Synchronicity at the Starting Line - Part I

Logan Airport January 14, 2016


Team McManus was trained, poised and ready for the Bermuda Half Marathon happening on January 17th.

Despite the doom and gloom prediction from my "Team" after a very serious knee injury in December of 2014, I once again defied a diagnosis and prognosis and was ready for take off on a new leg of my quest to heal mind, body and soul from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

We found our seats and there was a gentleman sitting on the aisle seat. Tom and I fumbled with who would sit in the middle and who would take the window seat. "I may need to get up and go to the bathroom" I said suggesting I sit in the middle seat.

"I'll let you," the gentleman quipped.

"You running?" Tom asked.

"No," he said, "I'm the race concierge.... "She's running" pointing to the woman in the seat directly behind him.

We settled in for the flight.

As we began our descent to Bermuda my breath caught. The last time I had been to Bermuda I had a wheelchair waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs on the runway. I was wearing a toe up leg brace


and used a cane.

On this day I was wearing Altra running shoes and had spent 6 months training for the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon; the longest distance I had run since the 2009 Boston Marathon!



We said goodbye to our plane-mates who we learned were from Kentucky and were focused on our Bermuda adventure.

As we walked along Front Street on Friday, we bumped into our Kentucky plane friends again. Well, after all, Bermuda is a small Island.

One of the things I love about going to Bermuda is reading The Royal Gazette. What a thrill to be a part of International Race Weekend and to see our names in the paper:


From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":

We woke up at 5:45am on race day. The Rosedon Hotel, our home away from home, had a continental breakfast starting at 6:30. They usually don't serve breakfast until 7:00 but as happened throughout the weekend, everything we needed was set before us. There was wonderful energy in the main house as runners were getting ready to walk down to the starting line. This was our first international race and our first destination race yet one that we had imagined over and over and over again while we trained. We saw the sunrise over Hamilton Harbor and felt the excitement of race day! I was feeling serious pre-race jitters feeling like I might throw up before the race. We rushed our breakfast because we were in a hurry to get to the starting line. I took a lot of deep breaths and engaged in positive self talk as Tom and I walked around taking pictures of this miraculous moment.

"Hey there. I was determined to find you this morning. What are the chances that we would have our bib numbers in sequence?"

I was a little stunned to say the least. On the flight from Boston Tom and I met Denise and her husband from Kentucky. He was her support crew. We also bumped into them on Front Street on Saturday.

"I was on Instagram and looked for the hashtag #runbermuda. I saw the pictures you posted."

"What? I deactivated my Instagram account yesterday because I was frustrated and couldn't figure out how to use it."

"Your Instagram account is linked to Facebook so what you posted there automatically went to Instagram," Tom explained to me.

"So I saw your photos and I found out about you and I said prayers for your health last night and wished you a wonderful run but I was determined to find you this morning."

A sign from God that I could relax and let go knowing that my body knew exactly what to do to run 13.1 miles.



We became Facebook friends and were both in awe of how the Divine orchestrated that miraculous moment!

Fast forward to January 11, 2018 ....

From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
As the cab pulled up to the Bacardi Headquarters, we saw everyone gathered on the outside patio for the kick off to Bermuda Marathon Weekend. There was an open bar and appetizers being passed around while announcements and introductions were made. After the formal program, Tom and I strolled down Front Street to The Pickled Onion. There was a gentle breeze and we wore a short sleeve shirt and a sweater. What a blessing to escape the New England winter in the middle of January. We were going to meet a very special person and her “running wife” for dinner.

We hadn't planned on going into Hamilton on Thursday but once we received the invitation to the reception shortly before we left for our trip, we knew we had to change our plans. On a whim I messaged Denise McMillan to see if she wanted to meet up for dinner. When she let me know she was returning to Bermuda for this year’s race weekend, I let out a screech that could have been heard from Boston to Kentucky. I suggested we meet for dinner at The Pickled Onion after the reception. Denise and her "running wife" Lanette were staying in Hamilton.

