Hard Days Are The Best!

Given the intensity of our training cycle for the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K and leaving nothing out on the roads for Saturday's 5K, it might have made sense to take a rest day on Tuesday. There was still a lot of tightness in my right IT band and my right knee was still cranky. I'd underestimated how cold it would be despite the comparatively 'warmer' temperatures. By comparison, I am comparing temperatures in the "feels like...7 degrees" to 32 degrees at lunch time on Tuesday. I opted for my light weight running pants because, after all, the calendar said it was March. But the wind was coming off of the still piled high snow mounds and navigating around slush and ice made it feel like a mid-winter run. After a few steps, I could have easily turned around and said, "not today." Instead, I told Tom I needed to stop and stretch. I shared how I was still sore from the training cycle and Saturday's 'race' yet so unbelievably grateful for all my body has given me. In an odd sort of way, I loved the discomfort and embraced the cold headwind.

After I stretched, I did what we do on the roads or in life when the going gets tough; put one foot in front of the other digging deep to find the joy and exhilaration that is beyond the edge of the comfort zone. As we continued, Tom asked me if I needed to stop again to stretch. "No. I'm good," I replied. "I can't feel my legs!" There was a benefit to not wearing my warmer running pants. I felt incredibly bada** toughing out those miles and so grateful for a warm home and a delicious lunch to refuel.

 When I was first diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I was cautioned against going out in Winter. If I did, I should go only a short distance from my house or other destination to/from my car and use a cane with an ice gripper. If I would have listened to Western Medicine, I would have missed out on so much of life. Moving through discomfort and being out in the elements, especially unplugged with my bestie, is a gift that I never take for granted. There is still a part of me that is both defying the diagnosis and prognosis, and celebrating the miracle of healing and transformation. 

Whenever I take on a new challenge, I have no idea how my body will respond despite my best intentions and all I do to ensure a successful outcome. I continue to feel incredibly grateful for this training cycle and also grateful that I can now take time to recover.

On Saturday, even though there was a warming trend, Tom and I opted for our warm running pants, gloves and hats. It was a foggy, misting day that made for mystical magical miles. We took it nice and easy especially since we had to navigate around slush and ice and were grateful for patches of dry ground.

After last Tuesday's incredibly challenging run, we felt the joy return with Saturday's miles. We opted for a different route going from Cleveland Circle around the Reservoir following Beacon Street outbound. Gratitude continues to overflow from my heart as I can feel that every day in every way my body is recovering from the training cycle. I am deeply grateful for how Tom and I challenged ourselves and am in awe of how resilient we are on and off the roads. Every day we spend together is a gift and every day we unplug and get out in nature getting in the miles is a blessing.

I need to be exquisitely patient and not rush out to increase miles or set new goals. I don't usually talk about the challenges I experience given the once devastating effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma because I prefer to focus on healing, health and wellness. I do experience intermittent nerve pain, ongoing tightness in my right leg that I know will resolve once I continue with decreased mileage and warmer weather, and still have residuals from the adverse effects I experienced after the 2nd COVID vaccine in 2021. But nothing stops me from seeing how far I can go - like 7.2 miles to celebrate my 72nd birthday last December. Let me add that the symptoms are totally manageable with mindfulness, visualization harnessing the power of the mind/body connection, conscious movement and meditation. I adjust and adapt being a keen listener to what my body needs at any given time striking a balance between recovery and how I choose to challenge myself. I am careful to ensure that I take my afternoon meditation/rest time. There are some days when I need to extend the time and other days when a shorter recharge works; kind of like my phone. If the battery is drained, it takes longer to recharge it. I trust my body's ability to heal and recover using all the wisdom I garnered and continue to garner on this amazing journey.

There was a great article written by Dr. David R. Hamilton in his recent Better You, Backed by Science newsletter. It's a FREE weekly newsletter that uses science to inspire us on the road to us becoming our best selves. Here is the link to his article, "Why Harder Can Feel Better."

Aslan is on the move as they say. The snow is melting and Spring is on the way. I'm so excited to enjoy easier miles and the beautiful anticipation of a New England Springtime while relishing the incredible sense of accomplishment I feel for all those hard days Tom and I put in while we trained for Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K. I'm still in awe of my journey during these past 20 years since that once devastating diagnosis when I've been blessed to heal and transform from atrophy to astonishing. 

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.