It's Taper Time: Hopes and Dreams!

The proverbial hay is in the barn. It's now taper time as Tom and I get ready to head to Hyannis Marathon Weekend in just two weeks! This past week I've been reflecting on the theme of hopes and dreams. When I first took a leap of faith, leaving behind my award-winning social work career to heal my life after the life changing diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, I imagined a life where I shared my inspirational poetry and my life's journey of having overcome challenges since I was only 5 and a half years old. I didn't realize at first, that the poem, "Running the Race" had foreshadowed the dream of my running the 2009 Boston Marathon! The runner within me was born in my imagination.

 

I've dared to dream time and time again during these past 20 years with my most recent dream of returning to run the Hyannis 10K; a race I last ran in 2016. It's time for mental training and pumping myself up with inspirational quotes, reminding myself of the improbable dreams I've already achieved and the resounding success of this training cycle.

 

 

On Saturday, Tom and I woke up to a wintry mix and unplowed streets. Mother Nature was letting us know that we needed to do a strength training day in lieu of a shakeout run. We were so happy we did our last long run on Thursday I am hoping that the weather gods hear my plea for better weather as we head towards Race Weekend. We've had an amazing training cycle that's been more than the miles and more than the goal. I've grown and healed in many ways training in a way I had not trained since the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon.

In addition to the wintry mix, I also woke up to a very tight IT band after all the cold weather miles and two long runs in a week. I was grateful for the strength training workout. I broke out my massage roller that I hadn't used in years, used conscious movement to not habituate movement to the discomfort of the tight IT band and reminded myself of the body's tremendous capacity to heal when given the right environment. Tom and I agreed that we are well trained and ready to embrace taper time! We enjoyed almost an hour of stretching, strength training and our "On the Road To" playlist.

 

We continued with our pre-breakfast Monday morning strength training routine. 

 Tom and I feel an incredible sense of accomplishment celebrating an amazing training cycle. We have trained through every kind of weather. These last few weeks have really tested our mettle with the cold, snow and ice. We are proud of every step and every mile we have taken toward our goal. Our strength training session this morning included a lot of stretching and foam rolling but still kept the intensity and joy celebrating aging strong. We worked out with mindfulness and gratitude for all our bodies give us knowing these next few weeks of rest are just what we need to prepare mind and body for an amazing race day experience.

 

It felt a bit strange to have a Tuesday rest day scheduled especially with a beautiful weather day.

This training cycle has flown by. Tom and I were very diligent about rest days during our training cycle and, now that we are in taper time, are even more mindful about rest and recovery. There is always a tendency to "top off the training" or even stick to the previous training schedule. To have the best race day, taking that victory lap for all of our hard-earned work, we are taking extra rest days and tapering our miles. As a recovering Type A personality having overcome the challenges of polio and Post-Polio Syndrome, rest days can be challenging, but the benefits of this taper time far outweigh any additional training. It's also a great time to amp up my mental training, kicking those old beliefs to the curb and savoring the anticipation of race weekend. My mindset is to enjoy having this extra time to take exquisite care of myself with meditation, stretching and foam rolling, reading, listening to podcasts that make me smile and have uplifting content, and spending relaxing time with Tom. I'll also be getting ready for the Expo and Race Weekend. Taper time is touted for its benefits of:

-Re-energize before race day

-Won't see benefits from additional training
-Repair muscle damage
-Avoid fatigue

I look forward to experiencing all of these benefits during the next two weeks. 

 

I did not sleep well Wednesday night despite my best efforts at meditation. Even the most positive and enthusiastic humans get weighed down by events at times.  I felt tired on Thursday morning and debated for a NY minute about whether or not to forego Thursday's easy 2 miler. I did a half hour meditation before Tom and I were going to head out for our runchie reminding myself that the cold fresh air and sunshine would be far more beneficial than curling up in bed. We fueled and hydrated and once more put on our layers. There was a cold headwind that greeted us on our way to the Reservoir. It was exhilarating and invigorating whisking away the heaviness of all that has been going on with recent events. I was delighted that my right leg had loosened up with all of the stretching, foam rolling and rest. It was a beautiful winter's day with bright sunshine and a bluebird sky. The wind died down and I was sweating at the end of our run. I felt cleansed and refreshed.

 

As Tom and I wrap up a week of taper time and get ready to head to Hyannis in two weeks, I leave you with a few more inspirational quotes about hopes and dreams:

 

l am so excited to embrace this time of anticipation {and rest}. My hopes and dreams of once again experiencing the Hyannis Marathon Weekend and running the 10K are about to manifest in just two weeks. I'm ready!

 

I hope to see many of you at the Expo where I'll be sharing my incredibly inspiring journey as a most unlikely runner and will have my books for sale.  Here is the link to register and to the event website  Bill Rodgers returns as the special guest for Race Weekend. 

 

See you in Hyannis!

 

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.