#tbt and a look ahead: Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash

Because of my knee injury last December, I got to choose one race for 2015. I thought long and hard about which race to choose. My race-iversary, the Corrib Pub Run seemed like the most likely choice and I have treasured moments of running it last year with Tom and the fabulous Feeney Sisters:


I certainly have a good base, could get back to the 5K distance by June but being mindful of not pushing things (the Spirit is more than willing but the flesh still needs healing) I decided that my one race will be the Oguqnuit Lobster Dash in September.

From "Journey Well":

"I have learned that there is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving." ~Amby Burfoot

I'm now off the sidelines...Race Report: Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash September 14, 2014

The last two couplets of "Running the Race," were:
I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
so much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

I love how the unconscious prepares the way for the future over and over and over again. It's been a rough road back to regain my speed and endurance after taking a running hiatus from September 2011 until April 2013, but it has been filled with glorious moments to treasure...We had checked the forecast for Ogunquit Beach and knew it was time to forego shorts and tank tops for layers as we dressed for success at the Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash. We arrived with plenty of time to get our race tees, put on our numbers and shared hugs, love and laughter with our Merrimack Valley Striders running family, have photo ops and for me to meet up with my race walkers Bonnie, Joanne and Charmaine.

Charmaine said that as race-walkers, we'd get an early start. My kind of race for sure. The Lobster Dash is an out and back route on the beach at low tide. There was a stiff head wind and a mixture of sun and clouds. The beautiful surf provided the soundtrack for our run. It was a very Chariots of Fire kind of moment -- only we weren't running barefoot or in the ocean or maybe not quite that fast but it was a majestic, magical and mystical run to experience the expansiveness of the ocean as the waves broke near the shore. We got to know one another as we set out ahead of the other runners. We expressed a shared concern that we would be holding the other ladies back with our pace. I had set an intention that we would all find a pace that would be both comfortable yet challenging for each of us...

Having the lead runners pass us on their way to the finish line reminded me of Marathon Monday 2009 when, after our early start for mobility impaired runners, we shared the course with all of the elite runners. I told Tom that I wanted him to run his own race. He came up from behind and gave me a high five. I pushed him forward and said, "Go!" Our Strider friends passed and cheered us along letting us know how strong we looked. As they returned, they cheered us on. Tom Licciardello in true Tom form said, "Don't go beyond the rocks." There was no beach beyond the rocks! We joked that if you made it to Canada you went too far on the course. A tailwind helped us on the return 2.5 miles. My Tom came out to meet us, run us in, and to document our journey with photos and videos. He showed us the bling.





We kept encouraging each other along as we picked up the pace to the finish. Mile 5 was our fastest pace. We couldn't see the Finish Line. They had taken down the sign that signified Start/Finish. Charmaine kept reminding us that it didn't matter...



As we finished strong, I saw Tom Licciardello at the chute. He hugged me and asked me how it felt to be out there. I cried tears of joy. "It was my first 5-miler since my return to the roads." ... Joanne said that the 16:25 pace was a personal best for her and today's race was the longest distance she had ever run. She had only run 5K's since she began running in recent years. She's 62 years old.

I could have opted to be my Tom's cheerleader as was the original plan, and done my own training run today but I decided that there was no need to be on the sidelines. The Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash is ideal for me where, I can set my pace and be a part of the running community. It's a far cry from the days when I was left behind lugging my leg brace desperately trying to catch up with my brother and his friends. We ladies checked in with each other throughout the race making sure everyone was doing okay. We'd back off the pace to accommodate each other when necessary and chase after each other when someone took the lead to set a brisk pace. There was harmony and ease among us. We vowed to cross the finish line together! We named ourselves the fierce foursome. We had the courage to run our race in our own way at our own pace being a part of the loving human race - a community of runners where unconditional love and support abound whether you finish first, last or somewhere in between."

Treasured memories from 2014's Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash and an intention to be reunited with the fierce foursome is set for this year's Lobster Dash. And so it shall be!

Journey well!

"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.

"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.



50% of all book proceeds are donated to AccesSportAmerica where people of all ages and abilities achieve higher function and fitness through high challenge sports and training.

#tbt Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and Relay: It's So Much More Than a Race

For the past four out of six years, Team McManus made the pilgrimage over the Sagamore Bridge in the middle of February to travel to what we affectionately call Camp Hyannis for the Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and Relay.

In 2009 I emailed Paul Collyer, the race director, letting him know this was my first half marathon and that I was running with the late effects of paralytic polio. He reassured me that because there was also the full marathon happening at the same time, that I only needed to finish in under 6 hours.

