So Much Gratitude Fills My Heart...

 

By nature, every training cycle is different. I can't help but compare this training cycle on the road to the 2026 Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K with the training cycle for the 2024 Bermuda Marathon Weekend 10K. One of the striking differences between the two is that I am not training for a specific time limit of the race. As a polio survivor who was then diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, there was this subconscious force driving my training where I was testing my body rather than training my body. Having dropped to the ground in kindergarten class in June 1959, there was a lifelong fear of my body giving out without warning. Fortunately, my body did give out at the 2017 Bermuda Half Marathon and I hobbled to the finish line supported by Tom and an earth angel we had met at mile 12.

I had the epiphany that I had been testing not training during last Saturday's fabulous 4.1 miler along the Harbor in South Boston. It was a beautiful summer's day but the heat and humidity were still high despite an early start. We were grateful for the cloud cover but I started to 'melt' once the sun came out. 

     

I took several water stops and fueled a bit more given the heat and humidity especially as the sun broke the clouds. When I was training for Bermuda, needing to honor my body in this way would have led to serious doubts about whether or not I was going to be able to finish in under 2.5 hours. I know that those doubts and not allowing myself to experience training rather than testing runs contributed to my DNF in Bermuda. On May 4th of last year, as in May the Fourth be with you, I went out and conquered the 10K distance again and under 2.5 hours I'd like to add. A funny story about how we ended up going 4.1 miles instead of 4 miles. After a water stop, I forgot to restart my Garmin. Somehow, Tom and I both thought that we needed to go to 2 miles as it registered on my Garmin before turning around on our out and back run. The only thing that stopped was the time, not the distance. File that under #dothemath which we can never seem to accurately do when we are out on a run. We had a good laugh about it.

 

Gratitude became a theme for this week's training runs and strength training workout. I often post the hashtags Every step is a gift! Every mile is a blessing! This week I felt it in every step and every mile. After Saturday's run, Tom and I sat on the beach refueling with fruit, water and pretzels before heading home for lunch. I was grateful for life's simple pleasures and the incredibly big pleasure of the gift of running in my life with my partner of almost 50 years.

 

Monday morning was another sultry and steamy day in Boston. We really enjoy our early morning runs and workouts getting up at 6am on Monday and Thursdays for runs and 6:30 on Tuesdays for before breakfast strength training workouts.

 

 

With all the rain we've had this summer, it was a joy to savor the greens, blues and colors of the wildflowers. Tom and I begin and end every day with gratitude; being out on an early morning run makes it easy to declare what we are grateful for. One thing I was grateful for was walking into an air conditioned home as  the sweat continued to trickle down the small of my back after our run. I almost forgot to mention that, for some reason, at the end of Monday's run, I felt inspired to sprint to the 'finish.' It's so much fun to visualize what that moment will feel like again to cross the finish line of an in-person race. Tom and I joined hands and then raised our arms high saying out loud what the Race Director will say when we come into the finisher's chute celebrating the Hyannis 10K ten years later. I wasn't testing myself to see what my body could do. I felt the unbridled joy of being free in my body training for another 10K using the power of my imagination to fuel the journey. 

We wrapped up this week's training by going to the Route 9 Reservoir both to change up the scenery and because there would be hills involved.

 

It was a mysterious morning with the sun occasionally breaking through the quickly moving clouds but disappearing again just as quickly. Don't let the flat trail around the Reservoir deceive you. There is a hill from our house to the Reservoir and a v-e-r-y long uphill coming back from the Reservoir. Despite the long uphill coming back, we had a negative split with the second mile.

 

When I wrote "Running the Race" I was sitting in a toe-up leg brace, using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility. I'd been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. Yet I felt grateful and imagined myself winning a 10K race never having run a day in my life. The runner within me was born in my imagination; "Running the Race" foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run! Follow this link for the full text of the poem.

 

Now, 18 and a half years after receiving that diagnosis of a progressive neuromuscular disease, so much gratitude fills my heart for my life's journey that continues to call me up to amazing adventures.

  

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my 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.

My books share a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities; what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary and are available on Bookshop  My 6th book, "Into the Light:Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic" and my 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" are selections of the WBZ News Radio Book Club. "Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is also a selection Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reads for Every Runner. Visit my Author Page on Amazon for rave reviews.

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Global Running Day!

