On Running, Resilience and Redemption

My physical therapist read Dr. Seuss to me before every painful physical therapy session to coax my muscles and nerves back to health after contracting paralytic polio at age 5. She would have me recite the book I chose (usually The Cat in the Hat) back to her in tandem with her during the treatment. His wisdom lives on in my heart and soul.

In the days leading up to running the Virtual Billy Mills 10K/5K on Saturday and during Saturday's run, I reflected on Billy Mills' journey and how his winning Gold in Tokyo in 1964 helped to heal his broken soul.

I came to the sport of running late in life. I was 53 years old when the words, "And I want to run the 2009 Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab" gushed forth from my soul without a thought. I had been working with a personal trainer for six months to see if I could get a little stronger and build on the outpatient therapy program I received from Spaulding after the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome in December of 2006. I had never run a day in my life but as Billy Mills states quoting one of his college textbooks, "The subconscious mind can't distinguish between imagination and reality."

Shortly after the diagnosis in February of 2007, after getting still and asking for Divine Guidance, the poem, 'Running the Race' flowed out of me followed by many poems in which I was healthy, whole and free running and dancing in the rain without the toe up leg brace I was prescribed.



The last stanza reads:
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 started out running 30 seconds and walking for 4 and a half minutes. Little by little 30 seconds turned into 30 minutes and 30 minutes into miles...a 5K to a 10K to a half marathon to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon!


On the road to the Boston Marathon I fell in love with the sport of running. I loved how I went from being jeered by my peers as a survivor of paralytic polio who struggled to keep up with my classmates while lugging a full metal leg brace to being celebrated by the running community.

I loved my transformation from a survivor of paralytic polio and severe trauma that culminated with my father's death by suicide on August 1st, 1971 to a woman of strength, resilience, courage, faith, grace, beauty feeling empowered rather than feeling like a victim.



What a "coincidence" that Billy Mills Virtual race happened on the 49th anniversary of my father's suicide. The days leading up to the anniversary are often difficult for me since he disappeared 5 days before his death and two days before his death he left a suicide note in our car in the garage. This year had been particularly challenging for me with the pandemic without the usual distractions and joys that summertime brings that help to temper the traumatic memories.

But when I woke up on Saturday morning, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and release unlike I experienced in previous years. Billy Mills' story deepened my own appreciation for how running has helped me to heal my life; how running the 2009 Boston Marathon was a powerful moment of redemption. Those powerful moments of healing continue to happen when I am on the road running free. While we have to rely on virtual races this year, through technology we are able to experience the thrill of connection and the tapestry of friendship that is woven together through running. We inspire each other while experiencing physical and psychological transformation overcoming the incredible challenges of our times.



You have until August 9th to register and Run with Billy. Follow this link to learn more and register.

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com to be inspired by my journey from having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

My books are available on Amazon.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

#RunWithBilly (Mills): Race Report

What to do when you are Billy and Patricia Mills and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have been cancelled? If you are Billy and Pat Mills you were eagerly anticipating watching the Games especially the 10000 Meters competition on August 1st remembering that iconic moment on October 14, 1964 when Billy won Gold. Billy won so much more than a Gold Medal that day and I encourage you to read this piece about Billy Mills by following this link. To quote Billy, he healed a broken soul that day.

Billy and Pat, along with Running Strong for American Indian Youth, the "giveaway" program that Billy and Pat created after his epic win, created the Virtual Run With Billy 10K/5K that began on August 1st and continues to August 9th, the date of the closing Olympic ceremonies. They used the beautiful painting that Pat created for Billy's 80th birthday two years ago for the bib design, used Billy's number 722 for the numbers and had Billy's autograph on every bib. The cost for the virtual race was Billy's winning time of $28.24.



We were so excited to receive our bibs in the mail:


While we had done another virtual race, there was excitement and eager anticipation to be a part of this Virtual 5K. Supporting Billy's dream of "empowering the visions of the elders and inspiring the dreams of the youth" fills my heart and soul with emotion. Running Strong works to ensure that basic needs are met on Native American reservations especially during the pandemic while inspiring and empowering the youth to create programs for sustainability, health and well being.

We set the alarm for 6:30 am knowing it was going to be a hot day. After meditation we got dressed and donned our Running Strong socks made by Fox River who donate a portion of the proceeds to Running Strong:


After breakfast, we loaded the car with frozen water bottles and bananas for after the race and headed to the Reservoir where we would do our 5K.

