" of "post polio syndrome" is cold intolerance and I used to be very sensitive to the cold. But I harnessed the power of my mind and the desire to experience the healing of cold salt water today and took a post run ice bath:



Wollaston Beach then and now...an amazing journey these past 8 years and the journey continues on my road to the Newport Marathon 2016.

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: I am a Competitor

When I was 10 years old, just two years after coming out of a full leg brace after contracting paralytic polio, I met a camp counselor, Joe Stetz, who was on his way to becoming an Olympian. He chose the path of becoming a physician but he had the energy and drive of a competitor that he wanted to instill in me. This is a photo of him with his Olympic training relay swim team - He is on the far left:


At the end of the summer, Badger Day Camp held their annual Olympics. There were only two campers who were competing in the butterfly event in my age group. Joe told me that he wanted me to swim the butterfly in the Olympics. I told him he was crazy. I had just come out of a leg brace and was recovering from paralytic polio. He told me that I was guaranteed a medal, that my time did not matter and I would be showing the other campers a lesson in courage. I told him I was afraid of jumping off the starting block and had no idea how to do a turn. At 21 years old (although in my eyes as a 10 year old he was a god of sorts), he had a very wise and kind soul. He told me to not worry about a thing; that he would coach me one on one in everything I needed to successfully compete in the race. Thus a competitor was born! I came in dead last but I finished and proudly took my place on the medal stand.

In reading, "You Are the Placebo," by Dr. Joe Dispenza, he suggests that we explore our beliefs. We have all been programmed by experience and our beliefs become our biology. Often times we are not aware of our beliefs because they are programmed and hard wired into our brain and Being so it takes work to unravel and understand beliefs that promote health and well being and those that contribute to pain and disease.

After I received the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease, I realized that many of the messages I received from peers and family members about my body and my Being needed to be challenged. Fortunately, with the help of earth angels who came into my life, I was able to hold onto my sense of goodness, my tender and kind heart and belief that helping others would help me to heal. Working at the VA for almost 20 years was a blessing in my life until I realized I needed to take time and space for me to heal from all that happened to me.

Fortunately I met a physical therapist at Spaulding who would not treat me as a survivor of paralytic polio but believed in the body's ability to heal and get stronger regardless of what it experienced in the past. I needed to build on what she taught me and had to retrain my body and my mind/body to believe in my physical strength. Running the 2009 Boston Marathon was a wonderful way to leave those beliefs out on 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston and have a stunning moment of redemption at the Boston Marathon finish line.



After the marathon, I was told I shouldn't and wouldn't run again. Fortunately I had a wonderful cervical spine doctor who showed me what I needed to heal in my cervical spine and a physical therapist who supported my desire to run again. In July, Team McManus was back on the roads at the Charles River Run:



What followed was a stunning series of races with PR's and feeling at the top of my game ... until 3/4/11 when my nephew suicided.

It's been a long road back from that day and for awhile I lost my edge. Fears and doubts prevailed and I became entangled in many relationships that were recapitulating and reinforcing feelings of unworthiness and guilt.

But I never completely lost my competitive edge and disentangled myself from relationships that were not going to support my health and well being.

And here I am today! Training for the 2016 Newport Marathon!

Yesterday I hit a major milestone - 4 miles with more hills than I could possibly count. I visualized my comeback race, the Harard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 5K on July 3rd. I ran happy and free in the midst of the challenging run singing and feeling my heart filled with gratitude that I am back competing again outrunning fears and doubts and meeting myself on the roads again.


Four miles becomes 6; 6 becomes 12; 12 becomes 18 and then 18 becomes 24 -- and then 26.2 miles in October of 2016!

After a knee injury in December, the physician who means really well and has been there for me when I needed Western medicine, and my previous massage therapist who wasn't a runner and doesn't get what running means to me nor understands the power of the medicine of running, sent me messages of caution and fear. I had to fire them. The Universe first sent me Dr. Ryan of Elevate Health Cambridge who rekindled the flame of the competitor within me and supported my healing with kinesiotaping. He reminded me to set goals not limits.

When I put out the call to the Universe that I wanted and needed to run happy and free again, everything I need is being set before me. Friends have recommended books and interviews that fill me with positivity, hope and healing and fuel my natural instinct to heal. I am finding affirmations and rekindling writing poetry that transcends everything that went before.

I practice healing through meditation and visualization and commit to only one outcome - total health, wholeness and well being knowing that my body knows what to do to heal. I practice patience knowing that it's all happening! I am persistent working toward my goals every day....I pace myself and gather up all the beliefs that support healing, health, well being and my belief in myself as a competitor able to leave my fears and doubts at the starting line.

