It's a Sign - Signing Off On My Blog After 12 Years

On October 22, 2008 I wrote my first blog post on Healing, Hope and Possibility.

 Two interns from the Boston Unversity School of Public Communication taught me about social media and how to start a blog.

 Healing, Hope and Possibility transformed into Going the Distance   which eventually morphed into The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953.

My blog chronicles my journey on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. I harnessed the power of the mind/body connection to heal my life from the effects of paralytic polio and severe childhood trauma. My blog takes you on my incredible journey from shortly after the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease to training for and crossing the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and along the many twists and turns that life takes us on.

I experienced set backs and come backs and been both an observer and participant in chronicling the world around us. I have been absolutely delighted to share them all with you and am so deeply grateful for the readership and feedback I received through the years.

When I signed on to write yesterday's blog, there was a new format and a text editor that was unwieldy to use. There was no way to revert to the old blogger. I went into a discussion group about the changes to see if I was missing something and everyone was imploring google to bring back the old blogger but we were told that due to the infrastructure of Google and blogspot we would have to use the new format.

I have been tapering how often I blog for about a year now and have been wondering if perhaps it was time to end my blog.

It took me several hours to get yesterday's blog finished and posted.

It was a sign that it was time to sign off of my blog for now.

I am writing my next book, "Hope: A Collection of Poems and Essays From the Pandemic of 2020" and will of course be continuing to inspire and uplift with my Facebook posts. You can stay up to date on News and Events and the latest information I have to share by visiting my website at www.marymcmanus.com and my books are available on Amazon

Thank you all for your love and support through these 12 years!

From my heart to yours

In health and wellness,

Mary                                                                                                                                 

My Monday Morning Run

Ruth Anne and I were having a rough start to our Monday morning run. Despite the clear blue sky, sunshine and moderate temperatures, Ruth Anne was feeling very anxious about her upcoming appointment with her primary care provider and meeting with professors via Zoom for her Masters Degree Program at U Mass Boston in Urban Planning and Community Development that begins in January.

As can so often happen with anxiety and trauma, Ruth Anne couldn't directly express herself. We were both frustrated and almost decided to part ways but we hung tough together knowing we had not come so far to only get this far.

I quietly asked the Divine for guidance during the silence. I felt Spirit speak to me, 'Run!' I turned to Ruth Anne and said, 'Come on. We need to get in some speed work.' I took off and she followed saying, "Whoa Ma. You can't run that fast!" as she tracked me at a 12 minute mile on her Garmin. We hadn't done speed work in what seemed like forever although we had been doing tempo runs but certainly not at that pace.

We did a fartlek to the next bench and while we stood breathless, something magical happened. After we broke out into a fast run, Ruth Anne was able to pour her heart out to me. It was one of those magical moments that can only happen during a run.

We decided to do fartleks with a sense of play and joy while capturing the end of summer sensational scenes:


We breathed deeply and problem solved making mental notes of what we wanted to write on our jotter on our refrigerator for affirmations and gratitudes.

We each felt a sense of contentment and accomplishment leaving yesterday's problems in the dust (or in this case in the gravel on the path around the Reservoir) and experienced a magnificent Monday filled with possibilities. We imagined her receiving a clean bill of health from her PCP along with his being in awe of her transformation from last year. That is exactly what happened this morning at her appointment. When we whisk away our fears and replace them with affirmations and imagining what we want rather than focusing on the anxiety of what we don't want, we get to create rather than react to our lives! Running provides a powerful vehicle to move beyond fears and step into a new future.



To be inspired by my journey from a wheelchair 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

Used wheelchair to travel...

Our panel, Late Life Running and Whole Life Running for the Virtual Boston Marathon Expo aired yesterday. Boston Marathon Champion 1973 and pioneer of women's running, Jacqueline Hansen took the screen shot and tagged me on Facebook:
Mary, nicely done! Your role on the Boston Expo panel was splendid. You were eloquent and inspiring! I'm so proud and pleased for you! You sure spoke with all your heart :)
💙💛

I am still in awe of how I went from an award winning social work career at the VA, to 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. I've met champions such as Jaqi, Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter and they embrace my story making me feel like a champion in my own right.

I emerged from contracting paralytic polio at the age of 5, enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members, becoming High School Valedictorian and going on to an award winning career in social work when I began to plan my retirement in 3 years with a vision of working at Bloomingdale's and being able to read trashy novels and take vacations with my husband who would then also plan to retire in short order.

But the Universe had other plans and I had no idea what they were when my life came to a screeching halt in December of 2006 with the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. I was told to quit my job, plan to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair needing all sorts of special equipment to accommodate to the rapid decline in functioning as I aged and to either move to a ranch or adapt our Cape house.

As I'd done throughout my life, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance.

This was the answer I received: {From Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility}

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 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?

At the time, I had no idea that the poem was a foreshadowing of my 2009 Boston Marathon run!


Poems flowed out of me. As I wrote poems in which I imagined a powerful transformation and a future very different than the ones the doctors predicted for me and healed my past through the power of forgiveness and gratitude, I experienced healing in my body and in February of 2008 started to run.

I landed in the middle of a sport where champions and every day runners mingle and talk about running as a metaphor for life. I landed in the middle of a sport where someone like me was cheered instead of jeered despite finishing last at a race. I landed in the middle of a sport where resilience, strength, community, health, honor, respect and wellness are the themes that weave together the fabric of a very powerful community.

When once I used a wheelchair to travel, I am now a 2009 Boston Marathon finisher, inspirational speaker, runner girl,and poet. There's still time to see our panel on Friday 9/11 at 3pm by following this link.

To be inspired by my journey from a wheelchair 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.

Good luck to all the virtual runners! As Meb said, "Run to win. That doesn't mean being in first place but in getting the best out of yourself."

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

It's Kind of Fun to do The Impossible!: Setting and Achieving Goals

In December of 2006, I was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and, if I used it I would lose it. Yes you read that right. I was given the advice to conserve my energy and not overuse my already rapidly declining muscles.

I did a review of the literature before writing this blog hoping that, given proven research about neuroplasticity and the power of the mind/body connection along with countless documented case studies of healing and transformation, that perhaps the medical community might have taken a new perspective on Post Polio Syndrome. As recently as 2019, the information and cautionary tales along with a profound lack of research or understanding of the mechanisms of Post Polio Syndrome still exists.

That is why I share my healing story!

On Saturday, while running the Virtual Becca Pizzi 5K, Tom took this photo:


I am sometimes self conscious about photos of me running. My two feet don't fly off the ground and I am not the personification of what one would think of when one thinks of a runner.

But with that photo, my breath caught. I was swept away by how strong my legs looked; especially my left leg.

After a serious knee injury in December of 2014, I briefly returned to Western Medicine to find out what I needed to heal. The MRI indicated shredded cartilage, degenerative osteoarthritis, and an atrophied gastroc (calf) muscle. When the results were reviewed with the physiatrist who specialized in Post Polio Syndrome, he off-handedly said that I'd probably need a total knee replacement in a few years, should stop running or cap my distance at a 5K and that there was nothing we could do about an atrophied gastroc muscle.

After a horrific appointment with a physical therapist, I turned to chiropractic care. My chiropractor revamped my strength training and cross training regimen, used chiropractic care with KT taping and I intensified my mind/body interventions through visualization and meditation. I went on to run 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Clearly there WAS something I could do to grow and strengthen a new gastroc muscle. One picture is worth a thousand words!

At the beginning of August, I set a new goal for myself. To run 50 miles during the month of August.

We got up at 6:30 this morning with only 3 miles to go to reach my goal.



We did 3.3 miles bringing my monthly total to 50.52 miles!

My goal for September is to run consistently for 40 miles at the 5K distance and to work on pace, and continuing to up my game with my strength training/cross training workout. While gyms remain closed and opportunities for in person races are on hold, I am using this as an opportunity to continue to do what I was once told was impossible.

After all, as Walt Disney said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible!"

To learn more and be inspired of how I did "the impossible" going from a wheelchair 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

The only time you should look back...Wollaston Beach Then and Now!

I clearly remember the day early in the summer of 2007 when I gingerly stepped out of our car to walk a little bit on the sidewalk adjacent to Wollaston Beach. Although I had been through intensive outpatient rehab at Spaulding Rehab following the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December of 2006, I was still deconditioned from the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma. I wore a toe up leg brace:


and was walking without a cane. I knew that the prediction the doctors made of me spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair would not come to be but I had a long road ahead of me to regain strength and a vibrant quality of life.

We did many training runs on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon at Wollaston Beach.

Since the pandemic, we had not been to the beach this summer. We desperately needed a change of scenery for our run, especially since we had the relief of Tom testing negative for the virus as mandated by BC.

I may have gotten emotional when I saw the sand and the expansiveness of the ocean, sun and sky and experienced these beauty moments on our run:



I recalled with Tom and Ruth Anne that first day we came to Wollaston Beach and the transformation I experienced through the sport of running; how we have all been transformed by running.

The 4 mile run was a bit challenging with people riding bikes, roller blading, and maintaining social distancing on the sometimes narrow sidewalk, but the views and breathing in sea air was well worth the trade offs.

Four miles in the books as I count down the miles my goal of 50+ miles for the month of August. In the summer of 2007, could I have ever imagined that 13 years later I would have run the 2009 Boston Marathon, with many races leading up to Boston; 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and been part of a panel for the Virtual Boston Marathon Expo in September? I imagined myself healthy, whole and free through my poetry and visualization but had no idea where the road would lead from those shaky steps to today.

I often say "Don't look back you're not going that way." The only time you should look back is to see how far you've come!

I am in awe and deeply grateful to see the miles I have traveled on the road and in my life during these past 13 years!

To learn more about my inspiring journey, please visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Running Friends are the Best

My phone rang on Saturday afternoon. Caller ID indicated it was a call from Devonshire Bermuda.

"Hello. Is this Mary McManus?" said the deep voice with a distinctive Bermudian accent.

I smiled. "Why yes it is," I replied.

"Clarence Smith here. I've been thinking and thinking about you praying you and your family are well."

From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
Anthony Raynor and Clarence Smith had me at hello at the Bermuda Marathon Weekend Booth at the Finish at the 50 Expo. Tom started chatting with Clarence "Stoker" Smith. I hung back but cocked an ear to the conversation. I gingerly eyed the pink Bermuda wrist bands, the bling from Bermuda Marathon Weekend races and the samples of pink sand. I glanced at Tom and felt we each had a tug at our souls. The tug got stronger with each moment we talked with Clarence and Anthony. We reminisced about when we went to Bermuda. I felt goosebumps and a warm feeling come over me, while a part of me was wondering why was I even having this conversation about running in Bermuda. Several months ago I was told to cap my distance and prepare for a total knee replacement.

“If you can get up to the Half Marathon distance, you’ll be better off than running the 10K with all of its steep hills,” Anthony said in his delicious Bermudian accent.

“The last time I was in Bermuda I was in a leg brace using a cane and a wheelchair.”

Clarence's wife said, "Look at you now girl."

There was no stopping me now. We exchanged information. Clarence told us he'd pick us up at the airport. I chatted with Anthony about the weather in January.

"Look," he said with a deep warm laugh, "I was told you people still have piles of snow near the Seaport Hotel from this past winter. I can guarantee you this. You will have no snow in Bermuda in January."

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.” ~Mark Twain

It was time to sail away from safe harbor and go the distance again. This time on the magical Island of Bermuda.

“Running is about finding your inner peace and so is a life well lived. Run with your heart.” ~Dean Karnazes

And so began a fantastic International friendship forged through the sport of running.

Whenever we visited Bermuda, Clarence and Anthony would make sure we were treated well. After we ran the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon, Anthony took this photo with Town Crier Ed Christopher:


Before we went to the airport on our last day, Anthony and Clarence took us out for breakfast at one of the locals favorite places.

When they came to Massachusetts in 2017, we hosted them at our home:


We went on to run in Bermuda until this year and have magnificent memories of our time there.


