Celebrating 10 Years of Healing: The Gift of Running Part V

The gift of running is the gift that keeps on giving!

It's a gift I give to myself every time I lace up my running shoes and go out for a run. It's the gift of health and wellness and the gift of challenging myself; of being One with nature and testing myself out in the elements. It's the joy in the journey of preparing to get to a starting line and the sheer exhilaration of racing and crossing a finish line.

Running is a sport like no other where you can get up close and personal with running greats.

I had the privilege of meeting Bart Yasso during Bermuda Race Weekend and here in Boston and Tom ran part of the Bermuda Triangle Half Challenge 10K with Bart:


Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter signed my 2009 Boston Marathon bib. They have been so supportive of my running journey whenever our paths have crossed through the years:


And I was blessed to meet Jacqueline Hansen at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend in 2016:


She touched my heart in this moment during the Hyannis 10K - from "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":
In the distance a figure came toward us. The expanse of ocean was to our left and this beautiful woman came up on our right. She stopped me to give me a hug. She whispered in my ear," Run with all your heart." I felt she was my fairy godmother and I was Cinderella being told, "You will go to the ball." It was Jacqueline! You see growing up as a survivor of paralytic polio I was always the outcast. When it came to gym I was "easy out Alper” and those words were seared into me. I was bullied and teased and struggled with my identity as a runner when I first started running....
After Jaqi's hug I felt something ignite within me. My pace picked up and a woman behind us said, "Excuse me...is this the right course for the 10K?" We told her it was and laughed and shared with her my fear about losing our way on the course. She asked if she could run with us. She was supposed to run the half but had an injury and was running the 10K course but wouldn't cross the finish line. I had the opportunity to share my journey with her and she asked me when the book was coming out. Coincidentally, several years earlier, she had run Bermuda. We took in the beautiful views of the course and shared our memories of running Bermuda. Suddenly mile 5 was upon us. I had not stopped for 5 miles. I slowed down to take water and have a half of a Luna bar at mile 2 (when our bodies told us we needed to refuel) but I was running non stop for 5 miles! I knew that I needed to take a brief pause remembering how Jeffrey {my muscular therapist} told me that our bodies can reset in as little as 30 seconds. I hydrated and knew I wanted to run the last 1.2 miles strong.

And Jacqui wrote the Foreword to my book, "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance"!

There are moments and friendships to last a lifetime that I will continue to share as I share my running chronicles and adventures as I continue to go the distance on the roads and in my life.

For today, I leave you with this precious memory that happened on Heartbreak Hill during the 2009 Boston Marathon.

From "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility":
At mile 20, there was Dom, our team trainer. He had tears in his eyes as he embraced Team McManus. He put his hands on my shoulders and said, 'you're gonna qualify - go finish. I'm so proud of you. Go get your medal'

As a mobility impaired runner, I was on pace to finish to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Back then a finish under 8 hours meant that I was qualified to run Boston again. However, one time would be enough!

On May 25th, I will celebrate my 10 year anniversary of when I left my award winning career as a VA social worker to "heal my life." I had no idea that the gift of running would become a part of my life nor that I would be able to go the distance again after a serious knee injury in December of 2014. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Ryan J. Means, my earth angel healer chiropractor who came into my life at precisely the right moment to get me back on my healing path.

Here's to the next 10 years!

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):


Mary McManus, MSW knew challenges since she was five years old beginning with contracting polio followed by enduring nine years of violence at the hands of family members. Those early challenges prepared her for taking on the challenge of the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December 2006 when she was at the height of her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Asking for Divine Guidance as she had throughout her trials and tribulations, she discovered the gift of poetry in her soul. Her first poem, “Running the Race,” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run. “Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance,” chronicles Mary’s journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, as a runner and a woman who refused to quit. Eight years after her diagnosis, she was finally led to two healers, a chiropractor and a muscular therapist, who helped her reclaim her life and go the distance, a woman transformed who embodies the power of endurance.

Celebrating Ten Years of Healing: The Gift of Running Part IV

It was on my bucket list since 2010. My plan was to run the Bermuda Marathon in honor of my 60th birthday ... but life happened and I could not seem to get traction on my journey healing the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. Even though I had run the 2009 Boston Marathon, I could not get positive momentum nor did I feel well enough to be able to go the distance again. A 10K was my maximum distance goal.

Running in Bermuda continued to both gnaw at me and frustrate me - especially when I would see their booth at Race Expos.

