Saturday's run on 11/1 was the start of a new month, a new week in our training cycle and marked 4 months until Tom and I toe the starting line of the 45th Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K. We've been asking ourselves what makes this training cycle so different than other ones we've experienced. We know each training cycle, just like each race, is different but this training cycle has been so much more than the miles and our race goal.
We know we can go the distance of a 10K. Even though I was a DNF in Bermuda in 2024, I went out on May 4th and finished my unfinished business. We have run 6 miles several times during this training cycle. I use the mantra, "My body recovers with ease." We could have easily taken our time to very slowly build to the 10K distance and gone out and done the race. But this journey is so much more than the miles. Our early morning runs are sacred time together. Getting up at 6am during the week to get in our miles, 6:30 on Mondays to do strength training, and 7am on Saturdays for our long run is great for our health mind, body and soul. We are building mileage to go the distance of 7.2 miles on December 25th; my 72nd birthday. That will be our peak mileage as we build a solid and strong foundation for a 10K.
I look at photos on my laptop from when we trained for Bermuda Half Marathons 2016, 2017 and 2018. Here are two of my favs from December 2016. It was in the 60's on Christmas Day when we did our last long run of 12.5 miles. I'm manifesting another mild winter this year.
In December 2014, I had a very serious knee injury and was told to stop running or cap my distance at a 5K preparing for a total knee replacement in a few years. I know my body can do this despite now being in my 70's. Age is just a number as I saw watching the final finishers come in at the NYC Marathon last weekend.
Taking care of ourselves by taking time in nature, unplugged and being fully present gives us the ability to be present in the world without becoming overwhelmed by circumstances. Mother Nature treated us to spectacular sights during our early morning runs this week. Tom and I want to be as healthy, fit and strong as possible. We are taking time for rest to ensure we are having good recovery times. Nutrition has been a vital part of this training cycle discovering what we need for pre- and post-run fueling. Gratitude, joy and celebration are an integral part of this training cycle that transcends miles and a goal.
When we set out for Saturday's 5 miles, I was keenly aware that it was 4 months until race day on 3/1, but the goal quickly receded into the background so I could be fully present to take on the very strong headwinds. We initially planned to go to Jamaica Pond and had a later start than usual since we thought we didn't have any commute time but as Tom started the ignition, he paused. The sun was shining. Since there was a wind chill, he didn't want to have the shade and the closed in space of Jamaica Pond. We were planning to use the car as our aid station. After we parked at Castle Island, we loaded up our jackets and fuel belt/vest with provisions. As the brisk headwind greeted us, I felt this stirring in my soul of "Yes. Bring it on." I remembered Bill Rodgers' words to me before the start of the 2014 Prostate Cancer 5K race. "Life is hard. That's why we run. When we conquer the difficulties on the roads, we can conquer the difficult challenges that are a part of life." It was cold but not that cold to the bone winter cold and the sun was still warm when the winds died down.
I felt a powerful connection to Source. See if you can see the angel in the first photo. We had a tail wind on the back 2.5 miles. My social media news feed on Saturday evening was filled with pre-NYC Marathon events. Roger Robinson, who moderated a panel I was on for the 2020 Boston Marathon Virtual Expo, received the George Hirsch journalism award. The donors' ceremony for the Museum of World Athletics featured champions Bill Rodgers, Jacqueline Hansen, Frank Shorter and Deena Kastor just to name a few. I've been blessed and grateful to meet them and have them embrace my journey as a most unlikely runner. While the years leading up to the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006 and the two years following the diagnosis were filled with physical, emotional and spiritual pain, the diagnosis led me to this remarkable running community. Spencer Aston fitted me for my first pair of running shoes at Marathon Sports. He posted his "Flat Spencer" photo. What a thrill to track him on race day.
Monday was our strength training day.
There's no such thing as bad weather; only bad weather gear. Fortunately there was no precipitation - yet. My weather app has a snowflake in the forecast. And sure I miss putting on a singlet and shorts, not having to go through the hat and glove bag to find my gear deciding which jacket would be best, but there is exhilaration and wonderful health benefits of getting up early and experiencing the cold air. The days may have less daylight but we are soaking up the sunshine in the early morning hours and during our Saturday long runs.
Thursday morning miles were an amazing way to wrap up another week of training. When I saw the full moon, the beginning of a 5th Dimension song came to me. "The sun comes up the moon goes down a new day's on its way..." But I couldn't remember the rest of the song. During our magical morning miles, I kept remembering more and more of the song adding to what I remembered each time. By the end of our run, without googling it, and with Tom's encouragement to keep singing, I remembered the entire first verse to "Light Sings." It's a most appropriate anthem for our times. If you're not familiar with it - give a listen. I've added it to our On the Road to playlist.
Tom and I are filled with joy and gratitude for this training cycle. We celebrate our precious, sacred moments together unplugged out in nature. We celebrate our health and wellness ever mindful of where I was 19 years ago when I was debilitated facing a grim diagnosis of 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. I am deeply grateful that, in February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance refusing to take the diagnosis sitting down. I listened to the promptings of my heart and soul discovering the healing power of poetry as my imagination stoked the power of the mind/body connection. I could barely get out of bed in the morning, navigate the stairs in my house and I would put on a strong front to continue to serve my veterans, their families and my Team. Now I get up at 6am to get in morning miles and experience the magic of the Universe. Tom gets the credit for these Full Moon photos.
Tom and I are filled with joy and gratitude for this training cycle. We celebrate our precious, sacred moments together unplugged out in nature. We celebrate our health and wellness ever mindful of where I was 19 years ago when I was debilitated facing a grim diagnosis of 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. I am deeply grateful that, in February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance refusing to take the diagnosis sitting down. I listened to the promptings of my heart and soul discovering the healing power of poetry as my imagination stoked the power of the mind/body connection. I could barely get out of bed in the morning, navigate the stairs in my house and I would put on a strong front to continue to serve my veterans, their families and my Team. Now I get up at 6am to get in morning miles and experience the magic of the Universe. Tom gets the credit for these Full Moon photos.
That's a wrap! Another week of training is in the books. I'm
discovering that training for the Hyannis 10K is becoming a lifestyle
that is so much more than the miles and more than the goal. It's transformational!
In health and wellness - Mary
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.
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.
"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.
