This Week in Training: Follow Your Dreams!

 

 

Today, on December 5, 1988, I began my career at the Boston VA Outpatient Clinic. On December 6, 2006, when I was at the height of my award-winning career, I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and expect an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. But what's a social worker to do when she's been told that she needed to leave behind her career to try to stabilize the debilitating symptoms. 

In February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. The runner within me was born in my imagination as the poem, "Running the Race" flowed out of me. It foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run. Throughout this incredible journey from wheelchair to the finish line of the Boston Marathon and beyond, I've harnessed the power of my imagination to visualize healing when needed, and to imagine crossing the finish lines of different races. The 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon was my comeback race after a very serious knee injury in December of 2014 when I'd been told to stop running or cap my distance at a 5K. On the Bermuda Race Weekend website, there were photos of Ed Christopher, the Town Crier with finishers and their medals. As we trained for the race, I held fast to that vision. Here are Tom and me with the manifestation of the vision.

As Tom and I set out on our 5 miler last Saturday, counting down to my 7.2 miler on my 72nd birthday on December 25th, I reflected on how, since February of 2007, I've been following my dreams. My first dream after leaving the VA, was to be a NY Times Bestselling Author and be on Oprah. That dream, much to my surprise, quickly morphed into running the 2009 Boston Marathon. 

It was 5.1 fabulous frosty morning miles as we went from once around the Route 9 Reservoir to once around the Cleveland Circle Reservoir and back to the 'finish line' of our car. We held hands high imagining what it's going to be like in Hyannis on 3/1. We felt such unbridled joy and a sense of accomplishment with Saturday's run after a busy week of Thanksgiving preparation and hosting. We braved a cold headwind knowing that training is not only for the body but the mental toughness as well. Our hearts were warmed as we bumped into two of our neighbors and their families exchanging Thanksgiving greetings and wishing each other a healthy, happy, peaceful and joy filled holiday season. It was a special and sacred time together out on the road.

 

We embraced the warmth of the sunshine despite the cold temperatures and took time to enjoy Nature's beauty. 

On Sunday's rest day, I played around with our playlist for Monday's strength training workout. It was just the boost we needed as winter's weather begins to settle into Boston. I selected this quote to kick off a new day and a new week reminding myself of the importance of ditching the fear and slaying the dragons of doubt. Even those of us with the most positive of attitudes have moments when we need to remember our why and recharge our passion and persistence. 

Despite waking up at 4am on Tuesday and meditating until the alarm went off at 6am, there were no excuses to skip an early morning run. We used to do lunchtime runs in winter but we are going to keep the same schedule as long as it is safe to do so. I reminded myself of the quote, "When passion and persistence meet, dreams become a reality." 

We were blessed to see a heron again. The heron spirit animal symbolizes patience, self-determination, and stillness, representing the wisdom of waiting for the right moment and the ability to find balance. It also signifies divine communication, grace, and self-reliance, encouraging individuals to trust their own wisdom and pursue their unique path. Seeing a heron can be a message to slow down, observe your surroundings, and find serenity in life. Thank you Universe for the reminder! It was a December sky. The weather forecast called for a storm watch. We could feel that the first snowfall was on the way. We hoped it would not interfere with our training plan.

On Thursday morning we woke up to black ice. Our bodies are accustomed to early morning miles but it just wasn't safe. Fortunately, Tom did not have any meetings that would interfere with a "runchie." I did my best to fuel and get mentally prepared to run much later than I am accustomed to. I was grateful that the day had warmed up and the black ice was gone. 

Despite the still very cold temperatures and the gray day, we experienced joy and laughter having silly conversations. At one point, we had to stop our run because I was laughing so hard I lost my equilibrium. Our time together out on the roads, unplugged, connected in conversation out in Nature is such a special sacred time together. Early on in my healing journey, I struggled with cold intolerance but I visualized regulating my thermostat and now, I am able to embrace the elements and appreciate the wonder and awe that every season brings. I no longer feel as though my nose is pressed against the window pane watching life pass me by. I could barely walk and had to hug the staircase in our home in order to walk up the stairs. I know what a gift it is to be able to follow my dreams of being a most unlikely runner sharing a powerful message of healing, hope and possibility. I appreciate everything and take nothing for granted. I mean it with my heart and soul when I say every step is a gift and every mile is a blessing. 