 

I could fill an entire blog post with running quotes that express my sentiments about a sport that I discovered at the age of 53. Instead, I will share how I celebrated Global Running Day 2025 and take a look back at the highlights of my running career. I got up at 6:30am since the forecast called for heat and humidity in the afternoon. Wednesdays are usually my rest day but I cannot pass up getting in magical morning miles before breakfast to celebrate Global Running Day.

As we approach the summer solstice, the verdant green colors of trees and grass, and vibrant color of the wildflowers are a feast for the eyes. The still waters of the Reservoir, home to ducks and geese, settle my soul into a peaceful rhythm as I run. 

As a child, I never knew the freedom and joy of playing outside. Contracting paralytic polio at age 5, followed by enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members severely limited me. BUT as Tony Robbins said, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood."  With every run, no matter if I'm on the struggle bus or not, there is a place within me fueled by gratitude and joy that I have the ability to move outside.

 I captured the joy of my first race in "Celebrating My Race-iversary." The 2nd road race I ran was the Marathon Sports 5 Miler. It was an evening race. It was hot and we got lost on the way to the start. It was a fast field and I had a lot of "polio" memories surface. Tom would not let me quit. I knew that if I did not make it to that finish line, I would not make it to the start of the Boston Marathon. When I came into the finish, the Marathon Sports staff blew the air horn as though I had broken the finisher's tape.  

The Tufts 10K in October was a celebration of women running. It was my first 10K race that gave me confidence as a new runner. In February of 2009, I had a pinnacle experience meeting Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter and having them welcome me into the fold. I ran my first Half Marathon race and met members of the L Street and Merrimack Valley Striders Club who became like family.

  

My Boston Marathon run is beautifully captured in this piece from Channel 7 News:
 

 

I took some time off to recover from Boston and was back on the roads in June of 2010. I decided to do 5K's and experience the exhilaration and joy of being a part of this community where taunts and jeers that I'd known as a child were transformed into celebrations and cheers!

 

In 2011, my nephew died by suicide. I was devastated. At a time when I should have continued running and allowed myself to be surrounded by the love of running family, I stopped running. You don't know what you don't know! But in 2013, I was at the Mandarin Hotel to celebrate Marathon Monday with the Spaulding Rehab team. Fortunately we evacuated safely but it was a wake up call for me to get back to the sport I loved. In December of 2014, I blew out my left knee but, long story short, I got back on the roads and ran Bermuda Half Marathons 2016, 2017 and 2018 with the Hyannis 10K in 2016.

The medical community said I should  prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years after that knee injury and cap my distance at a 5K. The Universe and I had other plans as I partnered with a chiropractor and doubled down on my mind/body healing.

 

Let's fast forward to today. I am training for the 2026 Hyannis 10K and plan to get back to the Half Marathon Distance next Spring. Every day is a celebration of life for me as my heart overflows with gratitude for the gifts and treasures that running has brought into my life.

 

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my 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.

My books share a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities; what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary and are available on Bookshop  My 6th book, "Into the Light:Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic" and my 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" are selections of the WBZ News Radio Book Club. "Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is also a selection Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reads for Every Runner. Visit my Author Page on Amazon for rave reviews.

 

 

 

Believe It! Achieve It! The Value in Setting Goals!

 

My initial goal for this year was to get up to the half marathon distance again. I scaled the goal back to running an in-person 10K at the Hyannis Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K Weekend as I wrote about in "Let The New Training Cycle Begin! - You're Never Too Old!" At the end of my conversation with Bill Burke on The Optimism Institute's Blue Sky podcast, that we recorded in January and dropped this past Wednesday, I shared that my next goal is to get to the half marathon distance again. After listening to our conversation, I whipped out my planner. I can get to 10 miles by the end of the year pacing myself to avoid injury and maximizing my joy. I'll be on a similar training cycle to those taking on the Boston Marathon next year. After I reach double digits again, I'll scale back and focus on training for the Hyannis 10K. After the 10K, I'll take a bit of time to recover and build my mileage back up to 13.1.

In 2021/2022, I had an adverse reaction to the COVID vaccine. It happens! But I told myself that I had not gone that far to only go that far. I set out to conquer the Bermuda Hills in January 2024 during Bermuda Marathon Race Weekend at the age of 70.  I had contracted COVID in December of 2023 and was a DNF. On May 4th I conquered the 10K distance with a Gone for a Run Virtual 10K. I've been enjoying seeing what this body can do with pace and kicking up my distance to 3.5 miles to begin building my base. I am registered for the Hyannis 10K knowing I can go that distance. But why stop there?

