A Fist Bump from a Stranger on Heartbreak Hill

As we saw groups of runners and felt the pounding of their thundering feet while we drove to where we would start our Saturday morning run on Heartbreak Hill, I commented to Tom and Ruth Anne with a sense of awe in my voice what a miracle it is that we are part of this amazing community of runners.

In December of 2006, I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair with the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome considered to be a progressive neuromuscular disease. I vowed to not take the diagnosis sitting down and found my way to the sport of running harnessing the power of the mind/body connection.

Ruth Anne endured 14 psychiatric hospitalizations before we were able to make the diagnosis of PANDAS and help her get on her healing path. She had taken two years off from running and we weren't sure if she would ever find her way back to life and the roads.

Tom and Ruth Anne have run the Bill Rodgers Jingle Bell 5K in December, the Bermuda 10K in January and are now poised and ready to run the Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K on February 23rd.

They had 6 miles and a race day simulation run on tap and I had 4 miles scheduled as I work my way back to the 10K distance.

We knew it was going to be a challenging running day with strong headwinds and colder temperatures than we'd seen in awhile but there was never a moment of doubt that we would take our run on a treadmill.

There were fewer runners out on the Hills and those that were running were focused on navigating the tough conditions rather than extending the usual high fives and flashing warm smiles. It hurt one's teeth to smile while running in the cold with a powerful headwind.

Tom and Ruth Anne took off and I was left to my own thoughts and solitude. I was buffeted by the winds and briefly wondered why I was doing this. I don't have any races on the schedule until Spring or Summer. And yet something sprang up from deep within my soul that, after the past 3 years of unrelenting stress with Ruth Anne's condition, it was time for me to reclaim myself as a runner.

I pushed my pace while listening to my body.

Mile 1 brought me to the Johnny Kelley statue:


I texted Tom and Ruth Anne to check in.

At mile 2, they texted me to let me know they were at mile 2.65 at the renowned Fire Station on the corner of Washington Street and Comm. Ave.:


And then sent me a text when they were at their halfway point at mile 3:


I took a moment to capture the beauty of the sunlight on Heartbreak Hill on a blustery winter's day:


Heading back to the car, the wind had calmed down and any wind that did kick up was a tail wind.

Back at the Johnny Kelley statue I knew I had only 1 mile to go and after the steep hill, I would enjoy relative calm and ease to finish up my run. I thought about the warm car and banana that would be my immediate reward for conquering this run and wondered what Team McManus would enjoy for lunch.

The light turned red at the corner of Comm. Ave. and Center Street across from the Heartbreak Hill Running Company that hosts Heartbreakers for Saturday morning training runs, many of whom are training for Boston.

I felt someone near my right shoulder and when I turned around, he offered me his fist for a fist bump.

"Nice work," he said.

"You too," I replied

"You training for Boston?" I asked

"Yep," answered this stranger wearing a Penn. State Sweatshirt.

"Did you qualify?"

"Nope."

"Who are you running for?"

"BIDMC."

"Oh my friend is running for them for the Cancer Care Center."

"That's who I'm running for. What's her name?"

I told him and he said he would have to look her up on their Team Page.

I briefly shared with him my story and we both agreed that there is no place quite as special as Heartbreak Hill during the few months preceding the Boston Marathon.

The light changed and we went on our way.

A run that started out with challenging conditions and runners keeping to themselves was transformed in that moment. I went on my way with an unending smile for the last .2 of a mile of my run.

When I checked my Nike+, I had the fastest times for those 4 miles than I had since a 5K in November.

Tom and Ruth Anne had a wonderful dress rehearsal run for Hyannis and feel race ready. We reunited and shared our tales of the day:


Facebook was filled with posts about yesterday's running conditions and we joined together as a community from the warmth and comfort of our homes.

It was a tough training run made sweeter by the fist bump from a stranger on Heartbreak Hill and one which propels me forward once again on my health and wellness journey.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

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.

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.

High Fives and Hugs - Love on Heartbreak Hill

The ground was covered with a little snow and ice but temperatures were supposed to moderate on Saturday. It didn't take long for us to end the debate about whether or not we were going to take our run outdoors. We have a commitment that as long as it's safe (ie not blizzard conditions, sub-zero temperatures and wind or lots of ice) we head outdoors for a run.

Since Tom and Ruth Anne are getting ready to run the Hyannis 10K and were still recovering from the Bermuda Marathon Weekend 10K, we decided on 4 miles at my pace.

I love how the little decisions we make place us exactly where we need to be to meet up with whomever we are meant to meet up with on any particular day.

We were going to park at the Johnny Kelley Statue and run two out and two back but Tom found himself pulling into a parking space before Newton Center.

Okay...I'm game.

If you are not a runner and/or you have never run or watched the Boston Marathon, I know it will be hard for you to understand the energy and exhilaration runners experience on a Saturday morning on the Newton Hills from January to April. Whether one is training for the Boston Marathon or another marathon or just getting in a training run as we do, I wish we could bottle the energy, the enthusiasm, and the sense of Oneness that happens on the Newton Hills on Saturdays. If you've ever been to a pop music concert, you'll know what I mean.

As we began our run, we saw members of Spaulding Rehab's Race for Rehab Team. They wore the jackets and headbands that signified they were members of the Race for Rehab Team: {Photo from the Team page on Facebook}


What a thrill to see David, the President of Spaulding who ran with us in 2009 and Amanda who is a part of the Development Team celebrating her ten years at Spaulding with another Boston Marathon run to raise money for Spaulding.

We cheered and high five'd the members of the Team adding that we were members of the 2009 Race for Rehab Team {We sure have grown in numbers since 2009}:


We reminisced about our 2009 Boston Marathon as part of Race for Rehab and what an incredible accomplishment that was especially for me.



"Tom and Mary McManus" another runner yelled out, "Rachel Glazer!" We smiled and cheered for our wonderful runner friend training for Boston.

"Hey hey...again we meet," Dominic Herard said slowing his pace and stopping to give hugs. It was the second time we saw each other on the Hills in the last few weeks. Dominic is training for his first marathon!

More high-fives and cheering on runners as runners do different out and back loops along the Boston Marathon course giving extra enthusiasm to Spaulding runners.

We took our selfie at the Johnny Kelley Statue:


As we were taking the last hill with one mile to go of our 4 mile run, 'Team McManus' rang out from behind us.

We turned around and there was Michelle Marchese Corrado who is running her first Boston to honor her dad's memory and raise money for the Beth Israel Deaconess Center for Cancer Care.

More hugs... more love... more inspiration and cheers for the journey. Michelle did 13 miles on Saturday that included two loops on the Hills.

What serendipity and synchronicity to see friends and experience so much love while out on a run on Heartbreak Hill.

I wonder what adventures await us next Saturday.



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.

It's a Sign - Camp Hyannis 2020

From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":

That’s Why We Are the Greatest Sport Camp Hyannis 2016

“It’s a sign!” a group of runners exclaimed as they walked by my table at the Hyannis Race Expo.

They picked up my medal from the Bermuda Half Marathon.

“We were just talking about how we have to run Bermuda. We are putting it on our bucket list.”

The Mystic Runners from Wakefield, Massachusetts were deeply moved by my inspirational journey. In that moment of synchronicity, we became fast friends.

Paulie has been gracious and generous to offer me a table at the Expo to sell my books and inspire runners with my journey. The 2015 weekend was cancelled. It was a tough decision for any race director to make but treacherous weather conditions would have compromised the safety of the runners. I didn’t give a second thought about having a table at the 2016 Expo. I was running the 10K and planned to focus my energies on the race.

A friend messaged me on Facebook. “I’m so excited you have a table at the Expo this year. I saw your name on the table. Can’t wait to see you!”

I grabbed my Hyannis Half Marathon medal, my Boston Marathon finisher photo and medal, the few books I had on hand and my business cards. At the last minute, I put my Bermuda Half Marathon finisher medal in the box...



The other day on Facebook, MaryBeth, the Mystic who I met in 2016 posted this as her status:
Damn them. I’m being talked into another race. Well, actually, they were just discussing one. It’s always Michelle Marchese Corrado who starts these things. I was surprised to learn that I’ve only run 9 half marathons. I must have lost some medals.....


"Which one? I vote for Hyannis," I replied.

MaryBeth replied, "It IS Hyannis!"

"I just got goosebumps...I am going to be one of the guest speakers this year!" I said.

"Mary McManus well, there’s my sign. We’ll be there!..."Hey, that rhymes! Mary McManus, it is Hyannis. Another sign."

Hyannis Marathon Weekend holds so many incredible memories for me.

We call it Camp Hyannis! All of our Camp Hyannis Adventures are included in The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953."

Here are a few cherished memories of our Camp Hyannis times:


I ran my first Half Marathon at Hyannis on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon. I was embraced by the running community and running greats Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter. I've been blessed to meet Jacqueline Hansen, who also wrote the Foreword to "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance," the 2nd book in my Trilogy of Transformation. Jack Fultz, Team Hoyt, Dick Beardsley and Jimmy Garcia are a few of the other running greats we mixed and mingled with through the years.

Friendships have been forged and sustained through the decades at Camp Hyannis.

I am deeply honored and over the moon excited to be a guest speaker this year at the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner. I was inspired to reach out to Paul Collyer, aka Paulie who is the Mastermind behind Camp Hyannis weekend if he would like me to be a guest speaker at Hyannis Marathon Weekend 2020.

His reply was, "You would be welcome to speak to crowd...I believe I will also have steve jones and bill in house.
Please send a brief "promo"."

Tom and Ruth Anne are going to run the 10K.

I'll be sharing my inspirational story once again at the Expo and address the "crowd" gathered at the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner.

We'll experience the joy of reunion with our running family, celebrate healing, health and wellness and be open to whatever synchronicity and serendipity happen at Camp Hyannis 2020.

To register for Hyannis Marathon Weekend, follow this link.

See you at the starting line!

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
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