Victory in Newburyport

 

After Tom and Ruth Anne's 11 mile run, Tom knew that he needed more time to recover from the Providence Half Marathon he ran in May with Ruth Anne for Victory Programs. For the next several weeks, Ruth Anne did her training runs solo getting in the zone to run the Newburyport Half Marathon. She studied the course map, meditated, visualized crossing the finish line and worked closely with her Coach Brian Simons to set herself up for success on race day. She had weekly appointments with George Leung for sports acupuncture.

We arrived at Hampton Inn Amesbury at noon on Saturday. Our room was ready. It was a wonderful start to what would be a magical weekend beyond our wildest imaginings.

I planned our itinerary after studying the race website. After bib pick up we went to The Flatbread Company in Amesbury. A 70 degree sunny day in late October is a gift for those of us living in New England. We took photos of each other and our amazing meal of farm to table salad with a flatbread pizza:

We drove to see where the starting line was. The race website suggested people arrive at least 1 1/2 hours before gun time to avoid sitting in traffic. Gun time was at 9:15. Ruth Anne did a little shake out walk per her training plan but wanted to spend as much time resting as possible for her big day. Here she is in her race swag:

                                                               

We returned to the hotel to unpack, meditate and post "Flat Ruth Anne" on social media.

We had a delicious dinner at Starboard Galley. I must admit, I was a bit nervous with what Ruth Anne chose as her pre-race fueling dinner but knew she was listening to her body giving it what it needed. Before Providence, she had a salad with grilled chicken. She also ordered French Onion Soup gratinee and sampled what Tom and I ordered; lobster salad and baked and breaded char.

We were treated to a beautiful sunset by the water before heading back to our hotel. As I meditated before sleep, I imagined someone running with Ruth Anne. I reminded her when we talked about her running solo that she would never be alone; that angels would be with her and she was going to rock this race for Victory Programs.

RACE DAY:

We had our breakfast in the room (I wish I would have taken a photo so you could see what bring your own breakfast complete with coffee pot and a Bodum looks like in a hotel room) and headed to the starting line. We had all imagined getting a parking spot inside Cashman Park. We did not know we would get a parking spot in front of the bathrooms. There was a gentleman who told us that the bathrooms are usually closed after Columbus Day but for 'some reason', this year, they kept them open.

Ruth Anne was psyched and ready to run:

 

 

As we headed toward the start, we saw members of our running family Tom Licciardello and Al Pappalardo and his wife Cathy. We hadn't seen Tom since packet stuffing for the October 2021 Boston Marathon and hadn't seen Al and Cathy in years although we kept in touch on social media. Ruth Anne was feeling chilled; the temperature was 45 degrees and it was cloudy. Fortunately we brought a pair of gloves that had been warmed underneath the heater in the car. It was just what she needed to take the chill off.

Ruth Anne felt a bit anxious as she saw the last pace marker was 11:00-12:00 minute mile. She lined up at the back of the pack and I reminded her what her Coach told her; start at 14:10 and as you get warmed up, you can pick up the pace.

She saw pacers for the race. One woman had a 2:45 pace sign. "Oh that's too fast for me," Ruth Anne said out loud to her.

"Well start with the sweep group and then move up to our group. You'll probably pass me at the finish!"

Ruth Anne spotted the 3:00 pacer. "What pace is that" she asked.

"13:45"

"That's my pace," Ruth Anne said with great excitement.

"You stick with her," Tom said. "She's going to be your new BFF."

Little did we know how prophetic those words would be.

Tom was hoping to take a video at the start but had it on photo by mistake. I wish he would have captured Michael Bernier and his incredibly inspirational pre-race speech. He told the runners with great enthusiasm to kick your worries to the curb and reminded them that they will be able to achieve what their mind tells them. "So what are you gonna tell yourself?" he asked the runners. "You're going to go out there and have the best race of your life to-day!"