As I wrote out my training plan, I felt this sense of joy and determination flood through me. I certainly have nothing to prove at this point in my life. On Christmas Day I will turn 72 years old. I feel a powerful need to keep moving forward and to test the limits of what my body is capable of. I certainly know the power of the mind/body connection; the power of belief in my ability to meet these goals. I embrace the joy of visualizing only success as I build mileage; slow and steady with the emphasis on steady.

What fuels my belief that I can go the distance of a half marathon again? I flash back to January 2016. In December of 2014 I sustained a serious left knee injury. The MRI indicated that I had torn cartilage, bone spurs, a fatty lipoma, degenerative joint disease and scar tissue from previous surgeries. The physiatrist told me that repairing the torn meniscus would provide no benefit. "Oh and that atrophied gastroc muscle? That's been there since polio. There's nothing we can do about that and is part of the reason why your knee is injured and you should stop running." I should prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. In the meantime, I should stop running (which he knew I would not do) or cap my distance at a 5K. He gave me a referral to a physical therapist. I've always had positive experiences with physical therapists but the Universe had other plans for me. The physical therapist I saw was the worst provider I had ever known BUT I was magically led to a chiropractor who believed in the body's tremendous capacity to heal. While he was in chiropractic training, he was fortunate to have learned from Candace Pert, explorer of the brain, body/mind and beyond. He was a personal trainer as well as a chiropractor healer. He told me I just HAD to read Dr. Joe Dispenza's book, "You Are the Placebo" and watch the movie, "What the bleep do we know..." 

We partnered together to get me back on the roads, heal my left knee with chiropractic, a revamped strength training program and harnessing the mind/body connection through visualization with a practice deeper than I had done before. We grew a new gastroc muscle using KT tape and gastroc strengthening exercises. I went on to run Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with the 2016 Hyannis 10K thrown in after I'd run the Bermuda Half in January.

Just look at the joy on my face at the Hyannis 10K Finish Line:

As I write this, I feel that joy stirring in my soul feeling overwhelming gratitude for all that my body has given me through these 18 years since the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. I am up for the challenge. I've learned that if I am going to do any races, there can't be the pressure of having to finish within a certain time.  I'm doing a 2.5 mile fitness walk at the ALS Squirrel Run, volunteering at the BAA 10K and then focusing my energies on executing my training plan. I don't have to be support crew for Ruth Anne who successfully ran the 2025 Boston Marathon. I've honed in on what I need for good self-care after supporting Ruth Anne through her appointments this past year for Functional Neurological Disorder. 

It's new for me to put myself and my priorities first but I know that at this time in my journey, it is vital. And therein lies the value of setting goals. It's for my well-being mind, body and soul. My passion and purpose in my second act is to share a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities. My plan is to continue to fuel my belief with memories of all that I have already achieved imagining how all this will feel as it unfolds believing and achieving going the distance of a half marathon for this most unlikely runner. Let's see what this body can do!

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my 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.

My books share a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities; what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary and are available on Bookshop  My 6th book, "Into the Light:Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic" and my 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" are selections of the WBZ News Radio Book Club. "Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is also a selection Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reads for Every Runner. Visit my Author Page on Amazon for rave reviews. 

 

Twenty Years From Now...

 

Happy leap of faith-iversary to me. It's been almost 20 years since I took a leap of faith throwing off the bowlines and sailing away from the safe harbor of an award-winning career as a social worker at the VA. In December of 2006 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, expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged.                                         

       

I refused to take the diagnosis sitting down. In February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance.  I wrote the poem, "Running the Race". You can read the full text and back story on my website. 

Why was I writing a poem about running the race when I was using a toe-up leg brace and a cane and, at times, a wheelchair for mobility? How could I possibly be seeing me winning a 10K race in my mind's eye? Poetry poured out of me as though a spigot were turned on in my soul. My imagination got fired up and stoked the fires of healing by harnessing the power of the mind/body  connection. I intuitively knew that I was at a crossroads in my life but, given the dire prognosis, what lay ahead on my journey? I discovered joy when I wrote poetry. I literally felt no pain when I went into an altered state, connecting with Source imagining a future where I ran free, felt whole and healed in mind, body and soul. My pen became my divining rod for healing, healing the once devastating effects of childhood paralytic polio followed by enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members.

Initially it took everything I had within me to not succumb to the diagnosis. Moving from a completely debilitated state, getting past the inertia of a sedentary lifestyle and adjusting to an early retirement was not for the faint of heart. I had also left behind a steady paycheck and benefits. I'd worked my entire life starting at the age of 14. But the Universe conspired with me to lead me on the path I was destined for.

Since taking that leap of faith I have:
Finished the 2009 Boston Marathon
Run 3 Bermuda Marathon Weekend Half Marathons and many 5 and 10K races
Wowed audiences as a motivational speaker sharing my message of healing, hope and possibilities including sharing the stage with Bill Rodgers at the 2020 Hyannis Marathon Weekend pre-race pasta dinner and being a panelist at the 2020 Boston Marathon Virtual Expo, "Late Life Running and Whole Life Running" speaking about my journey as a most unlikely runner
Published 7 books
~"Into the Light:Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic" and "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" are selections of the WBZ News Radio Book Club
~"A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is also a selection of Bill Rodgers "Billy's Bookshelf-Must Reads for Every Runner"
~Received a thank you note from President Biden for sending him a copy of "Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic"

Been a guest on many podcasts and radio shows
Had my story featured in books, magazines and TV
Had setbacks and comebacks
Blogged about life as a most unlikely runner and my journey of transformation with its trials and triumphs
I've explored, dreamed and discovered friends and places I otherwise would not have known

Was it scary? Oh yes! Do I have any regrets? NO even when we faced financial challenges and setbacks, I am so grateful that I found the courage to leave behind my career just 3 years shy of being eligible for retirement to heal my life and follow my newfound bliss as a poet and author. Of course at the time I had no idea what miraculous experiences would become a part of my tapestry of life.

 

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my 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 books share a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities; what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary and are available on Bookshop  My 6th book, "Into the Light:Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic" and my 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" are selections of the WBZ News Radio Book Club. "Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is also a selection Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reads for Every Runner. Be sure to visit my Author Page on Amazon for rave reviews. 

Synchronicity - A Bermudaful Memory

 

In December of 2014, I experienced a serious knee injury on my left knee. An MRI in early 2015 indicated lateral meniscal tear, effusion, degenerative arthritis, bone spurs, changes from previous surgeries, an atrophied gastroc muscle and on and on it went... The physiatrist, with the best of intentions suggested that as a polio survivor I never should have started running; that now it was time to stop or cap my distance at a 5K and prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years since the joint was beyond arthroscopic surgery repair. I took my referral  to a physical therapist who was the worst PT I had ever seen. I really tried to make it work but realized the Universe was redirecting me.

I found my way to a chiropractor healer who was totally in sync with what I needed to get back out on the roads and go the distance again! 

Running in Bermuda on Race Weekend had been on my bucket list for years and then it wasn't. At my comeback race post-injury in July 2015, Bermuda Race Weekend had a booth at the Expo. I melted at the sound of the Bermudian accents, the gorgeous race bling and the clever marketing of having little bottles of pink sand on hand. I was hooked and decided that it was time to get to work to cross that bucket list item off of my bucket list.

Fast forward to 2016 Bermuda Race Weekend when I returned to Bermuda for the first time since 2008 without needing a leg brace, cane or wheelchair. My toe up leg brace polio shoes were replaced with running shoes. The energy on the plane from Boston was buzzing with the excitement of a destination race weekend.

"Are you running?" Tom asked a gentleman as we were stowing our bags in the overhead bins.

"No. I am support crew."

As we walked along Front Street, we saw the couple from the plane. Pleasantries were exchanged and we wished each other a Bermudaful day.

As we had our breakfast on Friday morning, I read the Royal Gazette Race Weekend edition. There were our bib numbers and the country we represent.

On race day, I had serious pre-race jitters running my first half marathon distance since I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon. I let the nerves just be as I took in the magnificent sunrise and the energy of race morning. I was well trained mind, body and soul.

From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":
"Hey there. I was determined to find you this morning. What are the chances that we would have our bib numbers in sequence?"
I was a little stunned to say the least. On the flight from Boston Tom and I met Denise and her husband from Kentucky. He was her support crew. We also bumped into them on Front Street on Saturday.

"I was on Instagram and looked for the hashtag #runbermuda. I saw the pictures you posted."

"What? I deactivated my Instagram account yesterday because I was frustrated and couldn't figure out how to use it."

"Your Instagram account is linked to Facebook so what you posted there automatically went to Instagram," Tom explained to me.

"So I saw your photos and I found out about you and I said prayers for your health last night and wished you a wonderful run but I was determined to find you this morning."

A sign from God that I could relax and let go knowing that my body knew exactly what to do to run 13.1 miles.

