Walking Miles on Heartbreak Hill-Comfort in the Comfort Zone

A few years ago after Tom ran the Falmouth Road Race which is too fast a field for me, we ran the course together from start to finish so I could experience the race. He would tell me how he felt at different parts of his race. I would be able to experience the race course at my own pace; running it together made me feel as though I had been with him on race day.

I am training for the Tufts 10K 2014. What better way to train than on the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon 10K course before we head downtown to train on the Tufts 10K course. Tom ran the 10K last weekend. I once again had the opportunity to share in race day with him without the stress of trying to keep up with a fast field. So on Saturday, we headed out to the Newton Hills for me to begin to get more miles into my legs.

I knew I wanted to walk the distance at a pace well within my comfort zone. After these past several weeks of hectic activity and racing, I knew that I did not want to push myself. Besides, walking 6.1 miles on the Newton Hills still gives you a great workout.

There was a mystical quality to the hills in the mist and fog. Tom and I commented how just a few short months ago we were navigating patches of black ice and climbing over mounds of snow.

Keeping at a comfortable pace gave me the opportunity to take in the majesty of Heartbreak Hill.

Everything was green and trees were in full bloom.

We stopped to capture the beauty of the raindrops on the flowers of this tree:



There's something so nourishing for the soul to walk for miles, breathing in fresh, fragrant air and taking the time to notice the beautiful details in nature.

It's so important for us to slow down and take it easy knowing that tomorrow is another day to pick up the pace. There is comfort and joy to be experienced in the comfort zone. It's a great space to abide.


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.