The Shift

As we drove on Commonwealth Avenue to our usual parking space to start our Saturday morning run, it seemed as though we all felt a collective clutch of sadness. Runners were sparse and practicing social distancing. It's as though we felt the feelings of deflation that accompanied the rescheduling of the 2020 Boston Marathon originally scheduled for April 20th, 2020. It would have been the 11th anniversary of our incredible Boston Marathon journey. I was scheduled to speak at the Expo as part of the Runners Seminar Series (which is rescheduled for September). It's magical time of year in Boston as runners complete their training cycle and we all prepare for Boston to run again. We have had a blessedly mild winter with very little snow and early cold weather in November with only a few days of cold here and there, which has made for a wonderful training cycle. It's a time when we support our friends' fundraising efforts and attend different events leading up to the Marathon.

But a hush has fallen over the Hills.

I was sluggish at the beginning of today's run. We talked about how different the Hills felt from even two weeks ago.

But as we embraced the sunshine and sighted the wonderful harbingers of Spring's return:


our pace picked up. We smiled and greeted everyone we passed. We slowly let go of all that was weighing us down.

We had some fun with our selfie today at the Johnny Kelley Statue:


Johnny reminds us all to be Young at Heart. He lived to be 97 years old! I met his nephew in January of 2009 when we were coming back from Puerto Rico after taking a break from the brutal New England winter while we trained from Boston. It was a magical encounter that I wrote about in "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 the names of the people with whom we shared 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.

Young at Heart is the name of Johnny's autobiography and the song they played at the dedication of his statue on Heartbreak Hill.

It's so easy to forget the expanse of space and time when we focus on the news and absorb the fear and angst seemingly surrounding us but running and being out in fresh air and sunlight provides a wonderful healing balm to all of our ills. A recent article in the NY Times cited that there is a running boom happening now that gyms and pools are closed.

We even had a little race of our own at the end of our run pretending we were coming into an imaginary finish line!

What a wonderful shift we made from when we first arrived at Heartbreak Hill to when we finished our run. May we all find our way away from fear and back to love, joy, health and well being.

The Shift

Make the shift and shift to Source
shifting gears
untether from vortex of fear
troubles drift away in a hot air balloon
a rainbow of hope replaces roiling rage
how can this be?
why is this happening
to me?

This is happening for me
to shift
to sift through
transform.

Tears like raindrops
cleanse my heart and soul
clarity comes into view
a lush landscape
blessings freely scattered
take root in faith.

Source my resource
Love overflowing bathing wounds
entreating calm the storm
soothing gentle breezes
tender butterfly kisses
sunbeams warm my heart
the shift from fear to Love.

The only way to Be
Being joyful
filled with hope
the time is now.

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
With love
Mary

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

My books are available on Amazon