Run Bermuda! Run Happy! On Hope & Confidence and Buffalo Wings

By all appearances, I should not be running Half Marathons at the age of almost 64 years old after the diagnosis 10 years of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine Standards. As Anthony Raynor, Race Director for Bermuda Marathon Weekend said when he was at our house recently for lunch, "You sure know how to mess up people's credibility."

As Walt Disney once said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

During my meditations, I have been focusing on healing, confidence and hope knowing that I can go the distance on the road to my threepeat of the Bermuda Half Marathon 2018. Last week's training run was a tremendous confidence booster! I realize now my body had been fighting a virus all week long; to go out and get in the miles and complete my training plan without missing a beat was quite the accomplishment!

Waking up this morning and feeling well after a week of feeling under the weather due to stress, seeing beautiful blue skies, low humidity and sunshine was a gift. I expressed my gratitude during morning meditation. We did our core work, had our breakfast, packed up our hydration and fueling and out the front door we went. We were planning to just stay at the small reservoir and do 6 loops but halfway through, Ruth Anne and I needed to make a pit stop. We decided to finish with 3 loops, take a pit stop at home and then finish our run around the big reservoir at Cleveland Circle.

"What does my Nike+ say?" I asked Ruth Anne.

"3.00 miles."

"What? We had our water stop at 3 miles awhile ago. How is that possible?"

Tom checked his Garmin. "We're at 3.86 miles."

"Oh no," I groaned. "It didn't restart after I hit resuming workout after 3 miles."

We realized we'd have to go by his Garmin rather than my Nike+ for total distance.

Do you ever wonder about the conversations that happen during a Team McManus training run?

Sometimes we work out different issues we need to address or talk politics, music, sports or current events.

We enjoy being together and love the special time of being unplugged, out in nature, doing something so wonderful for mind, body and soul. What a thrill to have our sights set on Bermuda Marathon Weekend.

We do have one cardinal rule for conversation on our training runs. There is no talking about "what's for lunch" until we our halfway through the run.

Ruth Anne broke that rule today and all she could say well before we hit the 4 mile mark was how much she wanted wings for lunch today.

We talked about the pros and cons of having wings as part of a post long run meal.

"Did you guys ever want wings when you were training last year?" Ruth Anne asked.

"Did we ever. I don't know what it was but we would go to Pace's in the Seaport area after running Castle Island and South Boston and I had to have wings."

Well rules are made to be broken right and we started talking about foods we'd eat after our long runs last year.

After our pit stop we picked up the pace and ran down Eliot Street to the Cleveland Circle Reservoir.

What a beautiful day with geese, turtles, the sun glistening off of the Reservoir and Team McManus getting in our miles.

After a 1.6 mile loop it was time to calculate how much farther we needed to run to meet our 8 mile goal for the day.

Tom miscalculated how much extra we needed to do at the Reservoir and we hit the 8 mile mark before we were back at home.

Rather than use it as a cool down, I suggested we keep going.

As we do at the end of every training run as we approach the "finisher's chute" we imagine how we are going to feel in Bermuda.

We join hands and raise them high in triumphant jubilation.

At the end of today's run we deposited 8.2 miles in the Bank of Bermuda.



And do you know what we had with our salad and smoothies for lunch?

Buffalo and bbq wings - what else?

We feel incredibly accomplished and move forward on the road to Bermuda with hope, confidence, faith and optimism knowing that a threepeat of Bermuda (and Ruth Anne's first Bermuda Half Marathon) is well within our reach.

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):

Going the Distance: A Winter Run on Heartbreak Hill - Courage & Confidence!

I am so grateful for my gym, Wave Health and Fitness, but yesterday I could not bear to do another treadmill run, especially with the forecast for another dumping of snow on Boston by tomorrow. It snowed again Friday evening. Where to go where we could get in a safe run with 19 degrees? We know that historically the carriage road on Heartbreak Hill is usually pretty clear. I'm focusing on building strength right now, not miles so instead of the 4 miles we plan for Saturdays, Team McManus decided to get in a good 5K.

Let me take you back for a moment to what winter had been like for this survivor of paralytic polio followed by 9 years of unrelenting family violence. Because I had no confidence in my body and, because of the messages I received from the medical community after being diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome 10 years ago, I hated winter. At one point, Tom and I had entertained the idea of retiring to Florida which would have been a death wish for both of us. Neverthless, we persevered. I was told I had osteoporosis and a slip on the ice could mean a fractured hip. "Use an ice gripper on your cane. Make sure your boots have good grip. Limit your exposure to the cold." I experienced cold intolerance because my thermostat was broken and my body could not adapt to changes in temperature. You can read all about it in my recent book, "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance" available on Amazon.

Training for the 2009 Boston Marathon certainly gave me a huge boost of confidence in what I was able to do in winter. During my training I wrote this poem included in "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":

Courage

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.

These past ten years have been a journey with as many ups and downs as Heartbreak Hill but since meeting a healer chiropractor, Dr. Ryan J. Means, I have been experiencing a fire in my soul and a surge of confidence and courage that I choose to tap into and experience every chance I get.

It was a challenging run with slush and snow at times but I felt sure footed and confident. There were so many runners on Heartbreak Hill training for Boston. Tom and I were wearing our Boston Marathon Jackets. There was a sense of Oneness in purpose and passion and of course that craziness that you have to have when you're a runner in winter in New England.



Today was day 2/5 of my training cycle. I decided I would get my pool workout in. I must admit I felt the toll that yesterday's run had taken and the toll that this damp, bone chilling takes on everyone but I stuck to my plan.

The warm water is a wonderful place to get in a great workout. I continue to challenge myself and remember how I am transformed, transcending the once devastating effects that polio and violence had taken on me mind, body and soul.

After my workout, I was blessed to have a chance to talk with Alex Remorenko, one of the instructors at Wave Health. She has been following my journey on Facebook. It was warm and special to experience her support and validation of the work I am doing. She said how she loves the fact that I am incorporating the pool into my training. Her philosophy of teaching group fitness classes is to empower and help her students find confidence in their bodies. I love how her philosophy transcends the all to typical trend of how the body looks and focuses on what is happening inside the person mind, body and soul! When I told her about my strength training routine, I was almost apologetic for the fact that I still use the wall for squats. She was right there with me affirming how that doesn't matter; I am still getting the benefit I need. Her validation and affirmation is powerful fuel for anyone on a health and fitness journey.

Taking those first tentative steps on my healing journey 10 years ago took incredible courage. I defied what the medical community was telling me. I set out to forge my own path. Finding my way to the amazing people at Wave Health and Fitness and to Dr. Ryan has been a total gift of grace; people who accept me and embrace my journey and encourage me to move beyond any perceived limitations with strength and confidence.

Tomorrow - day 3 of 5 will be strength training at home and, in my blog more reflections on these past 10 years!

To your health and wellness,
~Mary

The thing about runners is....

we don't have to do this. We don't have to go out in rain, cold, wind, snow, heat and humidity to get our run on. We don't have to set goals and achieve them. We don't have to create a training plan and stick to it when our bodies are telling us to stay in bed or I can just take a rest day today and tomorrow and the next day...

The thing about running is that



With each run, with each strength training and cross training work out during these last 6 months as I trained for the Bermuda Half Marathon I overcame fears and experienced confidence and strength in my body.

The thing about runners is that we understand each other.



We inspire each other and want each other to succeed no matter the distance and no matter the pace. My dear friend Nicole posted this about a race she registered for after she runs her first 26.2 on the very same day that I run Bermuda...

"This race is fun. It's a 5k+10k+ 13.1 same day. It's a 3.1 mile loop. You just run 7 loops. Think about it?!? You could do it. It's a loop with two aid stations one at start and one 1/2 way on the loop. If you set your mind to it you can run 21 miles. It's just 7 loops of 3 miles. I'm hoping to get friends to do it with me to challenge themselves and to go farther than they have ever gone before. Because you are set up to be successful here. Not fail. It doesn't beat you up at all. 3 miles. We can ALLL do 3 miles. 7 loops. No problem. Just don't lose count."

So no we don't have to do it...we don't have to do any of it and yet we do. There is a call that once you answer it you'll never be the same again. You'll find yourself among a group of the most incredible people who are on a journey to find their way home through running.

The thing about running is it is NOT just for those who are fit and healthy and strong. It is about life itself!



And it all comes down to this .. the thing about runners is:



Two weeks from tomorrow I go the distance; a distance I never thought I'd run again after a serious knee injury last December. The thing about runners is we never give up!

My Running Chronicles: I am a runner!

I am a runner. I am a runner because I say I'm a runner. I'm an endurance runner and I go the distance on the roads and in my life. When things get tough, I get tougher. I love running in perfect weather conditions. But it's great to run when the elements are challenging because I get to show how much of a badass I really am.

I am a runner. I was told I shouldn't run; that running is bad for me. Running is my medicine and my therapy. I am a runner who feels powerful when I run. I am a runner who says what is best for my mind, body and soul. Running heals!

I am a runner transformed by each run.



I learn something new about myself in each run. I am a runner who loves a solo run, alone with my thoughts but never alone surrounded by the glory of nature.

I am a runner who runs with the pack, my village, my tribe where we honor each other and practice the runner's code of no runner left behind. I am a runner who finds strength and courage on the other side of fear.



I am a runner who stands at the bottom of hills feeling a flutter in my soul telling myself oh yes you can. I am a runner who stands at the top of hills with sweat pouring off of me, smiling, feeling triumphant.

I am a runner, an unlikely runner, the likes of Wilma Rudolph who was also an unlikely runner after contracting paralytic polio.



In my mind's eye I am an Olympic Champion for running over the hurdles placed before me in my marathon of my life and never giving up no matter how tough the challenge.

I am a runner. I go the distance. I am a runner...Loving life one mile at a time. I am a runner - Happy and free!



What matters most is how I see myself ... I am a runner ... like a boss!


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.