Breakthrough on Heartbreak Hill

There was a chilly start to the day yesterday. Temperatures were supposed to go into the 50's. Tom and Ruth Anne are training for RunTheBluegrass and needed to do 5 miles on hills according to Kara Goucher's Half Marathon 10 Week Training Plan. I'm recovering from our triumphant Bermuda Half Marathon run. I couldn't get a fix on what I needed to do. Should I go solo and run around the Reservoir or should I do my 5K on the hills? My hip/back/groin are still healing but I know that the body achieves what the mind believes! If I told my body we'd be fine going out on the hills, we'd be fine.

As the day quickly warmed up, I decided to join them on Heartbreak Hill.

There is always magic on Heartbreak Hill. I've written blogs about Heartbreak Hill in my old blog Healing, Hope and Possibility and in this blog.

Yesterday held magic for me in my solo 5K run.

Many runners were out training for the Boston Marathon. What a joy to smile and say hi asking if they were training for Boston. It didn't matter that I was walking at a pace slower than they were running. When you're out on Heartbreak Hill, everyone has a beautiful connection.

Tom and Ruth Anne took off at their own pace. It was the first time in my running career that I did not feel left behind. I loved and thanked my body for going 3 Half Marathons in as many years. I embraced the solitude and time to be alone with my new playlist, "The 12 Minute Mile" and the Divine. I loved feeling the tailwind as I walked up the hills and dancing with the Universe coming down the hills with a strong headwind. It was the Divine's way of inviting me to meet a situation head on from my past that was still causing me physical and emotional pain and suffering. I got in touch with powerful feelings and surrendered them to the Divine asking for healing. I felt waves of love and gratitude wash through me.

I reflected on how blessed I am to feel healthy and whole recovering from the rigors of half marathon training. What a blessing to be back on Heartbreak Hill feeling the sunshine and anticipating Springtime in Boston. I flashed back to when we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon. I reflected on the miracles of healing that have happened throughout my life and especially these past 11 years after being diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease.

As Tom and Ruth Anne finished their run, calling out my name and having crushed their training run with a 12 minute/mile pace we took a selfie as Team McManus:


Even though I am not going to be running RunTheBlueGrass Half Marathon with them this year, we are and will always be Team McManus sharing adventures together and experiencing the power of transformation through running.

Tom and Ruth Anne had an incredible run together. Ruth Anne had a sparkle and was filled with energy and excitement. Father-daughter time is always a sacred time especially being out in the glorious sunshine on a late January day in Boston feeling the magic that is Heartbreak Hill.

My breakthrough on Heartbreak Hill continues to fill my heart with love and gratitude pulling me out of the past into my beautiful present where everything is healed.

To your health and well being
From my heart to yours,
Mary

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

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Countdown to Bermuda: The Last Workout is Done Before 13.1

Team McManus trained for 5 day training cycles every week from May through December. We trained through heat, humidity, rain, cold, snow, very cold, rainy and cold and perfect weather conditions during our journey on the road to Bermuda Marathon Weekend. We had our last workout at the gym today.

When I looked at my calendar and saw that on Thursday we have DL561 to Bermuda and on Friday dinner at The Pickled Onion, my breath caught.

What a journey it has been to get to the starting line of the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon.

Ruth Anne has been making her way back from the depths of depression and symptoms of PTSD. Training for Bermuda was a constant as we went through med changes, changes in treatment providers and the natural course of ups and downs that are a regular part of life. Having the goal of running the Bermuda Half Marathon was powerful medicine and healing for Team McManus.

I am continuing to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. It's the first time in my life that I am running three half marathons in as many years. I created a big change in my life last July that was for my health and well being but it was stressful leading up to the change and then dealing with the fallout from the change.

The journey would not have been possible without our dedication, passion and commitment to set and achieve goals and it certainly would not have been possible without the support of our tribe.