And then he gave the "runners take your mark, get set and go" command:

Despite hearing Spirit speak through Michael advising me to kick my worries to the curb, I was so anxious about Ruth Anne running with a pacer that she had never done before. She was going to start out at a 14:10 pace and here she was starting out at 13:45.  I knew I had to let go and trust. I realized I was having a flashback to all those times when Ruth Anne was critically ill and no one could figure out what was going on. I went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror and told myself to pull it together. She was going to have a great day and be just fine! Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, I focused on how wonderful it was that Ruth Anne had someone to pace her so she wouldn't get anxious about her time. She wanted to run a PR and was hoping for a sub-3:00 half but her main goals were to have fun and raise a lot of money and awareness for Victory Programs.

There was no way to track the runners. 

We walked to the finish line. We had to turn around and come back because there was no access to the finish line with the way we were walking. I stopped in my tracks as I saw a dime on the sidewalk. I said a prayer of thanksgiving for the sign.

"Wait Tom - there's a penny."

"Awesome - 11 cents!" I thought to myself. Now that's really a sign knowing that 11 is a spiritual number.

We took a few more steps - "Oh my God - there's another penny!" 

"Well you better find one more," Tom said.

"Yup, here it is!" I proudly proclaimed as another penny seemed to appear out of thin air.

"Okay," I told myself. "It's time for you to relax and enjoy this day!"

Al and Cathy were at the finish line. Talking with them helped to ease my momma jitters.

Tom and I settled into our beach chairs and I got a text from Ruth Anne:

5.34

Shortly after another text - 5.86 - almost half way.

"Are you with pacer? You've got this."

"Yep. She's incredible."

"Yay. Go finish strong."

Another text: 8.17

Ruth Anne's dear friend Jenn DeSimone from L Street Running Club arrived. I texted Ruth Anne "Jenn just arrived." She texted Jenn that she was at 8.21.

A runner with L Street gear on was wearing his finisher's medal. We introduced ourselves and I gave him Ruth Anne's fundraising business card. He said he would go right home and donate (which he did!) 

Our dear friend Marcie DiLorenzo crossed the finish line. We had been planning to get together but then you know, the pandemic. It was such a blessed reunion. We introduced Marcie and Jenn and took a photo with the sign Jenn made for Ruth Anne:

We received a text at 11:43 and then:

I was moved to go up to the race announcers, Danny and Solice, and share Ruth Anne's story with them giving them her fundraising business card. Little did I know what they were about to do. Solice's words came straight from his heart. "Beautiful thing done by a beautiful human."

Ruth Anne finished in 3 hours exactly scoring a 20 minute PR for her half but more than that, experienced the total grace with Pacer Angel Kristen Gohr.

I was sobbing as I shared a snippet of Ruth Anne's journey. She said that she knew there was a story there but didn't ask. She said she is a healer and a teacher. Is she ever! I told her how worried I was at first about Ruth Anne running with a pacer because we didn't know if she'd be able to stop for fueling and hydration or if she needed a bathroom stop. "Oh I made sure she was fine out there." Ruth Anne shared with me how she'd watch the pace and basically ran at Ruth Anne's pace figuring out what they needed to do to come in at 3:00 hours. It was truly a magical and miraculous experience for Ruth Anne and Kristen.

There were hugs and photos as Ruth Anne's Pacer Angel and I exchanged information. Jenn presented Ruth Anne with a trophy that she said was symbolic of the champion that she is:

 

 

Kristen said that Ruth Anne is her new BFF for life! She wants to pace Ruth Anne for the Bay State Marathon next year!

We said our goodbyes with more hugs and tears. Ruth Anne took a shower at the hotel and we had a celebratory lunch at Loretta's back in Newburyport. There was a live jazz band. The song they played as we sat down at our table was "When You Wish Upon a Star".