Every time I work out, every time I run, every time I do more and am more than I was, I win!

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

My Running Chronicles: Call Me Crazy

"I've been called crazy for running another marathon tomorrow. But what's really crazy is limiting your potential." - Jess Lanzoni, marathoner and soon to be ultramarathoner

My dear friend Jess ran the LA Marathon in March, the Boston Marathon in April (with a PR) and yesterday ran the Providence Marathon with Dreamfar High School Marathon. She posted the above quote on her Facebook page.

This morning I woke up to my friend Christa's blog post, "This just in: Mark Twain encourages us to dream beyond the majority." Christa writes, "The best things I've done in life are the very things that people told me I was crazy to even consider, much less attempt."

When I announced to my team at the VA that I was going to quit my award winning social work career just 3 years shy of when I "could" retire to heal my life and follow my passion as a poet and writer, they called me crazy. In addition to being diagnosed with post polio syndrome, I had a breast cancer scare. From Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility:

When I returned home {from getting a clean bill of health from the mammogram} my daughter asked me, “Mom if that would have been cancer what would you have done?”

“Well that’s a no brainer, I would have immediately given my notice at the VA.”

“Are you waiting for another disaster to happen? Come on. Let’s choose your last day at the VA. How many weeks notice do you have to give?”

“Six,” I answered.

“Here it is – May 25th. I circled it on the calendar. Give your notice tomorrow.”

I could hardly sleep that night. I had an appointment with Allison {my physical therapist at Spaulding who had been encouraging me to leave my job} before work the next morning. She was the first person I told outside of my family about setting the date for leaving the VA. She was relieved and joyous about my decision. After returning to work from my appointment, I called my nurse manager to ask if I could meet with her. I walked into her office, closed the door and told her I was leaving.

“I was wondering why we didn’t see you in the lunch room anymore and why you haven’t been available to us,” she said. “Where are you going?”

I explained to her that in part the reason I wasn’t eating with staff was because of the care I had to take when I ate as prescribed by my speech and language therapist. I told her that I was using my lunch hour to launch my new business and finish my poetry book. I told her about the abnormal mammogram and that I knew I had to get out of the VA for my emotional and physical well-being. Her eyes filled with tears and she said she was very happy for me. Her happiness was short lived.

The next morning she called me on the phone telling me that I had to reconsider my decision. She told me that I couldn’t just leave without a plan before I was eligible for retirement. What would we do for health insurance?

I had thought about all of these things and was terrified but also knew I had no other choice but to take this leap of faith. She suggested I work part time. I knew that with the demands of the position and my Type A personality, there was no way that I would end up working up part time. I had to make a clean break. After our phone conversation she came upstairs to my office. She looked around and was aghast to see how sparse it was. Most of my personal belongings were moved out.
“You’ve been planning this for awhile, haven’t you?”

“You know the equipment never came so I took that as a sign.”

I brought out the letter Allison had written. I told her that I was just beginning to feel better physically and I needed to get out in order to maximize my rehab potential.


Shortly after coming out of a leg brace and after 6 months of working with a personal trainer after meeting my initial goals of being able to get up off of a low toilet seat unassisted and being able to pass the assessment, I told my trainer that I wanted to run the 2009 Boston Marathon never having run a day in my life. She could have easily told me I was crazy and needed to set a more attainable goal given my still rather deconditioned state and my medical history along with the recommendations of the rehab team that if you use it, you lose it but instead she sent me on my way to get my first pair of running shoes.



After a knee injury in December, I was going to hang up my running shoes. But how could I leave the sport that is my therapy, my medicine and despite how challenging it is for me to run, brings me so much joy and happiness ...

And on the two year anniversary of 4/15/13, as I stood on the Boston Marathon finish line, I knew I had to run another marathon. Dr. Ryan of Elevate Health Cambridge and I had a discussion about Why Set Limits. As he was also volunteering for One Boston Day, I told him that I have to run another marathon. He told me that he could see in my eyes that I could and would.

I can't be afraid that something will happen if I push myself too far.

I'm getting used to the wonderful sensation of feeling sore again as I do cross training to strengthen upper and lower body and core. I've decided that rather than doing rehab exercises in the pool, I am going to do strength training on land on Tuesdays. My current training plan is to build distance in my runs on Saturdays. Sundays is strength training. Mondays a 5k distance. Tuesdays strength training on land. Wednesday is lap swimming and eventually swapping out swimming for another run as I get stronger and my knee continues to heal. Thursday is massage and Friday is rest and recovery day.