In April of 2015, after a very serious knee injury in December of 2014, I was led to Ryan J. Means, DC or Dr. Ryan as he prefers to be called. He believed in the body's tremendous capacity to heal through the art and science of chiropractic care and led me to the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza.

I was ready for my running comeback training for the Finish at the 50 5K. I didn't know what surprise was in store for me.

From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":

Despite feeling pre-race jitters, I kept an even keel and sat outside listening to music while Tom had time to unwind from his work week. As I had predicted, there was no traffic on our way to Patriot Place. We picked up our bibs and walked around the Expo. The Boston Globe was there offering a subscription to the Sunday Globe and as an incentive, two tickets to tomorrow's Red Sox game. Sure why not we decided and will be going to the game tomorrow!

Next up was the Bermuda Marathon Weekend booth.

Now what's pretty amazing here is that I had set my sights on running the Bermuda Marathon for my 60th birthday in 2013. But then life happened. I never thought about it again. Tom and I had stopped by their booth at other Expos and quickly dismissed ever going back to Bermuda never mind running a race there. Never say never! Tom started chatting with Clarence "Stoker" Smith and I joined in the conversation. We both felt a tug at our souls and the more we talked with Clarence and Race Director Anthony, the stronger the tug. We reminisced about when we used to go there with Herb Simmons and the Sea and Surf Anglers Club who had a tournament with the Bermudian Blue Waters Angler Club. I felt goosebumps and a warm feeling all over. Anthony told me that I'd be better off running the Half Marathon rather than the 10K because of the steep hills on the course. I told them that the last time I was in Bermuda I was in a leg brace and using a wheelchair to travel. Clarence's wife said, "Look at you now girl."

We exchanged information. Clarence told us he'd take us out on his boat when we came down for the weekend. I chatted with Anthony about the weather in January. "Look," he said in that delicious Bermudian accent. "I was told you people still have piles of snow near the Seaport Hotel from this past winter. I can guarantee you this. You will have no snow in Bermuda in January."

I was focused on running a great race that evening testing out the power of healing through the power of positive therapeutic touch, chiropractic care and my own regular meditation practice that used visualization of seeing everything healed plus using visualization before race day.



On the way home from our fabulous finish at the 50, Tom and I talked about Bermuda. I hadn't traveled in 8 years. I hadn't gone a distance longer than a 10K. Anthony said that if I could get up to the Half Marathon distance, that would be a better race for me since the 10K was a very challenging course with all the hills.

With Ryan's support reigniting my belief in my body's tremendous capacity to heal and the progress I was making working with them, I decided to go for it!

From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":
“Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind.” ~Bryant H. McGill

“When you're that successful, things have a momentum, and at a certain point you can't really tell whether you have created the momentum or it's creating you.” ~Annie Lennox

I took one rest day after last Friday's race and yesterday I was back at strength training on land. I maintained my reps and weights and plan to do so for this recovery week. I want to keep the momentum going from how I felt during Finish at the 50 and the anticipation of running the Bermuda Half Marathon in January. After doing a plank that I now hold for 2'15" and 45 crunches, I had my breakfast and headed to the pool at Wave Health. During meditation, I imagined what I needed for the day. A parking space and the lap lane free for me to do my workout. There was not one but two parking spaces on Northern Avenue near the Seaport. While there was a family on vacation playing in the pool, the lap lane was free. I got in my zone and did my workout. It's interesting to observe what my default thinking used to be. Don't overdo it. You could get injured. You just ran a race. You need recovery time.

But now my thinking is, come on girl - you've got this! You are training for the Bermuda Half Marathon. I was even talking out loud to myself after I did several laps of freestyle getting my heart rate up and someone walked in at that moment. I just smiled! I can feel the healing and momentum happening within me mind, body and Spirit. Fears melt away. The waters heal and fortify me and are a perfect complement to half marathon training.

I was astounded although I really shouldn't have been astounded by how easy and affordable it was to book the flights and hotel for Bermuda. We are returning to the Rosedon Hotel. I called to make our reservation and Lesiline who used to book our reservations remembered us! She said that they even have a discounted rate for those participating in Marathon Weekend!

Crossing the finish line of the Bermuda Half Marathon - a race I imagined running since 2010 although it was going to be the full marathon in 2013 (but who am I to quibble with the Universe) is my sweet prize. I focus on healing and building strength and endurance every day between now and January 17th when Team McManus toes the starting line of the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon. I have a lot of work to do between now and then. I am allowing myself to feel the absolute joy in the journey. I am keeping this momentum of healing going strong with my greater goal of the Bermuda Half Marathon.

