When It's Counterintuitive...On Movement and Momentum

We had ice dams several years ago during one of the worst winters in New England. We hadn't had them in all the previous years and when we finally got a roofer to come to the house, he explained what happens when ice dams are formed. "It's counterintuitive to the law of physics," he explained.

When I woke up this morning, as can happen if I don't get enough rest on my rest and recovery days, every part of me ached and burned. Tom and I had a great 5K run yesterday and enjoyed being out with the tapering Boston Marathon runners:


We had a new roof put on our house so after the run we went out to the Natick Mall.

Tom's Garmin showed that we had done a total of 5 miles yesterday!

Part of me thought about how sore I felt and did I really want to get up and do our strength training work out?

Of course I did although it was counterintuitive to get moving and continue to gain momentum in my health and fitness journey healing the effects of paralytic polio and trauma from years gone by.

After a 20 minute meditation, clearing the energy and preparing for my day ahead, I gingerly stretched and got out of bed. I let out a huge sigh of gratitude for the opportunity of a new day and that I can put both feet on the floor and move!

I walked down the stairs and set up our home gym:


In addition to using upper and lower body weights, we do squats, a plank and use the stabilizers for gastroc muscle strengthening and balance.

I couldn't give much thought to how I was feeling in the moments before the workout and instead focused on knowing how wonderful I would feel during and after the workout.

I reflected on the feelings generated from reading Deena Kastor's book, "Let Your Mind Run."

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from her book that got me moving this morning:
Find a thought that serves you better!
Find the right tool for the moment.
When my mind talked my body listened
You are your own creation
Power of positivity and gratitude
From excuses to execution
When you put yourself into a mind set of enjoyment the cycle unfolds.

I cranked up my playlist and felt the joy and the gratitude that I AM able to work out and experience health and well being despite some aches and pains along the way.



During a recent interview with Frankie Picasso as we discussed my recent book, "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953," she asked my advice for someone who was in pain and feeling deconditioned. She is preparing for orthopedic surgeries to alleviate the pain caused by a critical motorcycle accident she was in 16 years ago. I started out by saying, 'It's counterintuitive to move when you're in so much pain, but once you focus on where you are going rather than where you are today you'll be able to move forward.'

I shared what I wrote in "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
“You know I’m curious,” I said to Janine. “Do you think you could help me? I was just discharged from Spaulding Rehab.”

I went on to tell her about my journey.

“I don’t know,” she said “but I’d certainly be happy to set up an assessment with you.”

I couldn’t even pass the initial fitness assessment.

“You’re way too young to not be able to get off of the toilet seat without holding on to the sink or to not be able to get off of the couch,” she said to me.

It was a statement of fact without judgment. She spoke the truth about my deconditioned physical state. I signed on to work with her once a week in personal training. I had no idea what or why I was doing this. I did know that if I was going to be in pain, I’d prefer to feel the pain of recovery instead of the pain of decline. Janine held enough faith for both of us that I could come out of my leg brace and have a good quality of life despite the diagnosis and prognosis I received.

While it may be counterintuitive to move when we are in pain, our bodies receive a powerful message of healing and repair when we move and move forward rather than remain in a state of stagnation and pain.

To your health and wellness,
From my heart to yours
Mary

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.



“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.

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):


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.

Crossing a finish line....

“Because crossing a finish line can be like experiencing all of life’s blessings in a single moment.” ~Anonymous



In December of 2006, I faced a grim and uncertain future. I was given the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and told I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. The years of dissociating from my body to cope with having contracted paralytic polio at age 5 and then enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members finally caught up with me. I didn't know what was happening to me at the time nor did I know how I would find my way out of the hell I was experiencing in mind, body and soul.

In February of 2007 I got still and asked for Divine Guidance rekindling the connection I experienced with Source from when I was 5 years old.

From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
As I lay paralyzed on the couch from the neck down, my mother glared at me while smoking a cigarette. I didn’t know why she couldn’t or wouldn’t care for me. I had to wait until my father or grandfather came home to get my basic needs met. I had a vision of a Being with a long flowing beard who extended a hand to me only there was no physical hand. This Being sent a well bucket for me to climb in, and, although I was paralyzed, I was able to step into the well bucket to be reeled up to meet this Being. I felt safe, at peace and happy. Somewhere inside of me I knew that I had to make a choice. In that moment I made a choice to return to my physical body. Movement returned to my right side. I wiggled around a little bit on the couch; enough movement to hold my story book. Everywhere I looked whether my eyes were open or closed and even in my story book, I saw this Being. I had my guardian angel to help me through.

What was I going to do? I was told I needed to quit my award winning almost 20 year career as a VA social worker if I had any hope of stabilizing the symptoms where they were. I was terrified, angry and then.....

It was a cold, dark February evening and I felt this urge to create but create what? My twins were in their early 20's and my career and possibly my life was coming to an end.

From Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope & Possibility:
And then I felt a stirring in my second chakra (only then I didn’t know it was my second chakra – I thought it might have been something I ate). I went over to my laptop in the corner of the living room and I wrote this poem:

Running the Race
Early summer 1959 my kindergarten year
Everyone around me filled with nervous fear
Despite the Salk vaccine hope polio would disappear
The polio virus crept right up and knocked me in the rear.
Dancing all around the gym feeling free just like a bird
I dropped to the ground just like a stone
and no one said a word.
The pain it was so searing-the diagnosis even worse
"It's polio" the doctor said...he was abrupt and terse.
Called one of the 'lucky ones' I had a 'mild case'
But with the other athletes I could never keep their pace.
Miss Holly physical therapist,
curly hair and a warm, broad smile
It tempered the pain of being apart - to walk I'd take awhile.

I always wore those 'special' shoes
the kids they poked and teased
With no support and much abuse
with childhood I wasn't pleased.
But put nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could
I couldn't kick a ball but my grades were always good.
Years went by and no more thought to polio did I give
I accepted the limp and everything else
and decided my life I would live.
But symptoms of weakness and muscle pain did grow
I kept a stoic face hoping no one else would know.

Life no longer was my own I struggled through each day
Suffered in silence, isolated from friends-
trying to keep depression at bay.
And with the grace of glorious God my world it opened wide
I discovered there was a Post Polio team
and they were on my side.

Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do,
Resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body- creaks, groans and need for a brace
While in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.
Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
For the first time in life, I could truly be me.
The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.
I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
So much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

I sobbed to write those words. I had never spoken about polio or the abuse I endured. I became curious. Why am I writing about winning a 10K race?

A portal to healing opened before me as poems poured out of me in which I imagined myself healthy, whole and free in mind, body and soul.

I was transforming the horror of my past and creating a future very different from the one the doctors predicted for me.

And then I discovered the sport of running!

I had never run a day in my life yet in February of 2008 I declared to my personal trainer that my next health and fitness goal was to run the 2009 Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital where I took the first steps on my healing journey.

It was a glorious moment when we came down Comm. Ave and took that right on Hereford and left on Boylston heading toward the finish line of the 113th Boston Marathon:


followed by the glory of crossing the finish line:


The crowning glory of April 20, 2019 was receiving my Boston Marathon medal from a volunteer:


I endured much as a child, an adolescent and as the symptoms of Post-Polio Syndrome began to claim my life. I turned my past into glory the moment I crossed the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon.

To your health and wellness,
From my heart to yours
Mary

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.



“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.

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):


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.

Feel Good Friday - On Grace & Gratitude

As I have the blessing and good fortune to share my journey in interviews as I promote my latest book, "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953," it's a wonderful opportunity for me to reflect on grace, gratitude and the miracle of healing in my life.

I experienced a touch of grace from an early age as I write about in "Adventures..."
As I lay paralyzed on the couch from the neck down, my mother glared at me while smoking a cigarette. I didn’t know why she couldn’t or wouldn’t care for me. I had to wait until my father or grandfather came home to get my basic needs met. I had a vision of a Being with a long flowing beard who extended a hand to me only there was no physical hand. This Being sent a well bucket for me to climb in, and, although I was paralyzed, I was able to step into the well bucket to be reeled up to meet this Being. I felt safe, at peace and happy. Somewhere inside of me I knew that I had to make a choice. In that moment I made a choice to return to my physical body. Movement returned to my right side. I wiggled around a little bit on the couch; enough movement to hold my story book. Everywhere I looked whether my eyes were open or closed and even in my story book, I saw this Being. I had my guardian angel to help me through.

For years I felt resentment, anger and guilt about what I considered having been dealt a crummy hand of cards. But after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, after I got still and asked for Divine Guidance, I realized that in order to heal my life I needed to be thankful for the challenges that I experienced. Bernie Siegel was a wonderful coach to me during this time as he had been since I knew him in the 1980's.

From "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems To Heal Your Life":
Royal Flush

One could say I was dealt a hand of crummy cards to play
at first blush I would have to agree
bluffing became my way of life
playing my cards close to my chest
ever vigilant
shifting eyes
wondering
do I continue to play or fold?

The stakes were high
I could no longer up the ante
living on the edge
waiting to find freedom only in death
every day a living death
something had to give
new rules
unconditional love
trust
strength
courage
steadiness
releasing fear by experiencing fear
losing self consciousness
opening my heart.

I bet everything I had
riding on hope, faith and a prayer

“I’m all in”
putting my cards on the table
there it was
a royal flush!

Through harnessing the power of the mind/body connection connecting to Divine Intelligence within me I have been able to:
Dissolve a breast tumor that was most likely malignant
Heal a lesion on my nose that was skin cancer
Dissolve bone spurs, fatty lipoma, reverse degenerative changes, grow new cartilage and a new gastroc muscle on my left leg
Rewire my neuromuscular system healing the effects of paralytic polio visualizing the Divine as my Master Electrician
Run the Boston Marathon after being told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair
Dissolve bone spurs and resolve a disc pressing on my nerve at C-6 in my cervical spine no longer needing injections to relieve this condition
I came upon the work of Mitchell May and used his mantra for healing "I am a child of God. This is easy for God to heal." I practiced Emile Coue's mantra that he gave to us patients in the 1800's, "Every day in every way I'm getting better and better!"



