Born to Run: Nothing to Prove - Everything to Enjoy!

Tom and I kicked off another week in the training cycle on the road to Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K with another 6 mile run. Since there were going to be "No Kings" protestors in and around the City, we opted for a Reservoir run combined with an out and back on Beacon Street. We stopped to chat with different people who caught our attention during our run and realized that in future long runs, we needed to conserve our energy and be more focused on the task at hand. In particular, there was an elderly woman on Beacon Street walking gingerly with a cane who was complaining about the trains running only every 22 minutes. We could have kept on with our run but I asked her how much farther she had to walk. "Just a few blocks now," she angrily said in response to my question. "You have no idea how lucky you are to be able to walk." I had to let her know how I do know how lucky I am before we went on our way. Perhaps I lit a spark of possibilities within her. Young boys were dressed in shirts, ties, khakis and a Bruins Jersey fundraising for a trip to Quebec as part of the AAA Youth Hockey League. We just had to chat with them and snap the QR code to make a donation via Venmo. Our pace had slowed way down by the last two miles but we made it through. That's why it's called a training run. While we enjoyed interacting with people we randomly met, we do need to be mindful of our goal. Everyone wanted to take advantage of yet another gorgeous Autumn day in Boston.

 

Monday was our strength training day. Tom and I each remarked how great we felt despite being out for longer than planned on Saturday's 6 miler. We can feel the momentum of strength, endurance and most important the joy in this training cycle.

Tuesday's early morning run inspired an aha moment for me. It was a glorious way to start the day. I was in a deep sleep when my alarm went off at 6am. I shook off the grogginess and by the time Tom and I got home after those magnificent morning miles, I felt energized, refreshed and ready to have a terrific Tuesday. I feel so much joy and celebration during this training cycle. This one's for me with nothing to prove and everything to enjoy. There is no fundraising and no time limit to be concerned about. Hyannis Marathon Weekend has been one of my favorite race weekends since I began my journey as a most unlikely runner in February of 2008. It's a time for reunion with old friends, making new friends and having the opportunity to inspire others with my journey from a wheelchair to the Boston Marathon and beyond! I am savoring the sore muscles, delighted with the consistency of our runs and strength training workouts, and experiencing this journey of transformation in the wake of a once devastating diagnosis in all its glory.

 

We were treated to Autumn in all its glory as moderate temperatures continue to prevail needing only a long sleeve shirt, a pullover layer and capris. We unwrap the gift of a new day with presence, unplugged feeling the grace and gratitude for the blessings in our lives.

 

Thursday morning's run was the jewel in the crown of this week's training. I woke up naturally about 15 minutes before the alarm went off. I meditated setting my intentions for a wonderful run and expressing my overwhelming feelings of gratitude for this training cycle and these sacred before breakfast miles with Tom. We were both energized after a good night's sleep excited that moderate temperatures continued to prevail for late October.

 

We could see the magnificent colors of dawn on our way to the Reservoir. Our breaths caught as we noticed them at the same time. The still water created the canvas to reflect the magnificent colors of the dawn of a new day.

 

We turned a corner as the day got lighter. "Look," Tom exclaimed. "An Eagle!" "Do you think you can get a photo?" Not only did Tom get a photo of the Eagle perched on the tree but caught it as it took off in flight. "An eagle totem symbolizes strength, courage, vision, and a deep spiritual connection to the divine." While most birds take shelter during a storm, the eagle soars above the storm! I felt its magic and powerful energy as my heart soared with gratitude as I celebrate 19 years of healing in the wake of the once devastating diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. Western Medicine's prognosis suggested that I would be grounded for the rest of my days needing to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. But in February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance tapping into Source in my heart and soul as poetry poured out of me. 

 

                            

The runner within me was born in my imagination in the poem, "Running the Race." Click on link to read the full text and back story.

