Celebrating Ten Years of Running: Courage

Last Saturday Tom and I went for a run around Jamaica Pond. It reminded me of our 2009 Boston Marathon training and a poem I was inspired to write:

Courage from "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life""

The fear of ice and snow and slush embedded in my soul
a training run in winter - the path to Being whole.
A winter scene - Jamaica Pond - a feast for eyes' delight
to witness nature's splendor and behold this glorious sight.

A leaf - a tiny dancer - skating free without a sound
God's breath directs her movements as She guides her twirling 'round.
Families of ducks decide to walk or take a dip
a comedy of errors into icy water slip.

Branches now bejeweled though bare bend with loving Grace
sparkling diamonds' anchor water's surface hold in place.
God's hand a glove of glistening snow hugs rocks along the wall
their heads peek out reminding me I'm answering God's call.

A scene I'd never witness if I let my fear take hold
courage triumphed, steppin' out with footsteps sure and bold.
Knowing that the pain subsides and Spirit can prevail
the Marathon is beckoning - through those miles I shall sail.

When I was given the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome and told many many frightening things:
If you use it you will lose it
Prepare to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair
Think about adapting your house or getting a ranch
You're going to have to quit your job if you have any hope of keeping the symptoms where they are
We recommend a sleep apnea machine
You need to drink liquids through a straw and eat semi solid foods and hope that you don't need a feeding tube in the future given your risk for aspiration pneumonia
You need to at the very least get back into a leg brace and use a cane
You have to conserve your energy
You are at risk for a hip fracture if you fall
You need an ice gripper on your cane
Stay inside as much as you can in the extreme temperatures

I was afraid - terrified. I wondered if I even had a future to look forward to.

Then I got angry about what was happening to me realizing that I was at a crossroads in my life.

And then I got still....and asked for Divine Guidance.

Resources to help me poured into my inbox. I also remembered the tools I'd use before on my healing journey including the wit, widsom and support from Bernie Siegel, MD.

In the dark night of my mind, body and soul a light shined through the power of my pen. I penned my first poem, "Running the Race." It foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run.



Poetry poured out of my soul as though a spigot were turned on firing up my imagination with visualizations of being healthy, whole and free. I danced in the rain without my leg brace. I saw myself running (although I had never run a day in my life). I dug deep in all of my therapies to bring my body back from its withered state.

I was terrified to leave my full time award winning career as a VA social worker but after a breast cancer scare, I took a leap of faith giving 6 weeks notice and pulling all of my money out of my retirement account. I was blessed with the support of Tom who told me it was a no brainer to quit my job and heal my life.

After being discharged from Spaulding Rehab's Outpatient Clinic, I hired a personal trainer!

Crazy right?

I was told by the medical establishment if I use it I will lose it (and oh how I hope they have revised their treatment recommendations since 2006) yet something deep within me said I HAD to get moving.

After reaching my initial health and fitness goals with my personal trainer, she asked me what I wanted to set for my next goals.

From the soon to be released "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
“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.

What courage it took for me to go way outside of my comfort zone and learn to run at the age of 54. I ran in races where invariably I finished last. But I finished and my story inspired (and continues to inspire) others.

With the challenge of living in a body that had once been assaulted by the polio virus and unrelenting assaults from family members, it takes courage to continue to challenge myself and maintain a rigorous 5 day a week training program.

Yet I embrace all the gifts that these challenges have given me.



I've discovered how much strength and courage I have inside of me to conquer any and every challenge life has thrown my way.

From the Foreword of Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance written by Jacqueline Hansen:
Just for a moment, let’s ponder the word “heart.” The Latin word for heart is “cor.” Cor is also the root of the word “courage.” I would attribute both heart and courage to Mary. Even Mary herself has said that “It takes incredible courage to heal trauma . . . healing both paralytic polio and trauma.” Author Parker Palmer wrote that “The heart is where we integrate what we know in our mind with what we know in our bones, the place where our knowledge can become more fully human. When all that we understand of self and world comes together in the center place called the heart, we are more likely to find the courage to act humanely on what we know.”

Whatever challenges you may be experiencing, my hope and prayer is that you find the courage to go beyond what you think you cannot do to discover a world of possibility opening before you.

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.

Celebrating Ten Years of Running: Run Happy!

I've struggled on my runs the last few weeks. I wasn't concerned about pushing my pace which is my new health and fitness goal since I am not training for an endurance event. I knew that I needed to be kind and compassionate with myself given the inordinate stress Tom and I were experiencing with our daughter's severe psychiatric impairment. As Facebook memories popped up I was reminded of how we trained together last year to run the Bermuda Half Marathon in January and how I tried to will her miraculous recovery from her challenges. In February the wheels fell off the wagon so to speak and it's been a downward spiral since then.

BUT through my meditations, visualizations, talking with Tom and through chiropractic care, I had the epiphany that I should and must continue on my health and wellness journey healing the effects of paralytic polio and enduring 9 years of severe childhood trauma at the hands of family members.

The weather called for sunny skies with a chill in the air. By the time we were ready to go on our run cloudy skies prevailed. Rather than go to the beach we opted for our favorite training place, Jamaica Pond. It's where we trained for our 2009 Boston Marathon run and many many other races through the past ten years. It's a place that settles my soul and ignites wonderful memories.

I felt vibrant and alive for the first time in several weeks. The scene at Jamaica Pond was a feast for my mind, body and soul. As we passed the rocks on the walls, I remembered the poem I wrote inspired by our 2009 Boston Marathon training:

Courage from "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life"

The fear of ice and snow and slush embedded in my soul
a training run in winter - the path to Being whole.
A winter scene - Jamaica Pond - a feast for eyes' delight
to witness nature's splendor and behold this glorious sight.

A leaf - a tiny dancer - skating free without a sound
God's breath directs her movements as She guides her twirling 'round.
Families of ducks decide to walk or take a dip
a comedy of errors into icy water slip.

Branches now bejeweled though bare bend with loving Grace
sparkling diamonds' anchor water's surface hold in place.
God's hand a glove of glistening snow hugs rocks along the wall
their heads peek out reminding me I'm answering God's call.

A scene I'd never witness if I let my fear take hold
courage triumphed, steppin' out with footsteps sure and bold.
Knowing that the pain subsides and Spirit can prevail
the Marathon is beckoning - through those miles I shall sail.

Yet I also felt that I was running around Jamaica Pond for the first time feeling in awe and wonder of the beauty that surrounded us. I felt the pure joy in being out in nature, breathing deeply and being able to experience the gift of running in my life. I did not push the pace but instead set my body free to see what I wanted to do. I ended up doing negative 12 second splits between mile 1 and 2 and mile 2 and 3. But more than any time on the clock, it was the time that Tom and I spent together, unplugged being in the present moment.



We celebrated the gift of running in our lives that began in April of 2008 by setting the goal of running the 2009 Boston Marathon. We run for many different reasons and each run has its own reward and experience.

It felt fabulous to run happy enjoying the splendor of a beautiful Autumn day in New England.

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***

Celebrating Ten Years of Running: In Tune and In Step

The weather forecast called for rain and thunderstorms on Sunday. The pool at our gym closes with the threat of thunderstorms even though it is an indoor pool. We weren't concerned about the possibility of running in the rain on Sunday so we decided to swap our run day for a pool day. Tom and I had an amazing one hour workout on Saturday as I continue to enjoy being in my body after years of struggle due to the effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

When we woke up on Sunday morning, I felt this incredible pull to go to Jamaica Pond for our run. Ordinarily, if there are no parking spaces, we choose another venue but I suggested to Tom that we park at a little parking lot down the hill from Jamaica Pond. A little extra mileage would be fine.

Our run began with a steep uphill. The good news about having a steep uphill at the beginning of a run when you are doing a loop is that it means a downhill at the end of the run!

As we got on Jamaica Pond's path, I said to Tom, "Can you believe the last time we were here was in January shortly after Bermuda? We had to abort the run because the ice was too thick and there were not enough clear patches to get in a safe run. The temperatures were also in the teens without the wind chill."

I went on to marvel at the lush green trees that were once bare and how, as runners, we get to be in tune and in step with the seasons.

As runners, we are also in tune and in step with the Universe.

As we made our way around the Pond to the Boathouse we saw a gathering of people. Last year we saw a wedding and thought it might be another wedding.

We debated whether or not to stop and ask what was going on but we were swept up in the gathering and felt compelled to ask. The sister of the brother who started the organization, Boston for All explained to us that Boston for All holds different events and donates the proceeds to different organizations. Today's Run for All2 was supporting MIRA, Massachusetts Immigration and Coalition Agency. The woman who greeted us had a powerful elevator speech about the organization and reassured us that if we signed up for their mailing list, they do not sell it to anyone else. There was no pressure to do anything.

We decided to pause our run and sign up for their email list and when we got home went to their website:

Boston For All is comprised entirely of friends and neighbors concerned about the direction that the current politics of our time has taken our country. We came together after digesting the shocking results of the 2016 presidential election seeking to find some way to answer the question, "What can I do to help my nation be what I believe it should be?"

With our fundamental question in mind, we decided that we would work for inclusion of all people in our community and our nation through raising money for worthy causes. It is our mission to make giving fun and simple - just show up, enjoy some great times with others in your community, and open yourself up to possibility and inspiration. Check out our listings below to see what we've done so far and what's coming up.

We do not keep any money at all that is raised during our events. Thanks to our wonderful sponsors, we have very minimal expenses to cover. After that, it's all profits directly to the good people preserving the dignity of our nation through their hard work!

The gentleman wearing a Run for All tshirt with a gold Staff sticker on the shirt


asked us if we were from Jamaica Plain.

"No, we're from Brookline," I commented.

"Well most of us are teachers in Brookline," he said.

"Our kids went to the Brookline schools," Tom said, and I added, "A very long time ago!"

"Well I've been there awhile," he said. "What's your last name?"

He immediately remembered our son Tom (who now calls himself Autumn) who was in one of his first classes at the high school in Honors Geometry as a freshman in 2002 and that he came to our house for the twins' high school graduation party in 2006. He shared with us how our son always marched to the beat of a different drummer. He recalled with fondness how our son visited him at the High School after he came back from volunteering in the Lower Ninth District in New Orleans now ten years ago!

"How is he doing now?" he asked cautiously knowing how many millenials are struggling these days.

His only concern was that whatever path Tom decided to take that he is happy now.

We told him that yes indeed he is happy although he is working 80 hours a week. He has a passion for farming and to supplement his farming income, he works in IT.

"Interesting combination," Craig replied.

We talked about Boston for All and went on our run.

We passed members of Boston for All, including Matt O'Malley, City Councillor for the City of Boston and kept saying, "What are the chances that we would 'run' into this today and see one of our son's former teachers."

It gave us a boost of hope for the world and reminded me that through the sport of running I am in tune and in step with the flow of the Universe.





From my heart to yours,
To your health and wellness,
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:


Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):


Coming soon *** The Adventures of Runnergirl1953 ****

Run Bermuda! Run Happy! A Six Mile Training Run - Two Weddings and a Parrot

The day was cloudy with a prediction for rain. Fortunately the chilly weather that had plagued Boston for a few days departed and in the words of Ruth Anne as she opened the door to check the temps and what we should wear, "Summer's back!"

No matter the weather and especially with warmer temps, we threw our jackets in the car - just in case - and headed to our happy place, Jamaica Pond to train. We psyched ourselves up with these two quotes:


As we parked the car, we saw patches of blue and decided we would not need our jackets after all.

After running up a big hill we arrived at the majestic scene of Jamaica Pond. In the past, as I trained for the Bermuda Half Marathon I was focused on the long term goal of running the Half in January.

Today I felt a shift. I wanted to embrace the journey and savor each training run that will lead up to Bermuda;



to experience the joy in the journey, the intensity that accompanies training for an endurance event and all the uphills and downhills inherent in the journey. Training for the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon is especially sweet as our daughter Ruth Anne is joining us on the journey!

We saw a gathering of people dressed in clothes you ordinarily don't see at Jamaica Pond where the style of dress is casual for runners and walkers. I asked if there was a wedding..."Well actually two," the woman told me. "My daughter had a little ceremony and there's a woman who is going to retake her vows who was married here 30 years ago."

As we ran on, we spotted a man with a parrot on his shoulder! We passed him several times, and after seeing a woman with a t shirt with a picture of a parrot on her back, we knew we needed to google the symbolism of a parrot animal totem:


What you once thought of as impossible is now possible! Go For it!
-Parrot

If Parrot has swooped across your path;

The Parrot is asking you to stay alert. New ideas which can bring about new growth or a new direction is imminent for you. Pay attention to the signs and omens around you. Perhaps its the perfect time to go after the dreams you once thought were out of reach.

Alternatively this bird may be asking you to learn new language skills. Perhaps your self talk has been more negative than positive of late. Take the time to become aware of what you are saying to yourself.

You have an innate understanding of color, it’s symbolism and it’s healing powers. from: Spirit Animal Totems

Hmmm - an innate understanding of the healing powers of color and we just started coloring in the evening. Awareness and be alert and it's all now so possible!

As we stopped at the fountain to refill our water bottles, the bride and groom had returned from the middle of the pond where they renewed their vows.

She was in a white wedding dress. He was wearing a suit. We wanted to ask if that was the dress she wore on her wedding day 30 years ago but didn't think that would be politically correct. Her friend - maid of honor - said, "She's having the wedding she never had 30 years ago." The bride chimed in, "We were married out on the pond in a boat. We eloped. I found the same Justice of the Peace and we retook our vows today. I bought this dress for $50 and I'm going to wear it to the party tonight!" Her makeup was beautiful and subtle. Family and friends were dressed in festive outfits with ribbons in the children's hair.

We wished them congratulations, shared with them that Tom and I will be celebrating 40 years of marriage next March and basked in the glow of love and joy as we finished our 6 mile run.



After our run we went to the Egleston Farmer's Market in Jamaica Plain. We found wonderful farm fresh produce and met some wonderful people at the Market!

After lunch and smoothies, we sat out in the warm summer sun playing rummy, listening to music and reflecting on the accomplishment of having another 6 miles in the Bank of Bermuda.

We made that wonderful farm fresh produce into a salad to have with shrimp and corn for dinner.



What a day for a training run! Six miles....two weddings and a parrot...the Farmer's Market and a new appreciation for the joy in the journey!

Go the distance with strength and courage!
~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):

Run Bermuda! Run Happy! Be a Hill Seeker!

The metaphors between running and life are truly magnificent! When I saw Bill Rodgers at the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer back in September of 2014, he said to me, "Life is hard. That's why we run. If we can tough it out on the roads, we know we can tough out whatever life sends our way!"



There are rolling hills along the Bermuda Half Marathon course and the start and the finish have a significant hill. It is vital to train on hills to be well prepared for my third consecutive Bermuda Half Marathon.

Jamaica Pond has some rolling hills and when we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon our personal trainer had us do hill repeats and fartleks.

We were planning to train at Jamaica Pond last Saturday but with heavy rain and the threat of thunderstorms, we decided to train along the Boston Marathon course on Beacon Street. Now you may think that Heartbreak Hill is the only place on the Boston course that challenges you with hills but in fact an out and back run on Beacon Street after Cleveland Circle will give you quite the hill run for your money.

As in running and as in life, it's all about perspective, attitude and mind set.

If you approach an uphill with a sense of dread and drudgery, you'll never experience the joy of having conquered something that challenges you. For me, I experience a sense of satisfaction deep in my soul after exerting effort and giving something my all. My challenges of paralytic polio and being a trauma survivor helped to forge my fiery Spirit and sense of determination and a feeling that nothing can stop me now!

Life happens on the hills and I am sure we will be heading out to Heartbreak Hill for a few training runs on the road to Bermuda, repeating our Beacon Street out and back run and making sure we are well trained to take on the hills in Bermuda.

As in running as in life - you can't avoid the hard uphills so we may as well embrace them and become a hill seeker enjoying the thrill of swooshing down the other side!

From Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life:
"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them." -Marcus Aurelius

Born to Run

Born free
born to run
run free
unencumbered untethered unshackled
pouring energy into my running form
liquid gold once fired in the crucible
now my treasure born of my Spirit molded with alchemy
refining
my precious treasure once buried
the map safely tucked away
X marks the spot
a new starting line.

Poised and ready
to go the distance
all out without hesitation
all is healed at last
my pace swift
Mercury and Hermes pace me on winged feet
I AM
born to run
running free
joyfully crossing the finish line with ease.

Go the distance with strength and courage!
~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):

"This is gonna make a great blog post...Celebrating the miracle of healing!"

The title for this blog was said by our daughter Ruth Anne as we prepared to run 5 miles around Jamaica Pond on our road to the Bermuda Half Marathon.

Torrential downpours were the lullaby we feel asleep to last night. We planned to run our traditional Reservoir route but as Ruth Anne put on her new kicks and I looked at the puddles outside, I knew we needed a plan B! Spirit spoke to me and directed me to suggest we do our training run around Jamaica Pond.

Jamaica Pond holds so many special memories for us. It's where we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon. At the time I had not realized that Bill Rodgers trained at Jamaica Pond. His runs around Jamaica Pond are well documented in his book, "Marathon Man."

As so often happens during a Team McManus training run, we find something to laugh about and today proved to be the rule rather than the exception. I had trouble getting my arm band on and couldn't decide whether or not to wear my jacket given the "in between" kind of weather. We started our run and then realized we forgot to stretch. We started in one direction but there were throngs of runners going in the opposite direction and decided we'd rather swim with the salmon upstream than try to dodge runners.

We fell into our rhythm and had our best training run to date.

We reminisced about our Boston Marathon training runs around Jamaica Pond which of course included this gem:

From my memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility":
And who could EVER forget us losing each other around - emphasize the word a-round Jamaica Pond. Tom had stopped at the car to fill up the water bottles and get some snacks. He had his iPod on really loud. I was in the zone and ran by him. I saw him looking for me in the opposite direction and yelled to him that I was over here. I felt so great and the weather was wonderful that I did not want to interrupt my rhythm. Finally, my daughter who had been going at her own pace came running up to me - where were you she asked? (well duh, we're going around in a circle) Dad is worried sick about you. He thought that since you had to go to the bathroom (and the bathrooms were not open yet) that you went off the trail and went to pee in the woods). We finally all caught up with one another and laughed so hard.

Today, our daugher observed, "Dad paced us, I'm keeping by your side running stride for stride and, We are celebrating the miracle of healing!"

As we passed by the rocks that formed a wall, we remembered how our runs during the winter of 2009 inspired my poem:

Courage - January 5, 2009
The fear of ice and snow and slush embedded in my soul
a training run in winter - the path to Being whole.
A winter scene - Jamaica Pond - a feast for eyes' delight
to witness nature's splendor and behold this glorious sight.
A leaf - a tiny dancer - skating free without a sound
God's breath directs her movements,as She guides her twirling 'round.
Families of ducks decide to walk or take a dip
a comedy of errors into icy water slip.
The branches now bejeweled with ice bend with loving Grace
sparkling diamonds' anchor water's surface hold in place.
God's hand a glove of glistening snow
hugs rocks along the wall
their heads peek out reminding me I'm answering God's call.
A scene I'd never witness if I let my fear take hold
courage triumphed, steppin' out with footsteps sure and bold.
Knowing that the pain subsides and Spirit can prevail
the Marathon is beckoning - through those miles I shall sail.

We kept an eye on our pace to ensure we did not go too fast given that we were training for distance and we nailed our pace. We improved on our fueling and hydration. We filled our senses with the waves lapping against the shore, the sweet scent of late Spring/early Summer in Boston, the lush green trees and allowing our bodies to train on the trails and terrain. It was our first training run where I felt a surge of optimism that we are and will go the 13.1 distance together.

Today's training run at Jamaica Pond DID make for a great run and a great blog post. Team McManus celebrated the miracle of healing!



To going the distance with strength and courage!
~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):