As a recovering Type A personality, taking an extra rest day last week was extraordinarily challenging yet equally as necessary!
A week ago Tuesday, I was on the struggle bus. I was not prepared for how cold it was. I was under dressed and not mentally prepared for the still cold weather here in Boston. As I got ready for our 'runchie' on Tuesday, I thought I wouldn't be fooled twice. It was a gorgeous day and temperatures were in the 70's! I over dressed. We did pass through some micro-climates where there were still snow banks. Tom and I breathed deeply, listened to the bird songs, soaked up the sunshine and were delighted that we could go around the Reservoir path again. It felt good to sweat!
Despite a gorgeous day, I felt fatigued. My right knee and IT band were still cranky! Despite doing all of my stretching, visualizations, afternoon meditations and conscious movement, my body had not yet recovered from our phenomenal 8 month training cycle and our fantastic 5K race where I pushed the pace in the warmer yet still cold temperatures.
During our quiet time on Tuesday evening, as we expressed our gratitudes for the day and set forth our prayers, I suggested to Tom that we take an extra rest day on Thursday. I could feel that my body needed more time to recover. I could almost feel my body letting out a sigh of gratitude. Throughout our entire training cycle, we never took an extra rest day. On Friday, I loved the synchronicity of Scott Browning's, "Friday Finish Line" post on LinkedIn that validated everything I was feeling after setting and achieving a big goal for me.
"After a big goal, resist the urge to rush into the next one. Satisfaction deserves a little space.
Endurance isn’t only persistence. It’s knowing when to let the moment breathe. Recovery requires patience. Bodies rarely rebound on command.
The quiet days between big efforts are part of the work.
Celebrate the person who finished, not just the finish line."
"We must learn to live in the present moment, to celebrate the small joys, and to be grateful for life as it is.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
Why did I struggle with taking the extra rest day on Thursday? I was told at the Post-Polio Clinic in December of 2006, that if I used it I would lose it. I was at risk for injuries and falls. I was warned that going out in Winter was particularly hazardous for a polio survivor. And, as I mentioned earlier, I did tend to be a Type A personality which served me well surviving childhood trauma and overcoming polio, but is no longer adaptive. So while there were the echoes of what I'd been told at the Post-Polio Clinic, what spoke louder to me were the words of my beloved physiatrist who cared for me after I contracted polio, when he wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times to address the whole question of Post-Polio Syndrome:
Caution and Hope On Polio 'Signs'
Published: March 3, 1985
I read with interest the article entitled ''A Group for Polio Survivors Who Have New Symptoms'' (Feb. 10).
Having supervised the rehabilitation of poliomyelitis patients at Grasslands Hospital during the epidemics of the 50's and 60's, probably including the ''then'' infants mentioned in the article, I would like to add a word of caution and even hope as an afterthought. Firstly, there is no reason to suspect deterioration in the nerve cells in the spinal cord. After 30 years, one must accept some loss of endurance, increased fatigue and even some discomfort induced by other unrelated medical problems. This is true in the athlete with repeated injuries, in the obese person with back problems and even in the jogger with foot ailments.
Any individual with paralytic disability in an extremity will experience the normal process of ''wear and tear'' except that it may be more difficult to adjust to it. Just as one learned to compensate for the initial impairment so must one adjust to the later, more subtle changes rather than develop an emotional hang up of being a ''polio victim.'' ~EUGENE MOSKOWITZ, M.D. Mount Vernon
I had not experienced a training cycle like the one Tom and I just finished since I trained for the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon. Let's face it, I'm a bit older now. The weather conditions were incredibly challenging. As I reviewed our last week of training, I realized that I'd done a 4 miler on Saturday followed by a 4 miler on Thursday. Those back to back runs in bitter cold navigating around snow and ice took quite a toll. Taper time was a God send. I thoroughly enjoyed our 5K 'race' where I broke the finisher's tape.
By Friday I felt fully recovered. The pain had almost completely resolved and fatigue had resolved. We enjoyed celebrating the anniversary of Jack Fultz's 50th Anniversary of his famous Run for the Hoses Boston Marathon run. It was the fitting Finale of 5 celebrations along the Boston Marathon route culminating at Cityside in Cleveland Circle. I was so grateful that I'd taken the extra rest day so I could thoroughly enjoy the evening hearing Jack reminisce about his journey and sharing my joyful journey with others.
By Saturday, I was ready and eager to get in a few miles. Although they say March comes in like a lion, she really roared with Saturday's 40 mph winds! Tom commented that he was amazed to see me take on the headwind with such strength and determination. I really should have eased back on pushing my pace given the conditions.
As I write this on Sunday afternoon, I realize that I need to adjust our training plan for the week, incorporating an extra rest day again with an extra strength training session. I have total faith in my body's tremendous capacity to continue to heal and recover from that grueling training cycle. I emerge from that training cycle stronger and wiser having more confidence in what my body can still do. Yet I am also mindful of what I need to do to ensure that I remain injury free, and continue to enjoy my runs and my life. I have made a profound shift in finding balance (which by the way is one of my words for 2026) between challenging myself and giving myself the time and space I need to recover. I do so not out of fear or bowing to what the Post-Polio Clinic told me, but listening to the common sense advice from Scott Browning, Dr. Moskowitz and most important of all, listening to my body from a place of love and self-care.
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.
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