After we ordered, Denise shared the story of how she found me via Instagram even though I wasn't active on Instagram on the eve of the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon. While occasionally glancing up to take in the scene of the beautiful Bermuda Harbor, Denise became animated.
"There I was looking for the hashtag runbermuda."

She inserted her own music while tapping her fingers on the table.

"What were the chances that our numbers would be in sequence? I 'followed you to Facebook' and when I read your story I was moved to tears. I prayed for your health that night and knew I had to find you the next morning.”

I was enthralled to hear her recount the story without the filter of pre-race jitters. After Denise shared the story and before our dinner arrived, amidst laughter and joy in awe of what brought us together, Denise went into her bag.

She presented me with a box. “Never bought, only given.” Inside was a terrycloth sweat wristband engraved with one word, “INSPIRE.”

As she told me the story of how she submitted my story to Run the Bluegrass to get the wristband to bring with her to Bermuda, the tears streamed down my face. I was a puddle of tears of joy and gratitude. I joked that they should move the bread out of the way before I made it soggy.

BECAUSE

"I met Mary on a plane from Boston to Bermuda in 2016. She overcame unspeakable trauma as a young girl, post polio syndrome as an adult and yet trained to run the Boston Marathon as a mobility impaired runner. She is now training for her 3rd Bermuda Half Marathon. She blogs about running, volunteers for local Boston races and I plan on seeing her again in Jan. 2018 in Bermuda as we both tackle that race. I recently bought her a RTB {Run the Bluegrass} shirt to take to her. She's truly an inspiration to anyone that is lucky enough to cross her path."

Denise went on to say that she hoped one day we would come to Kentucky to Run The Bluegrass and she would host us. She brought us Run The Bluegrass T shirts and a coffee mug.

Hours passed as we dined on delicious food, laughed and talked about all things running and life. Despite being up since 4:30 am to travel, we were all energized by the love, the gratitude and the inspiration that was the weave of the tapestry that created strong bonds for us as running family.

We said good night, wished them well in their first two legs of the Challenge, and that we'd see each other on Sunday morning before the Half.



We were able to find each other at the starting line of Sunday's race. Denise was completing the Bermuda Triangle Half Challenge and Lanette was running to complete the Full Challenge.



Denise cheered us into the finish after she had finished her half and was waiting for Lanette to finish her marathon.

We went back to our Hotel and stayed in touch while we were on the Island. After we returned home we continue to nurture our friendship through Facebook.

I continue to feel awe when I see all the things that had to align in order for us to experience that moment of synchronicity at the starting line!

To be continued....

From my heart to yours
In Health and Wellness,
Mary

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

Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link

My books are available on Amazon and "Feel the Heal" and "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" are available in Natick Center Cultural District at Paula Romero Dunbar's Celebration Boutique Paper Fiesta coincidentally located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon Route. Proceeds from the sale of books for July are being donated to The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation to support Tom's Falmouth Road Race. You can also donate directly by following this link.

Look at me...look at me...look at me now!

Dr. Seuss was a vital part of my childhood after having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5.

From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
Miss Holly sat next to me in the waiting room and asked me to choose a Dr. Seuss book from the array of Dr. Seuss books spread out on the round coffee table next to my chair. My legs were outstretched; my left leg bore the hip to ankle metal leg brace inserted into my red polio shoes. My crutches were propped against the wall behind me. She read Dr. Seuss to me in the waiting room, led me into the treatment room and removed my leg brace. She placed heavy hot wool blankets on my legs. To this day I cannot bear to wear anything that is made of wool. As she coaxed my muscles and nerves back to health, she recited the first line from the Dr. Seuss book I had chosen (invariably “The Cat in the Hat”).

“The sun did not shine it was too wet to play…now it’s your turn.”

“So we sat in the house all that cold cold wet day.”

“I sat there with Sally….we sat there we two…your turn.”

“And I said how I wish we had something to do…”

We would recite in tandem throughout the treatment. She was a physical therapist ahead of her time. I often wonder what inspired her to use the rhythm of the poetry to distract me from the painful treatments. She tenderly put my leg brace back on after she finished the treatment. She commended me on my courage as she wrapped her hand around my hand on my crutch, and led me into Dr. Moskowitz’s office. He evaluated my progress, monitored me for scoliosis and gave me exercises to do at home. Picking up marbles with my toes was excruciatingly painful and difficult but even at my tender age, I loved the challenge of it all.

