At the age of 5 1/2, I encountered the difficult road of contracting paralytic polio. I was blessed with a gifted physical therapist, Miss Holly and a physiatrist, Dr. Eugene Moskowitz who specialized in treating the after effects of polio. My childhood and adolescence was fraught with challenges beyond recovering from polio but there were always earth angels at the ready to support and encourage me.
At the age of 53, at the height of my award-winning social work career at the Boston VA Outpatient Clinic, I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. 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 was just 3 years shy of when I was eligible to retire and had my retirement plans all in place...or so I thought. My destiny was waiting for me as a most unlikely runner, poet, author and motivational speaker.
Saturday morning 7am:
Me: {still in bed after meditation} Tom can you check the weather please?
Tom: Sure. It says it's snowing and will be stopping in 45 minutes.
Me: Oh well. That's okay. I remember when it snowed a few times when we ran Hyannis.
Tom: Let me look out the window and see how everything looks....It's not snowing! There's no snow on the ground.
And so began the day for our fantastic 5 miler to start another week of training on the Road to Hyannis.
We did a 2 1/2 mile out and back route from our house breathing in the clean crisp air and savoring the sights of nature. Tom and I agreed that these times unplugged out in Nature are a sanity saver these days. With all that is going on in our country and the world, and a stress-filled week for Tom at work, running is the gift that keeps on giving for physical and emotional well-being.
It's a gift that I am deeply grateful for knowing that if I would have succumbed to the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome 20 years ago, my life would look drastically different today. I'm not even sure if I would have been alive today given Western Medicine's view that Post-Polio Syndrome is a progressive neuromuscular disease. Jean Baker Miller,MD with whom I worked as a social worker at Charles River Hospital, suffered for years with debilitating symptoms and died from complications of Post-Polio Syndrome.
This training cycle has been filled with the kind of joy that comes with challenging oneself experiencing discomfort and pushing limits.
On Sunday, as my social media news feed filled with photos and videos from Bermuda Triangle Challenge Weekend, I reflected on another difficult road that led to an astonishingly beautiful destination.
In December of 2014, I suffered a serious left knee injury. My left leg was affected more by the polio virus than my right leg. When I went for the MRI, it showed an atrophied gastroc muscle, torn cartilage, degenerative changes from osteoarthritis and changes from when I had reconstructive leg surgery. There were bone spurs and a fatty lipoma. As the physiatrist shared the results with me, he noted there was nothing we could do about the atrophied gastroc muscle, a result of polio. Arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn cartilage was not an option. I should have never started running in the first place as a polio survivor, and should stop running or cap my distance at a 5K. I'd need a total knee replacement in a few years.
In February of 2015, I was blessed to meet Ryan J. Means, a chiropractor healer who believed, as I did in the body's tremendous capacity to heal. We partnered together using chiropractic, a new strength training regimen and, as I had done after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, harnessed the power of the mind/body connection using visualization.
These photos are from the Bermuda Triangle Challenge Weekend Half Marathon in January of 2016 and the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K in February of 2016. Six weeks from today, Tom McManus and I once again toe the starting line of the 2026 Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K!
Another snowstorm came through the area on Sunday. Tom and I were so grateful that Monday was an indoor workout day and the holiday that commemorates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. My heart was warmed by how quotes and dedicating our lives to honor his legacy filled my news feed throughout the day. Tom and I started the new day and a new week with a 45 minute rigorous strength training session. I was inspired by this quote:
Before the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, as I experienced debilitating symptoms of chronic pain, fatigue, the limp from polio returned, difficulty swallowing and breathing, my zest and enthusiasm for life began to wane. In February of 2007, I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul. I imagined a future very different than the one Western Medicine predicted for me of expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged, and prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair! I saw life through the lens of the words that were pouring forth from my heart and soul. My pen lit the spark within me that was dimmed but could never be snuffed out.
Black ice lined the street on Tuesday morning. Tom and I opted for a 2nd day of before breakfast strength training. We got ourselves pumped up with our playlist and feeling incredibly excited to return to our favorite race weekend of the year. This quote from Amby Burfoot was a great reminder that our training is more than the miles and more than crossing that finish line, although we are psyched for the bling!
Tom and I usually do an easy 2-3 mile shakeout run on Thursday to wrap up our week of training but, given the weather forecast, we decided to do Saturday's 5K today. We were grateful there was only a 5K on the training plan this week so we could fit it into Tom's work day. The day warmed up quickly and we could easily navigate around slush and ice. We did an out and back route down Beacon Street after taking back roads to the Reservoir. It was inspiring to see the grey sky transform into a sky with blue streaks.
I am so grateful for all my body gives me with every run and workout remembering how, in December of 2006 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! Talk about a plot twist; how a difficult road led me to this beautiful destination of the sport of running being out in Nature living life to the full with my bestie.
That's a wrap on another week of training for Hyannis. We got in solid 5 mile and 5K training runs working around what Mother Nature decided to do with the weather. Strength training is always a great option to complement our running. Taking a bye day is always an option but Tom and I will do whatever we can to stick to our only rest days on Wednesday and Sunday. Five weeks from today, Tom and I pack up and head to Hyannis. I will be at the Expo on Saturday inspiring runners and doing a book signing. Dinner reservations are secured at Colombo's, our favorite Hyannis restaurant, and we have our room reserved at the host hotel, The Cape Cod Irish Village at the Emerald Resort and Conference Center. It's almost go time!
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.
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.
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