The Expo and the pre-race pasta dinner was our introduction into the wonderful world of running or as Dick Beardsley said at last year's pre-race pasta dinner, "Running is a fantastic sport! In fact, many of the stories we runners tell have nothing to do with our races on the road but of the bonds that we as a running community share."

It was the beginning of friendships with people who are now like family.

In 2009 we met running greats Boston Billy Rodgers and Frank Shorter:


I shared my journey with Bill and Frank. When I came back into the ballroom after completing the half I was shivering and a little dehydrated having ditched my fueling and racing plan for the last several miles. It started sleeting and we just wanted to finish. Frank signed my bib and put both of his hands on my upper arms, looked me straight in the eye and said, "I know you are going to finish the Boston Marathon." He told me to have the hot soup that the 99 Restaurant has for runners in the ballroom and hydrate.

The apres race spread includes bagels, peanut butter, water, fruit, soup and rolls from the 99 restaurant. In recent years, Paul has added a post race celebration in one of the function rooms at the Hyannis Resort and Conference Center.

While waiting to talk with Frank Shorter and have him sign my poster, I met Ric Beaudoin. It was one of those not so chance meetings that sparked the beginning of a wonderful friendship not only with Ric but with two great running Clubs, L Street and the Merrimack Valley Striders who also make the pilgrimmage to Camp Hyannis. We don't see people throughout the year but when we gather at the Hyannis Resort and Conference Center, it's as though no time has passed.

Here we are at "our table" in 2011 when I ran the 10K with my friend, Deb Doiron who I met through her husband, Tim in 2009. Tim and I met on line through the "Just Finish" community and found each other in person in Hyannis in 2009:


Tom ran the half in 2011 recovering from a gastroc tear injury as he had his sights set on Boston running for Children's Hospital. Hyannis is a great training run for Boston which is what drew us to the race in 2009. It's also a Boston Qualifier and an opportunity to put a relay team together and enjoy the thrill of running as part of a team. These days, Boston Billy runs as part of a medley team and is part of the Friday night fun run out of Hanlon shoes followed by a gathering at Palio Pizzeria. It's a time for beer, pizza and story telling.

In 2010 I was recovering from my 2009 Boston Marathon run and had to take a running hiatus. Paul generously donated a table at the Expo for me to share the work of Spaulding, Rotary's End Polio Now campaign and to sell my poetry book. I donated a portion of the proceeds to Spaulding:


Tom and Tim ran the 10K that year:


And in 2010, Frank and Bill signed my Boston Marathon bib. Hyannis set the stage for my Boston Marathon run and gave me the confidence I needed to go the distance. Here are my signed bib, singlet, medal, picture of me crossing the 2009 Boston Marathon finish line, our Race for Rehab team book, and a copy of the Cape Cod Times from 2009 where I had my 15 seconds of fame:

"Mary McManus, 55, of Brookline completed her first half-marathon after making a remarkable recovery from a life-long battle against post-polio syndrome.

She spent time at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and began running just last February. She competed in her first race in June 2008, finishing a 5K.

"It's like having a new lease on life," said McManus, who ran yesterday's half-marathon with husband Tom. "I was limping my way through life, but then decided to do something about it."



Through the years Paul has brought in running legends to educate and entertain us and for meet and greets with the greats.

Here we are with Dick Hoyt:


Here are Jack Fultz winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon and ultramarathoner Jimmy Garcia who were the guests in 2011:


We had the opportunity to ooh and aah over Jimmy's ultra bling:


Last year's pre-race pasta dinner brought together Boston Billy and Dick Beardsley who came in 2nd to Alberto Salazar in a duel in the sun:


We were invited to celebrate as Spaulding Race for Rehab alumni at the 586 Bistro and Bar. It was great to connect with our former teammates and encourage last year's runners as they trained for Boston.


It was a perfect weather day and a beautiful weekend.



The energy and excitement was palpable as we came together as a community that is Boston Stronger. Tom was on pace to PR but he came across members of the Race for Rehab team who were struggling through their first half marathon race. He got them safely to the finish line and gave them pointers for the rest of their training as well as tips for running Boston.

Everyone was eager and excited to return to Hyannis this year.

There was a feeding frenzy on Facebook about who was going, where are you staying, when are you coming down, how long you down for ... but all of that came to a halt when Mother Nature had other plans for Camp Hyannis this year.

Paul worked every which way but loose trying to make this year's Hyannis weekend happen. He had told me that last year registration was low but this year, he brought back the 10K and was at 90% registration for the race. When the storm hit last weekend, already tenuous conditions became unsafe for runners, for volunteers and for everyone involved in the race. Hyannis ran out of sand and salt.