So why do all of this? Why not just run a 5K and cap the distance at 5 miles which would be a much "safer" choice...because I can't. Because there is something deep in my soul that won't let me settle or play it safe. Because I know that I need to train for another endurance event.

So call me crazy for training for and running another marathon! I'll see you at the finish line.



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

The Power Within to Heal-Choosing Beliefs-Hurts So Good!

This morning on Facebook one of my friend's posted about a recent visit she had with her doctor telling her about what would happen if she continued her endurance running. It was not a pretty picture to say the least. She is going for a second opinion and plans to run her scheduled marathon on 5/24. She was told that what is happening in her hip can't be healed or repaired and was admonished that if she continued with impact sports it will progressively get worse over time so that it's painful even at rest.



I get it ... I understand the view of many doctors practicing traditional Western medicine. I appreciated the advice of the physician who cared for me at the Spaulding Rehab Framingham Outpatient Clinic at the International Rehab Center for Polio who told me that I needed to preserve the muscles and nerves that were compromised by the initial polio virus and so if I use it, I lose it.

After my recent knee injury (which turned out to be a wake up call and a blessing to improve my training plan), I returned to him to get an MRI and a referral for physical therapy. Initially, I was going to hang up my running shoes and enjoy the role of advisor and supporter of those younger runners or older runners who did not have as much happen to their bodies as I did (25 surgeries and 9 years of violence as a child). I needed the MRI so that I could get a picture - a literal picture - of what was going on in my knee that I needed to heal through cross training, visualization and the very best that complementary therapies have to offer.

I was blessed beyond words when my physical therapist was horrible which opened the door for me to find my way to Dr. Ryan J. Means, Elevate Health Cambridge who reminded me of my body's incredible capacity to heal. He inspired me with his energy and infectious passion to help his patients elevate their health regardless of age or circumstance. He does personal training and leads boot camp workouts. He talks the talk and walks the walk and shares stories of transformation and healing when the people he partners with are willing to put in the work which of course I am. I can feel the changes happening in my body.

On MRI, I did not have a gastroc muscle on my left leg. It atrophied from polio BUT with gastroc strengthening exercises and weekly taping of the gastroc plus my own visualization and meditation, I can feel the muscle fire which is taking stress off of the knee joint.

I had 5 surgeries on my left leg and cutting muscles and nerves (not to mention the emotional and spiritual toll of having an epidural and being totally aware of what was happening during the surgery) that took a toll. But just the other day I felt my quad muscle fire. I am experiencing pain in my left leg but it is a good pain - a pain of nerves coming back to life. An area that was once numb and deadened from so much scar tissue now has feeling.

And while at times I am afraid that is the pain of the "injury" and degenerative arthritis and all the rest, I honor that fear, quickly dismiss it and remind myself that I am rehabbing my left leg (really for the first time in my life) and I am healing.

I am reading "You Are The Placebo" by Dr. Joe Dispenza and can feel the placebo effect of reading this book. It is turbocharging my own desire and ability to heal; those emotions cascade into my cells and create the changes in my body.

I have Mitchell May's interview on youtube cued up for me to watch.

Mitchell May is a healer and a teacher whose gifts are recognized worldwide. Told he would never walk again, Mitchell’s miraculous healing from a near-fatal car accident over 35 years ago (in which he sustained over 40 fractures, severed nerves, bone loss and severe internal injuries) made medical history when he regenerated nerve, bone, muscle and organ tissue and fully healed his body.

With the assistance of UCLA Medical Center parapsychology researcher and healer Jack Gray, Mitchell undertook an intensive and extraordinary healing journey that forever changed the meaning and focus of his life. He became Gray’s sole apprentice for seven years, learning the art and spirit of nontraditional healing.

Mitchell has since helped thousands in realizing their innate healing potential and rejuvenating their life force. His work is so exceptional that it has been documented and studied by medical researchers and featured in documentaries and periodicals. Mitchell’s miraculous work and story serve as a message of hope, inspiration and empowerment to people all around the world — that healing exists within us all.

In October of 2007, after being discharged from Spaulding Rehab Outpatient care, I hired a personal trainer. I came to the realization that pain is a part of life and that since I was going to experience pain, I may as well experience pain on the side of healing and possibility; of movement and health and wellness. I couldn't even complete the initial assessment due to my weak and deconditioned state but little by little I got stronger and realized I was not destined for a life in a wheelchair. Excerpted from Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility):

Our first session after the assessment left me wondering, “What the hell did I do?” I was incredibly sore and couldn’t wait to get to into the pool at the Rosedon Hotel in Bermuda where we were going on my first I don’t have to go back to work ever vacation. While it all may sound incredibly liberating and wonderful, I was suffering in mind, body and Spirit. I was weak and deconditioned. I did not know it at the time but the unhealed trauma in my body and in my heart was draining my life force. I lived with chronic anxiety and a never-ending stream of mental chatter. But I was moving forward awkwardly finding my healing path.

