Whether being a runner or a spectator, the experience of a race weekend is exhilarating. It has been two years since we have been able to feel the energy and sense of community that is part of a race-cation. Last November, while I was writing "Into the Light: Emerging From the 2020 Pandemic," I asked Ruth Anne what she thought the arc of my story should be. Without hesitation she said, "After we cross the finish line of the Providence Marathon next May." Initially, that didn't feel quite right to me but here we are. It feels as though we have crossed the finish line of the pandemic and Ruth Anne has crossed the finish line of a season of healing in her life.
During the pre-Boston Marathon festivities last October, Ruth Anne planned to run the Boston Marathon in April for Spaulding Rehab. Applications would open in December. Once we had a proper diagnosis and treatment for Ruth Anne and she was on the road to recovery, Ruth Anne fell in love with volunteering at ReVision Urban Farm. She created a birthday fundraiser for me in December of 2020 and continued fund raising for her birthday in August of 2021. Eve Rabinowitz, the Corporate and Community Engagement Manager for Victory Programsreached out to Ruth Anne last November. She noted that she knew Ruth Anne was involved with different causes and might not have the time, but would she consider doing a Friends Feeding Friends fundraiser. Ruth Anne took a pause on running Boston and talked with Eve about running the Providence Marathon to raise money for Victory Programs and the Farm. Eve was ecstatic and set up her fundraising page with an initial goal of $3000.
As serendipity would have it, Brian Simons who I knew through Spaulding Rehab's Race for Rehab Team was launching his Coaching Business, Creaky Bones: Running-Coaching-Performance. He was establishing a new business and Team McManus needed a coach. In early December, we partnered with Brian and Creaky Bones.
After a 15 mile training run which was preceded by Tom shoveling us out from a snowstorm and several weeks after a 9 mile training run on the treadmill, Tom powered through but ended up sideways and in a lot of pain. We decided that a full marathon was not in the stars but a half marathon would become the goal. Coach adjusted the training plan. Victory Programs was all in with the change and our village was incredibly supportive about the change in distance.
They trained with heart, dedication, persistence and determination and race day was epic!
We drove to Providence, went to bib pick up:
and our room at the Omni Providence was ready for an early check in. We had never been to Providence before and it was challenging to navigate our way around since people encouraged us to use the sky walk from the hotel to the mall. We eventually found our way to Uno Pizzeria (and found a penny along the way)
We were so happy to get off of our feet back in the room. We unpacked and had a long meditation/nap. We went downstairs to get bottles of sparkling water and the once quiet and subdued lobby was bustling with activity. Runners had their gear in tow and we were asking one another, "What are you running tomorrow." We were thrilled with our early check in and a room on the 3rd floor where we could hunker down with room service and relaxation.
The beauty of the setting sun bode well for race day:
Rise and shine at 5:45 to allow for plenty of time for breakfast, pre-race bathroom time (runners will appreciate the importance of that step), and walking to the starting line. Throngs of runners lined the streets on the path to the starting line. We arrived in time to hear the start of the marathon and take pre-race photos.
"Look! There's Brian," Ruth Anne shouted. He came running over to us. I love how we're able to find people in a crowd of over 2000 runners:
Brian's presence helped to calm pre-race jitters especially for me as a spectator. We sent Tom and Ruth Anne off to the back of the pack and Brian and I waited at the start to cheer them on their 13.1 journey:
Brian helped me to get set up at the finish line while he went out to find a spot to cheer them on out on the course:
I sent out lots of great energy for Tom and Ruth Anne while reading the social media messages of cheers and prayers. I was a little unnerved when I received a text saying Ruth Anne crossed the finish at 8:04 with a course time of 2:04:43 and a pace of 9:32. Right after I received the text, Eve (who was coming down with Chief Development Office Deborah Edison to cheer on Tom and Ruth Anne at the finish) texted me asking if that was correct. I told her no worries, they just started, I did not expect to receive a text with an update and knew I just had to trust in their training and of course the Divine.
