This Week in Training: Magic and Mystery

 

This week's theme for training on the Road to Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K is magic and mystery. I was thinking back to how bold it was of me to declare in February of 2008 that my next health and fitness goal with my personal trainer was to run the 2009 Boston Marathon. I was still wearing a toe-up leg brace and had never run a day in my life. In December of 2006, I was given the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome and was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. What a magnificent mystery that, in February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance vowing to not take the diagnosis sitting down. The poem, "Running the Race" flowed out of me foreshadowing my 2009 Boston Marathon run! An anthology of poems followed harnessing the power of the mind/body connection inspiring healing in the wake of childhood paralytic polio and trauma. While there is a plethora of research showing the power of the mind/body connection, the science that explains the phenomena doesn't negate the magic and mystery.

My cutoff for doing a training run outside is feels like 6 degrees. Saturday's temperatures were in the feels like -13 degrees. Fortunately, Tom and I planned ahead and got in Saturday's run on Thursday. We rolled out the mats, got out our strength training equipment and workout sheet, and cranked up the playlist. We mixed up the order of the workout and discovered that it made it a lot more challenging. Since our race is only 5 weeks away, we will keep the same order of the workout. After we recover from the race and this training cycle, we will mix it up! We incorporated more stretching and spontaneous dance movement into the workout celebrating our health and wellness at 73 and 72 years old.

I am celebrating 20 years of healing feeling so much joy and gratitude in this training cycle. After being given the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome and told that I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged, I asked for Divine Guidance. I discovered the power and magic of writing poetry that ultimately led me to the sport of running. I discovered the magic in believing in myself to exceed all expectations after the Post-Polio Syndrome diagnosis. In February of 2008, I set the goal of running the 2009 Boston Marathon despite never having run a day in my life and still being in a toe-up leg brace. Being a part of the running community and the sport of running has been a magical part of my life! 

I've been blessed to experience so many magical moments since becoming a part of the running community.  One of my favorite memories popped up as a Facebook memory when I was at the Bill Rodgers 5K with Phil Lipof in August of 2014. On 1/24/2021, Phil Lipof posted this on social media:

"I met an amazingly inspirational woman in August of 2014 at the Zero Prostate cancer walk/run in Newton Mass. I emceed the event with marathon icon Bill Rodgers. I don’t want to tell you the whole story here because she has just written a book about it - but Mary McManus’s journey from a wheelchair to the finish line at the Boston marathon is a story everyone should hear. How childhood polio, suicide and determination collide at the intersection of inspiration and awesome! Here is a picture of us from that day and the cover of her book (in which she talks about our meeting that day). Getting her signed copy made me smile and remember how spectacular year she is. The book is called 'The adventures of runnergirl 1953.'"

On Monday, while Tom dug us out from the two feet of snow compliments of Winter storm Fern, I did a 45 minute strength training workout. I worked out with intention focusing on preparation for race day on 3/1. We've had an amazing training cycle with having to substitute only two strength training days for running days. Fingers crossed we are able to get out this week for our regularly scheduled runs now that snowmageddon has moved out. We are so incredibly grateful we have electricity, heat and hot water and a battery operated snow blower.

Tuesday was a different kind of training day. The roads were icy and the snow banks too high to make it safe for us to go on a run. As Tom continued to dig us out, my job was to work on removing snow from the car; a wonderful upper body workout that included side stepping around the car and keeping my balance. 

I do miss our early morning before breakfast runs but was so grateful we were able to get in a runchie on Thursday. It was bitter cold when we started with a wind chill. My face hurt, but my gratitude at being able to get out and get in the miles kept me warm. I was grateful to the people in our Town who plowed out at night and salted the roads. We couldn't get to our usual running route at the Reservoir and going down Beacon Street, so we spontaneously took a left on the road before the bridge that leads to the Reservoir. We got to incorporate lots of hills and were treated to warm sunshine!

Tom and I reflected on what I'd been told when I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006. It was presumed that because I had contracted paralytic polio as a child that I had osteoporosis, and, if I fell on the ice presuming my balance wasn't good, I would end up with a hip fracture. I should only go out with a cane and an ice gripper going from my home to the car.