Even though I received a message of caution from the post polio team about not overdoing it, something was literally and metaphorically burning inside of me. I knew that my body wanted and needed to do more.

After our session, I felt muscles I had no idea existed in my body. I remember barely being able to get up after our plane landed. Despite the pain, I knew that I was on the right path. I decided that if I were going to hurt, I may as well hurt on the side of getting healthy. I couldn’t listen to the admonishment of if you use it you will lose it. I had to believe in my body’s capacity for healing. I had to have faith. As I went through the rigors of personal training, there were moments of incredible doubt. During those times, Janine held enough faith for the two of us.

At my six-month evaluation in February, I had dramatically improved in every area of the assessment. I had come out of my leg brace and I knew that I was on a healing path. Janine asked me what my next health and fitness goals were.
“Well I want to feel free in my body. I want to dance. I want to be able to walk outside and feel unencumbered when I take a walk.”

Janine wrote feverishly and we worked out a plan. She gathered up her belongings and had her hand on the door knob.

“Wait. I have one more goal.”

Janine stopped and turned around.

“I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital. I know they have a Race for Rehab team and I want to do it next year.”

Janine was non-plussed. I don’t know what kept her from turning tail and getting as far away from me as she could. She came back into my house and put down her things. She said that the first thing I would need is a pair of running shoes. She told me that Marathon Sports on Beacon Street would be able to help me. She laid out a cursory training plan and said that we would begin indoors to build up my cardio endurance. As soon as the weather got a little warmer, we’d go outdoors and I would learn how to run.

I know that I have only begun to tap into my body's tremendous capacity for healing. I am blessed to partner with Dr. Ryan who believes in what I believe in; the body has the power to heal when we choose our beliefs wisely and surround ourselves with like hearted and like minded people feeding ourselves well mind, body and Spirit.

I choose love over fear. Living life to the full over caution. I choose hope and I embrace the pain because it all hurts so good!

Be blessed. To all good things....

When Someone Believes in Us

After contracting paralytic polio, even though my parents were incapable of supporting me beyond the bare bones basic needs until I came out of my leg brace, I was blessed with a physical therapist, Miss Holly and a physiatrist, Dr. Eugene Moskowitz who believed in me. They worked with me mind, body and Spirit to help me recover from paralysis and learn how to walk again. I was traumatized and didn't quite know which end was up but they held the belief for me until I could see for myself that I had the strength, courage and resilience to walk again.

When I was 10 years old, Dr. Moskowitz suggested I go to a swimming camp. My father found Badger Day Camp (which is still in existence today) and there I met Joseph Stetz. He is on the far left - tall, dark and handsome with the most soulful brown eyes you would ever want to see.




He was training to be an Olympian but decided to become a physician instead but as my swimming counselor who had the heart of an Olympian, he invited me to swim the butterfly in the Badger Swimming Olympics. I told him that it wasn't possible. I had polio and had just come out of a leg brace. He told me that only 2 other campers had the courage to compete in the butterfly and that I would be guaranteed a place on the medal stand. I shared with him all of my fears and although he was only 21 years old, he was a wise soul. He coached me one on one teaching me how to jump off of the starting block and do my turns. He told me my time didn't matter. All that mattered was that I went out and swam my hardest and did my best. I had the courage to do something that none of the other campers would do. All I had to do was finish. I proudly took my place on the medal stand.

After being diagnosed with post polio syndrome in December of 2006, a part of me was terrified of what the future held yet another part of me believed I could turn my life around and heal. In October of 2007, I hired a personal trainer after being discharged from outpatient care at Spaulding Rehab Hospital. She initially held the belief for me that I could get stronger and continue to heal and emerge from the beliefs I held in my body from paralytic polio and violence. I remember asking her if she believed I could actually get better and she said:


When I told her, in February of 2008, after achieving my initial goal of getting up off of a low toilet seat that I wanted to run the Boston Marathon, she believed in me and my what would seem like a crazy belief that I could run a marathon despite never having run a day in my life.

After my knee injury in December, I started to doubt my ability to heal and recover. I was ready to hang up my running shoes. The therapists I was working with reinforced the belief that running wasn't good for me; that I'd overdone it and didn't have a wholehearted belief that I could heal without surgery and return to running. They sided with the part of me that was tired and believed I had nothing to prove. I saw the 30 day core challenge on Facebook and realized that I needed to strengthen my core, my quads and my hip flexors and developed a strength training program for myself.

