I often imagine how wonderful the world will be if everyone lived by the Runner's Code. If a runner sees another runner down or hurting they pause and ask if there's anything they can do to help. The runner's own race becomes less significant when they help out a fellow runner. I've seen the runner's code in action many times. Perhaps one of the most powerful runner code moments happened at this year's Boston Marathon when Desiree Linden waited for Shalane Flanagan while she made a pit stop. Follow this link to a great article about The Science Behind How Sportsmanship Helped Desiree Linden Win Boston.
Two years ago on this very date, I experienced the kindness of a total stranger during the Bermuda Half Marathon. I was cruising along during the first 6 miles of the race. As any endurance runner knows, things can take a turn without warning.
From the soon to be released "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
"Are you favoring your left side?" Tom asked me with a worried tone when we got to mile 9.
"It's from the road angle," I said. "I'm doing fine. I'm not in any pain."
The right side of my back went into spasm with the long hill between mile 9 and 10 combined with the the heat from the sun. I massaged the spasm. I told myself, “I am confident and comfortable in my body.”
I embraced what was happening to my body. By mile 10, I felt a release and said a prayer of gratitude that the tightness was gone.
Between miles 10 and 11, I could feel the toll that the fast start, the heat, the hills and having to negotiate traffic was taking on my body. I harnessed the power of my mind to think, in the words of Dr. Joe Dispenza, greater than my circumstances. I observed my body rather than embody the spasms which could certainly have sent off a wave of panic within me.
We stopped and stretched and made sure we had plenty of hydration. While I would experience moments of relief, they were short lived and far between. I harnessed the power of the mantra that I have used before in my runs if a part of my body was experiencing pain or swelling. "I created this so I can uncreate it." ...
With only 1.1 miles to go I knew I was not going to quit. The question was how was I going to finish? I had to accept the fact that I was listing to my left side. My left arm was in spasm. I lost muscle control over my upper body. We stopped and stretched every which way I could think of to get relief and hydrate.
"Are you okay? Do you need water?" a beautiful runner said with a delightful British accent.
"No we have enough water...I'm stretching trying to work out cramps. Thank you."
As we turned the corner I welcomed the downhill heading into Front Street. One foot in front of the other was all I could think about. At the wall in front of The Rosedon, a spot where I felt incredible triumph in 2016, I was losing control over my entire body. Tom supported me as my body melted down toward the ground. I dumped water on my head, took a big gulp of water and pulled myself together. I had to block out the trigger that was happening inside of me from the day I collapsed in gym class after contracting paralytic polio.
Tom had the brilliant idea of having me put one arm around his shoulder while he braced my hip. As we moved slowly toward the finish line, the angel from mile 12 appeared.
"Come on. Put your arm around me. I'm going to help you."
She could tell I was stunned. "They did it for me when I cramped up in Chicago and Philadelphia actually. It's okay. This is what we do for each other."
With Tom and the earth angel from mile 12 flanking me on either side, I powered up Bermudiana Road and then down the final hill toward the finish line.
I kept saying thank you amidst the conversation we shared to keep me distracted from what was happening in my body. I cried and shared my story. She reassured me that I would finish this race. She acknowledged my strength and my courage. She told us a bit about herself and her running comeback after a slipped disc. Tom and our earth angel kept me focused on my single minded goal: to cross that finish line.
"I'm going to step aside right before the finisher's chute so I'm not in your finish photo," this angel said to me.
I was never so happy to see a finish line in my life!
{Thank you to Glenn Deseo for capturing the photos of Tom and Jamie-Lee supporting me to the finish line.}
The medical team and Tom insisted I go into the medical tent to get checked out. Once I sat down, everything released although the medical team insisted I get thoroughly checked out. It was the first and only time I've been in a medical tent at a race.
Jamie-Lee came around to see how I was doing after I emerged from the medical tent.
We exchanged information and remain great friends since January 15, 2017.
Her kindness is forever imprinted on my heart.
I wonder what a wonderful world this would be if everyone stopped to lend a hand to someone who was in need.
To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary
My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available on Amazon.
Be sure to visit my website by following this link.
My books are available on Amazon.
Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life
Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:
Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
***Coming Soon - The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953***
“The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance tapping into the powerful connection she experienced to the Divine from an early age. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running. Her story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog, discovering the meaning of different ability and experiencing the stunning view from the back of the pack of a race. You will have the privilege of bearing witness to how Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her. The sport of running provides the backdrop for her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary that tested her mettle while forging friendships to last a lifetime. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life.
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