What a very pleasant surprise to receive a text with an update at the 10K letting me know that Tom and Ruth Anne were running a 14:46 minute/mile pace. I immediately texted Brian who responded with, "Perfect. I found a great spot at Mile 11."
I was getting a little anxious as I calculated the pace and how far they had to go to Mile 11 (never a good idea) and asked Brian if he saw them. "Not yet," he replied, "Soon." He let me know that they were back on the roads after Mile 11 with smiles and were slowed down by Porta-potty stops but reassured me they were looking strong. "They're walking," he added letting me know that they slowed their pace. They had planned to do a run/walk interval. By mile 11, Tom was feeling the miles.
Brian sent me this photo:
Eve texted me to say they arrived but she couldn't find me. The crowd of spectators had grown thick by then as runners began to cross the finish line. "I'm wearing the red Victory Programs shirt," she texted and within a minute we found each other. I was so grateful that I did not have to wait alone during those last 2.1 miles. Another friend texted that they were on their way but were having trouble parking. "Have they crossed yet?" Karen asked. A moment before I received her text, Ruth Anne texted me with, "One mile to go." The text came sooner than I expected!
We all had our cameras ready to capture the epic moment. Brian was able to capture the announcement:
I wasn't sure if my video even came out because I was so overcome with emotion:
I love how they high-fived and embraced. Tom and Ruth Anne made their way over to us. It was as though the runners and spectators around us faded into the background while Tom, Ruth Anne, Eve, Deborah, Brian, Karen and her husband Chris excitedly talked with each other. Karen said this was such a great opportunity to check off seeing Tom and me. We were about to get together before the pandemic. Karen said she has a list of people on her "we were planning to get together list and then the pandemic happened." We plan to get together this summer in Providence. Deborah and Eve regaled us with gratitude and compliments and yet Ruth Anne thanked them for this amazing opportunity.
They presented us with these beautiful track jackets embroidered with Victory Programs on them:
Our hearts overflowed with love, gratitude, joy, excitement for the accomplishment of running a half marathon and exhilaration for an incredibly successful fundraising campaign.
Ruth Anne said that crossing that finish line would be the beginning of a new season in her life. The journey on the Road to Providence for Victory Programs awakened within her a gift, a passion and a purpose that Deborah would like to support and nourish. Ruth Anne scoured the internet for programs to further her education and for career exploration. While she started a program at Boston College for a Masters in Leadership and Administration, it wasn't feeding her heart and soul. Deborah suggested she get a certificate in Professional Fundraising at Boston University. Who knew such a thing existed?
Every finish line is a starting line! Ruth Anne is so excited to pursue her passion in this next season of her life. Tom feels incredibly vibrant and energized by being able to run a half marathon at 70 and plans a return appearance with Ruth Anne next year. A year ago, Tom felt 'old' but he realized he still had a LOT of life left in him. He left his job where he was under appreciated and experienced age discrimination and is doing contract work. Training for this race gave him that extra boost he needed to feel healthy and younger than his biological age. He enters a new season in his life with great anticipation of perhaps winning his age group (he came in 7/8) and enjoying these later years of his life.
I was transformed through their journey and being a part of the racing scene again. We are emerging from the pandemic into the light stronger and more resilient than before the pandemic began. I am celebrating 15 years of healing this month. On 5/25/2007, I set off on a new season of my life taking a leap of faith leaving behind my award winning social work career to heal my life.
It's a time of wondrous and wonderful happenings that was reflected in conversations overheard after the race. One marathoner said, "We really needed this!"
On our way back to the hotel, we found another penny:
We enjoyed a post-race celebration meal along with many other runners at The Cheesecake Factory where people congratulated each other and greeted each other with "How did you do?" It's been two years since we've had this kind of experience and my heart and soul overflowed with gratitude that we could have this experience again.
As for Coach Brian, he posted this on Facebook:
I am so inspired by them! It was so awesome to see their hard work and my coaching business notch its first finish!
・・・
It took a few days to process how amazing Sunday was as a coach!