And then Dr. Ryan came into my life. As we stood at my book launch party of Journey Well, I saw the passion in his eyes. I went to his website, Elevate Health Cambridge, and he quoted Thomas Edison:

“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease. " ~ Thomas A. Edison

He believes that he works with his patients to promote the body's natural ability to heal.

He made recommendations for Theraband Stability Trainers, how to up level my core strength training and began taping my knee, my gastroc muscle which on MRI showed atrophy from polio and IT band. I experienced chiropractic care for the first time in my life. The adjustments to my spine and my hips are allowing me to release the tension and postures I held in response to paralytic polio and violence. He is patient with me as I learn how to let go and allow the adjustments to happen.

It's not only what Dr. Ryan does but how he does it and the messages he sends to me that I have unlimited capabilities even at 61 years old. He inspires me to do my personal best every time I approach a workout be it in the pool, on the roads or my strength training workouts. I challenge myself. I have ditched the philosophy of detach from outcomes and allow whatever is meant to be to be and instead I commit to outcomes. I know it's going to be hard and yet I can allow myself to feel free and easy in my body while working hard. It's not about how many times you get knocked down; it's about how many times you get back up and it's always got to be one more than the number of times you've been knocked down. I can feel my gastroc muscle firing up and that is going to provide a shock absorber for my knee joint.

On April 5 I wrote a blog post, "Why Set Limits: Only Take Yes for an Answer."

I do have something to prove - to myself over and over and over again ... to be the best possible version of me I can be. To set goals not limits. To live with even more than hope - a sense of conviction; to live with more than possibility - having the knowledge that I can and am creating my own reality.... and so I see 26.2 on the horizon for me again. I don't know when but I know that the fire in my belly is lit after standing on the Boston Marathon finish line Wednesday. I'm a runner and I am a marathoner.

And while I have to believe in myself, the journey in this marathon of life is made so much sweeter and easier when we have someone who truly deep down inside believes in us with all of their heart.

Journey well!

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.

Why set limits? Only take yes for an answer!

Last year at the L Street Pre-Marathon meeting, I was blessed to meet Dave McGillivray. I brought my copy of The Last Pick for him to sign and he wrote, "Set goals not limits." At the time, I didn't know that Dave had a thing about autographs but he was gracious to sign my book for me. Dave is one of the people I feature who are Boston Stronger in Journey Well.

The first time I met Dave McGillivray was at the mobility-impaired start of the 2009 Boston Marathon. He told us that he would be giving us an oral command - Runners take your mark, get set, go. He put his hand down much as they do to signal the start of a lap at a car race. I was star struck to be standing next to the race director for the Boston Marathon and having him give us the start of our 2009 Boston Marathon run. It didn't matter that there was an entire race to orchestrate and command. He was totally focused and present in that moment. We were all that mattered to him.

And that's who Dave McGillivray is...I have seen him in passing in his role as race director and admire his ability to put on his game face and get the job done. The 2013 BAA 10K was a daunting event to put on I'm sure, yet he made sure that Boston moved forward as a running community.

Dave spoke at the L Street Running Club pre-Marathon meeting. He shared with us his health challenge of the last year when he was diagnosed with severe blockages in his heart. "I got myself into this mess," were his thoughts after his cardiac catheterization, "and I'm gonna get myself out." He explained the difference between being fit and being healthy. He shared with us the view of last year's events through his eyes but he wouldn't dwell there. He looked ahead to the weekend and Marathon Monday. "This is our race," he told our Club. He stood on the side after his talk. I went over to him and quietly stood next to him for a few moments until there was a lull between speakers. I had a copy of his book "The Last Pick" and asked him if he would sign it. I told him I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon as a mobility impaired runner.

"You did?" he said. "Good for you." He signed my book, "Set goals, not limits."


In Friday's KT taping session with Dr. Ryan of Elevate Health Cambridge, I told him that I was so happy to be working my way back to a 5K and I would cap off my distance at 5 miles for the Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash.

Without missing a beat, as Dr. Ryan did Graston Technique on my feet to help move me out of old patterns and allow my body to find its way to its natural state of wellness and goodness he said, "Why set limits?"

We are each reading "You Are The Placebo" by Dr. Joe Dispenza.