When we arrived home, I received a text from Kristen:

My heart is full of joy today for Ruth Anne!! My heart is also full because I had the amazing opportunity to be with her on her run! I am truly inspired by her commitment, positivity, determination and wonderful spirit!
 I would love to keep in touch! Please pass along my contact info if ok with you! I truly hope I have the opportunity to run with Ruth Anne again someday!! 🙏💕

She sent along these two photos:

 

We are still smiling and feeling the joy and love of the epic adventure of the Newburyport Half Marathon, Half Marathon #1 for Ruth Anne's Trilogy of Half Marathons. We have expanded our village to include people who exude love, joy, compassion, care and kindness; people who know the true meaning of service and what life is truly all about. There was an outpouring of love and donations from our Facebook village. Ruth Anne shared how Kristen was with her every step of the way helping her through a tough hill with coaching her on her breathing. She shared how much fun she made the race. She encouraged her to run ahead as they were coming near the end of the run suggesting she looked like she could have run faster. Ruth Anne let her know that she was not going to break the finisher's tape and it was runner's code that they stay together. She knew there was a finish line moment that she wanted to savor and relish with her Pacer Angel.

We went to sleep with hearts overflowing with gratitude for the blessings in our lives.

To donate to Ruth Anne's fundraiser, please follow this link. 

From my heart to yours,
In health and wellness,
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at https://marymcmanus.com to learn about my journey to health and wellness in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma

Visit the News and Events tab to listen to my inspiring and uplifting interviews

My books to motivate, uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon

The Last Time I Was in Newburyport

 

In early April of 2007, I received an email from Cheryl Richardson. "Are you an author? Do you want to get a book published? Then join me at the Newburyport Literary Festival April 27-29."

I had just given my notice to leave my award winning career as a VA social worker after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006 to heal my life. I subscribed to Cheryl Richardson's newsletter along with many other 'new age' teachers. What Divine Timing to receive an invitation to a Literary Festival where I could network and schmooze with New York Times Bestselling Authors and poets. My husband was all in with me to attend the Festival. 

The first evening of events included an interview with Peter Guralnick followed by a meet and greet with the authors. 

Peter Guralnick has been called “a national resource” by critic Nat Hentoff for work that has argued passionately and persuasively for the vitality of this country’s intertwined black and white musical traditions. His books include the prize-winning two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love. Of the first Bob Dylan wrote, “Elvis steps from the pages. You can feel him breathe. This book cancels out all others.” He won a Grammy for his liner notes for Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club and wrote and coproduced the documentary Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll as well as writing the scripts for the Grammy-winning documentary Sam Cooke/Legend and Martin Scorsese’s blues documentary Feel Like Going Home. He is a recent inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame. Other books include an acclaimed trilogy on American roots music, Sweet Soul Music, Lost Highway, and Feel Like Going Home; the biographical inquiry Searching for Robert Johnson; and the novel, Nighthawk Blues. His latest book, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke, has been hailed as “monumental, panoramic, an epic tale told against a backdrop of brilliant, shimmering music, intense personal melodrama, and vast social changes.”

I was standing in line at the bar behind the interviewer clutching my manuscript in a binder for "New World Greetings: Poetry and Musings for a New World." I bought a Jones New York Suit for the occasion; an outfit I would never wear at the VA. I briefly shared my journey with him and he said, "Oh you're channeling a book." I was stunned and delighted. He introduced me to Peter and suggested we chat about getting published. I took extensive notes. We attended several poetry readings and met the poets getting their books signed. 

I left invigorated and inspired knowing I was on the right path as I was getting ready to close the chapter on my career as a VA social worker and step out into a whole new world.

This Saturday we return to Newburyport. Ruth Anne is running the Half Marathon for Victory Programs, the first in a Trilogy of Half Marathons to raise money and awareness for the life saving work they do. I return as a 2009 Boston Marathon Finisher and a woman whose life has been transformed through the sport of running. I have gone the self-publishing route and published 5 books. In December, I will launch "Into the Light: Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic" on Dreamvisions 7 Radio Network with Deborah Beauvais, the host of Love by Intuition Show and the owner/creator of Dreamvisions 7 Radio Network. 

I've experienced so many wonderful adventures during these past 15 years. It's a thrill to return this weekend to the place where I received validation from the Universe for taking that leap of faith leaving behind an award winning social work career at the VA and, I might add, a steady paycheck. I had no idea what healing my life meant as I attended that authors' dinner nor did I have any idea that in addition to becoming a published author that I would be a motivational speaker spreading a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities. 

