Born to Run!

From the soon to be released "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
Born to Run

Born free
born to run
run free
unencumbered untethered unshackled
pouring energy into my running form
liquid gold once fired in the crucible
now my treasure born of my Spirit molded with alchemy
refining
my precious treasure once buried
the map safely tucked away
X marks the spot
a new starting line.

Poised and ready
to go the distance
all out without hesitation
all is healed at last
my pace swift
Mercury and Hermes pace me on winged feet
I AM
born to run
running free
joyfully crossing the finish line with ease.

I wrote that poem after a serious knee injury in December of 2014. The doctors and physical therapists told me I should not have taken up running to begin with and I needed to hang up on my running shoes and prepare for a total knee replacement. Knowing me as they did they agreed that if I did continue to run I should cap my distance at a 5K.

I squared my shoulders, fired up my soul, found a healing path again as I had after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, and went on to run 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons.

In June of 1959, at the tender age of 5, I dropped to the floor in kindergarten class running around the gym, paralyzed from the neck down from the polio virus. Yes I had the polio vaccine - 5 of them to be exact - which probably saved me from having a worse case of the disease.

I may have been born to run but never had the opportunity to experience the freedom and joy of running in my body until the age of 53!

I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards. I was told that if I used it I would lose it (yes you read that right!)

Having to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair felt counter intuitive to me.

Shortly after the diagnosis, in February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance.

What happened next astounded me...I wrote the poem "Running the Race".

Why was I writing a poem about running a race when I was sitting in a leg brace, using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility and told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair?

I was intrigued ...

It foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run!


From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
The Starting Line

How does one go from a leg brace, a cane, and using a wheelchair at times for mobility to the starting line of the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest and most challenging marathon? I had no idea when I strapped on my cardiac monitor, a pair of sweatpants and my first pair of running shoes.

“We’re going to do a run/walk sequence as a way of introducing your body to running,” Janine told me as we went out the front door of my house to teach my body how to run.

“It’s just a little quicker pace than walking,” she said. “I know you’ve been watching Forrest Gump. Just imagine how that feels in your body.”

My heart rate went up over 170. I thought my heart would jump out of my chest but I had to focus on my goal. I was taking the first steps on the road to my Boston Marathon.



Despite the physical challenges I experienced and continue to experience as a result of paralytic polio and enduring years of severe childhood trauma, my Spirit burned brightly igniting the awareness within me that indeed, I was and am born to run.



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.