It seems that I need to keep reminding myself over and over and over again about my body's tremendous capacity for healing. I shared with Dr. Ryan that on MRI, the polio virus took out the medial gastroc muscle on my left calf and that I was working on visualizing a new one. "If I could dissolve a breast tumor, why can't I grow a new gastroc right?" I shared the story of when in April of 2007, I had an abnormal mammogram and everyone told me what a wonderful oncology team was available to me at MGH Cancer Care Center. I was dealing with the diagnosis of post polio syndrome at the time and no way in hell was I going to throw breast cancer into the mix. So I spent the week before I had to return for my mammogram visualizing my left breast as having only healthy tissue and sending love and healing to my left breast. There is a strong family history of breast cancer and there was no way I was going to be next in line. When I went back, they took images every which way they could and it was gone.

Dr. Ryan suggested that we tape my gastroc because the KT tape can be used to decrease inflammation (and by the way the swelling is gone from my left knee using icing before and after exercise and with the taping for runs), to brace a joint and also to activate and stimulate the muscle. I title this picture, Mary Mary quite contrary how does your gastroc grow?



Contrary because I have "gone against" much of the advice I received from the medical community as a polio survivor which involved setting limits with the caveat, "If you use it, you will lose it."

As Dr. Ryan worked on my feet I said, "Wow." He asked me if the pressure was too much and I said, "Oh no. I just went to that place within me that ran the Boston Marathon." I told him there is nothing in the world like training for and running a marathon. When I thought about it I felt exhilarated and then had a moment of "I can't run another marathon." I realized that I was remembering running a marathon in my body as it was then not the body I am today and certainly not the body that keeps changing, evolving, getting stronger and healing all that went before; the body that has infinite possibilities.

Who would have ever thought I could get up off of the toilet seat without holding on? Oh and that comment I made in the blog about if it doesn't happen on a particular day .... forget that ... why set limits? I keep practicing and I only take yes for an answer using Henry Ford's quote as my guide:


Journey well!

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.

Finding My Own Strength and Reflections on Solitude

I was so blessed to discover the Spaulding Rehab Aquatics Therapy Program in August of 2013. I went faithfully on Tuesdays and Wednesdays finding my strength in the healing waters of the heated pool. I met some wonderful, inspiring people during classes and I know that I inspired many with whom I crossed paths. My husband Tom started work in Charlestown at MGH in January of 2014. We'd commute together on Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon. We are so fortunate that he is now working at Boston College, a mere 40 minute commute from coat on to coat off, as Tom timed it.

Last week I commuted alone to and from my classes at Spaulding. I was exhausted. I also realized that the conversations happening during class and the energy of the class were no longer inspiring me. The people who attend the class are lovely and each on their own journey but I knew there was a change happening within me and I needed to make a change.

Interestingly enough, yesterday's morning class was cancelled.

I had done my research about the Brookline Town Pool and yesterday I went during open swim.

I did the exercises that we had been doing in class and then I got still and listened to what my body wanted and needed to do. I was all alone in the lesson pool which is heated to 80-85 degrees using a noodle and a kick board building quad and core strength and thoroughly enjoying the freedom and the solitude figuring out what would best serve ME. Without the distraction of talking with other people, I could use the time in the pool as a moving meditation. I realize what a huge shift it is for me to not put out energy to take care of others; to try to bring them over to the "light" and experience the power of infinite possibilities but rather live by example sharing my journey in my blog.

It was definitely time for me to find my own strength, building on the base that Spaulding gave me. While I love running with others and enjoy the camarderie of a group workout, there is a lot to be said for the benefits of solitude. I'm never alone. There are angels all around me and I embrace the joy of what I discover when I experience solitude.

I'm doing more on land workouts under the guidance of Dr. Ryan at Elevate Health Cambridge.

I'm feeling strong and today, under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Stetz an angel who I know is watching over me, I am going to do laps.

My hope is to return to running 3 days/week. I visualize the healing of my knees. This morning I did 3, 40/20 intervals of holding plank and then doing crunches followed by upper body strength training, icing and stretching. For right now, I'll stick to two days of running, two days of pool cross training, and one day of circuit strength training on land.

The Town pool is a 10 minute car drive away and I pay $45 as a senior for 16 swims. As I get older, I realize how important it is for me to discern how I spend my time, talent and treasures.

I am deeply grateful for the time I spent and all I learned at Spaulding.

I no longer embody being a survivor of paralytic polio. I contracted polio at the age of 5 and had my fair share of challenges but that's all it was and is. I no longer believe that I live with the late effects of paralytic polio. My laser focus is on finding my own strength and living as well as I possibly can for as long as I am meant to be in this form.

Journey well!

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.

You can do it! - What does your self-talk sound like? Astound yourself with the possibilities...

