In July of 2008, I signed up for my second road race after having declared in February that I was going to run the 2009 Boston Marathon to my personal trainer, Sierra (Janine) Hightower. I had never run a day in my life before Janine took me outside in March of 2008 to learn how to run. As a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and trauma, I was a stranger to athletics.
My first road race in June was the Corrib Pub 5K, a neighborhood friendly race that introduced me to the unconditional acceptance of runners and the world of road racing.
The Marathon Sports 5 Miler was a highly competitive race held on a hot summer's evening in July. Fortunately, the staff from the Brookline Marathon Sports who knew my story and fitted me with my first pair of running shoes ever were part of the support crew for the race.
From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":
Our first 5 mile race was the Marathon Sports 5 miler. It was a hot, steamy evening in July. We got lost on the way to the race. Tempers were running as hot as the thermometer because I was so anxious about running my first five mile race. My energy tended to wane by the evening as I was continuing to deal with the late effects of polio. We finally arrived and walked around trying to enjoy the pre-race festivities. As everyone took their place at the start, I could see that this was a serious, competitive running crowd; quite a contrast to my first race ever, the Corrib Pub Run 5K in June.
Runners went out fast and Tom and I were in the back of the pack with a few other people. Even they took off. I experienced my first (of many) marathon training meltdowns. I cried as I shared with Tom all the memories of having kids take off and leave me behind that were bubbling to the surface. I was sweating and tired and hot. I couldn’t tell where my tears ended and sweat began. I told Tom I had no business training for the Boston Marathon. He was amazing and he told me that I couldn’t quit. We would make it through this race and we would make it through every training run. He believed in me when I did not believe in myself. I did know, however, that if I didn’t finish that race, I would never make it to the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Alison, Brookline Marathon Sports store manager who was named our mother hen during Boston Marathon training, gave me water and a high five out on the course. She was worried about me in the heat and wanted to make sure I was okay.
Despite finishing dead last, members of the Marathon Sports family who knew the story of Team McManus, had air horns and a truck on the field honking and blowing and cheering us on to the finish. I knew training for Boston was not going to be easy, but I knew I had what it was going to take to make it happen.
What a monumental moment for me in my journey of transformation as I was celebrated for having finished the race rather than having been jeered by my peers when I was "easy out Alper" growing up.
If I would not have taken the risk to "go too far" I would have never discovered my ability to endure the uncomfortable moments while out on a run. I would not have experienced the exhilaration of persistence. There were so many physical and emotional challenges I needed to overcome on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon but as my shero, Gold Medal Olympian and polio survivor Wilma Rudolph said:
As I reflect on that July evening twelve years ago, I am amazed at how Spirit guided me to keep going despite feeling lost (literally and figuratively) and how a village surrounded me embracing my journey that fueled me through training runs and 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.
To be inspired and motivated by my journey from having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair after the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome in December of 2006 to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com
My books are available on Amazon.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary
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