Bermuda Marathon Weekend: Do the Thing You Think You Cannot Do

When I set out on this odyssey to heal the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma twelve years ago, I took a lot of risks and did things every day that scared me. While I was always ready to take on intellectual challenges in my life, I had dissociated from my body to survive. I was blessed to meet Joe Stetz, an earth angel, when I was 11 years old, Joe Stetz, who encouraged me to face my fears and compete in the end of year Olympics at my day camp.

After being discharged from Spaulding Rehab in October of 2007, I hired a personal trainer who helped me to do many many things I thought I could not do. Six months after partnering with her, I declared that I wanted to run the 2009 Boston Marathon.

From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
“Wait. I have one more goal.”

Janine stopped and turned around.

“I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital. I know they have a Race for Rehab team and I want to do it next year.”

Did you ever have one of those moments when words fell out of your mouth after rising up from the depths of your soul without going through any thought process?

Janine was non-plussed. I don’t know what kept her from turning tail and getting as far away from me as she could. She came back into my house, set down her things and without missing a beat said, “Well the first thing you are going to need is a pair of running shoes.”

She laid out a cursory training plan and said that we would begin indoors to build up my cardio endurance. As soon as the weather got a little warmer, we’d go outdoors and I would learn how to run.

What had I just done?

Before going to Bermuda for the 2019 Bermuda Marathon Weekend, I told Tom that I was not going to go near any of the caves that were on the property of Grotto Bay Resort.

I had second thoughts about making that declaration since I choose the words "Adventure" and "Calm" for 2019.

Even the sight of the stairs leading down to the Cave gave me serious pause and that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"No, I'm good," I told Tom.

"You don't have to Mary. It's fine."

"No I can't let fear win."



I gingerly walked halfway down the steps and quickly walked up.

It took me a couple of times before I went all the way down the stairs. Tom insisted that we take a photo:



The door to the cave was closed but I was fully prepared to enter.



During these past 12 years I have gone into the abyss of healing wounds that cut deep into my mind, body and soul. Yet the events of my past no longer hold me hostage to fear.

When you do the thing you think you cannot do, you look fear in the face and with trembling heart say, "I've got this!"

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.