I am so proud of my athletes! They did it! My clients crushed their half marathon in Providence this past weekend! A 20 minute PR! Their diligence and dedication paid off! I’m so grateful to have had the the opportunity to create their training plans, adjust them as needed, and help them enjoy the process and progress!
It seems like only yesterday that I started the On The Road to Providence For Victory Programs to document Ruth Anne and Tom's journey of training and fundraising. It started out as on the road to the Providence Marathon, but after a 15 mile training run left Tom sideways, Team McManus opted for the Half Marathon distance. They received so much support from our village and Victory Programs for their decision. When we talked with Coach Brian Simons, we talked about how the pandemic had taken a toll on everyone mind, body and soul. As we emerge from the pandemic, we all needed to honor what would be best for all Tom and Ruth Anne as runners, and for me as the marathon manager.
Our last race-cation was in February of 2020 at Hyannis Marathon Weekend. As we crowded the ballroom and hallways, greeted each other with hugs and high fives and warmly hugged each other goodbye with "See you in Boston," we had no idea life would come to a screeching halt a few weeks later. The pandemic has been quite the journey. I know how incredibly blessed we have been through it all. Ruth Anne had to take yet another COVID test for work and once again it was negative. We have all been physically healthy throughout the pandemic. There were bumps along the road exacerbated by the pandemic that took a toll on our emotional well-being but gratitude helps us to keep a perspective on how blessed and fortunate we are.
Tom and Ruth Anne trained through every kind of weather. The forecast looks amazing for Sunday. The question is how many times can I refresh the Weather Channel page set to Providence weather before Sunday. We started packing last week checking off necessities that we could pack ahead of time on our list. This Race-cation has a very different feel from pre-pandemic Race-cations. There is an excitement intensified by the two year hiatus since we had a running vacation. Appreciation and gratitude overflow knowing how precious life is. Our freedom to travel, stay at a hotel and gather with friends at a race weekend is no longer something we come to expect in our lives.
During an interview on Tuesday, chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci shared that the U.S. is “out of the pandemic phase” of COVID-19 as hospitalizations and cases have plummeted.
Fauci made his statement during an interview with PBS’s “NewsHour” when he was asked if the nation was close to the end of the pandemic.
“We are certainly right now in this country out of the pandemic phase,” Fauci said.
During an interview with The Washington Post, Fauci clarified that the global pandemic is still going on, but the U.S. is going through a transition period.
“The world is still in a pandemic. There’s no doubt about that. Don’t anybody get any misinterpretation of that. We are still experiencing a pandemic,” Fauci said.
However, he said that the virus is no longer causing the same amount of hospitalizations and deaths that it had when omicron swept the nation over the winter.
Throughout the winter, Fauci said the U.S. was experiencing a “full-blown pandemic phase.” Then, he said when cases started falling, it moved into a “deceleration” phase, and now we are transitioning to the control phase.
“The way we were months ago, where we were having 900,000 cases a day, tens of thousands of hospitalizations, three thousand deaths a day,” Fauci said. “The deaths went from 3,000 down to 300.”
Fauci predicted we would hit a “control” stage of the pandemic by last fall, before the delta and omicron variants emerged, causing a spike in cases. Now he is saying the same, as new variants are not posing a threat.
The doctor said that omicron subvariants have started to spread, they are not impacting hospitalizations or deaths like their variant predecessor.
“Right now, we’re at a low enough level that I believe that we’re transitioning into endemicity. ... We’re not in the full-blown explosive pandemic phase. That does not mean that the pandemic is over,” Fauci said. “A pandemic means widespread infection throughout the world. ... In our country, we’re transitioning into more of a controlled endemicity.”
With cases getting better, the nation has started to adjust to a new way of life as mask mandates, restrictions, and other COVID-19 era policies continue to be lifted.
Even though mandates are becoming a thing of the past, COVID-19 is still present in our communities, and health experts continue to urge Americans to make the best choices for themselves.