After this morning's strength training workout, Tom said, "I just had this memory while I was cooking breakfast. Do you remember when you used to have those specially adapted utensils?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I hadn't thought about that in a very long time."

My hand tremors made it very difficult for me to eat and the OT recommended weighted utensils with a hand grip.

I required a tub chair in the shower because I did not have the "endurance" to stand through an entire shower and my balance was not good so I was at risk for a fall.

I could barely walk up the stairs to our house, wore a toe up leg brace


and used a cane. We used Pea Pod grocery delivery service because I couldn't walk through the grocery aisles and often times there was not a scooter available. When we traveled or if I needed to walk for any distance, I used a wheelchair. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and either adapt our Cape house or move to a Ranch. I had to drink liquids through a straw because I was at risk for choking and had to do a chin tuck and dry swallow when I ate to avoid aspiration of food into my lungs.

But look at me...look at me...look at me now!

I am a runner. I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon and many 5 and 10K races through the years. I ran the Hyannis Half Marathon in 2009.



Here's one of my favorite running adventure moments in August of 2014:


After a serious knee injury in December of 2014, I was told that I would not and should not run again and to prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years.

But look at me now....I ran 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018.


I had to take time off from racing after 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons to heal and to get my mojo back. For someone who was supposed to be in a wheelchair, I was, however doing remarkably well.

On July 3, I had an epic comeback race, "The Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 5K"





While there are residual hand tremors, they are mild and I do need to be mindful as I eat, especially if I am feeling stressed, but I am able to walk up and down the stairs in my house with ease. I run at least twice a week, strength train twice a week and swim once a week. My body is resilient thanks in large part to regular chiropractic treatments with Dr. Lizzie Sobel and to a regular meditation practice during which I harness the power of the mind/body connection to maintain the momentum of my healing.

When once I experienced chronic pain and fatigue, I now experience vitality.

My quality of life has dramatically improved since that dark night of my mind, body and soul before, during and for a brief period of time after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, deemed by Western Medicine to be a progressive neuromuscular disease!

My purpose and passion in life is to share this miraculous journey of healing and to say look at me now...

that is not all oh no that is not all!

From my heart to yours
In Health and Wellness,
Mary

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

Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link

My books are available on Amazon and "Feel the Heal" and "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" are available in Natick Center Cultural District at Paula Romero Dunbar's Celebration Boutique Paper Fiesta coincidentally located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon Route. Proceeds from the sale of books for July are being donated to The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation to support Tom's Falmouth Road Race. You can also donate directly by following this link.

Countdown to Finish at the 50 5K: What Makes Mary Run?

Last Saturday, I ran Heartbreak Hill simulating race day for the 2019 Finish at the 50 5K. After that run, I knew I was ready and it was time to go into taper time.

It's been four years since I last ran The Finish at the 50 5K. That was an epic race for me, coming back after a serious knee injury in December of 2014 that 'they' said would sideline me and result in a total knee replacement in a few years. It was the race where I met the Race Director for Bermuda Marathon Weekend and went on to run 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons.

It has taken me awhile to recover fully from Bermuda Half Marathon 2018 after running two previous half marathons and to get my bearings in relationship to severe family stress with our daughter's unrelenting psychiatric illness. but here I am poised and ready to toe the starting line.

During a 2 mile easy run around Castle Island this morning, I pondered on the question, what makes me run?



I was spent after that all out run on Heartbreak Hill and a nagging knee soreness returned. I am completely recovered from that run and had to rein in my pace today as I felt fabulous running around the Castle at Castle Island while Tom got in his 7 miles training for The Falmouth Road Race to benefit The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation.

I reflected on how much I love the ebb and flow of training; testing the limits of what my body can do and then pushing a little farther, taking time for recovery and then feeling the excitement build toward race day.

