End Polio Now on Blog Talk Radio

Today's interview on Blog Talk Radio with Darien Marshall and Darius Jones was one of the best interviews I have experienced in a long time! There was a technical glitch that occurred at about the 10 minute mark. I was talking and then noticed there was 'dead air' on the other end of the line. I said, are you there, are you there? In the past my heart would race and I would feel a sense of panic. Not today! I was calm knowing that there always is a higher purpose at work. With grace and gifts from the Spirit, Darien and Darius filled the airwaves with their spiritual wisdom. They are Science of Mind practitioners and their ministry is evident in all that they do. We eventually found our way back together and continued the show. You will feel uplifted, inspired and fueled with Love as you listen to the show!

Listen to internet radio with ItXs All About You on Blog Talk Radio

Inspirational Quotes

I have collected inspirational quotes and posted them to my website and decided to dedicate a blog post to this collection. Enjoy!




"To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed." ~ Bernard Edmonds

"The miracle isn't that I finished; the miracle is I had the courage to start." John Bingham

"The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places." ~Author Unknown

"Ten thousand flowers in Spring,
The moon in autumn,
A cool breeze in summer,
Snow in winter.
If your mind is not clouded
By unnecessary things
This is
The best season of your life." Wu -Mei

♥ “Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.” ♥
~Leo Tolstoy~

"Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first."-- Frederick Wilcox

"Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow." - Helen Keller

I learn something from every teacher in my life, even if it's learning how not to live. - Louise L. Hay

The muddiest water clears as it is stilled. And out of that stillness, life arises. - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you ~lewis b. smedes~

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. -Martin Buber

It has often proved true that the dream of yesterday is the hope of today, and the reality of tomorrow."~Dr. Robert Goddard

"You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state." ~Sharon Gannon

“Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time." --Marian Wright Edelman

"It is not by accident that the happiest people are those who make a
conscious effort to live useful lives. Their happiness, of course, is
not a shallow exhilaration where life is one continuous intoxicating
party. Rather, their happiness is a deep sense of inner peace that
comes when they believe their lives have meaning and that they are
making a difference for good in the world." Ernest Fitzgerald

"Adventure is a state of mind - and spirit. It comes with faith, for with complete faith, there is no fear of what faces you in life or death."-- Jacqueline Cochran

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have
within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the
stars to change the world." Harriet Tubman

“Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” Langston Hughes

"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." Thomas Edison

"Most successful people begin with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so."
David Brooks

"It’s amazing how courageous you can become when you know God’s got you covered." unknown

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot." Eleanor Roosevelt

And another quote by Eleanor Roosevelt "Nobody can make you inferior without your consent."

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes." Benjamin Disraeli

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." Abraham Lincoln

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet." William Blake

"The sense of impossibility is the beginning of all possibilities." Sri Auribindo

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." James Barrie

"We flower into the fullness of our being little by little. Jamal Rahman

The more we talk about love, the stronger it grows in consciousness, and if we persist in thinking loving thoughts and speaking loving words, we are sure to bring into our experience the feeling of that great love that is beyond description – the very love of God." Charles Fillmore

"The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances that they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." George Bernard Shaw

"The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities." James Allen

"Life is a field of unlimited possibilities." Deepak Chopra

"Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality." Jonas Salk

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Goethe

"We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate. Either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realizing our potential, or embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless." Christopher Reeve

"Do or do not. There is no try." Yoda

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." Tommy Lasorda

""But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." - Thornton Wilder

Namaste,
Mary

Father's Day

19 June 2011
For Tom
Loving father, husband and so much more

It took ten years we weren't sure if our dream to be parents could come true
And then we had the ultrasound and found we were having not one baby but two.
We didn't have a lot of money or support from either side
You've been an incredible father, to our children a mentor a guide.
And though we're empty nesters, and our twins are almost 24
You're there to listen for hours on end as they share their dreams and more.
A builder of our son's website, for our daughter a road trip to Tennessee
Putting the needs of our family first never once asking how about me.
A role model of integrity - loving, patient and kind
Forgiveness and love overflow from your heart,
a more wonderful father no one could ever find.
Not only to our children, but to your patient partner, to all youth whom you meet
You offer the love of a father - you are compassionate, tender and sweet.
This Father's Day my wish for you is a day filled with love and light
Time to relax and get in a run, meditate and do what feels right.
I'm so grateful you are the love of my life,
ours and the world's children are truly blessed
Wishing you a Happy Father's Day may this Father's Day, like you, be the best!