And so it was! We celebrated my healing with a run-cation in January of 2016.


To be continued.....

To going the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary

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):


Mary McManus, MSW knew challenges since she was five years old beginning with contracting polio followed by enduring nine years of violence at the hands of family members. Those early challenges prepared her for taking on the challenge of the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December 2006 when she was at the height of her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Asking for Divine Guidance as she had throughout her trials and tribulations, she discovered the gift of poetry in her soul. Her first poem, “Running the Race,” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run. “Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance,” chronicles Mary’s journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, as a runner and a woman who refused to quit. Eight years after her diagnosis, she was finally led to two healers, a chiropractor and a muscular therapist, who helped her reclaim her life and go the distance, a woman transformed who embodies the power of endurance.

Celebrating Ten Years of Healing: The Gift of Running Part III

There's no such thing as a fake runner and it doesn't matter how far or how fast you run ... you're a runner. Great wisdom from two running greats!

Tom and I are watching Mind Over Marathon on YouTube. It's a two part documentary that chronicles 10 people who struggle with their mental health on the road to the London Marathon. From the very first run, and mind you none of these individuals had run before or were part of the running community, a few of the runners went back to join the slowest runner in the pack.

We runners are a very special breed and we do travel in packs looking out for each other, honoring the runner's code and celebrating the accomplishments and success of individual runners without judgment about the pace. PR's are celebrated regardless of the pace.

Here's one of my favorite moments from these past 10 years of my healing journey at the Bill Rodgers 5K Run for Prostate Cancer.



Tom can easily run a 9 minute mile but he stays with me, paces me, supports and encourages me and celebrates every mile with me.

I was trained and ready to take on my second CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathon this year. Every week I did a 5 day training cycle that included a 5K during the week and a long run on the weekends.

Race day was not exactly how I planned it yet it turned out to be quite the story.

I went out too fast, did not honor the conditions of the day and the road conditions were not ideal. I let the voices of the past put pressure on myself to finish in under four hours which was the time limit for the Half Marathon rather than enjoy the race as I had in 2016.



I knew the Race Director and I knew that the course and finish line would stay open until the Marathoners completed their race but sometimes the voices from the past are stronger than reasoning in the present.

I began experiencing some cramping and back spasms at mile 9. By mile 10 I was listing to to my left and Tom was worried I was injured. By mile 12 I couldn't straighten up. We stopped and I stretched and hydrated. A beautiful woman stopped and asked if I was okay; did I need water? anything? We reassured her I was fine and she went on her way to bring in a friend of hers who was a marathoner and struggling to get to the finish.

At about mile 12.5 she came running up to us. I had decided at that point to put my arm around Tom to support my hip. She said in a delightful British/Bermudian accent that she was going to help me to the finish as other runners had done for her in Chicago and Philadelphia.



As we approached the finish chute she stepped out of the way so that she would not be in our finisher's photo:


It's taken me awhile to embrace and celebrate myself as a runner no longer apologizing for my pace.

Just the fact that I'm running at all is a miracle and the fact that I continue to run and train and strive for my optimal level of health and fitness is a miracle.



It's a miracle that 10 years ago I did not let a diagnosis define or defy me. It's a miracle I found my way to Dr. Ryan J. Means, a healer chiropractor who helped me recover from that serious knee injury in December of 2014, turned me onto the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and reminded me to set goals not limits. It was a miracle that I found the courage to start and not quit before the miracle happened!

To be continued....

To going the distance with strength and courage,
~Mary


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):


Mary McManus, MSW knew challenges since she was five years old beginning with contracting polio followed by enduring nine years of violence at the hands of family members. Those early challenges prepared her for taking on the challenge of the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December 2006 when she was at the height of her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Asking for Divine Guidance as she had throughout her trials and tribulations, she discovered the gift of poetry in her soul. Her first poem, “Running the Race,” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run. “Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance,” chronicles Mary’s journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, as a runner and a woman who refused to quit. Eight years after her diagnosis, she was finally led to two healers, a chiropractor and a muscular therapist, who helped her reclaim her life and go the distance, a woman transformed who embodies the power of endurance.

Celebrating Ten Years of Healing: The Gift of Running Part II

“The joy I feel when I'm moving my body with my own two feet is so great that the act alone is satisfying enough. I've learned to run like no one is watching.” ~ John “The Penguin” Bingham

I recently discovered #mindovermarathon - a BBC documentary that follows a group of individuals, all of whom have been struggling with their mental health, who go on to train for and run the 2017 London Marathon. I can't wait to see the full documentary.



