Joyful and Grateful Running in the Rain

 

There are many memes and quotes about running in the rain such as these two that I experienced during my fabulous 5K on Saturday morning.

 

The rain stopped as I headed out the front door. I peeled off my jacket and didn't even bother to tie it around my waste. It was warm and muggy.  I checked my weather app and there was no rain in the forecast. We all know how accurate our weather app is right?

Wearing a singlet and shorts, I smiled feetling gratitude overflow from my heart for the miracle of healing in my life these past 17 years. Tom and Ruth Anne are training together for the Cape Cod Half Marathon. I once again get to enjoy solitude runs. The sprinkles of rain quickly turned to a steady downpour. I started laughing and threw my arms open wide with joyful and youthful exuberance.

Having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 followed by enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members, I never knew the joy of splashing in puddles feeling free in my body. Simple childhood pleasures were a challenge for me. BUT at the age of 53, I was given the gift of the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome that was a wake up call for me. After asking for Divine Guidance, poetry began flowing out of my soul. 

I had a dream one night early on in my health and wellness journey that I came out of my leg brace and was dancing in the rain like Gene Kelly splashing in the puddles. That dream gave birth to the above poem, "Come Out and Play." My poetry helped to heal the trauma from my childhood and create a future very different than the one Western Medicine predicted for me. 

During Saturday's run I thought about Tony Robbins quote. "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." There were unavoidable puddles and mud. I felt the gravel from the Reservoir path hit the back of my legs. There were a few other runners on the path and we exchanged smiles as we passed. It would have been awesome to have windshield wipers for my glasses. I took them off since the rain had completely covered them! My singlet stuck to my skin and needless to say, my shorts were soaked. I thought about the contrast between being delighted by a run in the warm summer rain and when it's that chilly feel it to my bones fall or spring rain when the soaked clothes weigh me down. 

What a blessing to feel light and free embracing the gift of being able to run through the rain. There was a special kind of beauty that's different than when the sun is sparkling on the blue water:

 

There was so much laughter and joy in my heart as I crossed the threshold of the doorway to my home; a home that 17 years ago I was told I would need to adapt or move to a ranch. I know that without the gifts of the challenges I experienced, I would not experience the depths of joy and gratitude that I do savoring life's seemingly simple pleasures. The immense joy and gratitude I experienced after a fabulous 5K in the rain stayed with me for the entire weekend.

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.

To Run or Not To Run???

 

July is looking to be a record-breaker for rain this year. As sweltering heat, fires and drought plague the West Coast, Boston is on record to be the wettest July since 1872. In the first 12 days, July is the third wettest July ever from 1872 til now. I give thanks every day that we have an Administration addressing the crisis of climate change partnering with the global stage to heal Mother Earth and fiercely working to end the pandemic.

Before COVID, we would have been spending more hours in the gym rationalizing that a swim, treadmill or elliptical workout could be traded for a running day. As we emerge from the pandemic, we have not renewed a gym membership. I woke up at 4:30am {with a little help from our beloved cat Jamie jumping on me asking read that as demanding to be fed} as the rain pelted our window panes. I focused my intention on the rain easing up enough for us to get in our run. I fell back to sleep until 6:45am when the alarm went off.

Still pouring...

It was a rest day for Ruth Anne so the decision was up to Tom and me about whether or not we would get out the door for a run. At least it wasn't cold as it was on Memorial Day Weekend. We had done strength training on Sunday so we could not do another strength training session. I could not bear the thought of heading to the basement for a treadmill run in summer. 

We donned lightweight layers, a water belt to protect our phones and to hydrate, and off we went!

We smiled and laughed embracing the elements. We weren't sure if the Reservoir would be flooded but once we got there it looked like we could run around the path. By the time we got to our halfway mark, the puddles on the other side of the Reservoir were impossible to wade through. We reversed course to finish our 5K.

 

"Feet soaking wet - check." Tom commented at one point.

"Ooh I'm not there yet," I said but a short time later, my shoes and socks reached their saturation point.

Although we have had many runs in the rain throughout our running career, neither one of us could remember running in a steady torrential downpour as we experienced yesterday. We fondly recalled a long run training for the Bermuda Half Marathon one year but the rain would ease up at times. The sun even came out at the end of that training run.

"I can't believe we're doing this," I said to Tom as we were on the back end of our 5K."

"I don't know many almost 70 year olds who would be out here splashing in the puddles and slogging through a 5K at 7 in the morning before breakfast."

"This is what keeps us young at heart!"