It was a strong and solid finish to another week in the training cycle on the Road to Hyannis and counting down to 7.2 on 12/25. When those gremlins of doubt creep in -- can I really do this again? Can I go the farthest I've gone since the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon, I remind myself of this Jason Kiddard quote. Of course I can and will doing the mental and physical preparation to follow my dreams of once again going the distance.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my ***NEW*** website to learn how poetry, optimism, gratitude and the mind/body connection helped me to transform my life. After having been told in December 2006 that I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, I went on to cross the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and have many adventures as runnergirl 1953. Be sure to visit the recently updated News and Events Page for links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story.

My Trilogy of Transformation chronicles my journey from having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair with the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards to a woman transformed through the sport of running. Take a journey into a world of healing, hope and possibilities with my 7 books, available on Amazon. My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner: Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club and Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reading for Every Runner. You will be inspired by my strength, courage, resilience, determination and overcoming the inevitable setbacks that come with a journey to health and wellness. 

I was recently the guest on The Optimism Institute Blue Sky Podcast. 
"Mary McManus has never had it easy. As a kindergartner, she was a victim of polio just a short time before the vaccine was introduced. She also faced trauma in her home life but somehow managed to persevere and overcome these and still more obstacles throughout her life. Today, Mary is an inspiring author, poet, motivational speaker, and finisher of the Boston Marathon." Here is the link to the Episode Website. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and on YouTube.

 

Reach out to me at maryamcmanus@gmail.com if you'd like me to speak to your organization or group to inspire them with what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary; how one finds strength, resilience and determination in the face of seemingly impossible odds.

This Week in Training: It's a Celebration!

Next month marks 19 years since I received the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome when I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and expect an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. I reflected on this milestone last Saturday as Tom and I kicked off another week of training on the Road to Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K. The weather was gray and rainy but fortunately temperatures were relatively mild for late November here in Boston. I asked Tom if there was some place new we could run for our 4 mile run. He said he had just the place. As we made our way to the Charles River, Tom was turned around at first thinking there was parking just off the main road that would lead to the running path. After the 2nd time of not finding the spot, I suggested we go back to the Reservoir. But, he wanted to try one more turn. He found it!

 

We stretched,  fueled and hydrated and set off on a wonderful adventure along the Charles River. Tom used to run along that path but it was unfamiliar territory for me. Tom pointed out it was great training for race day since I'll be running along a course I have not run in 10 years. Tom was able to capture a photo of geese taking off from the water.

I was curious to see if geese can be considered an animal spirit since I see them so frequently. When I think of the geese around the Reservoirs, I am usually only focused on avoiding stepping in goose poop. I googled the meaning of geese as an animal spirit. As an animal totem, the goose symbolizes community, kindness, communication, loyalty, bravery and guidance. It represents the ability to synchronize with others, balance leadership and teamwork, and the importance of family and protecting loved ones. The goose signifies endurance, vigilance, freedom, and the ability to know when to lead and when to follow. When the trees are mostly bare and it's a seemingly gray and dreary day, Tom and I consciously sought out finding the beauty despite the weather.

 

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, at this time of year, our conversations often turn to how far I've traveled on my healing path since I was first diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome. One of my favorite sayings is, "I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now." 

I had to hug the staircase when I walked from the first to the 2nd floor of our Cape home. Forget going into the basement and doing laundry. I depended on my family to get the laundry done. We either used PeaPod delivery service for groceries or I would use a scooter in the grocery store. I used weighted utensils to eat, drank water through a straw and could not talk while I ate because of the risk of aspirating food into my lungs. I used a tub chair because I did not have the endurance to stand for a shower. Going for a walk outside even with a toe-up leg brace and cane was not even a possibility. I felt as though my nose was pressed up against the pane on the window of life and I was watching the world pass me by. 

This is why I have such a profound appreciation for every step and every mile, regardless of the weather or season. This is why I say that every day is a celebration. The joyous feelings of celebration enable me to surf the waves of discomfort and pain. As I said when I set out on this quest to heal my life, I knew there was going to be pain and discomfort so why not experience it on the side of health and well-being rather than atrophy and decline.

Gratitude and celebration go hand in hand. Monday's strength training session was a celebration of all our bodies can do especially being in our 70's. 

It was a wonderful way to start a new day, new week and the week of Thanksgiving. Tom had worked on Sunday. We were a bit tired when the alarm went off but by the end of the workout we were energized and exhilarated that it was Tom's Friday since Tuesday would be comp time. It always feels so good to push through and get to the other side of the workout.

Since Tom didn't have to work on Tuesday, we got a later start to our morning miles but still got our miles in before breakfast. The still water made for a beautiful canvas of the trees and the Boston skyline in the distance. My perception of the geese shifted and I appreciated their special place in the Universe. After breakfast, Tom and I worked on getting things ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. What a treat to have unscheduled time together. Since every day is a day of celebration and gratitude, I don't experience a build up to the holiday as many people do. I focused on the gift of being present and enjoying the moments with Tom.

 

 

 

What a treat to finally see the sun on our before breakfast, before putting the turkey in the oven miles! There were many runners getting in their miles before the feast. Tom and I joked that they were probably also getting their ya-ya's out before getting together with the family. It seemed as though celebration was the theme of everybody's morning run as we exchanged smiles and Happy Thanksgiving when we passed each other.

What a glorious day to wrap up another week of the training cycle focusing on all there is to c elebrate and be grateful for.

We turn the page on the calendar on Monday to the last month of the year and the beginning of my birthday month. I'm gearing up for 7.2 miles on my 72nd birthday on December 25th. It will be the farthest I've gone since the Bermuda Half Marathon in 2018. Celebrating my journey of healing and having a heart overflowing with gratitude lights and fuels the miles on and off the roads!

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my ***NEW*** website to learn how poetry, optimism, gratitude and the mind/body connection helped me to transform my life. After having been told in December 2006 that I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, I went on to cross the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and have many adventures as runnergirl 1953. Be sure to visit the recently updated News and Events Page for links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story.

My Trilogy of Transformation chronicles my journey from having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair with the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards to a woman transformed through the sport of running. Take a journey into a world of healing, hope and possibilities with my 7 books, available on Amazon. My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner: Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club and Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reading for Every Runner. You will be inspired by my strength, courage, resilience, determination and overcoming the inevitable setbacks that come with a journey to health and wellness. 

I was recently the guest on The Optimism Institute Blue Sky Podcast. 
"Mary McManus has never had it easy. As a kindergartner, she was a victim of polio just a short time before the vaccine was introduced. She also faced trauma in her home life but somehow managed to persevere and overcome these and still more obstacles throughout her life. Today, Mary is an inspiring author, poet, motivational speaker, and finisher of the Boston Marathon." Here is the link to the Episode Website. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and on YouTube.

 

Reach out to me at maryamcmanus@gmail.com if you'd like me to speak to your organization or group to inspire them with what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary; how one finds strength, resilience and determination in the face of seemingly impossible odds.

 

This Week in Training: Taking Risks

 

At the beginning of this week's training on the Road to the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K, I reflected on the risks I have taken since December of 2006 when I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome and told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. I was told that if I used it, I would lose it. Yes you read that right. The thinking was that because of the initial polio virus, there were fewer nerve to muscle connections and they would just continue to burn out at a faster rate as one aged. Neuroplasticity and the body's tremendous capacity to heal were not factored into the prognosis.

 

I took the risk of a leap of faith leaving behind an award-winning social work career to heal my life in May 2007 and I took the risk to start a greeting card business of original poetry for every occasion. It was an epic fail but sure brought a lot of joy to my customers. I still write original poetry for family and friends for special occasions. Perhaps the biggest risk I took was to train for and run the 2009 Boston Marathon defying Western Medicine's prognosis. I continuously reap the rewards of having taken the risk to become a most unlikely runner.

 

On Saturday, Tom and I made an 'audible' about where we were going to do our 5K. At the last minute, we decided to go to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir having no idea of the magic that was about to happen. As we headed to the Reservoir we heard, "Mary! Mary!" and saw a runner with his friend charging down the hill to meet Tom and me. It was our dear friend Dan, aka The Bearded Runner, aka Forrest Gump!

We exchanged warm hugs and I said, "Congratulations!" Tom asked for what. I rattled off, "The BAA Distance Medley, an ultramarathon and sobriety." "And don't forget a sub 1:30 half," Dan chimed in! We exchanged introductions with Adam who was running with Dan. Dan asked, "So you're taking a walk around the Reservoir?" "No Dan. This is my running." I went on to tell Dan and Adam what I was told by the medical community and added, "For someone who was supposed to be in a wheelchair I go pretty far and pretty fast." Dan totally got it. "If we listened to doctors, we'd all be popping pills and be bed ridden." Dan is going to run for his Fourth Star in London next year for a wonderful charity. Here is the link if you'd like to support him. We told him what we were training for. We took the obligatory selfie.

While running into a running friend is always magical, especially when they come charging down the hill to meet you, running into Dan who embraces the character of Forrest Gump when running, was especially magical for me.

 In February of 2007, I began writing poetry about running, imagining myself winning a 10K race, running free, coming out of my toe-up leg brace and I just knew that one day I was going to run. At the time I had no idea when, where, how or why. I fired up my mirror neuron system by watching Forrest Gump as he breaks out of his leg braces over and over again. It worked!

Tom and I were pumped after seeing Forrest and embraced the cold headwind with joy. I shared with Tom how, if I would have taken the diagnosis and prognosis sitting down, we would have never known all the love, joy and camaraderie that makes, what Bill Rodgers says, running, as the greatest sport. I would also not be able to experience the glorious sunshine and beauty of late Autumn in Boston.

 

 Monday's strength training session was inspired by this quote from Thoreau. While having gone through 10 years of not feeling well prior to the Post-Polio diagnosis finally being made and those early days, weeks and months of beginning to emerge from the dark night of my mind, body and soul were extremely challenging, I now get to experience a state better than what I was ever in before. I was a stranger to athletics, and a stranger to my body. It was how I survived the horrors of my youth. Now I get to enjoy every workout and run celebrating what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary.

Mother Nature shined the spotlight on the late Autumn splendor as we made our way around the Reservoir for our early morning Tuesday run. It's become our favorite place to run in the early morning. We know what a privilege and blessing it is to see the dawn of a new day especially when the Master Artist paints a mystical and magnificent scene as happened on Thursday morning.

 

While I was putting on my running shoes, I 'just happened' to look up and out our dining room window. I left the jacket, hat and gloves on the couch as I ran out to see if I could capture the magnificent colors before they would fade.

I did not see the sun with my naked eye. My breath caught when I saw the beams from the rising sun. After showing Tom the photo I said, "It's not too cold out there." "That's what we always say for the first few minutes until we're out there for awhile," he quipped. But we have great cold weather gear and were energized by the spectacular colors that lit up the morning sky. 

We let the serenity of the Reservoir settle into our souls as we wrapped up another week of training. What a spectacular finish to the week!

 

This photo was taken at the start of the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon. In December of 2014, I had a very serious left knee injury. The MRI indicated that my gastroc muscle was atrophied from polio, the knee had degenerative changes, bone spurs, torn cartilage, and a fatty lipoma. It was beyond arthroscopic repair. I should stop running or cap my distance at a 5K and prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. Fortunately, I was led to a wonderful chiropractor who also just happened to be a personal trainer! With chiropractic care, KT tape, and a revamped strength training session that I continue to build on today, we got me back on the roads. It was always on my bucket list to run in Bermuda. I went on to run 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with the Hyannis 10K in February of 2016 and many 5K's after that. Last year I went the 10K distance again after a set back in 2021/2022 and am so excited to return to Hyannis next March.

 

No matter how all those risks ended up, I am overjoyed and grateful that I took them. I am especially grateful to my husband Tom, who I call my hero for supporting me every mile of the way during these past 19 years. There were moments of financial stress and strain, and physical set backs but those pale in comparison to the fullness of life we are blessed to experience.

 

 In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my ***NEW*** website to learn how poetry, optimism, gratitude and the mind/body connection helped me to transform my life. After having been told in December 2006 that I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, I went on to cross the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and have many adventures as runnergirl 1953. Be sure to visit the recently updated News and Events Page for links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story.

My Trilogy of Transformation chronicles my journey from having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair with the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards to a woman transformed through the sport of running. Take a journey into a world of healing, hope and possibilities with my 7 books, available on Amazon. My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner: Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club and Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reading for Every Runner. You will be inspired by my strength, courage, resilience, determination and overcoming the inevitable setbacks that come with a journey to health and wellness. 

I was recently the guest on The Optimism Institute Blue Sky Podcast. 
"Mary McManus has never had it easy. As a kindergartner, she was a victim of polio just a short time before the vaccine was introduced. She also faced trauma in her home life but somehow managed to persevere and overcome these and still more obstacles throughout her life. Today, Mary is an inspiring author, poet, motivational speaker, and finisher of the Boston Marathon." Here is the link to the Episode Website. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and on YouTube.

 

Reach out to me at maryamcmanus@gmail.com if you'd like me to speak to your organization or group to inspire them with what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary; how one finds strength, resilience and determination in the face of seemingly impossible odds.