The last time I was in Newburyport, I wore a toe up leg brace and was about to embark on a journey of a lifetime. I am excited for what adventures await this race weekend.

From my heart to yours,
In health and wellness,
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at https://marymcmanus.com to learn about my journey to health and wellness in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma

Visit the News and Events tab to listen to my inspiring and uplifting interviews

My books to motivate, uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon

Into the Light: Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic

 

 

After every book I wrote, I felt as though I did not have another book to write...until... the next one!

After I wrote "Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic," I did not think I had another book to write until I started feeling the promptings of Spirit. I signed off of my blog Adventures of Runnergirl in October of 2020. I started this blog, "Hope is a Garden,": in April of 2021. The posts and poetry became the foundation for "Into the Light: Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic." On Wednesday, I designed the cover, submitted the manuscript to KDP, the self-publishing platform I use, and ordered the proof to begin the next editing phase. It's always a thrill to hit the 'submit' moving ever closer to publication.

Dedication and Acknowledgments:

 

“Into the Light: Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic” is lovingly dedicated to my husband Tom and our twins, Ruth Anne and Autumn. The tapestry of love woven tight in our family helped us to navigate the turbulent times of the pandemic meeting all challenges with humor, unconditional love, and maintaining our connection via the Signal app.

 

I want to acknowledge and thank:

 

My husband Tom for his constant support giving me the time and space for my creative process.

 

David R. Hamilton, Ph.D., and Bernie Siegel, MD, two wonderful teachers I have been blessed to know who have nurtured and supported my journey of healing and transformation. Their wisdom shined a guiding light as we navigated the uncharted waters of a post-pandemic world.

 

Our wonderful village with whom we share the miles on and off the roads. We support each other through the trials and celebrate resilience, strength and triumphs meeting life’s challenges together. 

 

Book Description:  

"As you begin reading “Into the Light: Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic” you will be drawn into Mary McManus’ unique perspective of experiencing a world pandemic as one who contracted paralytic polio in one of the last epidemics in the United States. Mary’s revelations about her struggles with whether or not to receive the vaccine despite sharing on the local news she planned to receive it after her husband received his, reveals Mary's tender heart and ability to be vulnerable. She shares how the pandemic unearthed traumatic memories from her tumultuous childhood after polio and will leave you asking the question, “How has Mary been able to live life with an attitude of gratitude, hope, optimism and faith after all the challenges she endured.” Mary’s poetry and essays chronicling 18 months of emerging from the 2020 pandemic is woven with her valiant and inspiring story of healing her life after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006."

 

About the Author: 

 

Mary McManus, motivational speaker,  author and poet, 2009 Boston Marathon finisher, polio and trauma survivor has a remarkable story of resilience, healing, hope and possibilities. Mary refused to take the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome sitting down. Her pen became her divining rod for healing harnessing the power of the mind/body connection through poetry. She embarked on a journey that took her from  leaving behind her award winning career as a VA social worker, to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon, and many adventures as a woman transformed through the sport of running.   

 

If you are thinking about writing a book and telling your story, may you be inspired by my books and this powerful quote from Maya Angelou:

From my heart to yours,
In health and wellness,
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at https://marymcmanus.com to learn about my journey to health and wellness in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma

Visit the News and Events tab to listen to my inspiring and uplifting interviews

My books to motivate, uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon

Faith is Like Wi-Fi

 

"I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened." - Mark Twain

Last week our internet went down. We saw an Xfinity truck parked outside of our home office. Tom told them our internet went down. "You shouldn't have any disruption to your service," they replied.

Tom hooked up his laptop to 5G on his phone and continued his work day until service returned.

I often remind Tom, Ruth Anne and myself to be mindful of staying on WiFi whenever possible for just these kinds of occasions. If the internet goes down, Tom has to go on 5G to get his remote work done as a Systems Engineer for Virginia Tech.