The Facebook feed turned from excitement to anxiously waiting word on whether or not the race weekend could go on to sadness.

Team McManus has many treasured memories of Camp Hyannis from our first half marathon race ever, to PR'ing the 2011 10K with Deb to making new friends and having annual reunions and to being able to meet and greet the running greats. While I feel sad that there will be no Camp Hyannis this year, I'll take some time this weekend poring over my photos and treasured memories from Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and Relay weekend where it IS so much more than a race. Thank you to Paul Collyer for creating this truly unique racing and running experience and for all you did to try to make this year's race happen.

See you in 2016!

Journey well!

"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.

"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.

It feels great to be back!

I remember posting on Facebook as I began training for the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, "I think I can do this." My friends were wonderful cheering me on in cyberspace letting me know I could do this. I was hesitant. I was tentative. Could I come back to a 10K distance? Would I be able to be a part of races on a regular basis? The Universe nudged me along and swept me up to be exactly where I am meant to be. I couldn't very well say no to J Alain Ferry who I met while volunteering at the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon Festival. After all, he put on the #onerun which helped me to realize that one way or another I had to get back to running and the running community. Alain was the Race Director for the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer. When I crossed that finish line with a PR, it was a new starting line in my running come back. He is the race director for next Sunday's 5K race.

This week has been a wonderful training week for me. Last Saturday I ran the Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash. On Wednesday I incorporated hills into my 10K training run for Tufts and today I did speed work on hills. I did a 5K at a 15:30 minute/mile pace with negative splits all the way.

I pushed myself - hard. I allowed myself to experience moments when I went to my absolute edge. As I write this, I'm a little wheezy as I continue to build strength in my cardiovascular system. I am keenly aware of how paralytic polio affected me mind and body. Through running, I am able to heal.

I remember how I felt from June 2010 until March 2011. I was racing and crushing PR after PR. I was part of the running community that embraced me and loved cheering me on even though or maybe because I was a back of the pack runner giving it my all out there. It's amazing to have those feelings of confidence in my body and my Being, being cheered on and cheering on my amazing and often times crazy friends in the running community. They do everything from Spartan races to ultras and everything in between. I'm blessed to know older women who began their running careers later in life as I did and love cheering on their firsts. We run for physical and mental health. We run to be the best we can be. We run to see just what we can do on any given day. I run to challenge myself and to nourish my neuromuscular system that was affected by polio and violence.

It was a cool taste of fall kind of morning here in New England but the sun quickly warmed the air. The sun glistened on the Cleveland Circle Reservoir and the sky was a clear blue. As I ran up the hill in the back of Boston College, fans were arriving for the BC football game. There were many runners out. I felt vibrant and a part of the vibrant community that celebrates football and fall in New England.

I was training hard getting ready for next Sunday's Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Island Run. I'm not going for another PR since I'll be lacing up for Tufts two weeks after Sunday's race but we'll see what the day brings. I will use it for speed and getting ready to give my personal best performance at Tufts. I've got my eye on the 1:36 net time which will be a PR from my 2010 Tufts time.

After Tufts, Tom and I train for the Feaster Five with our friends from the Merrimack Valley Striders Club. We'll be heading up to Andover on Sunday mornings to train on the course. That will be my last race until Spring. Tom told me that we need to line up some really good Spring and Summer races that have bling to add to my collection.

For now, though, I feel good in my body and relishing that it feels great to be back!



The first 7 years of my healing odyssey are chronicled in Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility available on Amazon. I donate 50% of royalty payments to The One Fund Boston to help survivors and their families who were affected by the tragic events of 4/15/13.



I'm working on my 2nd book, "Journey Well," due out later this year:

I'm now off the sidelines...Race Report: Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash

The last two couplets of "Running the Race," the poem I wrote in February of 2007 in the dark night of my soul, mind and body were:

Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do,
resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body- creaks, groans and need for a brace
while in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.

I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
so much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

I love how the unconscious prepares the way for the future over and over and over again.

It's been a rough road back to regain my speed and endurance after taking a running hiatus from September 2011 until April 2013, but it has been filled with glorious moments to treasure.

We set the alarm for 5:30 am yesterday morning and woke up to a chilly morning. We had checked the forecast for Oqunquit Beach and knew it was time to forego shorts and tank tops for layers as we dressed for success at the Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash.

We arrived with plenty of time to get our race tees, put on our numbers and share hugs, love and laughter with our Merrimack Valley Striders running family, have photo ops and for me to meet up with Bonnie, Joanne and Charmaine my fellow race walkers.