We parked the car in the shade and after pausing for a moment of gratitude for the gift of running in our lives we were off.

It was a glorious morning along the Reservoir's path and we were inspired by retelling Billy's story. We shared how Billy's journey inspired us on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon:


The island's purple flowers were in full bloom and despite racing we made sure to take time to capture the beauty:


We took a selfie at the halfway mark along with a water break proudly running with Billy:


I am always in awe of the grace, dignity and divinity embodied by swans and Tom paused to capture these two beauties:


I have been working on my 5K pace and Ruth Anne and Tom helped me to push my pace. When we crossed the finish line, I had run my fastest time since June. I ran negative splits and felt that wonderful sense of accomplishment as sweat poured and I felt a little nauseous from the effort in the heat.



What a thrill to have the post of our run with photos shared by Billy and Pat on Facebook and to hear their message of gratitude in a Facebook video.

What a delight to see others' photos from #runwithbilly and experience that thrill of a race and running community brought together by the love of the sport and running for a great cause with the legend Billy Mills.

There's still time to register and run. The Virtual race 'runs' through August 9th when the 2020 Olympics would have had their closing ceremony. Register by following this link

Visit my website to learn more about my journey from being told I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

My books are available on Amazon

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Billy Mills Virtual 10K/5K Run/Walk

Shortly after I came to the sport of running at the age of 54 years old, I was profoundly inspired by Billy Mills 1964 Olympic Gold Medal Win. The more I learn about Billy and his journey, the more my soul stirs by what Billy endured to achieve his dream that healed his soul.

When I declared to my personal trainer in February of 2008 that I wanted to run the 2009 Boston Marathon, I had never run a day in my life. In December of 2006 I was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. When my personal trainer asked me for my next goals, the words, "And I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab," fell out of my mouth coming from the depths of my soul.

This video of Billy Mills 1964 Olympic Gold Medal win motivated me and continues to motivate me throughout my running journey.

"The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between reality or imagination...You live in the moment the way you want it to be." ~Billy Mills



Shortly after the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. The answer came in the form of a poem, 'Running the Race'.

An excerpt of the poem from "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility:
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?

Last year, I entered a Facebook contest and was blessed to win a scarf hand painted by Billy's wife Pat for his 80th birthday and a copy of his book, "Lessons of a Lakota."

We have been supporting Billy's 'giveaway,' Running Strong for American Indian Youth by purchasing socks from Fox River and making direct donations to Running Strong for American Indian Youth.

From the #RunWithBilly website: At the 1964 Olympics, Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota Sioux) shocked the world and came from behind to win the gold medal in the 10,000 meters race. He was, and is still, the only American to win a gold medal in the 10K event. In Lakota culture, someone who achieves great success has a “give away” to thank their community of support. As part of his “give away”, Billy helped found Running Strong for American Indian Youth. Today, Native American children, families, and the communities they live in benefit from Billy’s dream. You can help.

From August 1 - August 9th, you can #runwithbilly by running or walking a 10K or 5K. You will receive a bib signed by Billy with the number he wore when he won Olympic Gold and with Pat's design from Billy's 80th Birthday celebration:


The entry fee is $28.24 for his winning time!

I have a very special connection to the 1964 Olympics through an earth angel of a camp counselor I had at Badger Day Camp. Joe Stetz gave up his Olympic bid to compete in the 1964 games in the butterfly event to become a physician. He coached me when I was 10 years old to compete in the butterfly event at the end of season Olympics. You can read the blogs I wrote about Joe and how he blessed my life by following this link.

When Team McManus takes to the road on August 1st to #runwithbilly we will hold his story close in our hearts and embody the champions within us. I will also be holding Joe Stetz close to my heart. He inspired me to always believe in myself, to show up and be the best I could be on race day. We will also be running for Running Strong for American Indian Youth.

Register today by following this link.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

To learn more about my journey on the roads and in my life as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon.

The Power of Dreams!

After leaving my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life after the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in May of 2007, I had a dream of becoming a NY Times Bestselling Author and being on Oprah. I pitched my story of taking a leap of faith to heal my life after discovering the gift of poetry in my soul to one of Oprah's producers. I received a polite email back.

In February of 2008, I realized that there was another dream waiting for me; a dream that would transform my life while sending a powerful message of healing, hope and possibility inspiring others to look beyond appearances and explore the power of the mind/body connection.

My soul gave birth to that dream one year after I had discovered the gift of poetry in my soul. The first poem I wrote, "Running the Race" foreshadowed that dream.