Ruth Anne greeted us with her raincoat on  as we came into the yard. She had breakfast ready for us.

On the run we strategized that we would peel off our outer layers and toss them into a trash bag, get changed upstairs and throw everything into the wash. I was in shock at how much our wet clothes weighed. "Hey that was like running in a weighted vest," I quipped.

I felt cleansed mind, body and soul inside and out. As one who has endured and overcome childhood paralytic polio and trauma, I felt deep gratitude for every rain soaked footstep!

Experiences take on richer and deeper meaning as we emerge from the pandemic. Feeling connected to nature and the Divine has taken on a sense of urgency. I couldn't bear to be confined to a treadmill when it was safe to run outside. There was a welcomed sense of unbridled freedom during the run and a feeling of being able to conquer any challenges that may come our way.

The run also inspired this poem:

Believe

Rain pounding window pane
believe
be grateful
grace is raining down.
When faith reigns
all is well
delight in puddle play
forever young.
Fret not
flood of emotions
flowing
all storms pass.
Rainwater cleanses
clearing confusion
heart beats with eager anticipation
smile of inner knowing
sun shines again.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to listen to my recent conversation with Liz Brunner, award winning journalist, now CEO of Brunner Communications on her podcast Live Your Best Life. I share how I live my best life despite the challenges that I faced at an early age.

For all of my recent appearances, be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website.

My books to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon. 

A Run in the Rain

 

Waking up to the sound of pouring rain on a day when we're scheduled to run always begs the question, "Should we swap a strength training day for our run day?"

The forecast called for rain all weekend. I knew in the depths of my heart and soul that we needed to get out for our run today. I got still as we put on our guided meditation to start the day.

During breakfast, we read the articles about Governor Baker's proclamation that all COVID-19 restrictions were lifted as of midnight on 5/28. We shared the excitement about the end of the pandemic and how blessed we have been and are to experience good health while also acknowledging a tinge of fear wondering, "Is this too soon?" 

We couldn't dwell there because the almost record setting cold day for Memorial Day Weekend was beckoning us to get our run on. We debated about where we should run and opted for a run around the neighborhood and the small Reservoir on Route 9 knowing we could stop at the house if we needed a change of clothes. We reminded ourselves of when we used to train in weather conditions worse than this as we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon for our long runs.

"It's where we put our attention and mind set," I reminded Team McManus. It was hard to believe that two days ago we were in tank tops needing fans to cool off the house and today we needed winter running pants, jackets, hats and gloves but that's weather in New England for you.

We allowed joy to flow through us opening our arms (and hearts) wide singing and splashing in the puddles. Enjoy these photos from our run capturing the beauty of a rainy day run:

During my morning meditation, a poem started to flow through me that I finished after our run.

Morning Rain

Tear shaped raindrops on window pane
as we are preparing to live life again
an outpouring of emotions-sadness, grief, relief dawn of new day
joining hearts and hands together tentatively finding our way.
Spirits once dampened by dreaded disease
take stock and take pause as routines we unfreeze
though the day’s skies are cloudy a light burns so bright
casting away fourteen months filled with flooding of fright.
In the stillness of morning as rain poured from the sky
I was tempted to wonder to ponder ask why
but I know it’s a mystery so I reigned in that thought
taking deep breaths chest no longer drawn taut.
As gratitude bubbled up from the depth of my heart
with a smile on my lips as new day time to start
heading out on a run filled with laughter and play
no masks on our faces heavy burdens no longer weigh.
Soaked to the skin splashed in puddles galore
mud stained and chilled contentment needing nothing more
radiating Love from Source our troubles are light
healing on horizon is now well within sight.

We felt cleansed, refreshed and renewed after our run in the rain changing into warm comfy clothes to enjoy the rest of the first day of lifted COVID restrictions.

Be sure to listen to my conversation with Greg Chastain and Ed Siegel on their Voices of Hope podcast, The Cardinal Cafe. from Greg Chastain: The latest episode of The Cardinal Cafe is up! On this episode we meet Mary McManus. Mary is a motivational speaker, author, poet, 2009 Boston Marathon Finisher, polio and trauma survivor. She has a remarkable story of resilence, healing, Hope and possibilities. Once you hear her tell her story you will want to rush out to purchase her newest book of poems “Hope is a Garden” which she wrote during the recent pandemic. So please join us for this incredible story. 

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Be sure to check out my website's News and Events page for upcoming and past interviews where I share my remarkable and inspirational journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma.

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. 

My books to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.