Running Day Chat - It's Not Just a Sport - It's a Way of Life

On National Running Day, Runner's World and the New York Road Runners Club hosted a chat on Twitter. Bart Yasso joined in the chat to offer his running wisdom.

They asked six questions. Since I am volunteering at Runners World Race Expo for the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon and Festival, I thought I would share with you the questions and answers to the six questions posed.

Q1. Complete this sentence "I run because...."
It's the time when I feel most like myself.
from Bart Yasso I love living the lifestyle & embracing the journey, running has taken me around the world

Q2. I became a runner because
I became a runner to heal paralytic polio and trauma. It works!
from Bart Yasso To gain acceptance. I used running as a vehicle of introduction to people, places & cultures

Q3: Describe your best run ever.
My best run ever was the 113th Boston Marathon as a mobility impaired runner.

Q4: If you could run with anyone, who would it be?
Bill Rodgers around Jamaica Pond

Someone tweeted with Phoebe, from F.R.I.E.N.D.S (the one where Phoebe runs)

See if someone is staring at you it's only for a minute and then you're off.
I know you're right - I feel so free, so graceful...

Q5. What is your #1 running goal for this year
To run the Tufts 10K in October and to train for a half marathon in the fall of 2015
from Bart Yasso My goal is to mentor new runners or someone who doesn’t think he or she can run a city block, let alone finish a 5-K

Q6: What is your best tip for new runners?
To go out with experienced runners who can help you discover the joy of running
Bart Yasso Never limit where running can take you, the true essence of our sport is a passage to a bigger world

I feel blessed and grateful to be a part of the running community whether I run, volunteer or cheer on family and friends.

There is so much more to running than putting one foot in front of the other. It's not just a sport; it's a way of life!




My memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" is now available on Amazon.

"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.