Sunday Funday Runday - A Celebration!

 

The weather on Saturday called for torrential downpours and strong winds. We swapped our run day to Sunday. The sun was shining brightly with a brilliant blue sky but the strong winds remained. When we got to the Reservoir there were white caps. 

 

 

We decided for an out and back along the Boston Marathon route on Beacon Street. Tom, Ruth Anne and I did our warm up together. I did a solid 5K with negative splits and they did a solid 10 and a half miles. They were planning on 10 miles but when they got to Hereford Street, they took a right turn and a left turn on Boylston Street to the finish line! 

Every April since 2009 when we ran the Boston Marathon, we celebrate that incredible journey we took from Hopkinton to Boylston Street on April 20th. Sunday was a perfect day to commemorate and celebrate the 14th anniversary of our Boston Marathon run.

When I got to Cleveland Circle, I took a photo of the iconic clock at Cleveland Circle when runners know it's almost a straight shot to the finish line. The Newton Hills are a distant memory and the glory of that finish line is all one can think about as the stretch of Beacon Street with throngs of spectators draws them to the finish line.

Once Ruth Anne texted me they were nearing Kenmore Square, I asked them to take photos with the Citgo Sign:

I still get goosebumps remembering how I felt coming up and over the bridge from Beacon Street to Commonwealth Avenue with the Citgo sign beckoning me ever closer to the finish line! 

Here are a few other photos from my run:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During lunch we all reminisced about our Boston Marathon run. I remembered what Dave McGillivray said about me when he wrote the book review for The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953:

A most unlikely runner stood to my right as I gave the oral command for the mobility impaired start of the 113th Boston Marathon on April 20, 2009. That most unlikely runner was Mary McManus. She overcame the childhood challenges of paralytic polio and years of childhood trauma to become a runner at the age of 53 years old and take on the challenge of the Boston Marathon at 55 years old. In “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” you’ll be inspired as I have been by her courage, resilience and determination to overcome whatever obstacles life put in her path. Mary’s life story set against the backdrop of running in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” will leave you asking the question, “If Mary was able to accomplish all that in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, what’s stopping me from being the best I can be?”

Sixteen years ago I received the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I was transformed through the sport of running. Instead of withering away in my later years, I am experiencing the potential for more and more life! 

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

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