Charmaine said that as race walkers, we'd get an early start. My kind of race for sure. The Lobster Dash is an out and back route on the beach at low tide. There was a stiff head wind and a mixture of sun and clouds. The beautiful surf provided the soundtrack for our run. It was a very Chariots of Fire kind of moment -- only we weren't running barefoot or in the ocean or maybe not quite that fast but it was majestic, magical and mystical to be running by the expansiveness of the ocean as the waves broke near the shore.



We got to know one another as we set out ahead of the other runners. We expressed a similar concern that we would be holding the other ladies back with our pace. I had set an intention that we would all find a pace that would be both comfortable yet challenging for each of us. This was my training run for Tufts and my first 5 mile race since my return to the roads in April of 2013. I wanted it to be at a relatively comfortable pace for me.

It was the first time since my return to the roads that I did not stop. I had water with me and also took water from the water stop but we kept moving forward. We also did negative splits. We had to run through puddles and run on the uneven surface of the sand when we first went out. I felt this was my most fuel efficient run to date. I had an early breakfast and a banana right before gun time. Water kept me hydrated and fueled until we crossed the finish line. This bodes well for my performance at Tufts four weeks from tomorrow.

Having the lead runners pass us reminded me of Marathon Monday 2009 when, after our early start for mobility impaired runners, we shared the course with all of the elite runners. I told Tom that I wanted him to run his own race. He came up from behind and gave me a high five. I pushed him forward and said, "Go!" Our Strider friends passed and cheered us along letting us know how strong we looked. As they returned, they cheered us on. Tom Licciardiello in true Tom form said, "Don't go beyond the rocks." We joked that if you made it to Canada you went too far on the course.

A tailwind helped us on the return 2.5 miles. My Tom came out and met us to run us in and to document our journey with photos and videos. He showed us the bling.

We kept encouraging each other along as we picked up the pace to the finish. Mile 5 was our fastest pace. We couldn't see the Finish Line. They had taken down the sign that signified Start/Finish. Charmaine kept reminding us that it didn't matter. They did however keep up the clock and the finish cute. It didn't matter that they kept up the clock because we had an early start and went by our personal timing devices to determine our pace. Our overall pace was 16'25" which is what my pace has been during my Tufts 10K training runs. That pace puts me within 4 minutes of my PR goal. I have run within 2 minutes of my PR goal while out on the Tufts course. I have one more 5K race on 9/28, where I will push speed and then taper. I'll also be on 4 days rest for Tufts. This past week I challenged myself with bike intervals and we incorporated new core strengthening exercises in Aquatics Therapy class.

As we finished strong, I saw Tom Licciardiello at the chute. He hugged me and asked me how it felt to be out there. I cried tears of joy. "It was my first 5 miler since my return to the roads." He will be at the finish line of the Tufts 10K along with my Tom and many other Striders. While I have the time of 1:36 net time in my mind's eye and in my heart, and am training my body creating optimal conditions to make that happen, ultimately it doesn't matter. What does matter and what mattered today is that we were off of the sidelines! Joanne said that the 16'25" pace was a personal best for her and today's race was the longest distance she had ever run. She had only run 5K's since she began running in recent years. She's 62 years old.

I could have opted to be my Tom's cheerleader as was the original plan, and done my own training run today but I decided that there was no need to be on the sidelines. The Ogunquit Beach Lobster Dash is ideal for me where, I can set my pace and be a part of the running community. It's a far cry from the days when I was left behind lugging my leg brace desperately trying to catch up with my brother and his friends. We checked in with each other throughout the race making sure everyone was doing okay. We'd back off the pace to accommodate each other when necessary and chase after each other when someone took the lead to set a brisk pace. There was harmony and ease among us. We vowed to cross the finish line together!

We named ourselves the fierce foursome having the courage to run our race in our own way at our own pace being a part of the loving human race - a community of runners where unconditional love and support abound whether you finish first, last or somewhere in between. We celebrated with lobster rolls, photo ops, an awards ceremony and then off to a Strider's members magnificent house set in the Ogunquit woods for the after race party.

The day captured in photos and videos:

A Strider stopped to capture us during the first 2.5 miles:



Coming down the final mile:





Crossing the finish line:


Showing off the bling with Bonnie and Joanne:



A dear Strider friend Donna and me:


How we fuel post race - garden fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and a whole spread of delicious appetizers. The highlight of the post race feast was a heaping cup of home made fish chowda prepared by a Strider Dave Leonard whose mother handed down the recipe to him:



And on our way to our car, we saw a clever idea from a runner to air out their shoes after having run through the water:






"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales at Amazon to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.