With my love,
Mary

Comfort in the Comfort Zone

This blog could be sutitled, "My very own unique training plan." Feeling comfort in my physical being is an experience that is still alien to me. Feeling comfortable in who I am is a new experience for me and the physical being is the manifestation of the inner world. In 2008 when my personal trainer asked me what my next health and fitness goals were, the first words out of my mouth were, "I want to feel free in my body. I want to be able to go outside and just take a walk feeling good." Of course I jumped to and I want to run the Boston Marathon so I kind of skipped over that I want to feel comfortable part and went right to training for a marathon.

The journey has been incredible with more ups and downs than the Hulk roller coaster at Universal Studios but it's all been a wonderful joyous ride as I learn so much about myself and about life. Before I get too zen today I'll get back to comfort in the comfort zone. As a recovering Type A, it is a challenge for me to just be. The practice of yoga is such a blessing in my life because it allows me to be in the moment and teaches me about the importance of rest - savasana at the end of every yoga class - a time for stillness. I have written about going on a power walk but there was always a but, an excuse as though I had to apologize for not running or training harder. Of course that's all from within. So yesterday I started out feeling that I needed to do a training run for Harvard Pilgrim 10K coming up in a few short weeks.


And then it happened - I said I am going on a walk. I am going to go at a comfortable pace and I am going to thoroughly enjoy the day. No excuses, no apologies, no thoughts of I should be ..... I have the confidence that I could run or walk or do whatever to finish the Harvard Pilgrim 10K if it were held tomorrow. Of course it's not and I have time to train with Tom but I also want to make sure that I have fun and enjoy the Harvard Pilgrim 10K.

Pamela Robbins whom I have known through Just Finish, blogging and recently Facebook and with whom I have spoken by phone on a couple of occasions is coming to Boston. We have been planning to run a race together for I don't know how long and have also planned to meet in person. This year we are making it happen! She is coming to Boston over July 4th and we are running the Harvard Pilgrim 10K together with my husband her daughter. We are kindred spirits and have developed this wonderful friendship of love and support as mid-lifers who do not look like your typical runner but we get out there and run with heart. She has a delightful sense of humor - that kind of dry wit that helps keep everything in perspective. We share a strong faith and live with an attitude of gratitude for all the blessings in our lives despite or maybe because of the challenges we have faced in life.

I cranked up my iPod, breathed in the summer air, enjoyed the lush green trees, felt the warm sun on my face. I smiled at runners and walkers as we passed each other. I felt true joy and appreciation in my heart for the day, for the blessing of being able to get outside and enjoy a walk, feeling free in my body and guilt free feeling comfortable in the comfort zone. (p.s. Not that it matters but my pace/mile was 15:32 - smile).

God bless, and be well
From my heart to yours
With love and gratitude,
Mary

Hey Hey Look Who's Running ....

Three years later ... 1st Sunday in June The Corrib Pub Run 5K. My first road race ever in 2008 on my road to the Boston Marathon. Back then I had barely run for 40 minutes straight and at 45 minutes I had to walk until we were ready to hit the downhill to the finish line. Our time 51 minutes and change. 2009 with the Boston Marathon behind us, Team McManus ran the Corrib Pub Run again. I had thought that the Team Hoyt 5K was my last road race that year but remembered we did Corrib Pub. Our time was 7 minutes faster than when we first ran the race. I reread the blog post from the 2009 run and am smiling! I would certainly hope that in these last two years I would grow as a writer, as a runner and a person, and I can say with certainty I sure have.

