Adventures on Heartbreak Hill & The Kindness of Strangers

On Saturday mornings Team McManus huddles and decides where they are going to run and for what distance. A mild snowfall was followed by thawing. We knew the Reservoir would be a soupy mess. Tom and Ruth Anne were just coming off of their Bermuda 10K run and we decided on 4 miles staying together at my pace on Heartbreak Hill.

The temperatures were moderate for January and the Newton Hills were alive with runners training for the Boston Marathon.

We parked the car in Newton Center across the street from the Heartbreak Hill Running Company to do an out and back two mile run.

Initially we had an uneventful run reminiscing about our time in Bermuda and getting ready for the Hyannis Marathon Weekend. Tom and Ruth Anne are going to run the 10K. I am going to be the guest speaker at the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner along with Bill Rodgers to share my inspirational journey from being told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

We kept a brisk pace and I unzipped my running jacket as the day warmed up.

I checked my Nike+ as we approached the 2 mile mark. We took a water stop and I twirled around looking forward to the two miles back to the car.

I was inspired to share the talk I plan to give in Hyannis and visualized how it is going to feel to address the crowd.

I've been a part of Hyannis Marathon Weekend since 2009 but this will be the first time I will be on the stage along with Bill Rodgers.

Here are a few of the photos from Camp Hyannis as I affectionately call race weekend from years passed.


I was amazed at how I was able to recall the talking points of my speech from memory and to also recall what quotes I need to remember to add in.

It felt as though we were almost at 3 miles. I reached into my jacket pocket and asked out loud, "Wait. Where's my phone?"

Ruth Anne was tracking our mileage on her GPS and said we were at 2.8 miles; .8 miles from where I last had my phone.

Tom called it to see if perhaps someone had picked it up or I put it in a different pocket.

"What are we going to do?"

Tom suggested he run back to the 2 mile mark to see if he could find it along the way.

Ruth Anne recalled how we lost each other one time running around Jamaica Pond while training for the 2009 Boston Marathon and we decided it would be best to stay together.

From my memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility":
And who could EVER forget us losing each other around - emphasize the word a-round Jamaica Pond. Tom had stopped at the car to fill up the water bottles and get some snacks. He had his iPod on really loud. I was in the zone and ran by him. I saw him looking for me in the opposite direction and yelled to him that I was over here. I felt so great and the weather was wonderful that I did not want to interrupt my rhythm. Finally, my daughter who had been going at her own pace came running up to me - where were you she asked? (well duh, we're going around in a circle) Dad is worried sick about you. He thought that since you had to go to the bathroom (and the bathrooms were not open yet) that you went off the trail and went to pee in the woods). We finally all caught up with one another and laughed so hard.

Tom took off saying, "I'm going to go ahead."

Ruth Anne left her cell phone at home.

Tom handed the car keys to me and suggested we go back to the car but given our history of losing each other and not having a cell phone, we decided we would trail behind him.

There was no sign of my phone or Tom in the distance.

Ruth Anne kept tabs on our distance and when we went past the .8 of a mile, we decided to wait for Tom.

He bounded over the hill and said, "Somebody picked it up and they are leaving it at Comm. Ave and Dartmouth Street. I'll meet you there."

"I kept calling it and calling it and someone finally picked it up. I asked him to wait for me and he said he would but he took off but left the phone on the wall."

Unbeknownst to us, a runner (identified by his being out of breath on voice mail) had found the phone and took the time to call Ruth Anne. Her number was listed on my outgoing call list and the phone had not yet locked after I dropped it or it fell out of my pocket. Later in the evening Ruth Anne checked voice mail and we all listened to try to find a clue as to what kind stranger took the time to let us know he had found the phone and would leave it on the wall at 35 Dartmouth Street at the corner of Comm. Ave and Dartmouth Street. Apparently another person was passing by, heard the phone ringing and answered it.

We realized we were going to do a lot more than a 4 mile run and while Tom and Ruth Anne are trained for a 10K distance, I hadn't run more than 4 miles since we ran the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon. I had decided that I was going to stay with 5K's but as Tom and Ruth Anne trained for their 10K, I decided that 2020 was going to be my year of Expansion! Fortunately I had done several 4 mile runs. After giving my Hyannis Marathon talk, I inspired myself with what's possible when we harness the power of the mind/body connection as we made our way back to the car.

"Hi there fella," Tom said to what looked like a friendly dog.

The dog leapt at Tom with teeth bared growling. The human said, "There there Oliver. It's okay." The dog settled down and his human said, "Sorry about that. Thanks for saying hello."

"This has been quite the adventure. I almost lost my cell phone and you almost got bitten by a dog."

We were at 5.22 miles when we got to the Johnny Kelley Statue:


Tom looked at the hill looming before us and said that he would run ahead and get the car. He was concerned about me going from 4 miles to 6 miles without adequate training especially with that big hill up ahead.

Right before he took off I remembered he had handed the car keys to me...That would have certainly added to the adventure.

It started drizzling. Since we were only planning for four miles, we only brought 3 water bottles with us but we are marathoners and know how to harness the power of our minds to find comfort in the discomfort.

About ten minutes later my phone rang.

"I'm at the car but my phone battery...."

"The last call he made was to us," I quipped with Ruth Anne.

We were reunited and headed to the New England Soup Factory for refueling to take home where we could warm up and review our adventures on Heartbreak Hill.

We were so grateful for the kindness of strangers who took the time and care to help us reunite with my phone. I hope that somehow the runner who took the time to call Ruth Anne will see my blog and/or my Facebook posts and know how appreciative we are for his kindness.

I was deeply grateful to my body for allowing me to go the distance again knowing that my 2020 goal for reaching the 10K distance is well within reach for 2020.

I am looking forward to many more adventures in running and in life as I embrace all the possibilites that 2020 brings.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

Be inspired by my interview with Kendra Petrone on the award winning Exceptional Women Show by following this link

To experience an epic race weekend and hear me share my journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond come to the Hyannis Marathon Weekend February 21-23 2020.