We were reflecting on our journey on the road to Bermuda. Unlike our road to the 2009 Boston Marathon, there were no meltdowns, no doubts or fears about why we were doing this during our training runs. We feel stronger as individuals and as a family. We feel accomplished and proud of who we have become during these 8 months of training. We are excited and delighted that the countdown to Bermuda Marathon Weekend is now only 4 days away (geez I remember when it was 100 days away). Our attention is now turned to warmer weather - way warmer weather, sand and turquoise water;


time together with no responsibility other than going out and running 13.1 miles on Sunday is going to be precious indeed. Being with special friends and being open to whatever wonderful surprises the Universe has in store as we continue our countdown to Bermuda.

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

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

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Countdown to Bermuda: It's So Much More Than a Race!

There's a magical story from Bermuda Marathon Weekend 2016 that I shared in "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":

We woke up at 5:45am on race day. The Rosedon Hotel, our home away from home, had a continental breakfast starting at 6:30. They usually don't serve breakfast until 7:00 but as happened throughout the weekend, everything we needed was set before us. There was wonderful energy in the main house as runners were getting ready to walk down to the starting line. This was our first international race and our first destination race yet one that we had imagined over and over and over again while we trained. We saw the sunrise over Hamilton Harbor and felt the excitement of race day! I was feeling serious pre-race jitters feeling like I might throw up before the race. We rushed our breakfast because we were in a hurry to get to the starting line. I took a lot of deep breaths and engaged in positive self talk as Tom and I walked around taking pictures of this miraculous moment.

"Hey there. I was determined to find you this morning. What are the chances that we would have our bib numbers in sequence?"

I was a little stunned to say the least. On the flight from Boston Tom and I met Denise and her husband from Kentucky. He was her support crew. We also bumped into them on Front Street on Saturday.

"I was on Instagram and looked for the hashtag #runbermuda. I saw the pictures you posted."

"What? I deactivated my Instagram account yesterday because I was frustrated and couldn't figure out how to use it."

"You Instagram account is linked to Facebook so what you posted there automatically went to Instagram," Tom explained to me.

"So I saw your photos and I found out about you and I said prayers for your health last night and wished you a wonderful run but I was determined to find you this morning."

A sign from God that I could relax and let go knowing that my body knew exactly what to do to run 13.1 miles.



One year ago, Denise tagged me in this post about running:

"4 years ago today I strapped on running shoes for the first time at the age of 51. I "ran" 2 mi in 27 min, which means I mostly walked with rare moments of running in between. What I didn't know then, was how that 2 mi in my neighborhood would turn into hundreds of miles and bring me so many new experiences. More than that, running was something I was doing for me. Feeling lonely? It's COMMUNITY. Feeling crowded? It's SOLITUDE. Head full of clutter? It's a MIND SWEEPER. Feeling good about yourself? It's HONESTY. Running has taught me a lot about my thinking, my body, and my potential. I've seen running transform LIVES....facilitate incredible weight loss (Melanie J. Williams), help overcome unspeakable trauma and illness (Mary McManus), help break cycles of violence and substance abuse, build up confidence when there's an asshat in your life telling you otherwise, runners pushing strollers, wheelchairs, pushing away bad habits. My running partners (Lanette Campbell Miller. Trish Freeman Broaddus, Nathan Rover) are dear to me, my race friends too many to name, my run club stretches my mind and my muscles. Life and injuries can get in the way of consistency and progress. I know that my mind will start whining long before my legs and lungs...and the first mile is usually a liar. I'm not fast, young, skinny, or cute when I sweat. No matter what, I know that runners, the road or a trail will always be ready to accept you."

I am so excited Denise is going to be in Bermuda for Marathon Weekend. She will get to meet Ruth Anne and we will get to meet her "running wife," Lanette Campbell Miller.