I continue to heal the effects of paralytic polio and trauma and whatever comes up as an active 65 year old. Through a touch of grace and serendipity I found my to Dr. Lizzie Sobel, chiropractor with whom I have partnered on this journey for almost two years. Just last week I felt new connections to my left leg and am able to feel more balanced with diminishing the risk for an overuse injury on my right leg and side. Imagine that ... after 60 years, my body continues to heal and transform. And to think "they said" if I use it I will lose it and prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. "They" believe that polio survivors age at an accelerated rate taxing the already overtaxed muscles and nerves compromised by the polio virus. "They" need to learn more about neuroplasticity and the body's tremendous capacity to heal!

I am blessed and grateful to my partner Tom who I met through the grace on a blind date 42 years ago. He told me that it was a "no brainer" when I was diagnosed and said that I should quit my job so I could heal my life in May 2007. At the time I had no idea what that meant and I was terrified to take that leap of faith but leap I did. Whenever we needed money, it came to us.

Speaking of money and signs...After the twins were born, we were charging formula and diapers. Our savings had been used during unplanned bed rest for 6 weeks. We lived on one income during a recession. One day I decided that I was going to embody abundance and got dressed to the nines and took the twins in our double stroller to Bloomingdale's. There on the floor was a $20 bill! When I ran out of money for graduate school to complete my last semester, Tom and I 'just happened' to be watching the news when Paula Lyons, a consumer reporter for Channel 5 talked about a new student loan program, MEFA. I went to the Financial Aid Office at Boston College and got the money I needed to finish my MSW.

We are blessed to now experience abundance and a very comfortable lifestyle having weathered many financial crises.

Every day I practice an attitude of gratitude.



When life presents challenges which it invariably will, I get still and ask for Divine Guidance. Through my regular meditation practice, I am better able to take a pause, get my bearings and maintain equanimity in the face of chaos.

While I have been to hell and back in my life, I have been blessed with the gifts of grace and gratitude to embrace the challenges and transform them while gleaning the soul lessons I need to be my highest, brightest and best self. I am blessed and grateful that I can share my challenges and the miracles I have co-created in my life to inspire others!

To hear my interview with Frankie Picasso, follow this link.



You can hear my interview with Bernie Siegel by following this link.

If you subscribe to Hay House Radio, you can hear my interview with Dr. David Hamilton by following this link.


To your health and wellness,
From my heart to yours
Mary

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.



“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.

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):


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.

There's No Such Thing As A Bad Run....& Reflections on Success

"I've been running long enough to realize the hardest part is just getting out the door. I never go for a run and wish I hadn't because running isn't about good days and bad days. Runs are cumulative. Runs are collected every time you tie up the laces. And there's only one rule for success ... keep showing up." ~Desi Linden 2018 Boston Marathon Champion in Brooks Ad

After I saw Desi Linden's ad for Brooks on Facebook, I was inspired to think about Monday's morning run with Tom. During the run I felt sluggish and noticed how I was judging my run and my pace. But there is no such thing as a bad run just as there is no such thing as a bad day. There may be days and runs that are more challenging than others but every day and every run is a gift.

I often forget what a blessing and miracle it is that I can get up in the morning feeling refreshed, lace up my running shoes and go out for a run (more about being a miracle maker in a future post).


Tom and I chose to run around the Route 9 Reservoir.

Daybreak was beautiful:


and the serenity was medicine for mind, body and soul:


Although my pace was significantly slower than Saturday's run on the Hills, my run was a success!

I often forget how many people do not get up at 5:45am on a Monday morning and start their day with a run.

Before breakfast, I fueled my mind, body and soul with exercise, fresh air, unplugged time with my bestie:


and time in nature.

A positive tone of success was set for the new day and the new week ahead.

Breakfast always tastes so good after a run and my body takes in the nourishment with joy and a feeling of self satisfaction for choosing to lace up first thing in the morning.

Twelve years ago at this time, I faced an uncertain future. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and prepare to experience a rapid decline in functioning as I aged, the result of having contracted paralytic polio as a child. "They" (the medical community) told me I needed to quit my job if I had any hope of stabilizing the symptoms of Post-Polio Syndrome where they were. I was told if I used it, I would lose it - yes you read that right - and I needed to conserve my energy because my neuromuscular system and my central nervous system were compromised from the initial polio virus.

I did in fact choose to take a leap of faith and leave my award winning career as a VA social worker in May of 2007 to heal my life having no idea at the time of what that meant. I sat in a leg brace using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility and had just started writing poetry that opened the portal to healing.

I WAS able to heal my life harnessing the power of the mind/body connection and working harder at my recovery than I'd ever worked at anything in my life. I went on to have many adventures as runnergirl 1953 including crossing the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon.

So Monday's run was challenging and my pace was off but it was still a success! There's no such thing as a bad run especially when you're told to prepare to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair.

To your health and wellness,
From my heart to yours
Mary

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.



“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.

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):


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.