Celebrating Ten Years of Running: On Zest, Joy and Gratitude

I'm winding down the celebration of 10 years of when I first discovered the sport of running, and we are getting ready to say auld lang syne to 2018.

At the beginning of the year, I chose 3 words for the year: Zest, Joy and Gratitude.

I started a gratitude practice after I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006. I came to the stunning realization that if I had any hope of healing my life from the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma that I had to give thanks for my life and all that happened to me finding the treasure, gift and blessing inside of the challenges.

It was an easy habit to continue throughout the year.

It's been a very challenging year as our daughter had 5 hospitalizations for severe PTSD and depression and all that goes with it. As I looked at my runs and paces, it was fascinating to see them wax and wane with the crises that unfortunately accompany someone struggling with their mental health. To be honest, it was hard for me to experience zest and joy much of the time.

On Saturday's run, Tom ran a little bit ahead of me getting ready to take a photo of me. I felt this river of joy bubble up within me. He captured it in this photo:


One of my dear friends, Jennifer, posted on Facebook, "Your zest for life is contagious. Never lose that Mary."

During our daughter's recent lengthy hospitalization Tom and I had time for a time out from the stress of witnessing someone we love decompensate leading up to her making a call to 911 on November 7. We were able to take deep breaths and reclaim our lives. I felt zest and joy return especially on Saturday's run.

Having had a time out from the day to day stress AND making shifts in how we will be once she is discharged are vital to be able to tap into our birthright of joy and allow my zest for life to ALWAYS shine through.

It was a chilly day but we relished running twice around the Reservoir with the sun shining through the now bare trees:


I've learned about surrender and letting go taking my lead from Mother Nature. I am taking the weight of the world off of my shoulders to now focus on celebrating my life and all that I've done during these past twelve years to heal my life.

One month from yesterday I will turn 65 years old.

I'm aware that I have fewer years yet to live than I have already lived and I plan to infuse my days, months and years with zest, joy and gratitude regardless of the circumstances that may be swirling around me.

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: On Patience, Persistence and Joy In The Journey!

My body needs time to recover after 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons. It was a miracle that I was able to train for and run 3 half marathons in as many years given a) the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome after which I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and b) a very serious knee injury in December of 2014 after which I was told to STOP running or to cap my distance and to prepare for a total knee replacement in a "few" years.

No total knee replacement and I'm still running but I do need to have a lot of patience and persistence in my running and health and wellness journey.

Monday morning brought cooler temperatures and very little wind. It was an ideal running weather kind of morning.

I promised myself since I am not training for endurance events right now that I would work on speed at the distance of a 5K.

As I was pondering the best ways to work on speed, I instinctively ran fartleks with a tempo run in between intervals.

I experienced both the challenge and the joy in the journey as Tom and I embraced and celebrated the subtle changes in seasons. We hadn't run around the Route 9 Reservoir since early summer. We sensed the change in wildlife patterns and how the trees were beginning their annual transformation from bright green. Some leaves had even begun to fall!

It was exhilarating to see my pace fall into the 15/16 minute/mile pace even though my overall pace was 17:20/mile. I was thrilled to see a 17:02 average pace for one of the miles. I can see and feel a 16 minute/mile pace on the horizon. My ultimate goal is a 12 minute/mile pace. I have created a playlist with the title "12 minute mile."

When I returned to the roads after my knee injury, my pace went from an 18-19 minute/mile pace to 15/16 minute/mile pace. I remember celebrating how 15 became the new 16 while training for my comeback race; the 2015 Finish at the 50!

Comebacks are hard work on the roads and in life.

Getting up at 6 am to do core work and get out the door for a run brings sweet rewards to mind, body and soul.



We were treated to a flock of birds flying in formation and the sun playing hide and seek among the clouds.

As we passed an elderly gentlemen several times wishing him a good morning and then a wonderful day he said, "All you need is love!" We heard the smile in his voice as we passed him.

I charged up the hill toward Route 9 and felt my heart rate and spirit soar.

Tom and I experienced a sense of joy for another run shared, the start of a new day and to bear witness to the ongoing miracle of my healing from the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma.



A week from Saturday I will test my mettle at my first road race since the Bermuda Half Marathon in January, The 5th Annual Joseph Middlemiss 5K and Celebrity Mile. It's a challenging course with hills but I am up to the task. While I would LOVE to be back running 14/15/16 minute miles, I am delighted to be able to support a great cause, run with my heart and be a part of this great community.