When Clarence and I chat by phone or Skype it is usually light hearted reminiscing about the time spent together and planning for future visits. But this phone call with quite different. Clarence asked me if I knew about the status of Bermuda and the pandemic which I had from following the news on Facebook. His voice was filled with tenderness and care and genuine concern for how we were doing here in the States. We focused on gratitude and how we have discovered new hobbies during this time. He will be celebrating his 58th wedding anniversary at his home rather than going out for dinner and has a socially distanced event planned with the family and the people who were in his wedding party. I shared about our garden and how we've dislecovered new running routes in our neighborhood.

He shared that he sees Anthony from time to time and he is doing well although he is missing not being able to organize races for now.

I let Clarence know how deeply he touched my heart with his phone call. He was genuinely concerned for our welfare and greatly relieved to know how well we are doing in spite of the circumstances happening around us.

We agreed to stay in touch and look forward to the days when we can travel again to visit each other.

Friends I have met through running are the best and have become like family.



Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com to learn more about my adventures as runnergirl1953 and how I was able to go from being told I'd 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

Wellness Wednesday: On Signs and Scenes from a Morning Run

To beat the high heat and humidity, we set the alarm for 6:30am to get in our miles. Having the goal of running at least 50 miles for the month of August motivates me to get in the miles I have set in my training log for this month. It took us a little while longer than usual to get ready. Wednesdays are the days when Tom has to go into his office so we adjusted the mileage to ensure he would have enough time to get ready and go into the office. I will still be able to exceed my goal for this month!

We continue to heal from the past 3 years of Ruth Anne's health challenges. I felt the need to share how I was feeling reflecting back on where we were this time last year. Ruth Anne courageously shared her memories and we all felt lighter after expressing ourselves.

Tom is our official photographer for our runs and he stopped to capture a photo of this dragonfly:


In almost every part of the world, the Dragonfly symbolizes change, transformation, adaptability, and self-realization.

The change that is often referred to has its source in mental and emotional maturity and understanding the deeper meaning of life. The Dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what’s on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life. The Dragonfly moves with elegance and grace. The Dragonfly is iridescent both on its wings and body. Iridescence shows itself in different colors depending on the angle and how the light falls on it. The magical property of iridescence is also associated with the discovery of one’s own abilities by unmasking the real self and removing the doubts one casts on his/her own sense of identity.

The Dragonfly normally lives most of its life as a nymph or an immature. It flies only for a fraction of its life. This symbolizes and exemplifies the virtue of living in the moment and living life to the fullest. By living in the moment you are aware of who you are, where you are, what you are doing, what you want, what you don’t, and to make informed choices on a moment-to-moment basis. The eyes of the Dragonfly symbolize the uninhibited vision of the mind and the ability to see beyond the limitations of the human self. Dragonfly’s can be a symbol of self that comes with maturity. They can symbolize going past self-created illusions that limit our growth and ability to change.

How remarkable that the dragonfly crossed our path and that Tom was able to capture it in a photo. We are undergoing a time of transformation in the world and, in our little corner of the world, moving forward from 3 years of trauma and illness. The angels have been and are always with us!

As our sweat poured, we felt the joy of being alive and the gift of a new day. We even saw a smiley face in the clouds:


In preparation for my participation in the Boston Marathon Virtual Expo panel "Whole Life Running and Late Life Running" we talked about my miracle of healing and transformation. We reflected on how I was able to make the miraculous shift from having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair to a life of health, wellness and being physically active!

We shifted gears to a more light hearted conversation as the smell of coffee and bacon wafted through the air. We have a rule that we cannot talk about food before we hit the halfway mark of any run. We were on our way home as the conversation turned to "what's for breakfast?"

What a wonderful Wednesday wellness run with a sign from the Divine and beautiful scenery. Next up on Saturday is the New Balance Falmouth Road Race At Home Edition for Tom and Ruth Anne and the Falmouth Walk for me. While it would be wonderful to be in Falmouth for race weekend, we feel deep gratitude and contentment for the blessings of health and wellness and the gift and blessing of running in our lives.

For inspiration on your health and wellness journey, be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

From my heart to yours
To your health and wellness
Mary