I am incredibly grateful for all that my body gives me and for my resilience.

I came to the sport of running at the age of 54 declaring that I was going to run the 2009 Boston Marathon. It was a prompting from Spirit for how else would someone go from having been told they would spend the rest of their life in a wheelchair to the sport of running? I discovered a sport where I could be unapologetically me and be celebrated for my courage to overcome the diagnosis of a progressive neuromuscular disease.

When I run and push my body, I feel fully vibrant and alive. As Dr. George Sheehan said:


I love how the sport of running gives me a sense of belonging to a community that uses running for good, for health, for wellness, for joy and for freedom as we break the shackles that bind and connect to something greater than ourselves:


And when I run and after a run, I feel a sense of contentment deep in my soul.



Counting down to Finish at the 50 5K: 2 days 22 hours 8 minutes and counting!

Let freedom ring!

From my heart to yours
In Health and Wellness,
Mary

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

Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link

My books are available on Amazon and "Feel the Heal" and "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" are available in Natick Center Cultural District at Paula Romero Dunbar's Celebration Boutique Paper Fiesta coincidentally located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon Route. Proceeds from the sale of books for June and July are being donated to The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation to support Tom's Falmouth Road Race. You can also donate directly by following this link.

Strength and Courage

Yesterday Team McManus running for Team Big Heart went to Jamaica Pond to get in our training run. It was a spectacular late Spring day with sunshine and low humidity. Jamaica Pond is one of my favorite places to run and one that holds many treasured memories of training for the Boston Marathon.

Tom and I run in opposite directions so he can run at his pace and I can run at mine which is slower than his. Yet he is always quick to remind me that for somebody who was supposed to be in a wheelchair, I run pretty fast! Running alone lets my mind wander and sort and sift through thoughts while also experiencing the beauty of the present moment.

As I ran by the rocks along the wall, I remembered how those once snow covered rocks in the winter of 2009 inspired me to write this poem:

Courage from "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":

The fear of ice and snow and slush embedded in my soul
a training run in winter - the path to Being whole.
A winter scene - Jamaica Pond - a feast for eyes' delight
to witness nature's splendor and behold this glorious sight.

A leaf - a tiny dancer - skating free without a sound
God's breath directs her movementsnas She guides her twirling 'round.
Families of ducks decide to walk or take a dip
a comedy of errors into icy water slip.

Branches now bejeweled though bare bend with loving Grace
sparkling diamonds' anchor water's surface hold in place.
God's hand a glove of glistening snow hugs rocks along the wall
their heads peek out reminding me I'm answering God's call.

A scene I'd never witness if I let my fear take hold
courage triumphed, steppin' out with footsteps sure and bold.
Knowing that the pain subsides and Spirit can prevail
the Marathon is beckoning - through those miles I shall sail.

Training for a marathon, especially the Boston Marathon takes tremendous strength and courage. Add in that I had been diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December of 2006 and was told if I used it I would use it, it took tremendous strength and courage to defy medical advice. I was also told to be very careful in winter and carry a cane with an ice grip. One slip on the ice and I was a recipe for a hip fracture!

I defied medical advice again in January of 2015. In December of 2014 I sustained a serious left knee injury. MRI indicated that the knee was beyond repair and I should prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. Oh and I should stop running or cap my distance at a 5K.

I once again harnessed the power of my mind/body connection, sought out chiropractic, incorporated strength training and cross training into my health and wellness reginmen and went on to run three consecutive Bermdua Half Marathons. I grew new cartilage, dissolved bone spurs and grew a new gastroc muscle that had atrophied from childhood paralytic polio.

It took strength and courage to start at the beginning after the knee injury but since I needed strength and courage to face adversity since the time I was 5 years old, I had a solid foundation from which to draw what I needed to heal.

I have 3 weeks to go until the Finish at the 50 5K at Gillette Stadium. I pushed my pace yesterday visualizing how it is going to feel to be a part of a big race again. I have not been part of a big field since Bermuda Half Marathon 2018.