These past several months have been the embodiment of what running is all about for Team McManus. We have gone the distance on the roads and in our lives. Running has been my therapy, my medicine, my greatest challenge and my greatest source of comfort. Running for miles unplugged has been a beautiful way for Tom, Ruth Anne and I to reconnect after Ruth Anne's 3 year battle with severe depression and PTSD. Running is our redemption and our reward.

The race on Sunday will be the jewel in the crown of achievement of our work training since May. The weekend is going to be a time to reunite and celebrate and affirm God's Love and presence in our lives.

I'm savoring the gift of the present moment and the grace and Love of the holidays this year surrounding myself with the warmth and glow of stories like how I met Denise. I'm feeling the excitement of seeing her again and enjoying all that is Bermuda.

It's 20 days until race weekend according to the race website. We leave for Bermuda 3 weeks from yesterday. Next week will be a time for preparations after celebrating my Christmas Birthday on Monday.

Counting down the days til Bermuda and knowing how race weekend is so much more than a race!

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

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Countdown to Bermuda: Love Actually Is All Around

And just like that - well not exactly just like that - Team McManus has been training since May for our Bermuda Half Marathon 2018 our last double digit run is in the Bank of Bermuda!

We had another 12 and 12.5 on the training schedule but during Saturday's run and with the weather forecast of cold temperatures with the chance of snow coming our way and with the way Saturday's training run went, we knew that it was the peak of our training.

I had planned out our mileage knowing we'd have the flexibility to go indoors or begin to taper miles as we moved into December with Mother Nature's unpredictable whims.

We initially planned out Saturday's training run as driving to the Cleveland Circle Reservoir, run once around the Rezzie as we like to call it, head down Beacon Street (along the Boston Marathon route) to Coolidge Corner and back, to the "small" Reservoir on Route 9, 3 times around the small Reservoir and back to Cleveland Circle. When I came out of Saturday's morning meditation, I knew that I needed to make it a dress rehearsal for January 14th.

We packed our gear with hydration and fueling as if it were race day. Of course our attire could not be what it was going to be on race day since it was 37 degrees outside. Race day should be in the high 60's and low 70's with a mixture of sun and clouds. We were blessed with a dry day without any wind. There was a mixture of sun and clouds as we headed out for a 5 mile out and back run into Boston.

Tom and Ruth Anne wholeheartedly agreed with me on the change of route as Tom said, "I think we've gone around the Reservoirs one time too many for our long runs."

I was amazed with how easily we negotiated the hills along Beacon Street; especially the last steep hill as we headed into Kenmore Square. We needed a pit stop and decided to go into Hotel Commonwealth. Such a festive atmosphere as the holiday was decked out for the holidays. As Ruth Anne and I waited for Tom to finish his pit stop, Ruth Anne struck up a conversation with the concierge letting him know we were out on a long run and needed a pit stop. I chimed in with how lovely the hotel looked for the holidays. "We're not quite finished yet," the concierge let us know, "but it will be by the time the holidays arrive." It looked finished to me!

We went on our way and took a right on Hereford and left on Boylston reminiscing about our 2009 Boston Marathon run.

Boylston Street was busy with pedestrians so we decided to get back onto Commonwealth Avenue. Ruth Anne and I remembered our 2008 Tufts 10K run that I wrote about in this article, "Running with God."

As we reminisced about previous training runs and races, we were creating new memories on the road to Bermuda. Tom was moved to capture part of our run on video.



We couldn't have scripted it better.

As Tom pointed out, in all of our training runs through the years, we never experienced the kind of spontaneity, joy and love we experienced on Saturday's run. We paced ourselves well and used the hydration and fueling plan we are going to use on January 14th. I can't call it race day because we are not racing the Bermuda Half Marathon. We are going to savor every moment of our victory lap. But I digress...

As we headed back to Cleveland Circle, the clouds moved in and the day got chilly but our Spirits were high. After all, love actually is all around and we were wrapping up our double digit training runs.