Prince William is spearheading a campaign, "Heads together," and with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, #okaytosay.

When I first began my journey to heal my life after the diagnosis Post-Polio Syndrome ten years ago, I did not realize that the majority of my symptoms were a result of unhealed trauma that was stuck in my body. It was such a challenge to break the cycle of being sedentary, depressed and anxious and to begin to connect to my body after years of neglect, dissociation and abuse by not having an exercise program. Once I began working with Dr. Ryan J. Means in March of 2015, I was able to reignite my power of belief in my body's capacity to heal...that I could and would go the distance and reexperience the gift of running in my life.

Even though the team at Spaulding Rehab's International Rehab Center for Polio and Post Polio told me that if I use it I would lose it, I knew I had to get moving. They were using a model that said that polio survivors experience an accelerated aging process because of a neuromuscular system that had been compromised by the initial polio virus. They were not aware of the body's tremendous capacity to regenerate and heal.

Thank God I listened to God and to the promptings of my own body that said I needed to get moving....and moving in a very big way by setting the goal of running the 2009 Boston Marathon shortly after coming out of a leg brace and needing a cane for mobility and having been told I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair!

I discovered a whole new world during those months of training for the 2009 Boston Marathon. I developed friendships with people who are now like family. We call them #runnerfamily. Because of all the trauma I lived through beginning with contracting paralytic polio, collapsing to the ground without warning in kindergarten class in 1959 and 3 years later suffering almost unbearable physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of family members, I never had the opportunity to participate in athletics. Gym class was torture and I was given the nickname, "Easy Out Alper." I had no confidence in my body's ability to do anything other than barely get me from point A to point B. But all of that quickly changed when I trained for the Boston Marathon.



To fuel my Boston Marathon journey, I continued to write poems visualizing only positive outcomes for my 26.2 mile journey and to stay positive during the inevitable ups and downs of training to go the marathon distance.

A few of my favs from "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":

Marathon Metamorphosis

Pounding pavement, feeling strength the journey now begun
training for the race of my life a 26.2 mile run.
Feeling God in every step in every beat of my heart
I undertake this challenge as a new chapter of my life I start.

I ran around in circles carrying baggage by the ton,
destination was survival hardened shell let in no one.
Fear and worry doubts prevailed, adrenaline in my veins
a headless horseman running wild no one to take the reins.

Stopping in my tracks I froze no longer could I move -
clawing, fighting had to cease there was nothing more to prove.
God's grace touched like a magic wand, a softness and a glow
emerging from a troubled past my blood began to flow.

Loving teachers lit the way their love a healing balm -
focusing on who I am now brings a sense of calm.
Stretching every muscle feeling God in every cell
wholeness now a blessing out of prison - no more hell.

The race is still a year away each day my dream I see
mind, body, spirit tuning turning toward the Voice of Thee.
Flexing what had once been stiff to brace against the pain
old habits die and I'm reborn to write a new refrain.
And when the starting gun goes off poised with strength and grace
the thunder of the running feet will help me set my pace.
But the starting line's the finish my race already won
achieving the impossible preparing for this run.

The healing power of self-love and faith to spark the flame
transformed me from a victim once filled with so much shame.
Unearth my buried treasures my inheritance I find
connected to my Loving God in my heart and mind.

And when I cross the finish line the greatest cheer of all
has been this magnificent journey of answering God's call.

Ode to Marathon Training

Blisters, black toes, aches and pains, a change in my routine
Long training runs, the hills, the sprints running clothes fresh and clean.
Carbo load and plan each meal power gels and gatorade
no matter what the weather no time to be afraid.
Humid - hot or freezing cold snow against the face
wind or sun or raining those running shoes I must lace.
What mile is this how long we been out check heart rate drink H20
meltdowns joys and triumphs only a few more weeks to go.
Heartbreak Hill won't break my heart this year has been the best
found myself and made new friends I feel incredibly blessed.

Marathon Monday

It's Marathon Monday, it's my day to shine
with husband and daughter poised at starting line.
I know I can do this - there's no way to fail
tethered to God through this race I can sail.

For over a year, we've trained from our heart
mind, body, spirit - we're ready to start.
We know the course and we know the terrain
we're primed for the challenge - we know they'll be pain.

The glory's far greater than what we may face
we're living examples of God's shining Grace.
Shake out all the nerves - there's nothing to fear
let in all the love from the crowds as they cheer.