We didn't run the 2010 Corrib Pub Run because Tom was driving our daughter to begin her new adventures as a young adult. I cannot believe it is a whole year since we became empty nesters. I remember 'comforting' myself with the thought that in a year we'll be running the Corrib Pub Run again and have made the transition to empty nesters. And here we are!

The weather - glorious. My kind of weather - sunny and a cool breeze. I did my fueling for a noontime race start but always carry a pack of gel just in case and always bring water especially in the warmer weather. I meditated, did my breathing exercises and stretched and mentally prepared myself for another road race. During my meditation I pondered, why do I run? Why do I run road races? Initially I ran because I had something to prove. Then I ran because I had something to prove and focused on PR's. Now I run because I have nothing to prove but I enjoy running road races and love the energy, the camaraderie and the joy of being inside my body being physically active.

As Tom and I walked down the stairs to the field at the Corrib Pub Run, we reflected on these past several years. He said that if I did not take as good a care of myself as I do, that we would have had to adapt our home and I'd be in a wheelchair. Now there are circumstances beyond a person's control when they are not able to regain mobility but I believe in my situation, with post polio syndrome, that with maintaining an exquisite health and fitness regimen and calling upon many sources of healing - physical, emotional and spiritual, that I can lead an incredibly healthy life. Tom said that he was grateful for all of the hard work I do to stay healthy and fit. I believe that while there are some things I have no control over (such as some of the neurological damage from polio that causes head tremors and the need to work hard at strengthening previously weakened muscles), I can do everything I can to stack the deck in my favor of health and fitness and part of that is getting out there for runs and road races. As Bill Rodgers (yes that Bill Rodgers of Boston Marathon fame) told me when we met at Camp Hyannis that running stimulates the neurological system and can help to forestall the progression of so called progressive neurological diseases.

Usually before a road race, I feel a lot of anxiety. Actually before going to a yoga class, or an individual yoga lesson or body work, I can feel a lot of anxiety. It's the anxiety that accompanies movement, challenging myself and changes, but this anxiety is diminishing as I feel more and more at home in my earthly home. Today I felt excitement more than anxiety. What a thrill to return to the race that was my first ever road race. How I love being able to run side by side with my husband Tom as he encourages and supports me and we find that delicate balance between challenging myself but not pushing too hard crossing into the land of suffering. We bumped into one of his colleagues from Childrens Hospital and had a great pre race convo. Just as I was thinking ooh I should have brought a piece of fruit with me - orange slices seemed to appear out of nowhere. Perfect!

The first mile has an uphill and we were running hard but Tom also reminded me that we need to keep a lot in the tank for the hills at the end as well. What was amazing was that unlike other road races where we are in the back of the pack pretty quickly, we were a part of the sea of 2000 runners through the first mile. I got a little choked up as I actually felt a part of this amazing experience. I heard Spirit speak to me and say, "There is no disconnection unless you create it."

We made it to mile marker 1 and the volunteer told us our time 16 minutes gun time. Tom and I looked at our times and it was 15:00. At first I felt frustrated because I thought we were running faster than the time reflected and then I told myself to release all of that and allow myself to tune into my body and enjoy the moments of being out on the road. When I let go of all that doesn't matter, I feel incredible joy running in a road race. I love the energy of the cheers and the energy of the runners. I am passed and I pass walkers. There is no competition. I am setting the pace and running my own race. I have said those words so many times and today and at the Team Hoyt 5K I felt those words deep in my heart and soul. When I strip away what doesn't matter, I can feel the joy!

The neighborhoods all come out to cheer and set up their own water stops in addition to the water stop set up by the race organizers. They have hoses and even though it wasn't a broiling hot day, the sun was hot and running through a sprinkler is so refreshing and FUN! Now it may not seem like a big deal to you to run through a sprinkler but it sure is to me. In a way I am so blessed to have had the challenges I had because I take such pleasure and am so grateful for the little things in life. To have lived through the summer of 1971 when I was basically a prisoner in my own home and couldn't go out after 5 pm because my father would come to the house in alcoholic rages, I can deeply appreciate the joy of running free on a summer's day. To have been paralyzed and been through so many surgeries, a leg brace, a cast and to have felt so trapped for so long in this body leaves me feeling so grateful and appreciative of the moments of movement.