I had to make another pit stop (cold weather does that you know) and I thought I could wait until we got to Marathon Sports. As we approached the Holiday Inn on Beacon Street I realized that I wasn't going to make it to Marathon Sports. I'd gone to Rotary Club meetings at the Hotel and remembered that the restrooms were down the stairs off of an entrance on Beacon Street. "Restrooms are for hotel guests only" the sign said as we entered. Tom ran down the stairs and did a quick surveillance. Then, singing the Mission Impossible theme song, gave us the all clear.

While I'm in the ladies room I hear Tom say to Ruth Anne, "Get over here." The two of them start laughing. As I leave the stall the diaper changing table came crashing down out of nowhere. I started laughing so hard I thought I'd have to go to the bathroom again between Tom and Ruth Anne's laughter and the crashing of the diaper changing table. Ruth Anne came in to make sure I was okay and put the changing table back up.

Ruth Anne spotted a tray out of eye shot from Tom with a juice pitcher and cups on it. She poured herself a glass of juice when Tom told her to get back over here. "It takes good," she said and offered a cup to Tom. She said she needed an energy boost and considered it serendipity that it was there. There will be oranges at the water stops in Bermuda so it was indeed serendipity that the tray just happened to be there. As we were leaving Ruth Anne asked me if I wanted a roll? We laughed so hard as we resumed our run.

On the way back to Cleveland Circle we navigated the hills with surprising ease. I stopped only once after a steep hill at mile 8.

We returned to the car to calculate the home stretch of our 12 mile run.

Once around the Rezzie and a short down and back from the car and we'd be done!



We hugged and high fived realizing that 1. Love actually is all around and 2. The official countdown to Bermuda Marathon Weekend is on!

38 days and counting!

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

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):

Countdown to Bermuda: The Power of Teamwork - Two Months From Today

At this moment, (2:00pm Bermuda time) two months from today Team McManus will be at the Pickled Onion Restaurant celebrating our Bermuda Half Marathon run - my third one in as many years. It's quite an incredible goal considering 11 years ago I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards. It was a result of having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 and then experiencing violence for 8 years at the hands of family members.

Three years ago next month I was told I never should have started running because I would need a total knee replacement and should stop running! I walked the path of Western Medicine for about a New York minute and then was blessed to be led to Ryan J. Means, DC - a chiropractor healer. He led me to the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza. While I work hard through meditation, journaling and immersing myself in the work as Dr. Joe likes to call it, setting and achieving my health and fitness goals would not be possible without Tom and Ruth Anne by my side.

We work together to get ready for long runs and to recover from long runs. We do core work together 5 days a week, a strength training circuit one day a week and cross training at the gym one day a week. We imagine what our triumphant return to Bermuda and race day will be like.

Tom and Ruth Anne could easily run so much faster if they were to run without me. It's an issue we've discussed a lot on our long runs and they constantly reassure me that this time together - and the time being able to witness my Spirit and determination while I run inspires them in life and on the roads.

The journey is made so much sweeter with our unplugged time together. As I'm writing my next book, "The Adventures of Runnergirl1953" I am reminded of so many incredible moments of Team McManus on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon and making sure I document our journey on the road to the Bermuda Half Marathon III.

Our time together on the roads is a time for healing and a time for redemption as the magic of running works to heal all that went before.

In addition to my in the flesh team, I have an amazing team in cyberspace who fuel my journey with their positive energy and their own inspiring stories.

Recently I cleared out a lot of Facebook friends who were not on the same page as I am; who were takers rather than givers and takers and who were not inspiring me nor did they find my journey inspiring.

A flood of new friends flowed to me from Facebook and in real life; friends who I inspire and who inspire me!

As I relish wearing my bling after we cross the finish line, I will also relish and reflect on the deep gratitude I feel for the power of the teamwork that has gotten me through all the miles so far and will continue on with the many adventures of Team McManus still to come....

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

Be sure to listen to my interview with Keith Cartwright, "From Polio Survivor to Boston Marathon Finisher" by following this link.

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):