From "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibilities":
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 healanding 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?

I had never run a day in my life yet declared this goal that quickly became a dream to my personal trainer after partnering with her for 6 months to see if we could build on the home exercise program that Spaulding Rehab had given to me after 6 months of intensive outpatient rehab.

She suggested that I google "Wilma Rudolph" to help fuel my dream.

I was inspired by running greats Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers who I met at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 2009.

I was embraced and taken in by the running community discovering a whole new world!

I learned about dreams and perseverance from Billy Mills.


There were times when I wondered if I was really capable of running the Boston Marathon having had no base of running experience. I pushed through those doubts and fears and, on April 20, 2009, crossed the finish line of the 113th Boston Marathon. It took us 7 hours and 49 minutes to go the distance of 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.



I had another dream after finishing the 2009 Boston Marathon; to run in Bermuda Marathon Weekend.

But life happened and I abandoned the dream until it called to me again after a serious knee injury in December of 2014. As I healed the injury and went on to heal more deeply from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma, I returned to the roads in July 2015. How appropriate that it would be a race, Finish at the 50, on July 3rd to celebrate freedom. I met the Race Directors for Bermuda Marathon Weekend and could feel the Universe reeling me in to reclaim that dream.

I went on to run the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Bermuda Half Marathons despite the admonitions from the medical community that I should stop running and prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years!



Dreams fuel the journey to healing and transformation and to discover the greatness that lies deep within the heart and soul.

What are your dreams?

To learn more about my journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon.

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

Billy Mills and Having a Dream!

“Pursuit of a dream can heal a broken soul.” “God has given me the ability. The rest is up to me. Believe. Believe. Believe.” – Billy Mills

Last Friday, Billy Mills was the guest on Blog Talk Radio's Native Trailblazers. Toward the end of the show he said, "Even though I am 82 years old, I will always have a dream in front of me."

I came to the sport of running at the age of 53, and one of the first runners I learned about was Billy Mills. His YouTube video describing the greatest upset in Olympic History carried me from the starting line in Hopkinton to the Finish Line on Boylston Street and through my many many running adventures.



To hear him tell his story and what fuels his passion and purpose on Friday's show gave me goosebumps. I was delighted to learn that he read the phrase, "The subconscious mind cannot distinguish between real and imaginary" in a college textbook and it strongly resonated with him. Ever since I saw the video I was curious about what inspired him to harness the power of visualization to prepare for the Games.

What particularly moved me was to hear how he felt the call to give back to his community after winning the Gold. From the website of Running Strong for American Indian Youth:

Running Strong was founded under Christian Relief Services in 1986. After Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota) became the Olympic champion for the 10K, he made it his priority to give back to his community and create a better future for American Indian youth. He joined forces with Eugene Krizek and together they created Running Strong, aiming to bring basic resources and a sense of hope to some of the most impoverished American Indian communities in the nation.

Running Strong's work began primarily on the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Indian Reservations in South Dakota. We implemented programs to provide aid with food and nutrition, women and children’s health, education, and seasonal demands. Over the years, our service population and programming expanded dramatically. Today we are proud to serve American Indian people both on and off reservations throughout the United States.

Billy repeatedly shared how the mission of Running Strong is to "Empower the vision of the elders and inspire the dreams of the youth."

I might add that he sounds as youthful today as he did in the above YouTube video!

Scott Little surprised Billy as a call in guest on the show. He shared how he created a Brand to "do good" because the world doesn't need more brands but needs brands that do good. They created a partnership with Fox River Mills.

Be Confident. Dream Big. Run Strong.

Running Strong is proud to announce that we have partnered with Fox River Mills® to launch the Run Strong by Fox River® sock line.

Inspired by our National Spokesperson, co-founder and Olympic Gold medalist Billy Mills, Run Strong socks are high quality running socks that support Running Strong's work building a new generation of Native American leaders who demonstrate healthy lifestyles, inspire youth, preserve their cultures, and celebrate their identities.

$1 of every pair sold is donated to Running Strong and goes back into strengthening Native communities.

The 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo. Billy has been sending out a monthly email with his stories on the Road to Tokyo several of which he shared in Friday's interview.

We all have dreams and so often abandon our dreams because we don't believe we can achieve them.

Billy Mills' story reminds us all to believe believe believe!

Be sure to visit the website for Running Strong to learn more about their programs, and stock up on those Made in America running socks to be confident, dream big and run strong and support our Native American brothers and sisters.

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.