During a Race-cation, we would plan to take advantage of all of the hotel amenities. We decided to forego use of the swimming pool. Food service at the hotel is still limited so we will be bringing all of our breakfast needs for race day. We will look like we are going away for a week with all of our bags but that was true pre-pandemic.
When we check into the hotel, we will have come full circle from the last week of February in 2020. Once again we are able to look forward to a weekend of anticipation, excitement, bib pick ups, pre-race fueling for runners and support crew, asking people as they pass by, "You running on Sunday?", getting up at the crack of dawn on Sunday, feeling #allthefeels and heading to the start line. We are visualizing Race Weekend from start to finish with exactly how we want it to be. It's easy for gremlin thoughts that are residue from having lived through the pandemic to creep in but I keep coming back to focusing on how we all want the weekend to be and staying focused on only positive experiences.
The hay is in the barn as they say. The fundraising was a phenomenal success raising $7700 for Victory Programs and their ReVision Urban Farm. To learn about the work they do to help with healing, hope, recovery, housing and food security visit Ruth Anne's fundraising pageand if you are so moved, make a donation to support her run.
It's two more sleeps until we head to Providence for our first Race-cation in two years.
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
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As I watched my tulips poke through the once frozen barren ground and bloom, I thought to myself, "What if I had the same hope and faith I had when I planted those bulbs last October trusting they would blossom, and harnessed it in all areas of my life."
So often we want control rather than letting go; to trust in the unseen, to enjoy the mystery and wonder of life, to trust in the most beautiful and positive outcomes and to allow Divine Intelligence to guide. Just as the flowers need to go through the dirt, life can sure get messy at times as we have seen during the harsh winter of the pandemic.
Spring always returns. Last year it was challenging at times to appreciate the glory and splendor of the season. There was a pall that hung over the world as the pandemic claimed lives and we all faced uncertainty and fear trying to get our bearings with a 'new normal.' Initially we were confined to our homes except to go out and exercise. We saw businesses shuttered and restaurants struggled to survive. We had to wear masks everywhere we went and needed to stay socially distant from others. The colors of the season paled as we navigated an unprecedented time in our history.
Yet I always held onto hope and practiced an attitude of gratitude. This year, with vaccines, and signs of hope with metrics shifting to positive trends, May seems even more magnificent than I can remember.
During yesterday's 5K run, we paused to appreciate the bursting colors of Spring and to make note and appreciate nature's splendor. We breathed deeply enjoying the relaxation of the mask mandate for vaccinated persons.
Even the swans seem to be embodying the magnificence of May 2021:
There is an awakening and emergence from the darkness of the pandemic. On Friday, I had my first visit to a hair salon in 14 months. What a treat to have to transform long unruly locks into a beautiful new style for Spring.
Yesterday was seedling pick up day at Ruth Anne's ReVision Urban Farm. After our run and before we headed to the Farm, we ordered take out from Brothers and Sisters Cafe in Brookline Village. For the first time in 14 months we ate outside at a picnic bench among other people (socially distant with masks up when we weren't eating). There was a street festival and the energy was electric!
The last time Ruth Anne volunteered at the Farm was in January when the Farm Manager and Senior Grower were plodding through the cold, harsh winter. We returned to a vibrant, bustling community of staff and volunteers lovingly distributing the seedlings for customers to have their own gardens!
We booked a trip to Cape Cod for Cape Cod Marathon weekend in October; our first vacation since January of 2020. We are messaging friends who are fully vaccinated to plan lunch and dinner dates.
This week I receive my second "wellness shot" and get to see my chiropractor after 14 months of no treatments! There is a spiritual awakening of so many emotions experiencing "firsts" after so many months of adapting to "nots," My heart overflows with gratitude and relief, anticipatory joy for reunions and experiences we once took for granted.
It's already a magnificent May as the earth and its Beings awaken to hope, possibilities and a return to activities that bring so much joy to life.
From my heart to yours In health and wellness Mary
For
more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to
the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.
"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available onAmazon.