As I felt invigorated and exhilarated by the sunshine, cold air and being steady on my feet confidently navigating snow, slush and ice with ease, I only knew that getting out in Winter is vital for health and well-being. When we weren't able to get out for a run for a week, I noticed a downshift in my physical and mental well-being that was quickly reversed during and after Thursday's run.

One of my favorite poems is "Courage" that was inspired by our training runs around Jamaica Pond on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon.

With Thursday's miles, we gratefully and joyfully wrapped up another week of training on the Road to Hyannis.  It wasn't your typical training week given the weather but we did the best we could given Mother Nature's blast of Winter. We are so delighted we uploaded the front end of our training cycle with long runs confident we have a solid base for race day.

I'm so excited that 4 weeks from today, we head to my favorite race weekend in my happy place on Cape Cod. Come see me at the Expo where I'll be inspiring runners with my incredible journey and have my books for sale. The Marathon and 10K are almost sold out. The Half Marathon is a great race to prep for the Boston Marathon. Registration fees go up 2/1. Register today by following this link. Be sure to make your reservations at the Host Hotel, The Cape Cod Irish Village at the Emerald Resort and Conference Center. They are almost sold out for race weekend!

See you in Hyannis! 

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.

 

This Week in Training: Difficult Roads - Beautiful Destinations

 

At the age of 5 1/2, I encountered the difficult road of contracting paralytic polio. I was blessed with a gifted physical therapist, Miss Holly and a physiatrist, Dr. Eugene Moskowitz who specialized in treating the after effects of polio. My childhood and adolescence was fraught with challenges beyond recovering from polio but there were always earth angels at the ready to support and encourage me.

At the age of 53, at the height of my award-winning social work career at the Boston VA Outpatient Clinic, 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 and expect an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. I was just 3 years shy of when I was eligible to retire and had my retirement plans all in place...or so I thought. My destiny was waiting for me as a most unlikely runner, poet, author and motivational speaker.

Saturday morning 7am:
Me: {still in bed after meditation} Tom can you check the weather please?
Tom: Sure. It says it's snowing and will be stopping in 45 minutes.
Me: Oh well. That's okay. I remember when it snowed a few times when we ran Hyannis.
Tom: Let me look out the window and see how everything looks....It's not snowing! There's no snow on the ground.

And so began the day for our fantastic 5 miler to start another week of training on the Road to Hyannis. 

We did a 2 1/2 mile out and back route from our house breathing in the clean crisp air and savoring the sights of nature. Tom and I agreed that these times unplugged out in Nature are a sanity saver these days. With all that is going on in our country and the world, and a stress-filled week for Tom at work, running is the gift that keeps on giving for physical and emotional well-being.

It's a gift that I am deeply grateful for knowing that if I would have succumbed to the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome 20 years ago, my life would look drastically different today. I'm not even sure if I would have been alive today given Western Medicine's view that Post-Polio Syndrome is a progressive neuromuscular disease. Jean Baker Miller,MD with whom I worked as a social worker at Charles River Hospital, suffered for years with debilitating symptoms and died from complications of Post-Polio Syndrome.  

This training cycle has been filled with the kind of joy that comes with challenging oneself experiencing discomfort and pushing limits. 

On Sunday, as my social media news feed filled with photos and videos from Bermuda Triangle Challenge Weekend, I reflected on another difficult road that led to an astonishingly beautiful destination.

In December of 2014, I suffered a serious left knee injury. My left leg was affected more by the polio virus than my right leg. When I went for the MRI, it showed an atrophied gastroc muscle, torn cartilage, degenerative changes from osteoarthritis and changes from when I had reconstructive leg surgery. There were bone spurs and a fatty lipoma. As the physiatrist shared the results with me, he noted there was nothing we could do about the atrophied gastroc muscle, a result of polio. Arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn cartilage was not an option. I should have never started running in the first place as a polio survivor, and should stop running or cap my distance at a 5K. I'd need a total knee replacement in a few years. 

In February of 2015, I was blessed to meet Ryan J. Means, a chiropractor healer who believed, as I did in the body's tremendous capacity to heal. We partnered together using chiropractic, a new strength training regimen and, as I had done after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, harnessed the power of the mind/body connection using visualization.

These photos are from the Bermuda Triangle Challenge Weekend Half Marathon in January of 2016 and the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K in February of 2016. Six weeks from today, Tom McManus and I once again toe the starting line of the 2026 Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K!

Another snowstorm came through the area on Sunday. Tom and I were so grateful that Monday was an indoor workout day and the holiday that commemorates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. My heart was warmed by how quotes and dedicating our lives to honor his legacy filled my news feed throughout the day. Tom and I started the new day and a new week with a 45 minute rigorous strength training session. I was inspired by this quote:

Before the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, as I experienced debilitating symptoms of chronic pain, fatigue, the limp from polio returned, difficulty swallowing and breathing, my zest and enthusiasm for life began to wane. In February of 2007, I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul. I imagined a future very different than the one Western Medicine predicted for me of expecting an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged, and prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair! I saw life through the lens of the words that were pouring forth from my heart and soul. My pen lit the spark within me that was dimmed but could never be snuffed out.

Black ice lined the street on Tuesday morning. Tom and I opted for a 2nd day of before breakfast strength training. We got ourselves pumped up with our playlist and feeling incredibly excited to return to our favorite race weekend of the year.  This quote from Amby Burfoot was a great reminder that our training is more than the miles and more than crossing that finish line, although we are psyched for the bling!

Training in Winter in Boston for the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K requires flexibility and perseverance. According to weather reports, the polar vertex will arrive on Saturday with feels like temperatures below zero. A major storm is forecast for Sunday. 

Tom and I usually do an easy 2-3 mile shakeout run on Thursday to wrap up our week of training but, given the weather forecast, we decided to do Saturday's 5K today. We were grateful there was only a 5K on the training plan this week so we could fit it into Tom's work day. The day warmed up quickly and we could easily navigate around slush and ice. We did an out and back route down Beacon Street after taking back roads to the Reservoir. It was inspiring to see the grey sky transform into a sky with blue streaks.

I am so grateful for all my body gives me with every run and workout remembering how, in December of 2006 I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and expect an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged! Talk about a plot twist; how a difficult road led me to this beautiful destination of the sport of running being out in Nature living life to the full with my bestie. 

That's a wrap on another week of training for Hyannis. We got in solid 5 mile and 5K training runs working around what Mother Nature decided to do with the weather. Strength training is always a great option to complement our running. Taking a bye day is always an option but Tom and I will do whatever we can to stick to our only rest days on Wednesday and Sunday. Five weeks from today, Tom and I pack up and head to Hyannis. I will be at the Expo on Saturday inspiring runners and doing a book signing. Dinner reservations are secured at Colombo's, our favorite Hyannis restaurant, and we have our room reserved at the host hotel, The Cape Cod Irish Village at the Emerald Resort and Conference Center. It's almost go time!

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.

 

 

This Week in Training: The Greater The Obstacle

 

I've known challenges and obstacles since contracting paralytic polio at the tender age of 5 1/2 years old in one of the last polio epidemics in the United States. I lived in Westchester, NY and was fortunate that one of the leading experts in rehab medicine, Dr. Eugene Moskowitz dedicated his practice to helping those affected by polio. He had Miss Holly, a physical therapist ahead of her time in his practice. As I began to walk again without crutches and a heavy metal leg brace, my father became alcoholic. My mother had been addicted to prescription pain medication for years. I relied on my father and paternal grandfather for care. Imagine my terror when he became abusive with nightly drunken rages until he ended his life when I was 17 years old, one month before I would begin my freshman year at Boston University.

I persevered through it all eventually getting an MSW from Boston College and having an award-winning social work career at the Boston VA Outpatient Clinic. Eventually the years of dissociating mind from body to survive polio and trauma caught up with me. For ten years I became more and more debilitated until in December of 2006 I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and expect an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged. Rather than succumb to the diagnosis, I refused to take the diagnosis sitting down. 

I continue to challenge myself to see just what this body can do despite or maybe because of all the obstacles I have faced and continue to overcome in my life. 

This week in training was a taper week. The weather for my birthday on December 25th is looking iffy. Tom and I decided we would give myself an early birthday gift and do my 7.2 mile birthday run for 72 years next Saturday.

Saturday was a bright sunny cold December day. Last week, during our early morning training run, we saw two swans on the ice on the Reservoir. They weren't moving and we thought they had succumbed to the cold. As we approached the Reservoir, Tom spotted the two swans swimming in a part of the Reservoir that was unfrozen! I learned from Google that swans are able to maintain their body heat by putting their heads underneath their wings. They are able to adapt to the cold. Seeing them added to the joy of our fabulous 5K. They were too far out into the water to get a picture of them. The sun peeked through the clouds reminding us that gray skies can be transformed into a moment.

 

There was a flock of migratory birds that swam under a patch of ice and emerged into the open yet unfrozen water. Tom and I marveled at Mother Nature. The lush green trees and beautiful flowers of Spring and summer yield to a delightful kind of magic if one looks beyond the barren trees and the need to layer up before heading out the door.

As I get ready to turn the page to a new year of life, this quote from George Bernard Shaw resonated with me as Tom and I had a solid 45 minute strength training woorkout on Monday.

We love to crank up the playlist experiencing joy as we move, stretch and strengthen mind, body and soul preparing to take on the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K on 3/1. Tom will turn 74 on 3/2. Although we only 'need' to go the distance of 6.2 miles for the 10K, he is by my side stride for stride to go the extra mile for my birthday. I'd like to add my take on the quote "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it," to the greater the joy and gratitude in overcoming it.

 

 

Despite the frigid temperatures in the forecast for Tuesday morning, Tom and I knew that we wanted to stay true to our early morning run schedule. "The cold never bothered me anyway," iykyk but that's not quite true. As I've mentioned in previous posts, one of the hallmark symptoms of Post-Polio Syndrome is cold intolerance. Through visualization and meditation, I 'fixed' my thermostat so that the cold doesn't bother me especially when I get my mindset in the right place firing up my overwhelming gratitude that I can do this. We had laid out all of our clothes Monday night to minimize the time it would take us to get out the front door. We were treated to a glorious masterpiece on the canvas of the early morning sky by the Master Artist:

My breath caught as I looked up when we turned the corner onto Beacon Street. The path around the Reservoir was snow covered. We got in our magnificent morning miles heading down Beacon Street admiring the beauty of the Reservoir from across the street.

There were heart wrenching tragedies in the past few days. I am grateful that I did not allow the tragedies I endured in my life to harden my heart or dim my Spirit. Tuesday's morning's miles were invigorating as the frosty air and Mother Nature awakened all of our senses. I am deeply grateful for the gift of running in our lives that nourishes and sustains us reminding us of the Source of all that brings light into even the darkest of times.

When we walked into our warm home expressing gratitude for the gift of early morning miles, heat and electricity, Tom and I exchanged high-fives. We did it! One step closer to the starting line in Hyannis and time to taper for Saturday's 7.2 miles.

My training takes much more effort than someone who has not had assaults to their nervous system by the polio virus and enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members. I embrace the effort, the persistence and perseverance it takes to pursue and achieve my dreams and goals while healing mind, body and soul along the way.  As the training cycle progresses I need more rest. I’m making more demands on my body than I’ve made since 2018 when I trained for the Bermuda Half Marathon. Since I had that success, I know I can do this because "it''s only 7.2 miles and then a 10K" ... for now. I do need to continue to transform old beliefs and flashbacks to the polio/trauma body. One of my favorite techniques to use is conscious movement, a term I learned when reading Dr. Norman Doidge's book, "The Brain's Way of Healing." I didn't realize there was a name for what I was instinctively doing until I read the book. Conscious movement is bringing mindfulness to how one holds their posture and how they move. Rather than fall into old habits of movement or habits that took hold due to illness or injury, it's a way to rewire the connections between muscles and nerves using thought and movement. In some instances, Dr. Doidge used music to help promote miraculous healing and recovery. I remind myself that I am healed and embody myself as a powerful thriver knowing that the greater the obstacle, the more glory there is in the overcoming of it.

The weather looks good for Saturday. These next few rest days are being used to meditate, visualize, celebrate all the training we've done thus far, release any niggles of doubt, and do the necessary preparations to go the longest distance I've gone since training for the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon. What a great way to celebrate 19 years of healing, getting ready to celebrate and commemorate my birthday and celebrate all the obstacles I have overcome.

 

 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.