I have patience, persistence and with this comeback, feeling so much joy in the journey having accomplished so much against all odds.

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

My healing journey is going to be featured in David R. Hamilton's soon to be released book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body." It's available for pre-order 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):

Celebrating Ten Years of Running: A Return to Wollaston Beach!

Given the stiff headwinds, the locked bathrooms, and the fact I forgot our post run bananas, we were about to abort the mission for yesterday's run on Wollaston Beach. But Spirit whispered through the wind.

Tom and I agreed to just do it!

It was a magical and mystical run.

We had not been to Wollaston Beach for a training run in quite a long time. We trained along Wollaston Beach and into Marina Bay for long runs on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon.

I took my first very tentative steps along Wollaston Beach shortly after I began working with a personal trainer after being discharged from Spaulding Rehab's Outpatient Clinic following the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. I was winded after only a short distance. I was wobbly on my legs like a foal.

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

A dark horse
dark past
finishing last
ready to quit
battered and bruised
a foal fouled
yet Spirit unbroken
a thoroughbred deep inside
despite appearances
all she needed was a chance
someone to believe in her
a horse whisperer
in the mist
amidst fog and foliage
she runs
breaking free
transformed
into the champion she was always meant to be.

The sidewalk and sea wall ahead of us were wet. We were curious as to how that happened since it wasn't raining!

It was high tide and the seas were churning from the tropical storms and hurricanes out in the Atlantic. The mighty waves hit the sea wall and splashed over it. The sun peeked out through the clouds and warmed us up as the salty sea spray kept us cool.

Seeing and smelling the briny air while we confronted the headwinds unleashed a sense of unbridled joy in facing the challenge of the elements.

We had been running in hot and humid temperatures or rain. The cooler temperatures were invigorating.

I had a sense of expansiveness and connection to all that is. My problems washed out with the waves out at sea and as the waves crashed up against the sea wall.

I kept an even pace consistently hitting that sub-18 minute/mile. A part of me felt frustrated that I am not back to my 15/16 minute/mile pace that I ran before training for 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons but then I remembered where I was many years ago when I could barely walk along Wollaston Beach never mind run for 3.11 miles!

We experienced a runner's high after experiencing the beautiful views of Boston, running up a very steep hill and experiencing the vastness of Mother Nature.

After 3.11 miles, we were debating about where Tom should finish his 8 miles as he is training for the Bermuda Half Marathon.



I suggested we go to Carson Beach where the bathrooms would still be available and where the wind might be less intense. It's a very short ride from Wollaston to Carson Beach. The sun came out. The winds died down and Tom ran the remainder of his 5 miles to deposit in the Bank of Bermuda while I sat on the beach reading Billy Mills book, "Lessons of a Lakota."

When Tom returned from his 10 minute/mile run, I snapped these photos:


The second photo is Tom chasing a seagull.

I am thrilled that I ran 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons and am focusing on the 5K distance and speed, especially when I take a look back and remember where I once was in my health and wellness journey.

I now have total faith in how far I can go ... with patience, persistence and finding exquisite joy in the journey!

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

My healing journey is going to be featured in David R. Hamilton's soon to be released book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body." It's available for pre-order 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):

Celebrating Ten Years of Running: For the Pure Joy of It!

The heat and humidity was intense yesterday morning when Tom and I woke up to go on a run. Usually the heat and humidity saps my energy. Most people's energy is usually sapped by heat and humidity but I'm still recovering from the effects of paralytic polio and I can be especially vulnerable to wilting.

But not yesterday! I had a powerful mindset for my run - an intention to feel the joy of running. Yesterday's run came on the "heels" of the theme of gratitude. It was as though the heat lit a fire within me.

After Tom and I did our morning meditation and core work, ate a banana and hydrated, we headed out the front door with frozen water bottles around his waist and my Nike+ on my arm playing tunes on my new running playlist.

We decided to go once around the big aka Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

As the sweat poured and we basked in the gift of each other's company, I realized that I was going at a pretty fast pace. Tom noted that I was doing negative splits according to his Garmin.

I felt the joy of pushing myself; I felt the joy of pouring sweat and the joy of running.

This is the first year in 3 years that I am not training for an endurance event. I loved the challenge of going the distance 3 consecutive years in the Bermuda Half Marathon but I knew it was time to take a break and allow my body a chance to continue to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma without the added strain of training for 13.1 miles.

I'm feeling good in the skin I am in for the first time in my life and able to experience the beauty and joy of running.


The joy continued as my body continued to pour sweat preparing an apres run breakfast of raisin bran and banana, toast and orange juice. Tom had coffee with his breakast and the smell of coffee and toast tickled my soul with more joy. As a side note, I stopped drinking coffee after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome but I can still savor the aroma.


I LOVE how breakfast tastes after a good run or a strength training workout. Food tastes so good as nausea yields to the joy of refueling. I savor every bite knowing how I am treating my body with love and respect. My gas tank goes from empty to full.

As my body recovered from the run, the feeling of running for the pure joy of it lingered in my mind and soul.

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

My healing journey is going to be featured in David R. Hamilton's soon to be released book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body."

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: On Zest, Gratitude and Joy

In Lisa Berman's recent newsletter, she talked about how, 6 months ago, she named the year. I was inspired to join her suggestion at that time and chose 3 words to name my year. When she mentioned the naming of the year in her newsletter and on Facebook, I realized how I'd let my commitment to zest, gratitude and joy get away from me. While I begin and end each day with gratitude, it was a challenge for me to feel zest and joy in my life with the stress of our daughter's mental illness bearing down on me. I decided that while I can't change what is happening around me, I can certainly change what is happening within me. Lisa's post was most timely. Monday was my half birthday. On December 25th I turn 65. There is no time to waste in this life. Every day is a precious gift.

On this morning's run, I rededicated myself to experiencing zest, gratitude and joy on the roads and in my life! As Tom and I did our core work warm up I thanked each and every part of my body for working so well. I felt joy breathing in the sweet summer air that floated into our house on a warm breeze and I savored the banana and water we had before heading out the door on our run. Although it was warm outside, there was a cooling breeze that allowed me to push my pace.

It's been a long and slow road back after completing 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in as many years. But that's okay! I am so proud of having been able to achieve 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in consecutive years given that I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair 11 years ago after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. And just recently I have been able to feel the fun in my runs again.

Prior to heading out on our run, I "just happened" to see this post from Randy Pierce:

Major Milestone and some sweet celebration! Late yesterday afternoon I sent Tracy the final draft chapter of the book I've been writing passionately for the last six months, intermittently for a couple of years and ultimately all of my life. There is considerably more work ahead for certain as Tracy and I work an edit cycle together before we send it off to Gene for his first pass edit. Many chapters are past his first review already but there's a few chapters in backlog with Tracy and I as some of you may have noted her incredible schedule recently. Still this is a tremendous achievement for me despite knowing how many of my talented writer friends reach this milestone regularly, the impact it has had on my life has been significant. We have a working title we all like and are eager to finish the edit cycle to reach our publishing goals but this morning, I'm sipping a coffee with a feeling of satisfied, proud relief.

I responded with, "I am so so happy you were able to savor the milestone FOR YOU! It is so easy to often minimize our own accomplishments as we look around and see what others may do with ease but it is vital for us to celebrate accomplishments that are milestones for us whereas for someone else it may come easy. There will definitely be more to come on this topic in an upcoming blog. Thank you for inspiring my run this morning, helping me to embrace my accomplishments for me and for being who you are."

In addition to having fun on our run and savoring the sweetness of all that is summer, I was able to consistently run a sub 18:00 minute/mile pace. I remember when Tom and I were training for the 2015 Finish at the 50 race around the very Reservoir we were running around this morning and I was running sub 15 minute miles. I was coming back from a very serious knee injury in December 2014 and was told I shouldn't run anymore. After the Finish at the 50, I set my sights on an endurance goal again. I fired up that muscle memory of when I pushed myself training for that 5K while also making sure we took time to savor the sights, smells and sounds of summer.

These are photos that include a blue heron that Tom spotted yesterday on his morning run and then on his walk home from work. There were gaggles of geese with their babies and ducks leading their little ones through the water. The trees and flowers were in full bloom and even with cloud cover, the Reservoir glistened.



While running a sub 18:00 minute mile and running with negative splits may not seem like a major accomplishment for most runners, for me it was cause for celebration.



After testing my body with training for and running 3 Half Marathons, I am able to continue to push and challenge myself and see the progress in my recovery. This week I also increased the reps in my strength training on land and in the pool. It's great to feel sore and feel the joy of training in the wake of the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma. It's an indescribable feeling to throw off the shackles of the past, the admonitions of the medical establishment and the stress of living with someone who is profoundly struggling with their mental health to reclaim the zest and joy in my life with a heart overflowing with gratitude.



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 ****