 

Even though I contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 1/2 and then endured years of abuse at the hands of family members, I knew deep in my heart and soul that I was born to run. I knew it when I started writing poetry imagining myself running and free. I knew it when I declared to my personal trainer in February of 2008 that my next health and fitness goal was to run the 2009 Boston Marathon even though I had never run a day in my life and was still wearing a toe-up leg brace. I'm now off the sidelines with nothing to prove and everything to enjoy on this wondrous training cycle.

 

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.

 

Looking for great books to get cozy with this Fall? My books share a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities; what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary and are available on Amazon.  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 Amazon Author Page for book descriptions and rave reviews.

 

An Eagle Sighting - It's a Sign!

 

It was a picture perfect Autumn day for Saturday's run. The temperature was moderate for late November and there was a head wind but when the wind stopped, the sun was warm:

The Universe is always sending us messages once we pay attention! As I turned the corner around the Reservoir on yesterday morning's run, a person with a powerful zoom lens on his camera had it aimed at a tree. People gathered and looked up. I stopped in my tracks to see a bald eagle perched on a tree. The photographer said it is very rare to see an Eagle near an urban area. I tried to capture a photo with my iPhone but then I paused just taking in that majestic and sacred moment. I made eye contact with the Eagle.

I knew it was a sign. As soon as I got home I google'd quotes and information about the Eagle as a spirit animal.

The Eagle spirit animal is an inspiring messenger. With the ability to soar to heights other birds merely dream of, the Eagle is a powerful animal totem that offers lessons about looking closely at the most minute of details in order to see life from a broader perspective. When this graceful hunter comes into your life, it’s time to look inward with a careful eye. Allow your heart to guide you, and opportunities you never dreamed were possible will present themselves when you least expect it. Eagles have feet with four toes. Four is a symbol for having a solid foundation and being grounded. Those who are guided by the Eagle spirit animal are grounded. Even though the Eagle can soar to great heights, they are still strongly connected to the earth. Among being grounded and connected to the earth, those guided by the Eagle are also resilient and in complete harmony with the spiritual aspects of their lives. Unafraid of the unknown, these seekers accept life’s challenges with unshakable courage, determination and confidence. Source: https://www.spiritanimal.info/eagle-spirit-animal/

I got goosebumps. Sixteen years ago, I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a condition that is considered to be a progressive neuromuscular disease. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I was experiencing the dark night of my mind, body and soul that was the antithesis of what an Eagle represents.

But I refused to take the diagnosis sitting down. After going through the initial stages of shock, fear, anger and grief, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. The diagnosis was given to me in December of 2006. In January of 2007, I met a master magician of a physician, Dr. ElAbd who told me that he could partner with me to eliminate the pain in my cervical spine of a disc pressing on a nerve by using trigger injections. He then referred me to an earth angel of a physical therapist who disagreed with the traditional view of Post-Polio Syndrome as a progressive neuromuscular disease. 

After the initial trigger injection and before my first appointment with Allison, as I got still and asked for Divine Guidance, poetry poured out of me. I felt my Spirit soar whenever I wrote poetry expressing gratitude, forgiving the people from my past who harmed me and imagining myself dancing in puddles without the leg brace, running free and feeling whole and healed.

I literally felt no pain as I wrote poetry harnessing the power of the mind/body connection to unleash the body's natural capacity to heal!

The Eagle sighting was a sacred moment for me; a connection to the Divine to let go of the past and anything that limits me and allow myself to feel fully free soaring with the Eagle continuing to heal on deeper and deeper levels. It was validation from Source about my courageous journey. In that moment of eye contact, Source communicated to me to fully open my heart to go forth with confidence as I continue to share my journey of transformation, and my books that speak to the power of possibilities after enduring unspeakable trauma after contracting paralytic polio at age 5.

Eagle totems appear to inspire (push) you to reach higher and become more than you think you are capable of. They tell you to be courageous and really stretch your limits and see what you can do. They bring a sense of courage and a desire to explore and grow.

I am excited to see how this manifests in my life.

From my heart to yours,
In health and wellness,
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at https://marymcmanus.com to learn about my journey to health and wellness in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma

Visit the News and Events tab to listen to my inspiring and uplifting interviews

My books to motivate, uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon