It wasn’t the distance we trained for and it wasn't exactly the place
but Tom and I still had a wonderful celebratory race!
but Tom and I still had a wonderful celebratory race!
Last Friday, Tom and I took a drive to South Boston to scope out how the roads and sidewalks were after the Blizzard. We had first driven along Heartbreak Hill and the Carriage Road. There was a lot of snow, slush and ice with very narrow pavement on which to run. We knew there would be many runners training for Boston out on the Hills. Although there was some snow, slush and ice in Southie to navigate, there were clear open sidewalks. Since Hyannis Marathon Weekend was cancelled, Tom and I had our own celebration with a fabulous 5K in South Boston. Our joy, gratitude and reasons to celebrate could not be cancelled! As part of our mental training, I've shared how we visualized crossing the finish line in celebration of: Tom's 74th birthday on 3/2 and the 49th anniversary of when we met on a blind date, our 48th wedding anniversary on March 4th and 20 years of my healing after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006. Nothing could dampen the celebration,
Given the stress of the Blizzard of 2026 and needing to navigate around ice and snow, we opted for a celebratory 5K. Spectacular ocean views, sunshine, blue sky, comfortable temperatures despite a headwind going out and being together unplugged out in nature filled our hearts with gratitude.
When
we stopped to take our selfie, a woman with a beautiful golden
retriever asked us if she could take our photo. We initially declined
since she was walking her dog, but she insisted. Her dog obediently sat
when she told him, "sit." We love the photo she took and expressed our
heartfelt gratitude to her for her kindness.
We had so much fun pushing the pace while taking in the sights, scents and sounds of Nature as she gets ready for Spring in Boston. We reminisced, we laughed and at times got overwhelmed with emotion reflecting back on our life together. When we first met, Tom was working as a dishwasher to put himself through school. I worked as an administrative assistant. We had absolutely no support from our families of origin. For our Anniversary this year, I told Tom I would like a new Farberware pot and tea kettle. During our run I shared with Tom that when we first met we didn't have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of. Now we have a new pot and an amazing home in Brookline that is almost paid for. We reminisced about jobs we had, places we lived (which incidentally have been within a 5 mile radius of our first apartment) and how frightening and devastating the Post-Polio Syndrome diagnosis had been. Every chance I get, I let Tom know how deeply grateful I am that he said it was a no brainer for me to take a leap of faith and leave behind a regular paycheck and benefits so I could heal. We remembered the white knuckle moments of financial stress and strain not only with my diagnosis but when he had gotten laid off from a tech company the day before he had surgery for bladder cancer. We got in touch with how blessed we are and how our strength, resilience, determination, sense of humor, and our love for one another always got us through the challenges.
The miles seemed to fly by especially since we were well trained for a 10K distance. For someone who was supposed to be in a wheelchair, I ran pretty fast. As we approached the 'finish line' at our car, we joined hands and raised our hands high feeling unbridled joy and exhilaration. I had often shared with Tom that I imagined Race Director Paulie Collyer and Bill Rodgers holding the finisher's tape in Hyannis as we crossed the finish line since, in all likelihood, I'd be the first 72 year old mobility impaired runner to cross the finish line. I felt as though I broke the finisher's tape on Saturday's run.
On the car ride to Stoked Pizzeria for post-race fueling, I looked up the Age Grading for our time. My Age-graded pace was a14:40 min/mile and that includes having to navigate
slush, snow and ice on the sidewalk. After a delicious white veggie pizza, we came home and rested until it was time to get ready to go to Legal Sea Foods for a celebratory dinner.
I was so ready for a Sunday rest day but on Monday it was back to before breakfast strength training.
What a great way to celebrate Tom's birthday and the 49th anniversary of when we met. We cranked up the playlist as we amped up the strength training now that our training cycle is over! Tom took the day off from work. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and time just hanging out together. We returned to Legal Sea Foods for a birthiversary (Tom''s birthday and the anniversary of when we met) lunch. Amy, the manager, who had seen us on Saturday commented that we were back so soon. We told her what we were celebrating. She wanted to give us a complimentary dessert but since Tom and I are mindful about our sugar intake, and we did indulge in New York Cheesecake on Saturday night, we declined. I told her that Tom was having an Americano for dessert and she said she would be happy to take that off our bill. It was a perfect ending to our training cycle and celebratory weekend.
On March 4th, we crossed the starting line of a new year of our life together. We have a New York City adventure planned in April to see Hamilton. I've been wanting to go to the West Bank Cafe which Tom D'Angora, a Facebook friend, Fanilow and incredible human now owns. I'll be crossing that off of my bucket list. We will continue to maintain our health and fitness schedule while giving ourselves time to recover from a rigorous and challenging training cycle through a brutal winter. We feel incredibly accomplished, grateful for all our bodies gave us and all we gave to our bodies throughout our training. I'm relishing in the after glow of breaking the finisher's tape celebrating 20 years of healing and a life created with my bestie and soul mate.
I run with courage and heart glistening with grace
and after twenty years I am still running my own race.
and after twenty years I am still running my own race.
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.
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.