Last Friday the internet speed slowed to a crawl. Tom called Xfinity and asked if anything could be done. They offered us an increase in speed for $20 less than we are paying per month for the next two years. After the customer service rep made the change, the internet went down completely. Tom was on the phone for a half hour trying to trouble shoot what happened. "It must be your router and modem," she concluded. "Your equipment is too old to handle the traffic and the new speed. It's also not secure."

They were able to restart the internet. In the interim, we purchased a new router/modem at Best Buy. When he was unable to get the internet up and running with the new router, he called Xfinity. An hour later we still did not  have internet although we kept getting a message on our PC's that said, "Welcome to Xfinity. Here's how to download the app."

I downloaded the app while Tom was talking with a technician but when the app instructed me to "Click here to activate your internet," Tom told me to stop. He was concerned that we would be signing up for a new service that would incur more charges and enable us to access the internet from wherever we were. 

There were several technicians working on the issue, each one more senior than the one before. When nothing seemed to work, they scheduled a technician to come out concluding that there must be an issue with the cable coming to our house. That didn't make sense to either Tom or me but we didn't know what else to do. They also advised him to contact Motorola and see if perhaps there was an issue with the configuration of the router.

Tom was on hold for an hour. I told him that he needed to get a good night's sleep for his run on Saturday. He hated to leave the call because he needs the internet for work and was feeling panicky about what was happening. Because we did not have the internet and wanted to conserve our 5G  'just in case' we didn't have access to our nighttime guided meditation that streams from Dr. David Hamilton's website.

I felt the panic and thoughts of 'what if's.' I calmed my mind focusing on the outcome I wanted rather than my fears. Our cat Jamie was picking up on the anxious vibes and she kept jumping in and out of our bed throughout the night. I used the interruption in my sleep to meditate. "Click here to activate your internet" kept coming back to me and I just knew in every fiber of my being that we needed to download the app again and have it take us through the steps we needed to get on line.

After the alarm went off and we took time for a silent meditation to start the day, the feeling was even stronger to download the app. Tom told me that he asked one of the technicians if he should download the app and they told him not to bother since that was for trouble shooting. Okay....

I put my phone on 5G and downloaded the Xfinity app after a security verification.  The message on the screen said, "I see you have a new router. We'll have you up and running in no time." 

The artificial intelligence took us through the steps of setting up the router.  Tom used their prompts and shouted out loud, "I think this is going to work!" 

We had internet up and running before breakfast and cancelled the technician's visit.

I was so proud of myself for listening to the promptings of Spirit especially after we kept receiving the message on our laptops to download the app! I had to let go of all of my worries and fears in order to clear the channel to receive the solution to the problem. 

I realized that everything happened as it was supposed to. I learned a lot of soul lessons about patience, compassion, and kindness letting go of the urge to blame Tom for signing up for faster internet that led to the cascade of events. If only's never serve us - if only he let me sign on, if only the technicians suggested we sign on, if only we could have planned this out and averted a lot of stress.

As I've learned throughout these past 15 years of my healing journey, it is never the stress itself that causes 'problems' but rather how I respond to it. I was so grateful I could calm my thoughts and allow Spirit to guide me to an easy solution to getting our internet back on line. I was so grateful I could focus on gratitude knowing that this was a relatively minor problem that would get resolved one way or another. We would have everything we need.  I thought about all those who were experiencing devastation in the wake of Hurricane Ian and how we are so blessed to have our home, belongings and are safe on dry ground. I was also very compassionate with myself for having had my thoughts spin out of control given my history of trauma and celebrated being able to connect to Source to get reconnected to the internet. 

When we get still and have faith regardless of how circumstances may appear, we get connected to everything we need as the unseen reveals itself to us. We now have a much faster, more reliable and secure internet connection that will enable Tom to work from home more efficiently and have discovered that if we are experiencing any difficulties with our internet - there's an app for that!

From my heart to yours,
In health and wellness,
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at https://marymcmanus.com to learn about my journey to health and wellness in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma

Visit the News and Events tab to listen to my inspiring and uplifting interviews

My books to motivate, uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon