Team McManus wanted to continue the momentum from Bermuda Marathon Weekend of running on hills.
Last Saturday, Tom and I returned to Heartbreak Hill celebrating the tenth anniversary of when we ran the Boston Marathon. There is magic on Heartbreak Hill at this time of year as runners gather on the hills to test their mettle and train for their Boston Marathon.
It's also the day that charity runners take their photos at the Johnny Kelley statue.
From the soon to be released "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
Two weeks before our first run on Heartbreak Hill, we returned from Puerto Rico, after a brief hiatus from the never ending brutal New England cold weather. On the plane ride home, we met Tom Kelley and his wife, Dottie. We shared the story of Team McManus not knowing who the names of the people with whom we were sharing pleasant conversation to pass the time on the flight back to a snowstorm in Boston.
“Hi there…my name is Tom Kelley. My uncle was Johnny Kelley.”
“I’m Dottie.” “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Johnny Kelley” I thought to myself. “As in the Johnny Kelley. Olympian and Boston Marathon champion through the decades?!”
Dottie shared with me that Tommy lives with Parkinson’s Disease but he keeps on running as best he can. Running is his therapy. She asked for our mailing address. They had something they wanted to send to us. I had goosebumps all over.
As we parted ways heading to baggage claim, Dottie said, ‘Good luck with the rest of your training! Come see us at the Expo at Packet Pick up. Remember, Johnny will be watching over you.”
“Thank you. Get home safely and we’ll definitely come see you at Packet Pick Up. You sure made my day!” I said with a broad smile and a full heart.
A week later a package came in the mail with a note written in Dottie’s perfect cursive handwriting dictated by Tommy:
This is a poster created by Adidas for the 2004 BAA Marathon. I had Johnny sign a few when we roomed together at the Copley Plaza that week, and I know he would have gladly signed one for your family if he were here. Perhaps it will inspire you to run a good race, especially the last 6 miles. Johnny was an inspiration to many of us amateur runners and he lives on in the memories of countless runners. You can get a copy of his book Young at Heart on Amazon I believe. You'll note that his forefathers came over to the USA on the SS Marathon!!! Keep on running as I do. We loved your website and maybe some day we can meet again.
Tom and I were running only 3.5 miles compared to the 15-17 miles for those training for Boston. We were able to smile and give a fist pump and a high five to help runners get through those tough miles on the hills.
We were blessed with beautiful sunshine and felt incredibly fortunate to experience the thrill of anticipation of Boston Marathon Weekend 2019.
We recalled that magical time when we ran Heartbreak Hill for the first time.
From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
When we arrived at the store, Domenick was there along with other members of Marathon Sports Run Club. Team McManus was a wee bit nervous not knowing what to expect or what was going to happen today. He was deep in thought about what route we should run today.
"Have you run outdoors? Have you done hills?"
As we shook our heads and said, “Yes!” Domenick wrote out our 17.5 miles route on the back of a map. He narrated the route as he scribbled.
“You’re going to go outbound on Beacon Street to Newton Wellesley Hospital, over to Wellesley, up Concord Road, over to Route 30 via the Marriott, down Route 30 through Heartbreak Hill, through BC to go around the Reservoir and then back to Marathon Sports.”
I won't lie! It was not easy! If it were easy everyone would do it right? We didn’t know where we were going. We had to watch out for black ice and gingerly navigate our way through snow and slush. When Tom set a pace that challenged me, I vacillated between feeling sheer exhilaration and dealing with demons from polio days. BUT we did it! Four hours and 45 minutes after we left Marathon Sports, we returned to a jubilant staff. This polio survivor ran Heartbreak Hill - all of it! I felt God's palpable presence with each step I took. We did a 17.5 mile run today including Heartbreak Hill. I felt Johnny Kelley's spirit blessing us whisking us along our first training run on Heartbreak Hill.
Those "mounds of opportunity" certainly made us stronger on our road to Boston and continue to make us stronger ten years later. We are thrilled that Heartbreak Hill is just a heartbeat away from where we live.
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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