I imagined the course and steadied myself to run from the inside out while taking in the magnificent scenes along the way:


Tom and I took our traditional end of run selfie:


On our ride home, Tom and I reminisced about our training runs around Jamaica Pond including this precious memory from "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":
We have many fond memories of our Jamaica Pond training runs like the day that Tom lost me on our training run:

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. Tom thought that since I had to go to the bathroom (and the bathrooms were not open yet) that I went off the trail and went to pee in the woods. We finally caught up with each other and laughed so hard at the irony of losing each other around Jamaica Pond.

From the Foreword of "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance" by Jacqueline Hansen:
Foreword

Eleanor Roosevelt once said “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”
I have found this to be true throughout my life.

I have also found that I am attracted to strong women friends, who are strong willed, strong minded, with lots of endurance. At least once a day I must tell myself, “thank goodness I’m a marathoner.” I am guessing that Mary McManus tells herself the same thing. She is certainly someone who has left indelible footprints in my heart. I have rarely met anyone with so many life-threatening challenges who portrays such an onward thinking attitude.

In fact, another Eleanor Roosevelt quotation reminds me of Mary: “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

When you read about Mary’s life experiences you will wonder how does she not only endure, but lives her life with positivity in abundance. My closest friend in life lives by the motto “Be relentlessly positive,” which is written on her office door. Mary exudes this same attitude. You will not encounter a more positive person than Mary, despite all the challenges she has endured in life.

Try to imagine what it must have been like to be diagnosed with paralytic polio as a child. Try to imagine suffering child abuse at the hands of those very family members who are charged with your upbringing. Try to imagine them together. It’s unbearable to think about. Then imagine surviving the unthinkable, and in adulthood being diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome. This is a story that needs to be told. This is a story of challenge, of resiliency, and a story of heart, tremendous heart.

I am fond of using the word “heart.” When coaching young athletes, which I have done my entire adult life, I often tell them to “run with heart.” As I explain to them, I can coach them on skills, on running form, on race strategy, on everything to do with their running, except I cannot create “heart.” This is something that only they can produce from within. I go on to say that “you have to want this (running or racing) more than I do – more than I want it for you.” “Always run with heart.” I am here to tell you that Mary McManus always runs with all her heart.

Just for a moment, let’s ponder the word “heart.” The Latin word for heart is “cor.” Cor is also the root of the word “courage.” I would attribute both heart and courage to Mary. Even Mary herself has said that “It takes incredible courage to heal trauma . . . healing both paralytic polio and trauma.” Author Parker Palmer wrote that “The heart is where we integrate what we know in our mind with what we know in our bones, the place where our knowledge can become more fully human. When all that we understand of self and world comes together in the center place called the heart, we are more likely to find the courage to act humanely on what we know.”

Besides being a former record-holding runner who became a coach, I am also an educator. I teach teachers about health education, so in turn they will teach the youth. One of the most important lessons we impart is how to build resilient young persons. In brief, I can tell you there are no apparent factors in Mary’s childhood that would lead to her developing into a resilient young adult and woman. Yet, none-theless, she became so. When faced with the prognosis of spending her life in a wheelchair, she did not “settle.” She chose to reclaim her life with fervor.

A musician and poet, Patti Smith, wrote the book, “M Train,” for which she was described as having the rare gift of projecting radiance despite experiencing melancholy and grief in her life. Patti Smith once said “If we walk the victim, we’re perceived as the victim. And if we enter glowing and receptive . . . if we maintain our radiance and enter a situation with radiance, often radiance will come our way.”

In my heart, I believe our author Mary McManus has mastered overcoming challenges, maintaining positivity, possessing resiliency, portraying radiance; and in doing so, she provides great inspiration for others.

Jacqueline Hansen, M.Ed.
University Course Instructor, Health Education for Teachers
Track & Field, Cross Country Coaching Education
Instructor
Author
January 2017

From my heart to yours
In Health and Wellness,
Mary

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

Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link

My books are available on Amazon and at Paper Fiesta in Natick on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon route. Proceeds of book sales for May through July are going to Tom McManus's Falmouth Road Race run for the Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation. You can also make a direct donation by following this link.