The other day I wrote a post about "Change the Channel" as I could feel the weight of a grey cloud of thoughts draining my energy. The other day, during my morning meditation, I could feel those cloudy thoughts return and then a shift happened. I remembered a delicious feeling of wholeness at the end of my treatment a week ago with Joseph at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork. I felt grounded and felt my deep connection to something far greater than me yet that is right inside of me. I could clear out the energy of vigilance, violence and fear that once dulled my senses and robs me of experiencing the sweet sensations that life offers us. I savored the sensation of my husband's brewing coffee, the birds singing outside and the gift of sunlight streaming though my window.

I used to be filled with doubts and fears. While I would forge ahead with whatever endeavor I was pursuing at the time, the fears and negative self-talk would be like an anchor weighing me down in mind, body and Spirit. I'm retraining my mind and my body or as I prefer to say my mind/body.

I meditate at least twice a day. It's a time for creating awareness to explore what keeps me from my joy, my love, feeling a sense of comfort, peace and ease and moving that out of the way so that I can delight in being alive. In feeling that wholeness of self, I was able to keep at bay thoughts about people and situations that were creating suffering. As those thoughts move out, a river of joy and the essence of my life force can flow creating a beautiful path in the landscape of my life.

Dr. Ryan Means,DC or Dr. Ryan as he prefers to be called of Elevate Health Cambridge suggested I practice squats at the wall after showing me the proper form for a squat and explaining the biomechanics of a squat to me. I would rely on the bathroom sink to assist me in getting off of the toilet seat. One day I decided to tell myself that I had the strength and the balance to just stand up. I stopped using so much effort and told myself I can choose ease and make this a very natural experience for myself. And voila - it happened! I have to continue to practice ease and remind myself that I can do this. Sometimes in the early morning when I am not yet charged or in the evening when I'm tired, I find myself wanting to revert to my old habit. I can feel a lapse in my brain so I pause and give it a gentle encouraging nudge. I remind myself that I have a new way of doing this; I don't over think it and I allow it to happen.

And if for whatever reason, it didn't happen on a particular day, it's okay. The important thing is that I not fall prey to feeling like a victim in response to the circumstances that happened to me. It's also important to not quit before the miracle happens.

And speaking of miracles ... Yestterday I ran 2.25 miles at a 17 min/mile pace with elevation and no knee pain!

It takes time, patience and faith to walk a healing path; to have the courage to move out of hold habits of thinking, of moving and of Being.

The more I believe in my mind/body's ability to change and to heal, to return to its natural state of goodness, of experiencing joy and pleasurable sensations the more I become that change. By challenging my mind/body while making sure that I am being mindful to pace myself and ensure that I am taking calculated risks (such as not holding onto the bannister as I walk up or down stairs); increasing my miles and pace slowly after my recent knee injury and training smarter not harder, I am moving forward feeling strength, comfort and ease astounding myself with the possibilities!

Journey well!

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.

I am a runner....

A friend of mine, recovering from an injury, posted on Facebook that she is a runner again. I pointed out to her that she was always a runner. For a period of time she was not able to run.

When we runners experience an injury and when we don't know if we will be able to make another running comeback, it's easy to say that we are not a runner. Truth is, once you become a runner, you are a runner for life. The soul lessons learned, the transformation that happens through running, and being a part of the running community remain.



Since December, I've been working my way back to running. I learned so many lessons from my knee injury. I realized that I needed to add in strength training to my training plan. Last week I got curious about how doing the recumbent bike as cross training was affecting my knee and realized that, contrary to popular belief, using a recumbent bike is not good for my knee.

At Monday's appointment with Dr. Ryan, I told him how running is in my blood. He gave me tips on what to do before and after a run to manage any swelling and to add in using theraband stability trainers to strengthen my core and help with balance and agility.



I decided to go in for a taping yesterday to support me for today's run.



As soon as Dr. Ryan finished the taping, I could feel the healing happening on my entire leg especially on the site where I had the incision for the reconstructive leg surgery over 20 years ago followed by hardware removal and arthroscopic surgeries.

A sense of ease and playfulness carried me through today's 2+ mile run at the BU Fit Rec Center track. It was snowing and slippery outside and even though I wanted to run outside on Heartbreak Hill, I knew I couldn't risk slipping and falling after all the hard work I did and am doing to get back out on the roads.

The BU Fit Rec Center was our go to place to get in miles when we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon when it was too cold or snowing outside.

I warmed up with a plank and the clam as Dr. Ryan recommended and then a cough to engage core and obliques before the run. It was great to wear shorts and I must say that I enjoyed the stares my taped leg received from others running the track.

I put on my new playlist which includes Carole King. I didn't time the run but Tom assured me that I was doing around a 16 minute/mile pace.