What a magical moment at the start of the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon where the Universe brought me together with Denise McMillan. We've remained friends through the years. In 2018, Team McManus returned to Bermuda with Ruth Anne to run my 3rd consecutive Half Marathon in as many years. Denise and her "running wife" Lanette returned to Bermuda in 2018. We relived that moment and the moments that led up to it as recounted in stunning detail by Denise during dinner at The Pickled Onion.

I love how every January, Facebook reminds me of this magical moment of synchronicity that happened at  the starting line of the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon. I recount this story in "Going the Distance" and, in "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" share the magic and synchronicity that continued during Bermuda Race Weekend 2018. I share how I was almost a DNS (did not start) for the race!

It's so much fun to take a look back at Bermudaful memories. I am still in awe to realize how the mind/body connection  has taken me farther than any diagnosis or prognosis. As Walt Disney once said, : "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

From my heart to yours

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my website to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page with links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements, where you can find my incredibly inspirational story and upcoming events.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon  My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is receiving rave reviews and is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club.

For the 2nd year, Mary is an Ambassador for The Boston Run Show happening 3-1 and 3-2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.  Use FREE Ticket Code MMCMANUS It's colocated with The Boston Outdoor Expo this year and is sure to be a jam packed weekend of inspiration and interactive exhibits. It's FREE and fun for the entire family!

It's Kind of Fun Doing The Impossible!

 

A quote popped up in my memories from Bernie Siegel about impossible:

And then a series of impossible quotes filled my news feed and memories! It was a nudge from the Universe to write a blog post about impossible and how I transformed my life despite all appearances to the contrary after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in 2006.

I was introduced to Dr. Bernie Siegel in the mid-1980's when I was hospitalized with a staph infection in my shoulder. My nurse, Beth Jordan, said that my life needed healing. Talk about an earth angel. She brought in cassette tapes of his talks and I immersed myself in his books. I met him at a lecture he was giving and he became my Bonus Dad. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, I joined his Forum. We developed an even deeper relationship as he gave me loving support as I took on the challenge of running the 2009 Boston Marathon. I had never run a day in my life and had just come out of my toe-up leg brace and using a cane for mobility. At times, I was using a wheelchair! When I told my personal trainer I wanted to run the Boston Marathon after six months of working together, she could have said that's impossible! Instead she said I would need a pair of running shoes as I share in this excerpt from On The Runs podcast Ep. 56:

The runner within me was born in my imagination. Long before I bought my first pair of running shoes, I wrote the poem, "Running the Race." I saw something in my mind's eye that contradicted what Western Medicine told me; that defied my deconditioned state. Yet in February of 2008, that first poem I wrote was about to foreshadow my 2009 Boston Marathon run!

That first day I learned how to run, my personal trainer said, "It's like walking only faster." My heart rate went up over 160. But a minute of running, turned into 30 minutes of running, turned into a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon and 26.2 miles raising $10,535 for Spaulding Rehab. The training and the fundraising seemed at once overwhelming and exhilarating!

 

It seemed impossible until I crossed both finish lines on April 20, 2009.

After a serious knee injury in 2014, I was told that I should never have started running. I should stop running or cap my distance at a 5K and prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. "The MRI shows that your gastroc muscle atrophied as a result of the polio. There's nothing we can do about that."

I found my way to a chiropractor/healer who told me I just HAD to read Dr. Joe Dispenza's book, "You Are the Placebo". With chiropractic care, KT tape, a new strength training regimen, visualization and my belief in the body's tremendous capacity to heal, I healed my knee injury, grew a new gastroc muscle and went on to run 3 Bermuda Half Marathons.

After a setback in 2021/2022 after an adverse reaction to the 2nd COVID vaccine, I realized that I had not come that far to only go that far in my health and wellness journey. I remembered all that I had healed through the years despite all appearances to the contrary and despite what Western Medicine told me. I'm back on the roads having found my finish line at the 10K distance, have a goal race of the Somerville Jingle Bell 5K in December and have my sights set on a half marathon again in 2025!

It's kind of fun to do the impossible! My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" will wow you with my incredible journey where I consistently defied the odds and transformed impossible to a powerful message of healing, hope and infinite possibilities!

In health and wellness,

Mary

Visit my website to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page with links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story. My interview with the amazing On the Runs podcast team of Erika Hamel and Eric Knuuttunen is Episode 56. Be sure to subscribe and download on your favorite podcast platform and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Proud to BU is a podcast highlighting the illustrious achievements of Boston University Alumni. Here is the link to my episode.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon  My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is receiving rave reviews and is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club.