With prayers and angels our feet feel so light
Joy overflowing the finish in sight.
We conquered the course fueled by love in our heart
the race had been won blessed by God from the start.



Running is redemption, community, therapy, medicine and at 63 years old the greatest gift and treasure in my life....

To be continued....

To going the distance with strength and courage,
~Mary


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):


Mary McManus, MSW knew challenges since she was five years old beginning with contracting polio followed by enduring nine years of violence at the hands of family members. Those early challenges prepared her for taking on the challenge of the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December 2006 when she was at the height of her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Asking for Divine Guidance as she had throughout her trials and tribulations, she discovered the gift of poetry in her soul. Her first poem, “Running the Race,” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run. “Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance,” chronicles Mary’s journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, as a runner and a woman who refused to quit. Eight years after her diagnosis, she was finally led to two healers, a chiropractor and a muscular therapist, who helped her reclaim her life and go the distance, a woman transformed who embodies the power of endurance.

Going the Distance: Celebrating 10 Years of Healing: The Gift of Running Part I

May 25th marks 10 years since I took a leap of faith to leave my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

I came to the sport of running in a rather unique way. In February of 2007, as I sat in a leg brace, using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility facing a rather grim future after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards, I wrote a poem called "Running the Race."

Here is an excerpt:
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.

Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
for the first time in life, I could truly be me.
The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.

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.

A photo from Christmas 2007:



I had never run a day in my life. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and at best, stabilize the symptoms of difficulty swallowing, walking with a limp, having difficulty breathing, aspirating my food, suffering with chronic pain and fatigue and the list went on and on ... Yet there I was imagining myself winning a 10K race.

Okay so I never did win a 10K race but I did go on to run the 2009 Boston Marathon and Team McManus raised $10,535 for Spaulding Rehab where I took those very first, very tentative and might I add excruciatingly painful steps on a healing quest to return to the land of the living.

How does one go from never having run a day in one's life to training for and crossing the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon?

From my memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility":


At my six-month evaluation in February, I had dramatically improved in every area of the assessment. I had come out of my leg brace and I knew that I was on a healing path. Janine {the personal trainer I hired after being discharged from Spaulding Rehab's Outpatient Clinic} asked me what my next health and fitness goals were.

“Well I want to feel free in my body. I want to dance. I want to be able to walk outside and feel unencumbered when I take a walk.”

Janine wrote feverishly and we worked out a plan. She gathered up her belongings and had her hand on the door knob.

“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 had I just done?

Spencer Aston of Brookline Marathon Sports was so patient with me as we worked to find my first pair of running shoes!

Despite admonishment from the medical community, running has been the best medicine for me mind, body and soul! It took a lot of courage to go from never having run a day in my life to getting out on the roads starting out with running for a minute and walking for 3 minutes.

I have so many cherished memories since I started running in April of 2008.

My first road race was the Corrib Pub 5K in June of 2008.



It was love at first race feeling the exhilaration of the freedom of being able to run AND being cheered instead of the jeers and taunts and teasing I experienced as a child lugging a full leg brace and trying desperately to keep up with my friends.

And then it wasn't love during my 2nd race in July - the Marathon Sports 5 Miler.



It was a competitive field to say the least. It was an evening race and so very hot and humid. As soon as the field took off I felt the old feelings of being left behind rear their head. Fortunately, Tom wouldn't let me quit and said that we would make it through together. As I write in my memoir, I couldn't distinguish between the tears and the sweat.

As we approached the finish, I experienced what it means to be part of the running community. Because the staff at Marathon Sports knew my story and what I was setting out to do, they made sure to give me a hero's welcome as we came into the finish on the field. They honked the horn of the sweep truck and cheered me on as if I finished first.

Because I did not give up in that race being able to dig deep despite feeling miserable in mind, body and soul, my journey of transformation through running had officially begun!

To be continued....

To going the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary

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):


Mary McManus, MSW knew challenges since she was five years old beginning with contracting polio followed by enduring nine years of violence at the hands of family members. Those early challenges prepared her for taking on the challenge of the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December 2006 when she was at the height of her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Asking for Divine Guidance as she had throughout her trials and tribulations, she discovered the gift of poetry in her soul. Her first poem, “Running the Race,” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run. “Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance,” chronicles Mary’s journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, as a runner and a woman who refused to quit. Eight years after her diagnosis, she was finally led to two healers, a chiropractor and a muscular therapist, who helped her reclaim her life and go the distance, a woman transformed who embodies the power of endurance.