There were a few young girls power walking in front of us. I started to speed up and Tom asked me, "Hey girl ... where are you going?" I felt so good in my body; I felt so light on my feet and felt a bounce in my step that I just had to overtake them.

Tom totally understood and together we sped up and passed them.

Running and racing is in my blood. I thought about not racing anymore and focusing on learning how to ride a bike and doing other activities but that is simply not going to work for me. I did try the elliptical and upright bike at the gym but Aquatics and strength training are going to be my cross training activities.

I am easing back into running and will not do a distance longer than 5 miles. I will not push myself for time and PR's but work with my body to find my pace. I feel that everything is in place for me to celebrate my race-iversary on June 7 at the Corrib Pub 5K in style because....I am a runner!

“The distance runner is mysteriously reconciling the separations of body and mind, of pain and pleasure, of the conscious and the unconscious. He is repairing the rent, and healing the wound in his divided self. He has found a way to make the ordinary extraordinary; the commonplace unique; the everyday eternal.”
~George Sheehan, MD


Journey well!

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.

On Patience, Partnering and Healing

True healers know that wellness is the order of the day, so they do not allow themselves, even for a moment, to see anything other than that. So, the power of the healer is in the power to influence the one who needs to be healed into a vibration that allows the healing that they are summoning. (that they could get, even without the healer, but they can get faster with a healer's influence)
--- Abraham

I felt great after my treatment with Dr. Ryan and went forth into the world to continue my running comeback. I did 2 miles with hills and felt amazing; the best I felt after a run in what seems like forever. My knee felt sore but I knew that I was doing more than I had done in awhile. By this past weekend it was a little swollen and I decided to do my strength training workout on Saturday instead of Sunday and see how I felt on Sunday. It took incredible restraint on my part to not run based on how my knee was feeling. I did a 45 minute workout on the recumbent bike on Monday and did a little over 10 miles. Fortunately I had my follow up appointment with Dr. Ryan on Monday.

He began with talking about how I'd been since my last visit. He suggested icing after each workout and doing a plank, clam exercises and cough to engage my side body and core before a run. I told him that I know I need to have incredible patience during my recovery and to trust in my body's natural ability to heal partnering with holistic healers and harnessing the power of my mind and intention to heal. I am becoming increasingly aware of patterns of tension from polio and violence and moving to shift out of those patterns. He said that initially it requires more energy to do this but once these patterns are in place, it will require less energy and I will have greater mobility and ease in my body.

Dr. Ryan said that first we would take a look at my spine and he did several adjustments. It felt amazing to have an adjustment on my cervical spine letting go of the tension and pattern from paralytic polio at the top of my spine. In my meditations, I have been focusing on creating comfort and allowing my bed to support me. As I unclench and move out of habitual patterns of holding, I often cry but I reflect on this quote from Larry Rosenberg, founder of Cambridge Insight Meditation Center:

Where is peace to be found? The same place as sorrow...how convenient.

As Dr. Ryan went to tape my knee, he noticed and I agreed that my knee was swollen. He had done a lot of work using the Graston technique on both of my feet to reduce the stress on my left knee and to diminish the pain from plantar fascitis on my right heel. He takes incredible time and care and works with intention to join with my intention to heal and get me moving better. My feet felt amazing.

He made "fingers" to help reduce the inflammation:



I had intermittent discomfort during Aquatics Therapy yesterday and I could have chosen to focus on the discomfort and feel discouraged. Instead, I focused on the healing that was happening with the tape. Last night, I felt a lot of pain release from deep in my left leg. I focused on how long held body memories were moving through to make way for energy to flow. I joyfully bounded down the stairs this morning pain free.

I was also reflecting on the possibility that maybe the recumbent bike is not a good way for me to cross train. I reviewed my training notes and it wasn't until I introduced the bike as cross training back in late November that I began to experience knee pain. Maybe it was just coincidence but now that the weather is getting warmer - we hope and pray - I am going to get out and do two easy 2 mile runs instead of one run and one session on the bike.

Dr. Ryan recommended Theraband Stability Trainers which we will order and he will recommend exercises to help with core strength, balance and finding freedom and ease of movement:


I am also going to have Dr. Ryan tape my knee this Friday before I go out on a run on Saturday and will be able to leave the tape on for a full 5 days to continue the healing process on a leg that once experienced paralytic polio and had two major surgeries and three arthroscopic surgeries. In my mind's eye I once again channel Seabiscuit and/or Forrest Gump



and with patience, tweaking my training plan as needed, partnering with Dr. Ryan and Joseph at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork and the belief in my body's tremendous capacity to heal, I will be back racing again ....

Journey well!

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.