And then Tom tells me - look we are at mile 2 - where I ask? - right up there and then we hear "Hey Hey look who's running?" and it's none other than Mac, the President of our L Street Running Club. He high fives us and smiles and radiates love for Team McManus. He then came running after us to give us our time - 31 minutes - that's gun time I shout to Mac and off we went. We could feel each other's sense of playfulness. I knew we had taken a minute off of our second mile and smiled but I smiled even more deeply to feel a part of this amazing running community. I knew we only had 1.1 miles left and so I was gonna leave nothing on the road. I felt well and so we picked up the pace until...oh no I forgot about this hill. I decided to walk briskly to bring down my heart rate a little and leave some in the tank for a strong finish.

We turned the corner to the long downhill to the finish line. Tom told me to lean a little forward and take small steps and let gravity do the work but I could move my feet more quickly if I wanted. Then as we were approaching the finish Tom said to me - this is it, go for it and with that I channelled Forrest Gump. I can't tell you how amazing I felt inside to feel so comfortable sprinting to the finish line. I didn't care about the time, I cared about the movement; I cared about opening up my body to full throttle and yes I do love hearing the cheering of the crowds as I take off but it's also the internal cheers I feel for myself that make the journey so sweet. I ran the race in 44:39 taking off a minute from 2009 but despite the time which 'wasn't' an overall PR, I felt it definitely was a PR in so many ways! Thanks to the hills my average heart rate was 160 with a peak of 176. The peak of my target zone for my age is 140. Yeah hey hey - look who's running now!


God bless, be well and give it all you've got
With love and gratitude from my heart to yours,
Mary

Book Review: My First 100 Marathons

I 'met' Jeff Horowitz, author of My First 100 Marathons: 2,620 Miles with an Obsessive Runner on Pure Fit Radio. We became facebook friends and I thought that his book would make a wonderful Father's Day gift for my husband since he now is hooked on running marathons. I know it isn't really cool to give a 'used' gift for Father's Day but when the book arrived I was so intrigued by the content that I just had to read it first. And boy am I glad I did.

I am usually not a fast reader but I read Jeff's book in two days. I couldn't wait to read about his next adventure, his next triumph and how he overcame challenges and trials. If you believe that you have to be in love with running or have even run a marathon to enjoy Jeff's book, think again. While Jeff's story is, 'in many ways the story of everyone who has ever attempted and succeeded in running a 26-mile race', this is a book that non runners or people who are in love with runners will enjoy. This book transcends running and it transcends the marathon. Running and running marathons are metaphors for life. Jeff's book is about one man's journey to discover how he can use his natural gift of being able to run to make a difference in the world. Jeff looks deep within himself to explore why he runs marathons and his inward journey echoes to so many of us who are seeking purpose and passion in our lives.

Jeff's odyssey takes us from his first time running and around the globe on his quest to run 100 marathons. It spans 18 years of a physical and spiritual journey. Jeff's runs are set against the backdrop of his personal journey and placed in historical context. The book jacket has a brief bio of Jeff:
"Jeff Horowitz is a certified personal trainer and running coach, living in Washington DC. In addition to his own running, he has coached hundreds of others to run their first marathon while raising money for various charities. He's also an attorney, columnist, husband and father to little Alex Michael, who pleased his daddy by quickly learning how to say, "Look, I'm Running!" Visit Jeff at www.runtothefinishline.com."
To get to know Jeff in his personal account of My First 100 Marathons and find a part of yourself in his journey, run don't walk to get his book. If you order it through his website, he will send you an autographed copy.

God bless, be well and live like you were dyin'
From my heart to yours with love and gratitude,
Mary